Top row, from left: Shana Burstein, MD, Sakthi Kumar, MD, Hasiya Okorozo, MD, MPH, and Myrto Skafida, MD. Bottom row, from left: Shalini Vemuru, MD, Peter Carlson, MD, PhD, and Luiza Doro Pereira, MD.
Seven trainees from Emory University School of Medicine’s Departments of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Pediatrics and Internal Medicine have been named recipients of the 2026 Nell W. and William S. Elkin Fellowships and Chester P. Rochfort Scholarships.
These awards are presented annually to exceptional physician-scientists enrolled in eligible Emory training programs who demonstrate a strong commitment to careers in cancer research, treatment or prevention. Elkin Fellowship recipients receive $35,000, and Rochfort Scholarship recipients receive $10,000 for one year to support salary, laboratory costs and other research-related expenses, including travel to scientific conferences and meetings.
The recipients of the 2026 Nell W. and William S. Elkin Fellowship are:
Shana Burstein, MD
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellow
Emory University School of Medicine
Project Title: Exploring intra-tumoral genetic heterogeneity in unilateral multifocal Wilms tumor
Sakthi Kumar, MD
Internal Medicine Resident
Emory University School of Medicine
Project Title: Zanzalintinib in combination with enfortumab vedotin and pembrolizumab in the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma
Hasiya Okorozo, MD, MPH
Hematology and Medical Oncology Fellow
Emory University School of Medicine
Project Title: Mental health treatment as a modifiable mediator of racial survival disparities in colorectal cancer: a population-based analysis and prospective feasibility study
Myrto Skafida, MD
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellow
Emory University School of Medicine
Project Title: Engineering “off-the-shelf” CD5-CAR gamma delta T cells for T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Shalini Vemuru, MD
Hematology and Medical Oncology Fellow
Emory University School of Medicine
Project Title: A Phase 2 clinical trial proposal: a feasibility study of a multicomponent nutrient bundle in patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy for operable triple-negative breast cancer
The recipients of the 2026 Chester P. Rochfort Scholarships are:
Peter Carlson, MD, PhD
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellow
Emory University School of Medicine
Project Title: Leveraging endogenous immunity against pediatric solid tumors using CD4+ CAR T cells
Luiza Doro Pereira, MD
Hematology and Medical Oncology Fellow
Emory University School of Medicine
Project Title: Stress-associated transcriptional programs and their contribution to racial disparities in breast cancer outcomes