Benefactor Report
Sastry Fund for Student Innovation
Sastry Fund for Student Innovation
at Harvard Medical School
Benefactor Report
July 2026
Table of Contents
01.
Letter from the Dean
02.
News from OSE
2026 Summer
Research Projects
03.
04.
2026 Year-Long
Research Projects
Letter from the Dean
George Q. Daley, MD, PhD
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Harvard University Caroline Shields Walker Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
George Q Daley, MD, PhD | Dean of the Faculty of Medicine | Caroline Shields Walker Professor of Medicine
25 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA 02115 | t: (617) 432-1501 | e: George_Daley@hms.harvard.edu
Dear Sri,
Thank you for your generous support of Harvard Medical School through the Sastry Fund for Student Innovation, administered by the Office of Scholarly Engagement under the leadership of our new director, Dr. Altaf Saadi. Your philanthropy continues to create meaningful opportunities for HMS students to pursue groundbreaking, high-impact work in medicine and health care delivery.
As you will see in the pages that follow, the Sastry Fund is empowering student-led research that is both innovative and responsive to today’s most pressing health challenges. These projects reflect the creativity, curiosity, and commitment of HMS students, who are advancing the boundaries of clinical care, public health, and health systems innovation. Through the Office of Scholarly Engagement, Dr. Saadi is strengthening pathways that enable students to translate bold ideas into rigorous, impactful scholarship. This integrated approach ensures that the spirit of innovation you envisioned is embedded throughout the HMS student experience.
In close collaboration with dedicated faculty mentors and partners across HMS and HMS-affiliated hospitals, students are developing the skills, insight, and leadership needed to drive meaningful change in health care. Their work reflects the strength their initiative, and translates rigorous inquiry into tangible, lasting contributions to medicine and health care delivery.
Thank you for your continued investment. Your support is enriching our students’ educational journeys, advancing groundbreaking research, and helping to improve care for patients and communities worldwide.
With sincere gratitude,
July 1, 2026
A New Leader for the Office of Scholarly Engagement
Outside of her professional roles, Dr. Saadi finds joy in nature, hiking, travel, poetry, and spending time with her husband and their three young daughters. She draws inspiration from the resilience and courage of the refugees, immigrants, and other patients she serves, whose experiences continue to inform her scholarship, teaching, and leadership at HMS.
Altaf Saadi, MD ’13, MSc, recently joined Harvard Medical School’s Program in Medical Education as Director of Scholarly Engagement, overseeing the Office of Scholarly Engagement (OSE), which administers the Sastry Fund for Student Innovation. A 2013 graduate of HMS, Dr. Saadi discovered her own path in research through the Scholars in Medicine Office, the predecessor to OSE, and is now guiding today’s students as they pursue scholarly projects, service, and enrichment opportunities locally, nationally, and globally.
Dr. Saadi is also an associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, associate director of the MGH Asylum Clinic, and principal investigator of the Neurodisparities and Health Justice Lab. Her community-engaged research focuses on the social and structural drivers of health, particularly among forcibly displaced persons, immigrants, and justice-involved populations. A 2020 STAT Wunderkind and the 2023 recipient of the Bernard Lown Award for Social Responsibility, Dr. Saadi brings a strong record of mentorship, ethical leadership, and commitment to health equity to her new role supporting student innovation through the Sastry Fund.
Dr. Altaf Saadi, MD '13, MSc
As a medical student, Dr. Saadi did not initially envision a research career. Drawn to community-based patient care and health equity, she kept an open mind and gradually explored a wide range of scholarly pursuits—including clinical, laboratory, community health, global health, policy, and medical education projects. This interdisciplinary journey shaped her expansive view of what research can be. Today, she champions a broad definition of scholarly engagement at OSE, one that includes not only basic, clinical, and translational research, but also policy research, health care innovation projects, documentary and media work, and other creative forms of inquiry.
She also champions student research by mentoring Talat Aman (MD Class of 2029) who is leading one of the 2026 Student Summer Projects supported by the Sastry Fund. The project examines the harms experienced by children and adolescents when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detains a parent.
Dr. Saadi emphasizes that the Office of Scholarly Engagement is intentionally named: its mission is to foster critical thinking, curiosity, and problem-solving skills that benefit all future physicians, whether they pursue academic research or not. She and the OSE team help students refine their ideas, find mentors among HMS’s extensive faculty community, and access resources and funding to support their work. She also encourages faculty to involve medical students in their projects, noting that mentoring students can be a deeply rewarding way to strengthen connections across the HMS community.
Dr. Saadi with her spouse and a Lown Institute representative at the celebration of her 2023 Bernard Lown Award for Social Responsibility.
