Leonard Zon, professor of stem cell and regenerative biology and Grousbeck Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, has been awarded the 2026 March of Dimes Richard B. Johnston Jr., MD Prize.
A hematologist, stem cell scientist, and developmental biologist, Zon is an international leader in illuminating how blood develops in embryos. He pioneered the use of zebrafish as a model to study human disease, with a focus on blood diseases and cancers.
His work has deepened understanding of rare blood diseases, including in pregnancy, and led to new treatments for genetic blood disorders that affect infants and children.
“Dr. Zon’s groundbreaking work using the zebrafish to study human disease has resulted in truly amazing insights about the most devastating genetic disorders and cancers affecting the smallest patients,” said March of Dimes Chief Scientific Advisor Emre Seli.
Ron Kikinis, the HMS B. Leonard Holman Professor of Radiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, has received the International Excellence Award of the KIT and the Fellowship of SCHROFF Foundation. Awarded by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), it honors an internationally recognized expert in medical image processing, image-guided therapy, and biomedical informatics.
Kikinis was among the first researchers to systematically introduce the methods of computer vision and image analysis into clinical practice, thus establishing a new scientific field. His work paved the way for current developments in AI-assisted diagnostics, personalized medicine, and digitalized health care.
Kikinis is also the founder and architect of 3D Slicer, an open-access software platform used by thousands of researchers and physicians worldwide for clinical image analysis and visualization. His current work concerns global health and the digital transformation in medicine.
“With his research, Professor Kikinis addresses central challenges of modern medicine,” said Jan Hesthaven, President of KIT. “With his interdisciplinary influence on radiology, computer science, engineering, and medical technology, he makes important contributions to ongoing progress in modern medical technologies.”
The prize includes an invitation for a research stay of up to six months at KIT, up to 12 months of funding for accompanying junior researchers from Kikinis’s group, and up to EUR 50,000 for equipment for a research project to be conducted at the KIT host institute.
Amar Dhand, HMS associate professor of neurology at Brigham and Women’s, has received the Stroke Rehabilitation Award from the American Stroke Association (ASA). Dhand and 10 other researchers were recognized for their exceptional professional achievements and contributions to stroke and brain health care and research during the ASA’s International Stroke Conference in New Orleans in February.
The Stroke Rehabilitation Award encourages investigators to undertake or continue research or clinical work in the field of stroke rehabilitation.
Dhand was recognized for his award-winning research, “SocialBit: Validation of a Lightweight Machine Learning Algorithm for Measuring Social Interactions in Real-Time in Stroke Survivors with Diverse Neurological Abilities.”
Two HMS faculty members have received Pathway To Stop Diabetes Award grants from the American Diabetes Association.
The Pathway program awards talented early-career scientists who demonstrate exceptional innovation, creativity, and productivity with five to seven years of funding to explore new ideas without traditional project constraints. They are also paired with world-renowned diabetes scientists who offer mentorship as well as scientific and professional guidance throughout the duration of their grant.
“Diabetes research is vital to improving the lives of people living with diabetes and ultimately finding a cure,” said Rita Kalyani, ADA chief scientific and medical officer. “The ADA is proud to foster new medical breakthroughs and support early-career investigators who are conducting innovative, high-impact diabetes research.”
The two HMS recipients are:
- Christina Astley, HMS assistant professor of pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital, whose research will use computational modeling and AI to more precisely identify pacing of glycemic deterioration to better time and target interventions for those at risk of developing diabetes.
- Tinashe Chikowore, HMS instructor in medicine at Brigham and Women’s, who is working to improve diabetes prevention by providing personalized, culturally tailored dietary strategies through a mobile application.
Shenghua Zhu, HMS clinical fellow in radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital, has received a 2026 ARRS Resident/Fellow in Radiology award from the American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS). The awards recognize ability and promise in radiological research, education, or administration as well as scientific merit and potential impact of the awardees’ research.
Zhu was recognized for work reported in the paper “Portable Low‐Field MRI for Rapid Detection and Monitoring of ARIA in Lecanemab‐Treated Alzheimer’s Disease Patients: A Pilot Study,” published in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia in December, on which he was first author.
Zhu will receive his award at the ARRS annual meeting in April in Pittsburgh.
Two HMS researchers have received Emerging Leader Awards from the Mark Foundation for Cancer Research. The Emerging Leader Awards recognize innovative cancer research by outstanding early-career investigators and support high-impact, high-risk projects that are distinct from their current research portfolio.
Lucas Farnung, assistant professor of cell biology in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS, will receive support for his project, “Molecular Mechanisms of DNA Replication and Epigenetic Inheritance,” which will use advanced imaging methods to visualize how human cells copy both DNA and its epigenetic “on/off” instructions. Farnung hopes that visualizing and defining this process will expose replication-linked vulnerabilities in cancer cells and guide the development of targeted therapies.
Mariella Filbin, HMS associate professor of pediatrics at Boston Children’s, was recognized for her project, “Neuronal-Activity-Driven DNA Repair in Diffuse Midline Gliomas.” Diffuse midline gliomas (DMG) are a universally fatal pediatric brain tumor with no curative treatments beyond transient responses to radiation therapy. Filbin’s project will investigate how interactions between DMG cells and surrounding neurons within the tumor contribute to radiation resistance. Filbin hopes to identify novel therapeutic strategies to improve the efficacy of radiation therapy for children with this devastating disease.
Adapted from Mark Foundation materials.
Correction: Matthew Vander Heiden, HMS instructor in medicine at Dana-Farber, was inadvertently left off the list of HMS faculty elected to the American Association for Cancer Research Academy in January. We regret the error.
