Awards

Research Experiences for Graduate and Medical Students

October 09, 2025

The Endocrine Society's Research Experiences for Graduate and Medical Students (REGMS) program offers promising students a comprehensive experience in endocrine research. Participants engage in collaborative lab work, receive expert mentorship, build professional networks, and enhance their professional skills through year-round activities.

The 2024-2025 REGMS application period is closed.

We invite you to fill out our Interest Form if you're interested in participating in the 2025-2026 program. We will reach out when the next application period opens.

Please review the FAQ section. If your question is not addressed, please contact [email protected].  

Program Highlights

  • 8-10 Week Summer Research Project: Conduct research in a lab under an Endocrine Society member's guidance.
  • $2,500 Honorarium: Received for costs incurred during the summer research period.
  • Summer Webinar Series: Participate in an 8-week series of career development webinars.
  • Virtual Research Talks: Present your research to peers and mentors.
  • ENDO 2026 Participation: Attend the annual meeting and present research with a $1,500 travel grant.
  • Publication and Career Opportunities: Showcase research in Society publications and participate in the Early Career Forum.
  • Volunteer and Service Activities: Develop leadership and team-building skills.

Key Dates for 2026

  • Applications Open: October 17, 2025
  • Application Deadline: January 23, 2026
  • Notification: February 27, 2026

Eligibility

  • Student Applicants: Must be a full-time, 1st to 3rd-year medical or graduate student and an active Endocrine Society member.
  • Mentors: Must be active Endocrine Society members. Only one application per mentor.

The following documents must be received to constitute a complete application:

  • Summary of research project, jointly prepared by Mentor and Student (1 page)
  • Mentor statement which includes: 
    • Mentor’s role in the research project including their plans for training
    • Student’s role in the research project
    • Student’s qualifications 
  • Mentor’s biosketch (NIH Style; 5-page maximum)
  • Transcripts from all advanced academic institutions in which student has been enrolled. Transcripts do not need to be official. All transcripts must be submitted in English.
  • Student’s CV or resume (current and permanent mailing addresses must be included).

Scenes from REGMS

REGMS Recipients

REGMS 2025 Winners

Juliana Barreto Martinez
Mentor: Dr. Abir Mukherjee, PhD

Rebecca Gin
Mentor: Dr. Kellie Breen Church, PhD

Sara Halili
Mentor: Dr. Andrew Arnold, MD 

Mirrah Hasan Bashir  
Mentor: Dr. Daniel Frigo, PhD 

Megan Hennessy  
Mentor: Dr. Nicola Partridge, BSC, PhD 

Jayatree Majumdar 
Mentor: Dr. Mainak Banerjee, MD, DM, FRCP 

Alexandra Marenco 
Mentor: Dr. Anne Cappola, MD, ScM 

John McNeil 
Mentor: Dr. Alice Chang, MD 

Christy Nguyen 
Mentor: Dr. Marcus Seldin, PhD 

Sara Osorio-Valencia  
Mentor: Dr. Jose Cordoba-Chacon, PhD 

Dhanya Pradeep ` 
Mentor: Dr. Erik Nelson, BSc, PhD 

Linlan Qiao 
Mentor: Dr. Kristy Brown, PhD 

Preethi Veeragandham  
Mentor: Dr. Christos Mantzoros, MD, DSC 

Kiara Wiggins  
Mentor: Dr. Dequina Nicholas, PhD 

Allison Lehman, BA, BSN
University of Kansas School of Medicine 

Diana Ximena Yrigoyen Rosas, BS
University of Illinois 

Maia Jakubowski, BS
University of Connecticut 

Jack Klahr, BS
Medical College of Wisconsin 

Dominique Cope, BA
Baylor College of Medicine 

Vitoria Simas, MS
Indiana University School of Medicine 

Jotinder Waraich, Btech
University of Calgary 

Audrey Isaak, B.S.A
Baylor College of Medicine 

Iztiba M. Deeba, MS
University of Alabama at Birmingham 

Zezhou Zhao, MS
Harvard Medical School 

Fabiola Lujan, BS
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center 

Sikiru Imodoye, BMLS, MS
University of Utah 

John Kincaid, MS, MPhil
Harvard Medical School  

Evangelos Axarloglou

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Development of accurate diagnostic and prognostic blood tests for NAFLD/NASH in type II diabetics
Mentor: Dr. Christos Mantzoros

