Scholars
The Foundation is dedicated to cultivating the next generation of focused ultrasound clinicians and scientists through our fellowships and various internship opportunities.
Fellowships
The Visiting Fellowship in Focused Ultrasound is a fellowship program with the goal of expanding the global network and collaboration between the technical or preclinical researchers, and/or the clinical focused ultrasound providers and the Focused Ultrasound Foundation. This Fellowship fosters collaboration between the Foundation, the Fellows’ home institutions, and other institutions as relevant.
Fellows benefit from the Foundation’s wide expertise in focused ultrasound and will have the opportunity to seek out and work closely with other investigators and clinicians throughout the Foundation’s network of research sites to stimulate the development of new translational and clinical research projects. It is expected that the Fellow will propose and design his or her own original research project in focused ultrasound.
The Andrew J. Lockhart Postdoctoral Fellowship in Ultrasound and Immuno-Oncology was established in January 2021 through the generosity of the Lockhart family, who are longtime supporters of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation. The new Lockhart Postdoctoral Fellowship will help the Foundation identify and cultivate the next generation of investigators who could advance the development and clinical adoption of focused ultrasound in immuno-oncology. Learn More About the 2022 Fellow
Established in 2020, the Darden Focused Ultrasound Fellowship offers college graduates who have been admitted to the University of Virginia Darden School of Business through its Future Year Scholars Program an opportunity to learn more about the field of focused ultrasound. Fellows will work at the Foundation for one to three years to gain experience working for an entrepreneurial med tech foundation before matriculating at Darden. Learn More About the Fellowship and Meet the First Darden Fellow
The new Postdoctoral Fellowship in Focused Ultrasound was established to help postdoctoral researchers transition into faculty positions. The initiative will award $30,000 per year to two postdoctoral researchers employed at institutions around the world. This Fellowship experience is designed to foster collaboration between the Foundation, the Fellows’ home institution, and other relevant institutions. Each Fellow will design and propose a focused ultrasound research project. Learn More About the Fellowship Program
Internships
In 2018, the Foundation’s internship program was named in memory of Board of Directors member Charles Steger, PhD. The Charles Steger Focused Ultrasound Internship Program encompasses the the Foundation’s local and global internship programs. Integral to the Foundation’s mission, these internships are designed to foster interest of focused ultrasound technology among the next generation of researchers.
ACCESS FUS Internships
The Foundation recognizes that disparities created by gender, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status limit the opportunities of many young people to advance in our field. In 2022, it launched the ACCESS FUS Scholars Initiative to help create a focused ultrasound community that is more diverse and inclusive, ensuring the best and brightest choose careers in focused ultrasound and thereby strengthen the entire field.
The ACCESS FUS internship program provides educational and research opportunities to undergraduate students from underrepresented and underserved backgrounds. The internship will enable highly motivated students to join the Foundation for full-time work for 6 to 12 weeks during the summer at the Foundation headquarters in Charlottesville, VA. This is a paid internship, and the Foundation will also provide a stipend to cover travel to and from Charlottesville and housing during the internship.
Local Internships
Launched in June 2012, this program enables bright and gifted students to work on a variety of research projects in collaboration with the Foundation’s scientific and medical team.
The program is generously funded by the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation. The Claude Moore Summer Internship Program of the Charles Steger Focused Ultrasound Internship Program is designed to foster interest in focused ultrasound technology among the next generation of researchers.
Intern projects represent valuable contributions to the field of focused ultrasound. The Foundation employs interns year-round, with a greater number of available positions during the summer months. To apply, please send your resume along with a cover letter to internships@fusfoundation.org.
2022 Interns
| Student Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Adeoluwa Adedeji | Xavier University of Louisiana |
| Abey Babu | Virginia Tech |
| Leticia Banda | American University |
| Imogen Hequet | Imperial College of London |
| Erick Lassair, Jr. | Xavier University of Louisiana |
| Kavya Parekh | University of Virginia |
| Velan Shanmuganathan | University of Virginia |
| Ella Taylor | Duke University |
Global Internship Program
The Focused Ultrasound Foundation offers an international internship opportunity for high school and university undergraduate students interested in the physical and life sciences. Interns supported through this program will work in an established focused ultrasound laboratory under a researcher recognized in the field.
