Meet the 2022 Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Physician Scholars

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In 2021, the Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Physician Scholars Program was established at MSK to support the translational science initiatives of talented early-career physician-scientists across multiple specialties. Mr. Gerstner’s generosity and continued dedication to the education and training of future leaders in cancer care make this farsighted opportunity possible. Through this highly competitive program, top-tier physician-scientists will be provided with a level of support that is otherwise difficult to obtain this early in their careers. The scope of innovation and excellence achieved at MSK depends on the work of a diverse scientific and clinical community of investigators, including these four promising physician-scientists, who were carefully selected for the inaugural class of Gerstner Physician Scholars.  

Susan De Wolf, MD
Department: Medicine
Current Position: Instructor, Leukemia Service, Memorial Hospital
Mentor: Marcel van den Brink, MD, PhD
Project Title: Harnessing endogenous T cell immunity in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia

Juan Osorio, MD
Department: Medicine
Current Position: Assistant Attending, Gynecology Medical Oncology Service, Memorial Hospital
Mentor: Jeffrey Ravetch, MD, PhD
Project Title: Role of Fc receptors in the therapeutic activity of antibodies targeting the CD47-SIRP-alpha axis

Samir Zaidi, MD, PhD 
Department: Medicine
Current Position: Assistant Attending, Genitourinary Oncology Service, Memorial Hospital
Mentor: Charles Sawyers, MD
Project Title: Reversion of lineage plasticity and restoration of drug sensitivity in prostate cancer: role of Janus kinase (JAK) and fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR)

Morgan Freret, MD, PhD
Department: Radiation Oncology
Current Position: Fourth-Year Resident, Radiation Oncology 
Mentor: Adrienne Boire, MD, PhD
Project Title: Choroid plexus and the cancer stem cell niche in leptomeningeal metastasis