Helen Bell

University of California San Diego
Neural Mechanisms Mediating the Inhibition of Reproductive Function During Metabolic Stress
Mentor: Dr. Kellie Breen Church

Pham Hong Anh Cao

University of Texas Md Anderson Cancer Center
Modulation of intracellular lipid access by ATGL determines ferroptosis sensitivity in prostate cancer
Mentor: Dr. Daniel Frigo

Zena Del Mundo

University of Calif Irvine
Determining the role of pituitary immune cells in gonadotrope hormone secretion
Mentor: Dr. Dequina Nicholas

Alexis Engel

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Insulin Receptor Signaling and Racial Disparities in Triple Negative Breast Cancer
Mentor: Dr. Emily Gallagher

Izabela Magdalena Hawro

University of Illinois Chicago
Does restoration of BHMT levels in hepatocytes of mice with NASH will reduce Hcy, improve methionine metabolism, and enhance the therapeutic effects of TZD on NASH?
Mentor: Jose Cordoba-Chacon

Hannah Heath

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Correlating Exposure to Neighborhood Violence with PRMT6 and Glucocorticoid Receptor Binding to Chromatin in Black Male Lung Cancer Patients
Mentor: Dr. Zeynep Madak-Erdogan

Minseon Jung

University of British Columbia
Effects of Maternal Sucrose Consumption During Pregnancy on Steroids in the Placenta and Fetal Brain of Rats
Mentor: Dr. Kiran K. Soma

Li-Wei Kuo

University of Colorado- Anschutz Medical Campus
Immunesuppressive factors associated with androgen receptor expression in breast cancer
Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Richer

Mark Liang

University of CA - Irvine
Neurobiological and Cognitive Correlates in Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
Mentor: Dr. Mimi Kim

Casey McAndrews

University of New England
Determination of bone quality following weight loss in obese preclinical models
Mentor: Dr. Cliff Rosen

Nefeli Neamonitaki

Examining the Metabolic Effects of Lactation in Women with Diabetes Risk Factors
Mentor: Dr. Camille E. Powe

Lorenzo Smith

Investigating the pro-tumor potential of therapy-induced senescence in adrenal cancer

Mentor: Dr. Kaitlin Basham

Chinasa Ufondu

University of Minnesota
Estrogen receptor-driven breast tumorigenesis in invasive lobular carcinoma
Mentor: Dr. Julie Ostrander

Marie-Louis Wronski

Massachusetts General Hospital
Associations between oxytocin and arginine-vasopressin levels and food reward and cognitive control neural circuits in female and male adults with obesity
Mentor: Dr. Franziska Plessow

 

Michael Boysen, BS, MS 

University of Colorado School of Medicine 
Training Status: Medical Student 
Research: Interactions between Anti-Estrogens and Radiation Therapy Sensitivity in Invasive Lobular Carcinoma of the Breast 

Mentor: Matthew Sikora, PhD 
University of Colorado School of Medicine 

Stephanie Chinwo  

University of Connecticut School of Medicine 
Training Status: Graduate Student 
Research: Molecular Analysis of AMBRA1 as a Candidate Tumor Suppressor in Sporadic Parathyroid Adenomas 

Mentor: Andrew Arnold, MD  
University of Connecticut School of Medicine 

Nicholas Christakis  

Louisiana State University 
Training Status: Medical Student 
Research: Racial Disparity in Glycemic Outcome During Real World Use of an Advanced Hybrid Closed Loop System (AHCL) Among Youth with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) 