2021 Global Interns
| Student | Mentor | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| Alexandra Brevde | Nathan McDannold, PhD | Brigham and Women’s Hospital |
| Gianmarco Cei | Arianna Menciassi, PhD | Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna |
| Eleni Christofi | Christakis Damianou MS, PhD | Cyprus University of Technology |
| Evan Conger | Steven Allen, PhD | Brigham Young University |
| Kaizer Contreras | Pierre Mourad, PhD | University of Washington |
| Renata Farrell | Eli Vlaisavljevich, PhD | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |
| Nartov Fedor | Vera Khokhlova, PhD | Moscow State University |
| Chrissa Fosocolos | Elisa Konofagou, PhD | Columbia University |
| Gabriel Gallegos | Muna Aryal, PhD | Loyola University |
| Michelle Hamani | Robert Chen, MA, MBBChir | University of Toronto |
| Wesley Judd | Henrik Odeen, PhD | University of Utah |
| Zachary Olivier | Steven Allen, PhD | Brigham Young University |
| Aarav Parikh | Jan Kubanek, PhD | University of Utah |
| Veronica Percuoco | Francesco Prada, MD | Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta |
| Emily Smith | Viola Reike, PhD | University of Utah |
| Oleg Solontsov | Oleg Sapozhnikov, PhD | Moscow State University |
| Na Sori | Dong-guk Paeng, PhD | Jeju National University |
| Eddie Wang | Zhen Xu, PhD | University of Michigan |
| Andrew Xie | Samuel Pichardo, PhD | University of Calgary |
| Maya Yie | Elisa Konofagou, PhD | Columbia University |
| Noah Zahn | Muna Aryal, PhD | Loyola University |
Cultivate the Next Generation Follow-On Funding
For those who participated in our internship or global scholars program and are interested in continuing to explore focused ultrasound as a career path are encouraged to contact Matt Eames, PhD, to discuss their desires/plans. The Foundation does not have a formal program to fund following on work for prior interns or global scholars, but we will consider compelling applications on a case-by-case basis. Proposals where the student has secured and/or is applying for matching funds from another source are strongly encouraged.
Funded Fellows
The Foundation has supported four researchers through its Visiting Fellowship in Focused Ultrasound since the program’s inception in 2014. The Fellowship was formalized following a very productive year-long collaboration with Institut Langevin’s Jean-François Aubry, PhD and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, where the Focused Ultrasound Foundation is based.
The Richard Merkin Visiting Fellows were as follows:
| Dong-guk Paeng, PhD (2014-2015) | Associate Professor of Ocean Systems | Jeju National University in Jeju, Korea |
| Cyril Lafon, PhD (2016-2017) | Director, LabTAU | University of Lyon in Lyon, France |
| Francesco Prada, MD (2017-2019) | Staff Neurosurgeon | Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Neurologico “C. Besta” in Milan, Italy |
| Frederic Padilla, PhD (2017-2019) | Associate Professor, LabTAU | University of Lyon in Lyon, France |
| Beata Chertok, PhD (2021-2022) | Associate Professor | University of Michigan |
The following Fellows were funded through the Foundation’s original Fellowship program, which was retired in 2021.
- Sarfraz Ahmad, PhD, MRCS
- University of Dundee – Dundee, UK
- Mentors: Andreas Melzer, MD, DDS; Ghulam Nabi, MS, MD
- Fellowship Period: August 1, 2011 – July 31, 2013
- Howard Vo, MD, MSEE
- Department of Radiology, The Methodist Hospital Research Institute – Houston
- Mentors: King Li, MD, FRCP (C), MBA
- Fellowship Period: August 1, 2011 – July 31, 2012
- Nelly Tan, MD
- Department of Radiology, University of California, Los Angeles
- Mentors: Steven Raman, MD; David Lu, MD
- Fellowship Period: June 2011 – May 2012
- Julia Kamp, MD
- Department of Radiology, Charité – Berlin, Germany
- Mentors: Bernd Hamm, MD; Alexander Beck, MD
- Fellowship Period: November 2009 – November 2010
- Ronit Machtinger, MD
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brigham and Women's Hospital – Boston
- Mentors: Clare Tempany, MD; Fiona Fennessey, MD
- Fellowship Period: September 2009 – August 2011
- Thilo Hoelscher, MD
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego
- Mentors: William Bradley, Jr., MD, PhD
- Fellowship Period: July – December 2009
- Evan Weeks, MD
- Department of Radiology, St. Mary’s Hospital, Imperial College, London
- Mentors: Wladyslaw Gedroyc, MD
- Fellowship Period: July 2009 – June 2010
- Zion Zibly, MD
- Department of Neurosurgery, SHEBA Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
- Mentors: Sagi Harnof, MD; Zvi Cohen, MD
- Fellowship Period: March 2008 – February 2009
- Timothy McClure, MD
- Department of Radiology, University of California, Los Angeles
- Mentors: David Lu, MD; Steven Raman, MD Fellowship
- Fellowship Period: July 2008 – June 2009