Two UB Medical Students Receive Prestigious Sarnoff Fellowships

As Sarnoff fellows they will receive support to work intensively in a U.S. biomedical research laboratory for a year.

The mission of the Sarnoff Foundation is to engage medical students in a personalized research experience with preeminent cardiovascular scientists, and to foster the next generation of leaders in the field.

“Sarnoff is an incredible opportunity to be mentored for a year in order to develop as a physician-scientist,” says Thayer, a native of Lake Placid, N.Y. “I am honored to have been selected into this small community that is devoted to the lifetime development of its fellows.”

Thayer, who completed his undergraduate studies at Notre Dame, is interested in a career in academic medicine and is exploring cardiology as a specialty.

Magavern, a Cornell University alumna, would like to become a cardiovascular surgeon. As a Sarnoff fellow, she hopes to conduct research on tissue-engineered vascular grafts.

“I am grateful and honored to have this opportunity not only to participate in research for a year but also to join the Sarnoff community,” says the Buffalo native. “I look forward to making the most of it.”

Sarnoff fellows are selected on intellectual and academic achievement as well as leadership ability. Applicants also submit an essay detailing how they would solve a specific problem.

Once selected, fellows choose a laboratory based on their specific research interest in cardiovascular medicine—something Magavern and Thayer will be doing in the weeks ahead.

Fellows receive a $28,500 stipend, up to $7,000 for travel to select a preceptor and fellowship laboratory, moving expenses, health insurance and computer equipment.

In addition, they receive financial support to attend Sarnoff annual scientific meetings, American Heart Association scientific sessions, the American Society for Clinical Investigation annual meeting and the National Institutes of Health’s Clinical Investigator Student Trainee Forum.

At the end of their fellowship, they present the results of their research at two national conferences.

A defining feature of the Sarnoff Fellowship is its focus on lifelong mentorship.

After completion of the research year, fellows are encouraged to remain involved in the Sarnoff community by participating in the annual scientific meetings and other Sarnoff-sponsored gatherings, where they can receive career development advice from Sarnoff alumni and reconnect with colleagues.