Mentor: Stuart Chalew, MD 
Louisiana State University 

Wenyuan He  

University of Toronto 
Training Status: Graduate Student 
Research: Discovering novel microRNAs that regulate insulin sensitivity in hypothalamic neurons 

Mentor: Denise D. Belsham, PhD  
University of Toronto  

Jessica Lee 

Loyola University 
Training Status: Medical Student 
Research: Identify the role of PER3 in trophoblast function in regard to pre-eclampsia 

Mentor: Hanne Hoffman 
Loyola University  

Reeya Shah 

University of California - San Diego 
Training Status: Graduate Student 
Research: Investigating potential protective effects of cohousing on metabolic dysregulation with hyperandrogenism mouse model 

Mentor: Varykina Thackray, PhD 
University of California - San Diego  

Julietta Sheng, M.S.

Colorado State University 
Training Status: Graduate Student 
Research: Maternal stress and hypothalamic development 

Mentor: Stuart Tobet, MS,PhD  
Colorado State University  

Macy Thonen 

Univ. of Nebraska Medical Center 
Training Status: Medical Student
Research: The effects of kinase inhibitors on TAp63α induced oocyte apoptosis 

Mentor: Kim So-Youn, PhD 
Univ. of Nebraska Medical Center  

Jin Young Yoo, M.S. 

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 
Training Status: Graduate Student 
Research: Geospatial Analysis to Quantify Spatial Heterogeneity of Liver Metastatic Tumors 

Mentor: Zeynep Madak-Erdogan, PhD 
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 

 

Taylor Baker 

Case Western Reserve University 
Training Status: Graduate Student/PhD Student 
Research: Enhancing CDK4/6 inhibitor efficacy by targeting the G2/M cell cycle in tamoxifen-resistant luminal A breast cancer cells 

Mentor: Ruth Keri, PhD 
Case Western Reserve University 

Kathryn Bartholomay Walters

University of Colorado Anschutz 
Training Status: Graduate Student/PhD Student 
Research: Determining how MSI2 regulates steroid hormone metabolism to promote aldosterone production 

Mentor: Neelanjan Mukherjee, PhD 
University of Colorado Anschutz 

Shruti Bendre

University of Illinois 
Training Status: Graduate Student/PhD Student 
Research: Impact of Macrophage ABCA1 on T cell expansion and Anti-Breast Cancer Activity 

Mentor: Erik Nelson, BSc,PhD 
University of Illinois 

Angie Chen

Northwestern University 
Training Status: Medical Student 
Research: Factors Influencing the Diagnosis and Treatment of PCOS in Adolescents 

Mentor: Laura Torchen, MD 
Northwestern University 

Annapurna Chitnavis

University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix
Research: Coronary Artery Calcium Score in Cohort of Transgender Individuals Undergoing Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy In Phoenix, Arizona

Mentor: Dr. Ricardo Rafael Correa, MD, EdD, FACP, FACE, FAPCR, FACMQ

Ethiopia Getachew

Harvard Medical School
Research:Sex Differences in the Neurobiology of Obesity

Mentor: Dr. Elizabeth Austen Lawson, MD, MMSc

Pratyusa Das, MS

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine 
Training Status: Graduate Student/PhD Student 
Research: Role of FOXO1 in glucocorticoid-induced somatotrope maturation 

Mentor: Buffy Ellsworth, PhD 
Southern Illinois University School of Medicine 

Ashley Herdman 

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences 
Training Status: Graduate Student/PhD Student 
Research: Loss of Leptin Receptors on Gonadotropes: Calcium Imaging 

Mentor: Angela Odle, PhD 
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences 

Steven Hobbs

University of Illinois 
Training Status: Graduate Student/PhD Student 
Research: Role of IQGAP1 in BA-mediated liver proliferation 

Mentor: Sayeepriyadarshini Anakk, PhD 
University of Illinois 

Nimisha Nandankar, MS

Rutgers/The State University OF NJ 
Training Status: Graduate Student/PhD Student 
Research: Metabolic and Reproductive Characterization of ARC Kiss1 Knockout Mice 

