College of Medicine celebrates research and innovation leaders at 2026 awards luncheon
Penn State College of Medicine recognized faculty, staff and trainees for their contributions to discovery, collaboration and meaningful impact during the 2026 Research and Innovation Awards luncheon held Tuesday, April 21.
The annual awards celebrate the breadth of the College’s research enterprise, highlighting scientific achievement alongside the creativity and teamwork required to translate ideas into meaningful advances in health and patient care.
“This year’s awards reflect the full spectrum of who we are as a research community,” said Karen Kim, MD, MS, College dean. “From foundational discovery to real-world application, our faculty, staff and trainees are working together to move ideas forward in ways that improve lives. I am incredibly proud of the people and partnerships that make this work possible.”
The 2026 Research and Innovation Awards luncheon was held Tuesday, April 21.
The 2026 awards program was refreshed to better represent the evolving nature of research and innovation at the College. Expanded categories highlight interdisciplinary collaboration, operational excellence and impact across the College’s areas of research eminence, while recognizing contributions from staff, trainees and faculty alike.
Advancing science at the College of Medicine depends on more than individual achievement. It is driven by strong infrastructure, mentorship and collaboration across disciplines. From those who support research operations to those developing new technologies and leading major scientific efforts, each role contributes to a shared mission of improving health and transforming lives.
The celebration will continue later this year, with additional awards to be presented during a September ceremony recognizing partnership and advocacy across the College’s research and innovation community.
Below is the full list of 2026 Research and Innovation Award recipients.
STAFF EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Catalyst for Innovation
Recognizes a staff member who advances innovation by building processes, removing barriers and connecting people and resources to drive progress.
Recipient: Abbey Fisher, MPA, PMP
Catalyst for Research
Recognizes a staff member who strengthens the research mission through collaboration, expertise and impactful contributions to research operations and support.
Recipient: Carrie Criley
TRAINEE AWARDS
Rising Star in Innovation
Recognizes a trainee who demonstrates exceptional promise in innovation and entrepreneurship through the development of solutions that address real-world needs.
Recipient: Karl Bohnenberger
Rising Star in Research
Recognizes a trainee who demonstrates outstanding achievement and future promise in advancing scientific knowledge through research.
Recipient: Alexandra Nusawardhana
FACULTY AWARDS
Eminence Awards
Honor faculty whose contributions in research, scholarship and innovation have advanced knowledge and driven progress across the College’s six areas of research eminence.
Adult and Pediatric Cancer
Recipients: Arun Sharma, PhD (Innovation), and George-Lucian Moldovan, PhD (Basic Science)
AI and Bioinformatics
Recipient: Dajiang Liu, PhD, MA
Cardiovascular (The Cardaci Family Award in Cardiology)
Recipient: Shyam Bansal, MS, PhD
Multiscale Imaging
Recipient: Matthew Swulius, PhD
Neurosciences and Addiction
Recipient: James Connor, MS, PhD
Population Health in Rural Communities
Recipient: Jennifer Kraschnewski, MD, MPH
Samuel Hinkle Early Career Research Award
Honors an assistant professor who has demonstrated significant growth, impact and promise in research early in their career.
Recipient: Christopher Chen, PhD
Innovator to Watch
Recognizes a faculty investigator with exceptional potential to translate research into real-world applications while fostering a culture of innovation.
Recipient: Michael McDowell, MD
Career Citation Milestone Awards
Honors faculty whose research has achieved significant scientific influence, with 500 or more citations on a single original research publication.
Recipients:
Donald Gill, PhD
Gavin Graff, MD
Paul Haidet, MD, MPH
Richard Legro, MD
Gregory Moore, MD, PhD
Lichong Xu, MS, PhD
Christopher Siedlecki, MS, PhD
Serena Wu, MD
Chad Zack, MD
2026 Licenses Recognition
Congratulations to the investigators whose technology was licensed to industry from April 2025-March 2026:
Joslyn Kirby, MD, MEd, MS
Aron Lukacher, MD, PhD
Patricia McLaughlin, MS, DEd
Joseph Sassani, MD, MHA
Jeffrey M. Sundstrom, MD, PhD
Ian Zagon, MS, PhD
2026 Issued Patent Recognition
Congratulations to the investigators who received an issued patent from April 2025-March 2026:
Randy Haluck, MD
Sprague W. Hazard, MD
Raymond Hohl, MD, PhD
Guohong Li, PhD, MD
Jeffrey Neighbors, PhD
Charles Palmer, MBChB
Todd Schell, PhD
William Weiss, MS, PhD
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