Meet 2026 Award Recipient
Justin Frere
Justin joined the MD-PhD program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in 2018 following the completion of his undergraduate studies at the University of Arizona, where he majored in Molecular and Cellular Biology. Prior to his time at Icahn, Justin was fortunate to be able to work in research laboratories at the University of Arizona, the Mayo Clinic, and the University of Pierre and Marie Curie. While at Icahn, Justin was a member of the East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership’s Mental Health Clinic, where he served as its Director of Research and Quality Improvement from 2019-2020. He additionally served as a TA for multiple medical school classes and taught science courses in the community as a member of the New York Academy of Science’s Afterschool STEM Mentorship Program. Justin completed his PhD studies in the laboratories of Dr. Benjamin tenOever and Dr. Jean Lim, where he worked to uncover the molecular drivers of COVID-19 and long COVID. Justin would like to thank his wife, family, friends, lab-mates, the Mount Sinai MSTP program leadership, and his incredible team of mentors (most notably Dr. Jean Lim and Dr. Benjamin tenOever) for their support and encouragement. Justin will graduate with his MD and PhD degrees and continue his training in the research-track psychiatry residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.