The Ferdinand C. Valentine Medical Student Research Grants in Urology

The 2025 Ferdinand C. Valentine Medical Student Research Grants application cycle opens is now open. Applications are due Monday, January 20th.

Background

The New York Academy of Medicine is pleased to announce the competition for The Ferdinand C. Valentine Medical Student Research Grants in Urology. The grants are awarded to MD candidates who are either enrolled in a New York-area medical school or plan to conduct research at a New York-area institution, to pursue 10-12 week mentored summer research projects in urology.

Eligibility Requirements

Competition is open to MD candidates attending medical school or conducting research in the greater New York area (New York City, Long Island, Westchester County, or New Jersey). Funding will be provided for research projects lasting between ten (10) and twelve (12) weeks in the summer of the upcoming year, preferably between the first and second years of medical school, but medical students in any year of their education may apply. Students are encouraged to pursue research projects that extend beyond the startup period. Students enrolled in combined MD/PhD programs are not eligible for this program. Additionally, eligible candidates are required to be a US citizen, permanent resident of the US, or authorized to work in the US for the period of time covered by this proposed award.

Application Process

Applicants must provide the following as part of their application:

Completed Application Cover Page
Research proposal not to exceed 1 page which should include project title, applicant’s name, faculty mentor’s name, and research site. The font used should be Arial with a minimum 11 point type size.
Biographical sketch of the student, including research background, career goals and immediate goals for the research project.
Signed letter of support from faculty mentor, including the role of the student, a plan for the mentor’s direct supervision of the student’s research activities, and a plan for the student’s career development. Mentors are discouraged from sponsoring more than one student per award cycle.
NIH biosketch of faculty mentor. (Sample at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/biosketchsample.doc)
Listing of the laboratory's current sources of grant support.
Documentation of mentor’s IRB or IACUC protocol approval or submission (if applicable) or waiver. The complete protocol is not required, only the appropriate approval or submission cover page. Approvals for pending protocols must be in place by the start of the grant. In the case of animal research, include a copy of the institution's current HHS Animal Welfare Assurance approval or renewal letter, or a letter from the institution's research administration office affirming that the animal facility complies with all federal standards and has been so certified.
Completed and signed signature pages 1 & 2 (patent policy available online for download).

Award Information

Up to three grants will be awarded with a stipend of $4,000 for students pursuing a clinical or basic science research project in the field of Urology in the summer of the upcoming year. The stipend will be paid directly to the sponsoring institution in two equal installments (at the beginning and end of grant period). The second payment will be contingent upon the submission of a written report on the project. Announcement of the successful applicants for the Ferdinand C. Valentine Grants will be made in time for a summer research project to commence. Student grantees are additionally expected to present their research findings at the Academy's annual Medical Student Forum in September following the summer of their project, to an audience of Academy Fellows, faculty mentors, research colleagues and fellow student grant awardees.

Apply Now

Contact information

Office of Fellowship and Research Endowments
The New York Academy of Medicine
1216 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10029-5202
Tel: 212-419-3645
Fax: 212-419-3615
email: fellows@nyam.org

CURRENT & PREVIOUS RECIPIENTS

2023 RECIPIENTS

Sofia Gereta, MD, MSHCT (Master of Science in Healthcare Transformation)
Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin
Characterization of mpMRI Features Associated with Persistence and Recurrence of Prostate Cancer After Partial Gland Ablation
Research conducted at Weill Cornell Medicine

Frederick Okoye, DO
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine - 1. Detection of the Vasopressin Receptors in Fruit Bat, a Novel Animal Model for Nocturia
Research conducted at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University

Jonathan Wong, MD
New York Medical College
Exploration of Anticancer Mechanism of Monk Fruit Extract on Human Bladder Cancer Cells

Sally Zhou, MD
SUNY Downstate Medical School
Prevalence and associated risk factors of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Pregnant and Postpartum women

2022 RECIPIENTS

Susan Gong
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Phenotyping Nocturia in Hypertensives According to 24-hour Urine Composition, Free Water Clearance, and Volume Status in a Racially Diverse Primary Care Population

Justine James
CUNY School of Medicine
Characterizing Long-term Outcomes of Subcapsular and Perinephric Hematomas
Research conducted at the Arthur Smith Institute for Urology

Arslan Mohamed
CUNY School of Medicine
Creation of a Nomogram to identify high-risk patients with microscopic hematuria
Research conducted at the Arthur Smith Institute for Urology at Northwell Health

2021 Recipients

Emily Cheng
Optimizing the Number and Location of Transperineal Systematic Prostate Biopsy Cores
Weill Cornell Medical College

