Research doesn’t happen without funding. Behind every scientific breakthrough and innovation is the support that allows researchers to ask bold questions, test new ideas, and pursue discoveries that can ultimately improve patient care.
Yet many of the most promising avenues of research do not fit neatly into traditional funding mechanisms, particularly for early- and mid-career investigators who are working to establish their programs and explore innovative concepts that may be too early or unproven for traditional funding mechanisms.
Philanthropic support can play a crucial role in filling this gap. Programs like the Mass General Brigham Research Scholars program provide researchers with the flexibility to pursue fundamental scientific questions, generate new discoveries, and explore high-risk, high-reward ideas that have the potential to transform medicine.
The Research Scholars program reflects Mass General Brigham’s commitment to supporting early- and mid-career investigators at pivotal moments in their careers.
Each Scholar receives $500,000 in unrestricted funding over five years, empowering them to pursue innovative research and new directions.
Funded entirely through the support of visionary philanthropists, the program has supported more than 90 investigators across Mass General Brigham’s academic medical centers over the past 15 years.
Please join us in congratulating the 2026 Mass General Brigham Research Scholars! Meet them below and learn more about their research and what the support of the Scholars program means to them.
Michael Wheeler, PhD
Investigator, Department of Neurology, Mass General Brigham
Assistant Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School
Wheeler Lab
Dr. Wheeler studies how the body's immune system can influence mood and behavior. His research could lead to new treatments for depression, anxiety, and addiction.
Michael Wheeler, PhD
“This award gives my lab the freedom to pursue an idea that doesn’t fit neatly into a single field—that many psychiatric conditions are, in part, whole-body problems driven by the immune system.
Having trained at Mass General Brigham for nearly 10 years, it means a great deal that this support comes from the community that shaped me as a scientist.
It’s what lets us build the tools and take the risks needed to test this idea rigorously and ultimately move toward therapies that treat the root biology of these illnesses rather than just managing symptoms.”
Alice Lam, MD, PhD
Investigator, Department of Neurology, Mass General Brigham
Associate Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School
Lam Lab
Dr. Lam studies why some older adults develop memory and thinking problems after experiencing unexplained seizures, with the goal of finding ways to protect brain health and prevent dementia.
Alice Lam, MD, PhD
"The MGB Research Scholars Award will give me the flexibility to quickly follow the most promising discoveries emerging from the ELUCID Study, including unexpected findings that may open up new avenues of research.
Being able to nimbly move where the science leads will accelerate breakthroughs in our understanding of the mechanisms that give rise to dementia in this group and improve our ability to diagnose and treat patients with late-onset unexplained epilepsy."
Peter Sage, PhD
Investigator, Department of Medicine, Mass General Brigham
Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Sage Lab
Dr. Sage studies how the immune system produces protective antibodies while preventing harmful immune responses that can lead to autoimmune diseases, allergies, and transplant rejection.
Peter Sage, PhD
“This award gives my lab the freedom to pursue an idea that doesn’t fit neatly into a single field—that many psychiatric conditions are, in part, whole-body problems driven by the immune system.
Having trained at Mass General Brigham for nearly 10 years, it means a great deal that this support comes from the community that shaped me as a scientist.
It’s what lets us build the tools and take the risks needed to test this idea rigorously and ultimately move toward therapies that treat the root biology of these illnesses rather than just managing symptoms.”
Gaurav Gaiha, MD, DPhil
Investigator, Department of Medicine, Mass General Brigham
Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Gaiha Lab
Dr. Gaiha studies how the immune system naturally fights viruses and cancer, with the goal of developing more effective vaccines and treatments that help the body target disease more precisely.
Gaurav Gaiha, MD, DPhil
“I am deeply honored to be named a Mass General Brigham Research Scholar. This support will allow our team to pursue bold ideas aimed at understanding how the immune system achieves exceptional control of viral infections, and to translate those discoveries into broadly applicable next-generation vaccines and immunotherapies.
Ultimately, our goal is to develop immune-based strategies that can prevent disease, improve treatment, and meaningfully impact patient care."
Miriam Udler, MD, PhD
Investigator, Department of Medicine, Mass General Brigham
Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Udler Lab
Dr. Udler uses genetic clues to better understand diseases such as diabetes, with the goal of matching patients to the treatments most likely to work for them.
Miriam Udler, MD, PhD
“As a physician and scientist, I am committed to translating genetic discoveries into better care for patients.
This award will support innovative research from our team to identify disease subtypes, discover therapies that target the biological causes of disease, and bring more precise, personalized treatments to patients with diabetes and other chronic illnesses.”
Konrad Karczewski, PhD
Investigator, Department of Medicine, Mass General Brigham
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Karczewski Lab
Dr. Karczewski develops artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools that help decode a person's DNA, with the goal of diagnosing diseases earlier, uncovering the causes of rare conditions and guiding more personalized treatments.
Konrad Karczewski, PhD
"This award will enable my group to pursue the kind of ambitious, foundational work that transforms medicine, building the world's largest genomic databases combined with AI tools to find real novel biological insights and new drug targets.
Ultimately, my goal is a future where biomarkers and therapeutics are fully integrated to improve patient care across many diseases."
Caroline Mitchell, MD, MPH
Investigator, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Mass General Brigham
Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Harvard Medical School
Mitchell Lab
Dr. Mitchell studies recurrent vaginal infections and chronic vaginal pain, with the goal of developing better treatments and improving quality of life for the many women affected by these often-overlooked conditions.
Caroline Mitchell, MD, MPH
“The Research Scholar funding will enable my lab to begin to address another of the problems I see most commonly in clinic: Recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis.
This condition is incredibly distressing, unfortunately common, and has very limited treatment options. Despite this, there is little ongoing research.
This funding will help generate preliminary data for two novel treatment approaches, partner treatment and re-purposing common antidepressants to improve rates of cure.”
David Pepin, PhD
Investigator, Department of Surgery, Mass General Brigham
Associate Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School
Pepin Lab
Dr. Pepin studies a key hormone that helps regulate the ovaries, with the goal of developing new treatments for fertility, contraception, and women’s health across different stages of life.
David Pepin, PhD
"This award allows us to take the risks that lead to breakthroughs that could offer women something they have never had before—a contraceptive that works without disrupting their hormones and that could one day make menopause optional.”
Support our Science
In today's uncertain research funding environment, the role of philanthropy in supporting the next generation of scientists has never been more important. Learn more about how you can provide our researchers with the flexible funding they need to make paradigm-shifting breakthroughs in the field of medicine.
Leave a Comment