Mentors: Altaf Saadi, MD ’13, Director, Office of HMS Scholarly Engagement, Associate Professor of Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and Caitlin Patler, PhD, Associate Professor of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley
Project: Identifying the Harms Experienced by Children from Having a Parent in ICE Detention Across Different Developmental Stages
The scoping review synthesizes existing research on parental detention and its effects on children in early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. Special focus will be given to school-aged children (ages 5–17), who are uniquely affected in both their academic trajectories and by the increased caregiving and financial responsibilities they often assume within their families.
In addition, Talat’s work will situate parental ICE detention within the framework of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as potentially traumatic events occurring from infancy to age 17. Parental detention can function as a significant ACE, with potential short- and long-term consequences for children’s mental health, physical health, educational attainment, and adult outcomes. By integrating findings from the detention literature with what is known about ACEs, the project will clarify how parental detention contributes to cumulative adversity across the life course.
As a student researcher, Talat will lead the scoping review process, including determining search terms, meeting with an academic librarian to refine the search strategy, and designing data extraction tables. He will screen abstracts and full texts, extract data from eligible studies, and contribute to data synthesis and thematic analysis where appropriate. He will also assist with policy analysis, create summary tables and visualizations of key findings, and participate in writing and disseminating the results alongside Drs. Patler and Saadi.
Talat Aman, MD '29
Stevens Patino MD '29
Stevens’ project will further investigate how migration patterns, acculturation, and geographic context shape CVD risk across U.S. regions. His central hypothesis is that CVD disparities in Hispanic communities are not solely a function of clinical risk factors, but are significantly shaped by the interaction between specific genetic ancestry markers and environmental stressors associated with migration and acculturation. By identifying which subgroups face the highest intersectional risk, this research will help clarify where targeted prevention and treatment efforts are most urgently needed and provide a data-driven roadmap for public health resource allocation.
As the project’s lead student researcher, Stevens developed the original study concept and methodological approach and will oversee the day-to-day implementation of the project. This includes managing timelines, coordinating with collaborators, and analyzing data from the All of Us Research Program dataset. He will also be involved in interpreting findings and preparing manuscripts for publication. Upon completion of the study, he plans to share the results with public health agencies and community stakeholders to inform strategies that address gaps in cardiovascular care for Hispanic populations.
Suhas Kellampalli, MD '29
Mentor: Pradeep Natarajan, MD, MMSC ’15, Paul & Phyllis Fireman Endowed Chair in Vascular Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and Associate Professor of Medicine, HMS
Project: Cardiovascular Disease in Hispanic Populations: The Role of Genetic Ancestry, Subgroup Variation, and Migration
Stevens Patino, MD '29
Talat Aman, MD '29
With this summer project, Stevens aims to understand how genetic ancestry, clinical risk factors, and lifestyle behaviors intersect to drive cardiovascular disease (CVD) disparities among diverse Hispanic subgroups in the United States.
While prior research has documented CVD risk factor profiles in Hispanic populations, these groups are often treated as a monolith or categorized only by nationality, without attention to the underlying heterogeneity in genetic ancestry. This study will examine the contributions of Indigenous American, African, and European ancestral markers to CVD risk within and across Hispanic subgroups and evaluate how these genetic factors interact with lifestyle variables such as diet and physical activity.
With this summer project, Talat hopes to examine the harms experienced by children when a parent is detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with particular attention to how these impacts vary across developmental stages.
Suhas Kellampalli, MD '29
Stevens Patino’s project advances this work by exploring how genetic ancestry, variation across Hispanic subgroups, lifestyle patterns, and migration-related factors jointly contribute to cardiovascular disease risk and related inequities in Hispanic communities in the United States.
The Natarajan Lab integrates genomics, biomarkers, bioinformatics, and deep phenotyping to identify the causes of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in diverse populations and to translate these discoveries into stronger prevention strategies.
Mentor: Sigall Bell, MD ’97, Associate Professor of Medicine at HMS and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Project: The Impact of Stigmatizing Language in the Electronic Medical Records of Patients with Disabilities
Suhas will be investigating how stigmatizing language in electronic medical records and other health care settings affects individuals with disabilities, with a focus on both patient experience and care continuity.
The project has two aims:
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To assess whether having a clinical diagnosis of disability is associated with a higher likelihood of reporting exposure to stigmatizing language in health care among U.S. adults, and
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To examine how such language influences key health care outcomes for patients with disabilities, including trust in health care providers and the likelihood of returning to the same provider for future care.
By identifying patterns in the use and perceived impact of stigmatizing language, the study seeks to inform interventions that promote more respectful, equitable communication in clinical practice.
As a student researcher, Suhas will contribute to the quantitative analysis of survey data, including descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, and regression modeling. He will work closely with Dr. Bell and project staff to refine the analytic plan, interpret findings, and generate tables and figures for dissemination. In addition, he will help develop future research directions, including the design of an interview protocol for qualitative follow-up studies. Finally, he will participate in drafting manuscripts arising from this work in collaboration with the research team.