Lakshay Khosla
Impact of Aging on Natriuretic Peptides and Receptors: An Analysis of Biomarkers associated with Nocturia
SUNY Downstate College of Medicine
Research conducted at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Daniel Ranti
Immune Cell Invasion of Bladder Tumors as a Function of Tumor Microenvironment
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

2020 Recipients

Aleem Kahn
A Novel Approach to PSMA-positive Prostate Cancer: Tumor Replacement Therapy
Weill Cornell Medical College

Fred Gong
Examining the Association Between Echocardiogram Parameters and Nocturia
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University

Jesse Persily
Clinical Utility of AxumenPET/MRI Imaging at Two Years Following Focal CRYO-ABLATION (FCA) of Prostate Cancer
New York University School of Medicine

Noah Panitch
The Relationship Between Blood Pressure and Nocturia: An Analysis of the Krimpen Study
SUNY Downstate College of Medicine

2019 Recipients

Christopher George
Quantifying the Association Between Nocturia and Cardiovascular Disease: Results from the Krimpen Study
SUNY Downstate College of Medicine
Research conducted at SUNY Downstate College of Medicine

Jonathan Koptyev
Assessing the Risk of Kidney Stone Formation Induced by Weight-Loss Diets<
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Research conducted at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Ishan Pranajpe
Deep Immunophenotyping of Bladder Cancer by Single Cell RNA Sequencing and Identification of Novel Predictors of Immunotherapy Response
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research conducted at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

2018 Recipients

Alex Xu
15 Year Mortality After Radical Prostatectomy for Localized Prostate Cancer in the Prostate-Specific Antigen Screening Era
New York University School of Medicine
Research conducted at New York University School of Medicine

Dora Jericevic
Measures of Visceral Fat and Partial Nephrectomy Perioperative Outcomes
New York University School of Medicine
Research conducted at New York University School of Medicine

Jeffrey Arace
Screening of Prostate Cancer
SUNY Downstate Medical Center
Research conducted at SUNY Downstate Medical Center

Sina Mehraban Far
A randomized controlled trial comparing the efficacy of a condensed 6-week protocol to the standard 12-week protocol of percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) in the treatment of overactive bladder
Stony Brook University Medical Center
Research conducted at Stony Brook University Medical Center

2017

Aleef Rahman
Characterization and Validation of Novel Prostate Cancer Markers
Research conducted at Stony Brook University School of Medicine

Eliza Cricco-Lizza<
Comparison of MRI and 68Ga-PSMA PET imaging before and after HIFU therapy for localized treatment of prostate.
Research conducted at Weill Cornell Medicine

William Harris Development of a desmopressin induced hyponatremia prediction nomogram
Research conducted at SUNY Downstate College of Medicine

2015

Danny Lascano
Is Fibroblast Growth Factor-23, A Marker of Medical Chronic Kidney Disease, Elevated In Cases of De-Novo Surgical Chronic Kidney Disease?
Columbia University

Neil Mendhiratta
Informing Prostate Biopsy Strategies for Men with Previous Negative Biopsies
New York University School of Medicine

Ifeanyi Onyeji
Investigation of Nab-Rapamycin for Bacillus Calmette-Guerin Refractory Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer
Columbia University

2014

Christopher Ryan
Retrospective Evaluation of Role of Hormonal Manipulation on Bone Age in Children and Adolescents with Klinefelter Syndrome
Research conducted at Weill Cornell Medical College

Michael Goltzman
TERT Promoter Mutations as Putative Biomarkers of Urothelial Carcinoma
Research conducted at New York Medical College

Sarah Abramson
Facilitators and Barriers to Treating Locally Advanced Prostate Cancer - Frontline Urologists’ Views
Research conducted at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

2013

Ashley Kalor
Development of PCA-III Nomograms in the repeat Prostrate Biopsy Setting
Research conducted at New York Medical College

2012

Neeti Bagadiya
Outcome analysis of post transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy complications: Predictive factors of sepsis
Research conducted at Hofstra North Shore-Long Island Jewish School of Medicine/ Feinstein Institute of Medical Research

Joseph Crivelli
Targeting Bladder Cancer with Nanoparticle-mediated Microwave Thermotherapy
Research conducted at Weill Cornell Medical College

2010

Stefan Karagiannopolos-Flores
Analysis of the Micro-Architecture of the Yunica Albuginea: Exploring the Link Between Peyronie’s Disease and Radical Prostatectomy
Research Conducted at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Wei Yang
Development of New Compounds Specifically Targeting Prostate Cancer Bone Metastases
Research Conducted at Mount Sinai School of Medicine

