YSM News and Recognition

John H. Krystal, MD, Robert L. McNeil, Jr. Professor of Translational Research, received the 2026 Connecticut Medal of Technology at the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering's annual dinner on May 19. Krystal was honored “for the discovery of the rapid antidepressant actions of ketamine, the most important clinical advance in psychiatry in the current era, leading to the development of esketamine, the first mechanistically novel FDA-approved antidepressant in over 50 years.” Krystal, who is also professor of psychiatry, of neuroscience, and of psychology, and chair of the Department of Psychiatry, is a leading expert on the neurobiology and treatment of psychiatric disorders. His work links psychopharmacology, neuroimaging, molecular genetics, and computational neuroscience to study the neurobiology and treatment of disorders, including alcohol use disorder, depression, PTSD, and schizophrenia.

Tara Davila, LCSW, assistant clinical professor of social work, has received the Michele H. Jonhson Award from Yale School of Medicine's MORE group, which aims to foster a diversity of perspectives and experiences at YSM. The annual award recognizes a faculty member who excels in clinical service, mentorship, research, community action, teaching, or interdisciplinary collaboration. Davila’s clinical expertise is in supporting youth and families who have been affected by traumatic experiences. She serves as associate director of youth clinical services and vice chair for collaborative excellence at the Yale Child Study Center.

The Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) initiative awarded neurology resident M. Elizabeth Deerhake, MD, PhD, the inaugural ASAP Collaborative Research Network Discovery Fellowship. The grant will advance Deerhake’s research identifying genetic drivers of neuroinflammation in Parkinson’s disease, with co-mentorship from David Hafler, MD, and Clemens Scherzer, MD.

Murat Günel, MD, chair and Sterling Professor of Neurosurgery, delivered the Richard C. Schneider Lecture at the 2026 American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) annual scientific meeting. AANS is the largest neurosurgical meeting in the United States and one of the field’s premier international gatherings. Günel’s lecture highlighted the next frontier in neurosurgery: moving from genetic discovery to brain circuits, digital brain models, and individualized neuromodulatory therapies for disorders of the mind.

Michael Lerner, MD (left), and Ryan Rimmer, MD, were inducted into the Triological Society, the oldest academic and clinical otolaryngology society, in honor of their significant contributions to otolaryngology research. Lerner, associate professor of surgery (otolaryngology), was recognized for research on quality-of-life outcomes after botulinum toxin treatment, and Rimmer, assistant professor of surgery (otolaryngology), for developing an imaging-based algorithm to improve skull base reconstruction planning.

John Morton, MD, MPH, has been named chair-elect of the Bariatric Surgery and Devices Section of The Obesity Society, a scientific society dedicated to the study of obesity and its treatment. He will serve as chair-elect through Dec. 31, 2026, before assuming the position of section chair on Jan. 1, 2027. Morton is the system lead for surgical quality and bariatric services in the Yale New Haven Health System of six hospitals and vice-chair for quality, division chief for bariatric and minimally invasive surgery, and professor in the Department of Surgery.

Michael Nanna, MD, assistant professor of medicine (cardiovascular medicine), was selected as one of 12 participants in the 2026-2028 Emerging Leader Mentorship (ELM) Program by the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI). The ELM Fellows program is a two-year training and mentorship program designed to help participants enhance their skills and prepare for leadership positions in medicine. Nanna is an interventional cardiologist specializing in coronary interventions, with a focus on the care of older adults living with multiple chronic conditions.

Helena Rutherford, PhD, associate professor in the Yale Child Study Center, and Bulent Omay, MD, associate professor of neurosurgery and otolaryngology, have been awarded a $540,000 industry-sponsored grant to serve as co-principal investigators for a clinical trial examining the effects of oxytocin on socio-emotional functioning and pain perception in patients undergoing pituitary surgery. Co-investigators for this study are Ryan Rimmer, MD, (otolaryngology); Mehmet S. Ozcan, MD, (anesthesiology); and Silvio Inzucchi, MD, (endocrinology). The findings are expected to provide important insights not only for patients with pituitary tumors, but also for advancing the understanding of oxytocin’s role in human socio-emotional behavior, pain regulation, and brain function more broadly.

Kevin Sheth, MD, professor of neurology and neurosurgery, received the Bruce F. Scharschmidt & Peggy S. Crawford Translational Medicine Distinguished Lectureship and Award at the annual meeting of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI). Sheth is the second winner of the award, which celebrates individuals who have made transformative contributions to bridging basic science discoveries with clinical applications, advancing human biology, and delivering innovative therapies to patients. A founding director of the Yale Center for Brain & Mind Health, Sheth has pioneered the development of new strategies to treat brain swelling. His work has changed the fundamental approach to brain injury in the ICU and spurred the creation of new technologies in drug delivery and neuroimaging.

Sai Zhang, PhD, assistant professor of biomedical informatics and data science, is part of Decode ALS, one of 20 international teams recognized with a Discovery Award in the Longitude Prize on ALS, a £7.5 million global challenge. The award, chosen from nearly 100 entries, provides each winning team with £100,000 and access to the most comprehensive ALS patient dataset ever compiled, featuring genomic sequences of 9,000 patients and epigenomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics data for more than 2,000 cases. Decode ALS will use AI models trained on whole genome sequencing data from ALS patients to test affected cells and proteins against potential candidate drugs, aiming to directly link genetic causes of ALS to actionable treatments.