2026 Summer Research Projects Supported by the Sastry Fund
Serenity Bennett, MD '27
Lower extremity lymphedema (LEL) is a chronic, progressive condition caused by either genetic abnormalities of the lymphatic vasculature (primary lymphedema) or acquired lymphatic injury (secondary lymphedema). With no curative therapy available, care focuses on improving patients’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL).
Mentors: Manraj Kaur, PhD, Instructor, HMS and Lead Faculty for Research and Innovation, Department of Surgery at Mass General Brigham, and Erin Taylor, MD, MPH ’15, Associate Surgeon, Brigham and Women's Hospital; Assistant Professor of Surgery, HMS
Project: Development and Psychometric Validation of a Patient-Reported Outcome Measure for LE Lymphedema: The LYMPH-Q Lower Extremity Module
Serenity Bennett, MD '27
While surgical and interventions can reduce limb volume and circumference and lower infection rates, their true impact is best understood through patients’ own perspectives. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) provide a standardized, validated way to translate these experiences into actionable data that can guide both clinical care and research.
Currently, there is no LEL-specific PROM that comprehensively captures patient-prioritized outcomes across diverse causes of LEL. To address this gap, Serenity aims to develop a field-test–ready, lower-extremity lymphedema–specific PROM: the LYMPH-Q Lower Extremity (LE) module. Grounded in qualitative evidence and aligned with international best practices, this instrument will be designed to reflect both HRQoL and experiences of care among patients living with LEL.
The research project has three key aims:
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The development of a conceptual model describing how LEL affects patients’ daily functioning, emotional well-being, social participation, and experiences within the health care system
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The creation of a a comprehensive, patient-derived item pool to inform the preliminary LYMPH-Q LE scales, ensuring that the content reflects what matters most to patients
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The iterative refinement of the module through cognitive interviews with patients and structured feedback from clinician experts to ensure that items are clear, relevant, and clinically meaningful.
As a student researcher, Serenity will support each stage of this process. She will draft and revise the IRB proposal and help coordinate on-site recruitment of participants at Mass General Brigham clinics, serving as the primary point of contact between patients and the research team. She will also assist in conducting qualitative interviews and, in collaboration with her mentors, contribute to the development of the conceptual model and lead the creation of a codebook to synthesize themes and generate scale items. Finally, she will lead cognitive interviews with patients and health care professionals to refine the LYMPH-Q LE module based on real-world feedback. By the end of the project, she will also participate in drafting a manuscript describing the development of the LYMPH-Q LE module to advance patient-centered measurement and improve care for individuals living with LEL.
The Boston Congress of Public Health’s 40 Under 40 Public Health Catalyst Awards recognize early-career leaders around the world who are advancing a more just and equitable future through public health.
2026 Year-Long Research Projects Supported by the Sastry Fund
Chelsea Wang’s project advances this mission by examining how environmental disadvantage becomes biologically embedded and by improving the fairness and accuracy of clinical risk prediction.
Dr. Chirag Patel's lab develops advanced computational and AI tools to understand how genetics and the environment together shape health, using large-scale molecular, environmental, and real-world data to inform prevention and more personalized care.
Mentor: Chirag Patel, PhD, HMS Associate Professor of Biomedical Informatics; Principal Investigator, Chirag Patel’s Group, Data Science of the Exposome Lab
Project: Linking Cumulative Environmental Burden to Clinical Biomarkers and Equitable Disease Risk Prediction
With this project, Chelsea aims to identify the clinical phenotypes through which environmental risk contributes to disease vulnerability and to evaluate the potential of the EBS to improve both the performance and equity of clinical risk prediction models across major disease domains. By linking cumulative environmental burden to routinely collected clinical biomarkers, his work will clarify how environmental disadvantage becomes biologically embedded and inform more equitable approaches to disease prediction and prevention.
Chelsea will lead the data cleaning and statistical modeling for this project. She will generate analytic code, tables, and figures, and will collaborate closely with Dr. Patel to draft a manuscript for publication. Throughout the summer, she will meet regularly with her mentor for guidance on methodology, interpretation of findings, and manuscript preparation, gaining hands-on experience at the intersection of environmental epidemiology, data science, and health equity.
Environmental exposures are key pathways through which social and structural conditions shape the risk, progression, and severity of disease, thereby contributing to health disparities. In prior work, Dr. Patel’s group developed an Exposome Burden Score (EBS) that measures cumulative exposure across multiple environmental domains and showed that this score explains a substantial portion of the association between poverty and mortality from any cause. However, the biological mechanisms by which cumulative environmental risk increases disease susceptibility remain poorly understood.