HHMI Research Fellow Simon N. Chu Awarded Dean’s Prize in Research and Scholarship by UCSF School of Medicine
Simon N. Chu, M.S., has been awarded the 2018 Dean’s Prize in Research and Scholarship by the UCSF School of Medicine for his molecular medicine research. Chu, a senior medical student in the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Research Fellow, will present his research on the immune response following transplantation in the HIV infected recipient at the upcoming 2018 Inquiry Symposium on Wed. May 2nd at the Milberry Gym on the Parnassus campus between 10:00 am and 11:30 am.
The symposium showcases award-winning research from the four UCSF graduate programs. This is the second time Chu has won this prestigious award, the first for HIV-related research in the laboratory of Dr. Joseph "Mike" McCune. He has also been invited to present on this topic at the upcoming Annual J. Engelbert Dunphy Resident Research Symposium sponsored by the Department of Surgery on Wed. April 25, 2018.
Chu is also a member of the PRIME Program in Medicine for the Urban Underserved, designed to nurture, support and equip participating medical students to become leaders in underserved care. Chu recently received an Equity Plus merit scholarship award from this program for his high level of scholarly activities.
Chu is currently a research fellow in the Transplantation Research Laboratory and is co-mentored by Qizhi Tang, Ph.D. and Peter G. Stock, M.D., Ph.D. Chu's research focus is the immunological basis underlying enhanced transplant rejection in HIV-positive solid organ transplant recipients.
The field of HIV-Positive organ transplantation largely owes its existence to Peter Stock, who designed and led the first clinical trials enrolling HIV-Positive organ transplant recipients. He then successfully lobbied to have legal barriers removed on both the federal and state levels that would have prevented further research. Chu's work is aimed at overcoming a key issue in HIV-organ transplantation, a higher rate of graft rejection seen in HIV+ recipients.
