By Kat Procyk
Yash Patel, a first-year medical student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, was awarded a $5,000 Summer Fellow Grant from the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a leading charity funder of childhood cancer research grants in the United States.
The grant means to support medical and undergraduate students as they conduct pediatric oncology research in labs. Patel, a trainee in the lab of Baoli Hu, associate professor of neurological surgery, School of Medicine, studies medulloblastomas, aggressive brain tumors commonly seen in children, with the goal of understanding the developmental origins for different types of medulloblastomas, as its research is conflicting.
“I am exploring whether we can use promising preclinical findings to shift group 3 tumors, which are more aggressive, toward less aggressive group 4 tumors, potentially improving response and overall outcomes,” Patel said.
In addition to Pitt, 23 institutions received grants.