Two HMS faculty members have been named Fellows of the AACR Academy by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). Fellowship in the AACR Academy recognizes scientists, clinicians, and physician-scientists whose visionary work has reshaped the landscape of cancer research.
Fellows are chosen through a rigorous peer-review process designed to evaluate and recognize only those individuals whose scientific accomplishments have left an enduring mark on cancer research. This year, 24 new fellows were selected.
“The new Fellows of the AACR Academy embody the pinnacle of scientific excellence,” said Margaret Foti, CEO of the AACR. “Together, these individuals from around the globe, specializing in various scientific disciplines, have fundamentally shaped cancer research and improved patient outcomes.”
The two new AACR Fellows from HMS are:
- Alice Shaw, the HMS George P. Canellos, MD, and Jean S. Canellos Professor of Medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, for pioneering translational and clinical cancer research that has led to the development of numerous next-generation targeted therapies.
- Kimberly Stegmaier, chair of the Department of Pediatric Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the HMS David G. Nathan Professor of Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital, for fundamental and innovative research in pediatric oncology, including the integration of functional genomics and chemical biology to define fusion gene-driven oncogenic mechanisms and translating these discoveries into clinical trials to establish new precision pediatric cancer therapies.
Adapted from AACR press materials.
Constance Cepko, the Bullard Professor of Genetics and Neuroscience in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS, received a 2026 Laureate Award from the Future Vision Foundation.
Cepko was recognized for her transformative research into how the vertebrate retina develops and degenerates.
Established in 2017, the Future Vision Foundation aims to inspire innovative vision research and celebrate breakthrough vision advances through powerful short documentary films.
Adapted from Future Vision Foundation materials.
Hong Chen, HMS professor of surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital, has received the 2026 Jeffrey M Hoeg ATVB Award for Basic Science and Clinical Research from the American Heart Association.
Chen was recognized for elucidating how endocytic adaptor proteins — which help “give permission” for certain molecules to be brought inside cells — regulate vascular biology and for translating those discoveries into new concepts in atherosclerosis. Her seminal 1998 Nature paper identified epsin as a key endocytic adaptor protein, laying the foundation for a body of work that has since established epsins as pivotal regulators of endothelial signaling, vascular inflammation, macrophage biology, and plaque progression.
Adapted from American Heart Association press materials.
Five HMS faculty members have been named to Boston Magazine’s 2026 150 Most Influential Bostonians. The annual list highlights the people shaping how Boston lives, works, thinks, and feels.
The Most Influential Bostonians from HMS are:
- Anne Klibanski, the HMS Laurie Carrol Guthart Professor of Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, recognized for her work as president and CEO of Mass General Brigham
- Kevin Churchwell, the HMS Robert and Dana Smith Professor of the Practice in the Department of Anaesthesia at Boston Children’s Hospital, recognized for his work as CEO of Boston Children’s Hospital
- Timothy Springer, the HMS Latham Family Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Boston Children’s, recognized for his research, his entrepreneurship, and his philanthropy
- Marcela Del Carmen, HMS professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology at Mass General, recognized for her work as president of Mass General, including overseeing the construction of a new cancer treatment center
- Kevin Tabb, HMS professor of medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, recognized for his work as president and CEO of Beth Israel Lahey Health
Adapted from Boston Magazine materials.
Sylvia Rosas, HMS associate professor of medicine at Joslin Diabetes Center, has been named to receive the Garabed Eknoyan Award from the National Kidney Foundation (NKF). The Eknoyan Award recognizes an individual whose work promotes the mission of NKF in making lives better for people with kidney disease.
Rosas’ primary research is on chronic kidney disease epidemiology, particularly diabetic kidney disease. She is the principal investigator for the Kidney Precision Medicine Project chronic kidney disease recruitment site at Joslin Diabetes Center. The program, funded by the National Institutes of Health, aims to ethically obtain and evaluate human kidney biopsies to create a kidney tissue atlas; define disease subgroups; and identify critical cells, pathways, and targets for novel therapies.
Rosas and other awardees will be honored at the NKF 2026 Spring Clinical Meetings in May in New Orleans.
Adapted from NKF press materials.
