News

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons has announced the 17th cohort of Louis V. Gerstner Jr. Scholars, honoring four outstanding early-career physician-scientists: Osama Al Dalahmah, MD, PhD; Dominique Bailey, MD, MSEd; Giuseppe Cullaro, MD; and Joel Gabre, MD. Established in 2008, the program supports clinician-investigators conducting innovative translational research to improve human health. 2022 scholar Jennifer Small-Saunders, MD, PhD, has been also received the 2025 Gerstner Merit Award, which provides an additional year of funding to scholars demonstrating exceptional research progress. Since its inception, the program has named 72 scholars and awarded 11 Merit Awards.

We’re pleased to share that the Gerstner Scholars Program in AI Translation at Mayo Clinic has officially launched its new website. The program supports early and mid-career investigators working to accelerate the development and clinical application of artificial intelligence in medicine. The site highlights the program’s unique structure, the inaugural cohort of 10 scholars, and the translational research they are pursuing across diverse areas of clinical care.By supporting promising talent at the intersection of artificial intelligence and healthcare, the Gerstner Scholars Program aims to help unlock AI’s full potential to improve patient outcomes. Visit the new website to learn more about the program’s goals, scholars, and vision for the future of AI in medicine.

Researchers at Cornell University have developed a simple, low-cost method to improve plastic recycling. By using a common organic peroxide, the team found a way to bind otherwise incompatible plastics—producing stronger, more versatile recycled materials. The breakthrough, led by Dr. Geoffrey Coates, offers a practical path to reducing plastic waste at scale. The findings were published May 19 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. “The dream is, if you can make a really rigid polymer that’s also really tough, then you can make packaging that uses less material, yet has the same sort of properties,” said Dr. Coates. “That’s one of the other big applications for this technology.”

Scientists forecast that the amount of plastic entering the ocean—approximately 11 million metric tons each year—could triple by 2040. To help find solutions, The Pew Charitable Trusts and Gerstner Philanthropies are launching fellowships to support innovative research exploring ways to reduce marine plastic pollution. Three Pew-Gerstner Fellows in Ocean Plastics Research will be selected over the next two years. Each fellow will lead a three-year project designed to produce solutions-oriented research related to this pressing environmental challenge. The Pew-Gerstner initiative will build upon the Pew Fellows Program in Marine Conservation, which for over three decades has supported more than 200 talented scientists from 44 countries pursuing a wide range of ocean conservation research. The first fellow will be announced in 2026. “We are thrilled to launch this new fellowship and take a significant step toward addressing the crisis of plastic pollution in our oceans,” said Dr. Elizabeth Gerstner, vice president of environment programs. “This partnership allows us to both expand our ability to support cutting-edge research on ocean plastics and equip a new generation of researchers with the means to create lasting, impactful solutions. The results will allow us to further protect marine ecosystems for years to come.”

As of February 1, 2025, Gerstner Philanthropies has awarded $16.8 million to support the Helping Hands emergency grant program at 25 organizations. These funds are projected to stabilize nearly 10,500 households facing a one-time financial emergency over the next two years. Of the total funding, $14.7 million will support emergency grant programs at 18 social service organizations nationwide, including three network organizations that oversee and subgrant to 66 emergency aid providers across 27 states. An additional $2.1 million will fund student emergency aid programs at seven colleges in the Greater New York City area. By both expanding partnerships and deepening support for existing grantees, Gerstner Philanthropies aims to assist more individuals in crisis while equipping partner organizations with the resources needed to deliver aid efficiently and effectively.