Meet 2026 Award Recipient
Michelle Tran
Michelle Tran is a graduating MD/PhD student in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She is originally from Manhattan Beach, California. She studied Biochemistry and Cell Biology, as well as Poverty, Justice, and Human Capabilities, at Rice University. During high school and college, she conducted cancer research at MD Anderson Cancer Center and City of Hope. She matriculated into Mount Sinai through the FlexMed program in 2018. Michelle completed her PhD in cancer immunology in the laboratory of Dr. Nina Bhardwaj, supported by an NIH F30 award. During her time at Sinai, she served as Co-President of both the Women in MSTP and Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA) Chapters. Michelle was also involved in Sinai’s student-run free clinic, the East Harlem Health Outreach Program (EHHOP), where she served as a Chronic Care Senior, Community Outreach Chair, Access to Care case manager, and member of the EHHOP Consulting Group. In response to the rise in anti-Asian hate during the COVID-19 pandemic, Michelle co-founded and served as President of Soar Over Hate, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that raised over $300,000 to support underserved Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in New York City through safety device distribution, health fairs, therapy services, youth scholarships, and more. Michelle is profoundly grateful to her husband, family, friends, and mentors for their unwavering support. She extends special thanks to her mother, Margaret; her grandmother, Ren; MSTP directors past and present, Margaret Baron and Talia Swartz; and her PhD mentor, Nina Bhardwaj, for being extraordinary female role models in science and beyond. Following graduation this spring, Michelle will begin internal medicine residency in the Physician-Scientist Training Program (PSTP) at the University of California, San Diego with a guaranteed fellowship in Hematology/Oncology.