2009

Joseph Ricci
Successful Fertility Treatment for Men with Klinefelter Syndrome: Pre-operative Management and Predictive Factors
Research Conducted at Weill Cornell Medical College

2008

Zahir Imtiaz Basrai
Clinical Presentation of Prostate Cancer in the Medically Underrepresented Community
Research Conducted at New York Medical College

Benita Tien-ping Liao
PSA Volatility Index (PVI): A new method to quantitate PSA variability and the risk of prostate cancer
Research Conducted at New York Medical College

Mark Vicente Silva
Calculating Tension in the DaVinci Robotic System with a Computerized Tensometer
Research Conducted at Stony Brook University

Jonathan Zagzag
Kidney Fibrosis: The role of hypoxia and epithelial to mesenchymal transformation in chronic renal disease
Research Conducted at New York University

2007

Carolyn Chang
Superficial Bladder Cancer: Role of Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (FISH) in Diagnosis, and Efficacy of Intravesical BCG with Interferon Alpha Therapy
Research Conducted at New York Medical College

Angela L. Roberts
Effect of a Novel Pressure System on Urothelial Cell Nitric Oxide Synthase
Research Conducted at Weill Medical College of Cornell University - Institute for Pediatric Urology

2006

Michelle Diana Wilson
Steroid Hormone Effects on Prostate Epithelial Cell Differentiation
Research Conducted at Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Stephen David Marshall
Enhancement of Transplant Tolerance by Dendritic Cells
Research Conducted at UMDNJ - New Jersey Medical School

Stuart Lance Cohen
An Algorithm for Content Correction of Mixed Cellular Microarray Expression Data for Prostate Cancer and Other Epithelial Tumors
Research Conducted at New York University School of Medicine

2005

Sophie Chheang
The Prognostic Value of Pretreatment PSA and Posttreatment Nadir PSA Levels in Patients with Locally Aggressive Cancer
Research Conducted at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Institute

Trushar Patel
The Relationship of High Grade Prostatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia (HGPIN) and High Grade Prostate Cancer
Research Conducted at New York University School of Medicine

Ranjith Ramasamy< To Determine If Breast Feeding During Infancy Protects Against Bedwetting During Childhood
Research Conducted at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey

2004

Yana Basis
Age-Associate Changes in the Rat Prostate Proteome
Research Conducted at New York Medical College

Stella Kijung Maeng
Characterization of the Effect of Pressure on NO Production by Urothelial Cells
Research Conducted at Weill Medical College of Cornell University

Sarju S. Patel
Exploration of VSV Expressing Fusigenic Glycoproteins for the Treatment of Prostate Cancer
Research Conducted at Mount Sinai School of Medicine

2003

Sherman Chan

The Role of Hypogonadism in Erectile Dysfunction in Diabetic Men
Research Conducted at Brooklyn Veterans Administration Medical Center

Clinton Lund Christensen
Further Data Analysis of Pediatric Trauma Patients with Urologic Injury
Research Conducted at New York Medical College

Steven Gregory Kikolski
Investigation of the Interaction of the Androgen Receptor with Growth Factor Receptor Signaling Pathways
Research Conducted at New York University School of Medicine

2002

Clinton Lind Christensen
Data Analysis of Trauma Patients with Urologic Injury
Research Conducted at New York Medical College

Kelly Marie Maxwell
Examining the Potential Role of a Novel Androgen Receptor Coactivator ART-27 in Genetic Susceptibility to Prostate Cancer
Research Conducted at New York University School of Medicine

Greg T. Sherr
Effect of a High Beef Fat Diet on Gene Expression in the Rat Prostate
Research Conducted at New York Medical College

2001

Steven A. Ugras
Investigation of the Presence of Green Tea and the Prostate
Research Conducted at Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center

Amy Melina Dosoretz
PGE2 Effects on HIF and VEGF Protein Levels in Prostate Cancer Cells Are Mediated Via Activation on the Akt Pathway
Research Conducted at Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Katherine Nmn Rodriguez
Poration of Malignant Tumors with Microwave Pulses
Research Conducted at Albert Einstein College of Medicine/ Montefiore Medical Center

Nachum Burt Stollman
Role of Gap Junction Protein Cx43 in Detrusor Muscle Contraction
Research Conducted at Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Kavita Mukund PatelThe Effect of HIV Infection on Serum Prostate Specific Antigen Levels
Research Conducted at SUNY-Health Science Center-Downstate Medical College