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I was a grateful participant of the KUHR-NYC program from 2024-2026 during the research years of my nephrology fellowship at Mount Sinai. The KUHR TL1 training grant provided salary and research support, as well as funding for my Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences. But the benefits of this program go far beyond financial support for research and education. The experience was instrumental for my development as a physician-scientist.
Through KUHR-NYC, I became part a community of like-minded early-career scientists dedicated to advancing biomedical research. The sense of camaraderie, encouragement, and shared experiences were especially meaningful during the challenging postdoctoral years. Additionally, I benefited tremendously from the mentorship of principal investigators from Columbia, Stonybrook, Mount Sinai, and Albert Einstein/Montefiore, who have provided invaluable career and research guidance.
Specific highlights of the program were the annual works-in-progress presentations, which gave me the opportunity to refine my presentation skills, receive constructive feedback, and gain advice on future directions for my research. At the same time, learning about my peers’ work broadened my scientific perspective and sparked ideas for collaboration. The biannual career development workshops, the interactive Allen Alda seminars, and the annual KUHR-TN national conferences all provided unique opportunities for professional development and networking with trainees and faculty across institutions.
Although I am sad to finish my time in the program after two rewarding years, I feel I have an enduring network within the New York City academic medical community, and multiple mentors to turn to for advice as I pursue an academic research career. The KUHR-NYC program positioned me well to apply for nephrology research-track attending positions and an NIH career development award. In fact, several mentors of the KUHR-NYC program provided letters of recommendation for my K08 application. I wholeheartedly recommend this program and am extremely proud to be a KUHR-NYC alumna.
Justina Ray
Dear future NYC Train KUHR trainees,
I joined NYC Train KUHR as a pre-doctoral fellow at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where I worked with Drs. Robert Coleman and Ulrich Steidl studying live-cell, single-molecule imaging of transcription-factor dynamics during blood cell development. I recently defended my dissertation, and I am honored to share a few thoughts as the program’s first pre-doctoral fellow to earn a PhD.
One of the best parts of KUHR was the chance to step outside my usual scientific bubble. My day-to-day work was mostly in hematology, but the program regularly connected me with people exploring kidney, urological, and hematological research from different angles. Through work-in-progress meetings, lectures, workshops, and conversations with mentors and trainees, I saw how shared biological themes such as cell fate, single-cell variation, dynamic regulation, and disease mechanisms appear across many systems.
I also appreciated the opportunity to visit institutions and facilities across New York City. Presenting at the annual KUHR convention was especially valuable because it pushed me to explain my work to clinicians, basic scientists, and trainees from diverse backgrounds. The science communication events, including those through the Alan Alda Center, were a highlight as well.
To future trainees: take full advantage of the program, especially the sessions that seem a bit outside your specific research area. That is often where the program is most valuable.
With gratitude,
John W. Hobbs
I joined the NYC-TRAIN KUHR program in Sept of 2022 as a postdoctoral fellow working in the field of hematology. The NYC KUHR program provided me with numerous networking opportunities to meet other mentors and trainees in the field. Many of these mentors also helped me in putting together a successful K99/R00 application by providing positive feedback and reference letters. I had several opportunities to communicate my work during workshops and work-in-progress meetings which augmented both my communication and presentation skills. We also had grant-writing and other career development workshops such as Alan Alda Centre for communicating science workshop to aid both our communication and writing skills. All these career development activities and in person meetings with other mentors and fellows in the field contributed immensely to my growth as an independent researcher and helped me in securing a K99/R00 Pathway To Independence award from NIDDK. I’m grateful for the opportunities this training program offered and for being a part of this community. I highly recommend this program to any future aspiring scientist in the field and hope that they are also able to take full advantage of the unique resources and opportunities offered by this excellent training program.
Sanjana Pillay, PhD
Participating in this program was a truly transformative experience in my journey as a nephrology researcher. As a postdoctoral fellow with a background in nanotechnology and medical biotechnology, I entered the field with curiosity and a desire to make an impact. This program helped me find my place in the nephrology community, both scientifically and professionally and yet still growing.
The opportunity to engage with leaders, inspiring mentors, and other trainees helped me to expand my network. Through joining monthly trainee work in progress (WIP), NYC Train KUHR Lecture series and scientific discussions, I gained not only technical knowledge but also the confidence and clarity to shape my career path.
This program has been instrumental in my career development—offering leadership training and opportunities for professional committee service (served as Executive Secretary of the KUHR-TN Trainee Committee). It allowed me to participate in targeted career development sessions. Most importantly, it reinforced my passion for kidney research, particularly the role of metabolism in acute kidney injury, and inspired me to continue advancing this work
To future participants: take full advantage of the people you’ll meet and the resources you’ll be exposed to. The relationships you build here may shape your future in ways you don’t yet expect!
I am grateful to be part of this growing alumni community and look forward to seeing how this program continues to elevate the next generation of kidney scientists and provide them a unique opportunity to grow!
Samaneh DiMartino
Dear perspective NYC-KUHR Applicants,
I was accepted into the NYC KUHR program in the fall of 2022, and while I was excited for the opportunity I did not strictly understand what participation in this umbrella training program would entail in the short/long term. In the first several conferences of the KUHR trainees and mentors I was able to meet clinicians/research investigators with a wide range of interest and expertise, further solidifying my choice to participate in this unique training program. Given the ongoing pandemic our initial meetings took place over zoom, with the first in-person introductions occurring at a Stony Brook University-based Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science daylong seminar – and it was really at this stage that I began to grasp the importance and utility of the KUHR consortium. We were broken up into groups and participated in a very challenging/fun day of training in science communication and improvisation – with the whole session really opening up my eyes to the multi-faceted benefits that can be provided by a program such as KUHR. Since then, after many regularly scheduled zoom sessions either focused on research updates from trainees or specific organ/disease teaching blocks from faculty mentors – I have really gained a much more nuanced perspective of not only the field of nephrology where my research is housed, but also related corollaries. The feedback I received during my yearly research update talks really helped shape my scientific program, especially the approach to securing external funding which I very happily did upon the recent receipt of an American Society for Nephrology Transition to Independence award in July of 2025 – which will allow me to branch out and fully refine my independent research program going forward. All in all, my decision to apply for and accept a position within the KUHR ecosystem greatly benefited my research and science communication endeavors and I highly recommend this program to anyone interested.
Sincerely,
Rob Bronstein
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