Allison Eck, senior executive communications manager at HMS, has won a Cicero Speechwriting Award from the Professional Speechwriters Association for the 2025 State of Harvard Medical School speech she wrote with HMS Dean George Q. Daley.
Daley’s 2025 State of the School address balanced realism and optimism, addressing the immense challenges faced by the School in the wake of Harvard’s $2 billion federal funding freeze.
“I can promise this: The current crisis will not be our undoing, and through it all I remain optimistic about our future prospects,” Daley said. “I am confident that we will find ways to thrive. And I am confident because all of you are so remarkably dedicated, resourceful, and resilient.”
The Cicero Speechwriting Awards recognize speechwriters and speakers for exceptional research, audience analysis, introspection, writing, and rewriting. The international award is one of the highest honors for professional speechwriters.
Adapted from Professional Speechwriters Association press materials.
Six HMS researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and students have received awards from the Society for Pediatric Research (SPR). SPR Awards recognize excellence in pediatric research and honor individuals who have made meaningful contributions to advancing child health.
The SPR awardees from HMS are:
- Kimberley Banfield, HMS clinical fellow in pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital, received a Fellows’ Basic Research Award, honoring her engagement in basic pediatric research.
- Wendy Chung, the HMS Mary Ellen Avery Professor of Pediatrics at Boston Children’s, received the Mary Ellen Avery Neonatal Research Award in recognition of her important contributions to neonatal health through basic or translational research.
- Emily Heikamp, HMS assistant professor of pediatrics at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, received the Young Investigator Award for her research into an aggressive subtype of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) driven by chromosomal rearrangements of the Nucleoporin 98 (NUP98) gene.
- Ioanna Kotsopoulou, HMS clinical fellow in pediatrics at Boston Children’s, received a Fellows’ Basic Research Award, honoring her engagement in basic pediatric research.
- HMS student Grace Kromm received a Student Research Award, honoring her research in the lab of Carol Wilkinson, HMS assistant professor of pediatrics at Boston Children’s.
- Timothy Yu, HMS associate professor of pediatrics at Boston Children’s, received the SPR Award in honor of E. Mead Johnson, in recognition of Yu’s work to improve the diagnosis and treatment of rare disease.
The awardees were recognized at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) meeting in Boston in April.
Stuart Orkin, the HMS David G. Nathan Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children’s Hospital, has been awarded the 2026 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences. He shares the award with Swee Lay Thein, senior investigator and chief of the Sickle Cell Branch of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health.
The annual $3 million prizes honor transformative advances toward understanding living systems and extending human life.
Three HMS students have been awarded the prestigious Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans, a merit-based award that supports outstanding immigrants and children of immigrants pursuing graduate education in the United States.
Ronak Desai, Arya Rao, and Ananthan Sadagopan were among the 1 percent of students selected from a competitive national pool and recognized for their academic achievements, leadership, and potential to contribute meaningfully to society. Each fellowship provides up to $90,000 in funding for graduate study.
Three HMS faculty members have been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Class of 2026 for distinguished accomplishments in biological sciences and public policy.
The newly elected members from HMS are:
- Alan D’Andrea, the HMS Alvan T. and Viola D. Fuller American Cancer Society Professor of Radiation Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
- Richard Frank, the Margaret T. Morris Professor of Health Care Policy, Emeritus, at HMS
- Judy Garber, HMS professor of medicine at Dana-Farber
Seven Harvard Medical School researchers are among the 145 newly elected members of the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.
The newly elected members from HMS are:
- Stephen Blacklow, the Gustavus Adolphus Pfeiffer Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology and head of the Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS
- Jon Clardy, the Christopher T. Walsh, PhD Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at HMS
- Benjamin Ebert, the HMS Richard and Susan Smith Professor of Medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and president and CEO of Dana-Farber
- Stephen Liberles, professor of cell biology at HMS
- Wade Regehr, the Bullard Professor of Neurobiology at HMS
- Johannes Walter, the Edward S. Wood Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at HMS
- Yi Zhang, the HMS Fred S. Rosen Professor of Pediatrics and professor of genetics at Boston Children’s Hospital
Are you, or do you know, an HMS community member who has received notable recognition?