Mentor: Sally Radovick, MD 
Rutgers/The State University OF NJ 

Angela Olvera

University of Wisconsin - Madison 
Training Status: Medical Student 
Research: Elucidate the contribution of Glp-1r to glucose homeostasis and beta-cell mass preservation and proliferation 

Mentor: Dawn Davis, MD,PhD 
University of Wisconsin - Madison 

Parleen Pandher

University of Northern British Columbia 
Training Status: Graduate Student/PhD Student 
Research: Functional consequence of PACAP deficiency on gene expression in stellate ganglia of mice 

Mentor: Sarah Gray, PhD 
University of Northern British Columbia 

Tanya Pierre

University of Alabama at Birmingham 
Training Status: Graduate Student/PhD Student 
Research: A physiological understanding of the Rnf20/40 complex in ß-cell function 

Mentor: Chad Hunter, PhD 
University of Alabama at Birmingham 

Samuel Plaska, MS, OMS-1

University of Michigan 
Training Status: Medical Student 
Research: Characterization of a Novel Mutation in the CLCN2 Gene Leading to Primary Aldosteronism 

Mentor: William Rainey, MS PhD 
University of Michigan 
 

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my research need to be conducted over the summer?

Yes, summer research is expected, though dates are not monitored. You should plan to submit an abstract in the fall or spring for the next ENDO Annual Meeting.

Can past recipients apply again?

No. Previous winners are not eligible.

Are international applicants eligible?

Yes. U.S. and international applicants are welcome.

Can I submit a late application?

Only in rare cases, and only if the application is already in progress. Contact Endocrine Society staff.

Can I get feedback if I’m not selected?

No. Reviewer comments are not shared.

How will I receive my award?

  • U.S. recipients: Direct deposit
  • International recipients: Wire transfer

When will I receive payment?

  • Summer Research Honoraria: May/June
  • ENDO Travel Award: Within 6 weeks after ENDO (following attendance verification)

How can I use the funds?

  • Summer Honoraria: Living/personal expenses related to research
  • ENDO Travel Award: Costs related to ENDO travel
    Endocrine Society does not track how funds are used.

Can the award be sent to my institution?

Yes, if you are unable to accept funds personally.

(U.S. recipients) Are awards taxed?

Yes. Awards over $600 are typically taxed. A 1099 form will be issued.

(International recipients) Can I send the award to someone in another country to avoid taxes?

No. Awards must be received in your home country, and you must follow local tax laws.

What if I can’t attend ENDO?

The ENDO travel award is only granted to those who attend in person. There is no hybrid option.

When are the summer webinars held?

Webinars are typically held at 12 PM ET on Mondays for 8 weeks during the summer.

Do I have to attend all webinars?

Yes, unless you have an extenuating circumstance. Please notify Endocrine Society staff in advance.

Do I have to submit an abstract?

Yes. Abstract submission is strongly encouraged to participate fully in the program and present at ENDO.

What should I attend at ENDO?

  • REGMS research presentation session (required)
  • REGMS dinner (certificate awarded and cohort networking)

What is expected of my mentor?

Mentors do not need to submit anything post-application. They are encouraged to attend the REGMS dinner and the mentee’s presentation session.

Last Updated:
REGMS Experience

Ashley Herdman Describes her REGMS Experience

For medical and graduate students with a keen career interest in endocrine research, the Research Experiences for Graduate and Medical Students (REGMS) summer program has proven to be a worthy benefit — offering invaluable lab experiences, networking connections, and mentorships that last well beyond the summer months. Endocrine News caught up with one of the 14 REGMS awardees in 2021, Ashley Herdman, to learn more about her experiences.

For medical and graduate students with a keen career interest in endocrine research, the Research Experiences for Graduate and Medical Students (REGMS) summer program has proven to be a worthy benefit — offering invaluable lab experiences, networking connections, and mentorships that last well beyond the summer months. Endocrine News caught up with one of the 14 REGMS awardees in 2021, Ashley Herdman, to learn more about her experiences.

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