NYU Vilcek Institute

Congratulations to Dr. Kelsey Monson!!!!
🎓

What was the best part? I’m genuinely so proud of the work I’ve completed during my time at NYU. I am hopeful that my thesis work, which identified a genomic biomarker predicting response to immunotherapy treatments in melanoma, can meaningfully improve the lives of cancer patients by identifying which patients will benefit from specific immune checkpoint inhibition treatments.

What do you wish you had known? Some of the best advice I have gotten is to take feedback seriously but not personally. It can be very easy to feel your identity is tied to your research results (or lack thereof!). By separating my sense of self-worth from the success of my experiments, fellowship applications, manuscripts, etc., I could learn and grow from the feedback I received, rather than getting demoralized. But it took me many years to successfully implement this advice!

What did you like to do in NYC? I am a classically trained violinist, but during my PhD I had the opportunity to record and perform with Ghostbound, an atmospheric black metal band based out of Brooklyn.

What will you do now? I have an F99/K00 career development grant from the National Cancer Institute that funded me through the end of my PhD (the F99) into a postdoctoral position (the K00). The grant required me to change institutions for the K00, but I’m not going far – I am starting an immuno-oncology postdoc at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in July.

With the news of Joel’s passing comes tributes that highlight his passion for mentoring, his ability to connect with everyone, and his genuine love for people. When I joined the graduate school, many people kept commenting on the “big shoes to fill” with his retirement. His influence in graduate school education, advocacy for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, and his overwhelming nature to give to others was incredible to witness.

My first thought when I heard the news this week was, how can we let this entire community know, for many will feel as though they have lost a parent, a mentor, a friend, a colleague. He was so many things to so many people, and I have enjoyed reading the anecdotes from alumni and colleagues.

I’m sharing some photos that I found in my phone and from some of our current staff, but please leave your memories below, tag us in photos so we can all remember his life and perhaps find a smile through the tears.

I look forward to reading and seeing all of your stories and thoughts, and we will plan a memorial and celebration of his life in the next several months in NYC.

Let us remind ourselves that in a world when we can be anything, be kind, be genuine, and love one another. Be the Joel.

You are all in my thoughts,
Susanne

It is with great sadness that we share news of the passing of Dr. Joel Oppenheim. Our announcement is at the link in bio and here, https://bit.ly/3ugYHF0.

ABRCMS 2023! A great time recruiting and meeting future graduate students!!

Vilcek Institute, NYU Grossman School of Medicine Summer Undergraduate Research Program representing at national symposium!

Scenes from . It was great meeting everyone!

Don’t forget to request a fee waiver in our PhD application!! Deadline coming up 12/1, 5pm ET.

Puerto Rico visit, stop one!

Dreaming of warmer days already? Our application is OPEN for our summer undergraduate research program!


https://apply.vilcek.med.nyu.edu/apply/

Application closes February 1, 2023.