YSM News and Recognition

Stefan Somlo, MD, C.N.H. Long Professor of Medicine (Nephrology) and professor of genetics, was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of his distinguished and continuing achievement in original research related to inherited human kidney diseases. Somlo studies the genetic bases of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) with the goal of understanding the roles that cilia and polycystin protein signaling pathways play in both healthy states and in the progression of disease. His research has provided new therapeutic targets for clinical development and evidence that ADPKD is a curable disease.

Connecticut Magazine cited 396 Yale Medicine physicians as “Top Doctors." The yearly list, created with the health research firm Castle Connolly, recognizes top physicians in Connecticut across many specialties as nominated by physician peers. The list represents the top 7% of practicing physicians in the United States.

Ronald Breaker, PhD, Sterling Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and professor of molecular biophysics and biochemistry, has been named the next dean of science in Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences. He will begin a five-year term on July 1, 2026. Breaker currently serves as the chair of the Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, and from 2010 to 2016 served as chair of the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology.

Christian Schlieker, PhD, professor of molecular biophysics and biochemistry, has been appointed chair of the Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. His three-year term will begin July 1, 2026. Schlieker joined Yale and the department in 2009 and is currently the department's director of undergraduate studies.

David A. Alagpulinsa, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Comparative Medicine, has received a New Investigator Gateway Award for Collaborative T1D Research from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and two Breakthrough T1D Innovative Awards. These awards support research on genetic regulation of mRNA translation, RPS26-mediated mechanisms, and GLP-1 signaling in type 1 diabetes and related outcomes. In connection with the NIDDK award, Alagpulinsa joins the Consortium on Beta Cell Death and Survival of the Human Islet Research Network, a national collaborative network advancing research on pancreatic islet biology and diabetes pathogenesis.

Irina Esterlis, PhD, and Robert Pietrzak, PhD, MPH, both professors of psychiatry, have been awarded a $4.2 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to investigate how menopause affects brain function, mood, and cognition. The study will be the first to examine in living people how menopause-related changes in brain synaptic density may contribute to a higher risk for depression and cognitive problems in midlife females.

Yale College senior Avi Patel, a communications intern in the Department of Internal Medicine, has received a Y-Work Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Student Employees. Presented by the Yale College Dean’s Office and the Office of Undergraduate Financial Aid, Y-Work Awards are given annually to undergraduates whose on-campus work has had a positive impact on the community. Patel has written over 30 news articles showcasing the Department of Internal Medicine’s impact on New Haven and around the world.

Nikolai Podoltsev, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine (hematology), was awarded a grant by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Foundation for a project aimed at improving chronic myeloid leukemia care. The award supports his project "Evaluating Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Management Variation and Pharmacist-Led Symptom Assessment to Improve Care Delivery.” Podoltsev is also associate director of the Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program and clinical director of malignant hematology in the Department of Internal Medicine.

Ilana Richman, MD, MHS (left), and Lynn Tanoue, MD, MBA, were awarded grant funding from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Oncology Research Program. The award supports their project "A Multilevel Intervention to Support Retention in Annual Lung Cancer Screening," which aims to improve lung cancer screening rates according to NCCN guidelines. Richman is assistant professor of medicine, and Tanoue is professor of medicine (pulmonary) and director of the Lung Cancer Screening Program.

Christopher Sankey, MD, associate professor of medicine, received the 2026 Excellence in Teaching Award from the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM). The award honors those who have demonstrated outstanding teaching prowess and served as role models and mentors to other hospitalists, residents, medical students, and other health care professionals. Sankey was cited for his work as a director for the Adult Hospital Medicine Fellowship Program at Yale and his leadership in creating innovative training models.

Shivani Srivastava, PhD, associate research scientist in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, has been named guest editor for the Diabetology special issue on “Bone Metabolism and Skeletal Health in Diabetes.” The issue will showcase advances in basic, translational, and clinical research focused on diabetes-related bone health complications. Srivastava recently served as a topic editor for the Frontiers in Aging collection titled “Unraveling the Complexities of Premature Aging: Mechanisms and Interventions,” which highlighted emerging discoveries in the molecular and clinical mechanisms of premature aging and explored novel preventive and therapeutic strategies.