Researcher Stories
Get to know the PhRMA Foundation’s award recipients.

Investigating Malaria’s Impact on the Brain to Find Therapeutic Targets
Alan Ardito, a PhD student at Brown University, is studying how the parasite that causes malaria impacts the human brain.
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Empowering Older Adults with Diabetes to Discuss Deprescribing with Doctors
Nha Tran, a PhD student at the University of Michigan, is studying what motivates or stops older adults with diabetes from talking with their clinicians about taking fewer medications.
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Studying RNA to Find Molecular Targets for Alzheimer’s Disease Treatment
Bernardo Aguzzoli Heberle, a PhD student at the University of Kentucky, is examining the role of RNA in Alzheimer’s disease to identify new targets for early diagnostics and treatments.
Watch NowReprogramming CAR T Cells to Overcome Barriers in Treating Solid Tumor Cancers
It’s not hard for Azlann Arnett to stay motivated through the ups and downs of scientific research when he works just a short walk away from the patients he is trying to help.
Awardee Spotlight

Audrey Brown, PhD
- University of Virginia
“I am honored to have been chosen for the PhRMA Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in Translational Medicine. Using this fellowship, I will dedicate years of research toward understanding how genetic polymorphisms affect pathogen susceptibility, thereby building the foundation for preventions and treatments of deadly infectious diseases. ”
Uncovering Early Molecular Changes in Parkinson’s Disease
Daichi Shonai, a PhD student at Duke University, hopes to identify warning signs of Parkinson’s disease by investigating the early molecular changes within the nerve cells that stop functioning in this brain disorder.