image: AGA is proud to announce the selection of 84 recipients to receive $2.9 million in research funding through the annual AGA Research Foundation Awards Program.
Credit: AGA
Bethesda, MD (April 20, 2026) — The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) is proud to announce the selection of 84 recipients to receive $2.9 million in research funding through the annual AGA Research Foundation Awards Program.
“For more than 40 years, the AGA Research Foundation has played a vital role in advancing discoveries that are transforming digestive health,” said Michael Camilleri, MD, DSc, AGAF, chair of the AGA Research Foundation. “In today’s evolving funding landscape, our mission is more important than ever. By investing in some of the most promising investigators in our field, we are accelerating breakthroughs that will lead to better treatments and improved outcomes for patients with digestive diseases.”
The AGA Research Awards Program is made possible thanks to generous donors and funders. Learn more about the AGA Research Foundation.
Meet the recipients
Research Scholar Awards
- Luisa Seguella, PhD, Michigan State University
- Adiba Azad, MD, Mayo Clinic - Rochester
- Sunny Chung, MD, Yale University
- Lin Y. Hung, Ph.D, New York University
- Brandon Huffman, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
AGA-Gastric Cancer Foundation Ben Feinstein Memorial Research Scholar Award in Gastric Cancer
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Jeong Yun Yang, MD, Columbia University
Specialty Awards
AGA-Caroline Craig Augustyn & Damian Augustyn Award in Digestive Cancer
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Meng-Ju Wu, PhD, University of Massachusetts
AGA-R. Robert & Sally Funderburg Research Award in Gastric Cancer
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Jill Weatherhead, MD, PhD, Baylor University College of Medicine
AGA-Celltrion Fellowship-to-Faculty Transition Award in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
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Samantha Bai, MD, PhD, Washington University
AGA Pilot Research Award
- Z. Gordon Jiang, MD, PhD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Wenjie Ma, ScD, Massachusetts General Hospital
- Guisheng Song, PhD, University of Minnesota
- Devesha Kulkarni, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles
- Karen Dunbar, Ph.D, Columbia University
- Jonathan Jacobs, MD, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles
- Amiko Uchida, MD, University of Utah
- Charles Cho, MD, PhD, Emory University
- Jin Ge, MD, University of California, San Francisco
- Michele Battle, PhD, North Carolina State University
- Nataliya Razumilava, MD, University of Michigan
- Siyan Cao, MD, PhD, Washington University in St. Louis
- Yuanyuan Fu, PhD, University of Hawaii at Manoa
- Ann Gregory, PhD, University of Calgary
AGA-Beyond Celiac Pilot Research Award in Celiac Disease
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Kathryn Hamilton, PhD, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Undergraduate Research Awards
AGA-Aman Armaan Ahmed Family SURF for Success Program
- Akshaya Vadivel, Case Western Reserve University
- Anthony Vadurro, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
- Ayumi Vazquez, Cornell University
- Benie Manwana, University of Minnesota
- Dinah Reiss, College of Charleston
- Trinity Borno, Howard University
- NaShyla McQuirter, University of Connecticut
AGA-Dr. Harvey Young Education & Development Foundation’s Young Guts Scholar Program
- Courtney Worrell, Temple University
- Devon Chang, Harvard College
- Evan Hsiang, Harvard College
- Gitika Gorthi, Columbia University
- Jacob Cao, University of Pennsylvania
- Mira Jiang, Harvard College
AGA Fellow Abstract of the Year Award
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Aisha Qazi, PhD, University of Illinois Chicago
AGA Fellow Abstract Awards
- Alex Liu, MD, Vanderbilt University
- Arun Balasubramaniam, PhD, Emory University
- Caroline Muiler, PhD, MS, Yale University
- Christina Gainey, MD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Deiziane Viana da Silva Costa, PhD, MS, University of Virginia
- Gaurav Suryawanshi, MD, University of Minnesota
- Jiaxian Shen, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital
- Jonathan Melendez, MD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
- Jose Villamarin, MD, Mayo Clinic
- Lizbeth Ayoub, PhD, Harvard University
- Manpreet Kaur, PhD, MS, BPharm, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Max Goldman, MD, Kaiser Permanente
- Md Obaidul Islam, PhD, University of Miami
- Mojdeh Mostafavi, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital
- Muhammad Ali Butt, MD, University of Minnesota
- Natalie Sun, MD, SUNY Downstate
- Sasha Jane Abi Aad, MD, University of South Florida
- Yichen Wang, MBBS, Mayo Clinic
AGA Student Abstract of the Year Award
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Eric Sha, BA, Vanderbilt University
AGA Student Abstract Awards
- Amanat Bal, MD, MS, Kaiser Permanente
- Benjamin Moy, MD, Northwestern University
- Eduardo Canto, BS, Creighton University
- Hyrum Eddington, BS, University of California, San Diego
- Leah Kim, MD, NYU Langone Health
- Maxwell Charlat, MD, Westchester Medical Center
- Nakul Ganju, MD, Howard University Hospital
- Paxton Smith, MD, Spokane Teaching Health Center
- Pedro Escobedo, MD, Indiana University
- Vraj Shah, MD, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
AGA–Eric Esrailian Student Abstract Prize
- Gamze Sonmez, MD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Leandro Sierra, MD, Cleveland Clinic
- Martha Arevalo Mora, MD, Larkin Community Hospital
- Visha Parmar, BS, Michigan State University
AGA–Radhika Srinivasan Student Abstract Prize
- Chidalu Edechi, MD, University of Saskatchewan
- Fangyuan Jiang, MBBS, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
- Julia Opara, MPH, MS, University of Kansas Medical Center
- Lee Meluban, MD, MA, Columbia University
AGA Abstract Award for Health Disparities Research
- Maria Ortega Abad, MD, Cleveland Clinic
- Michelle Zhao, MD, MPH, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Rhea Verma, BS, Drexel University College of Medicine
- Syed Kodilinye, MBBS, Stanford University
AGA-Moti L. & Kamla Rustgi International Travel Award
- Hiroaki Saito, MD, PhD, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine
- Sare Verstockt, PhD, MS, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
- Sasha Fehily, MBBS, MPH, St. Vincent General Hospital
Media contact: Annie Mehl, AGA communications and media relations manager, media@gastro.org, 301-327-0013
About the AGA Institute
The American Gastroenterological Association is the trusted voice of the GI community. Founded in 1897, AGA represents members from around the globe who are involved in all aspects of the science, practice, and advancement of gastroenterology. The AGA Institute administers the practice, research, and educational programs of the organization. www.gastro.org
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