The Lupus Foundation of America is proud to announce the seven recipients of the 2025 Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowship Program (Finzi). This program supports undergraduate, graduate, and medical students conducting lupus-focused research under the guidance of experienced mentors at academic institutions in the US, Canada or Mexico. Its purpose is to inspire medical and graduate students to pursue lupus research, helping to build the future pipeline of experts across North America. This year’s Finzi Fellows will spend the summer investigating unanswered questions in lupus including:
- How skin lesions heal – uncovering the biological steps the body takes to resolve lupus-related skin damage.
- The brain and nerves in lupus – exploring how lupus affects the brain, spinal cord, and nerves, including changes in brain structure and function.
- Mental health and self-care – studying how chronic stress from “superwoman schema” affects a patient’s ability to engage in self-management.
- Lupus in the kidneys – identifying the biological and social factors that drive the development of lupus nephritis (lupus-related kidney disease), a serious kidney complication.
- The role of diet and nutrients – two studies in this area, examining how dietary compounds like omega-3 fatty acids influence immune cells and disease activity, as well as how nutrition may impact symptoms and flares.
- Lupus and the X chromosome – investigating how changes in genes located on the X chromosome may increase lupus risk, especially in women.
“Students pursuing their graduate or medical education in biomedical fields are poised to become the next generation of scientists, and recognition of their efforts through the Gina M. Finzi Student Summer Fellowship Program, and the excitement for their research, helps inspire students to continue investigations in the field of lupus and autoimmunity in their future careers,” shared Montserrat Anguera, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Pennsylvania and 2025 Finzi grantee mentor.
Throughout the fellowship, Finzi recipients work closely with seasoned clinical investigators and biomedical scientists who provide guidance and foster their development as emerging scientists. This mentorship is a vital part of the program, offering essential support as students begin to shape their careers in lupus research.
Launched in 1984, the Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowship Program was established in memory of Gina M. Finzi, daughter of former Lupus Foundation of America President Sergio Finzi, PhD. Many past fellows have gone on to become leaders in the field, advancing groundbreaking research in lupus. “The future of lupus research is in the hands of the students that will be ushering in the next breakthroughs in the field,” shared Joy Buie, Ph.D, MSCR, RN, Vice President of Research at Lupus Foundation of America.
“The Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowship Program is uniquely positioned to ensure investments are made in the brightest, most innovative young minds. With guidance from mentors, these Finzi Fellows will gain the experiences needed to support a research career focused on closing gaps in lupus diagnosis, treatment and care.”
The research conducted by Finzi Fellows will contribute to a variety of crucial areas within the lupus field:
Grace Crossland
Dartmouth College, Geisel School of Medicine
Project Title: Defining the role of mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells in cutaneous lupus erythematosus
Mentor: Sladjana Skopelja-Gardner, PhD
Vanessa Estrada
Department of Microbiology, Genetics, & Immunology, Michigan State University
Project Title: Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Omega-3 Effects on Interferon Gene Methylation in Lupus Macrophages
Mentor: James J. Pestka, PhD
Rohan Gupta
The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research
Project Title: Determining the Role of the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AHR) in NPSLE
Mentor: Betty Diamond, MD
Jerik Leung
Emory University
Project Title: Using Photovoice to Understand Self-Management Behaviors in Lupus
Mentors: S. Sam Lim, MD, MPH; Cam Escoffery, PhD, MPH, CHES
Sara Smith
The Regents of University of California, San Francisco
Project Title: Uncovering the Molecular Underpinnings of Lupus Nephritis with Multi-Omic Analysis
Mentor: Gabriela K. Fragiadakis, PhD
Emma Welter
The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania
Project Title: Investigating the Impact of Lupus-Like Disease on the Inactive X Chromosome in Age-Associated B Cells
Mentor: Montserrat Anguera, PhD
Jin Xuan Zhou
Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto
Project Title: Diffusion Tensor Imaging Metrics and Neurocognitive Function in cSLE
Mentor: Andrea Knight, MD, MSCE
Learn more about the 2025 Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowship recipients, here.
This post was originally published on this site