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The Fishman Awards

Fostering the Next Generation of Scientists

The Fishman Fund Awards provides funding for exceptional postdoctoral researchers through a competitive application process.

2024 Fishman Award winners

2024 Fishman Award winners. From left: Chiara Nicoletti, Kelly Yichen Li, Jessica Proulx, James Marchant, and Huijie Huang. Not pictured: Zinia D’Souza.

To nurture the careers of future research trailblazers, Sanford Burnham Prebys introduced the Fishman Fund Awards in honor of the Institute’s founders, Dr. William and Lillian Fishman.

In 2001, the Fishman Fund was established by Sanford Burnham Prebys supporters Mary Bradley and Reena Horowitz, to honor the Fishman’s. In 2010, Jeanne Jones became the co-founder designee.  

Postdoctoral students can apply for the Fishman Fund Fellowship, a two-year postdoctoral research fellowship, and Fishman Fund Career Development Awards.

Donate to the Fishman Awards

The Fishman Awards

Fishman Fund Fellowship

The Fishman Fund Fellowship will provide exceptional Sanford Burnham Prebys postdocs with a two-year fellowship award. This fellowship will be bestowed every other year to the young scientist who is ranked highest by the selection committee, and it will be unique from other institutional postdoctoral grants because of the level of the Institute’s commitment and support. Most fellowships match or only slightly increase the salary compared with standard NIH postdoctoral salary funding. By compensating exceptional postdocs at a higher level, the Fishman Fund Fellowship will be a sustained investment in future scientific leaders and pioneers.

Fishman Fund Research Excellence Award

Established in 2024, The Cynthia Schwartz Shenkman Research Excellence Award is given to a Sanford Burnham Prebys postdoc for their outstanding biomedical research contributions and demonstrated track record of research excellence.

Fishman Fund Career Development Awards

The Fishman Fund Career Development Awards will provide exceptional Sanford Burnham Prebys postdocs with $10,000 awards. With the funds, postdocs can attend workshops, seminars, conferences and network with top scientists in their field.

  • Jeanne Jones and Kathryn Fishback Fishman Fund Award
  • Lenka Finci and Erna Viterbi Fishman Fund Award
  • Reena Horowitz and Mary Bradley Fishman Fund Founders Award
  • Don Barach Memorial Fishman Fund Award

2024 Fishman Fund Awardees

Jessica Proulx profile photo with Fishamn Fund medal

Jessica Proulx, PhD

Jeanne Jones and Kathryn Fishback
Fishman Fund Career Award

Jessica Proulx, PhD, is a postdoctoral associate working in the lab of Peter D. Adams, PhD, the director of the Cancer Genome and Epigenetics Program. Proulx investigates how aging alters our bodies at the cellular and molecular levels, a key factor in the increased risk for diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic conditions like type 2 diabetes. She is investigating how aging changes our bodies at the cellular and molecular levels. Dr. Proulx uses biological techniques that study the entire landscape of a sample’s genes, proteins or other features. Dr. Proulx works to identify underlying changes that predispose an aged liver to liver disease and liver cancer.

Yichen Li profile photo with Fishamn Fund medal

Kelly Yichen Li, PhD

Lenka Finci and Erna Viterbi Fishman Fund Career Award

Kelly Yichen Li, PhD, is a postdoctoral associate in the lab of Kevin Yip. PhD, a professor in the Cancer Genome and Epigenetics Program and the director of the Bioinformatics Shared Resource.

Li studies a phenomenon called cellular senescence that is associated with aging. Senescent cells no longer grow and divide, which can reduce the growth of cancer, but also are associated with chronic inflammation and age-related diseases. She is working to find molecular signatures of senescence to advance aging research, treatments and diagnostics.

Zinia Dsouza profile photo with Fishamn Fund medal

Zinia D’Souza, PhD

Reena Horowitz and Mary Bradley Fishman Fund Founders Award

Zinia D’Souza, PhD is a postdoctoral associate in the laboratory of Hudson Freeze, PhD, the director of the Sanford Children’s Health Research Center and the director of the Human Genetics Program. 

D’Souza’s research is focused on identifying new congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDGs), rare disorders caused by mutations that impair glycosylation—the complex process by which cells build long sugar chains that are attached to proteins called glycoproteins. D’Souza also works to uncover how these rare genetic mutations cause the observed symptoms.

Huijie Huang profile photo with Fishamn Fund medal

Huijie Huang, PhD

Don Barach Memorial Fishman Fund Career Award

Huijie Huang, PhD, is a postdoctoral associate in the lab of Timothy Huang, PhD, an assistant professor in the Degenerative Diseases Program. 

Huang’s research focuses on uncovering the fundamental causes of Alzheimer’s disease, a pressing public health concern as the U.S. population ages and faces an increased risk of this leading cause of dementia. She investigates the fundamental causes of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia. Huang’s primary focus is on the SORL1 (SORLA) gene, a known risk factor for sporadic early- and late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. She believes that developing treatments to boost SORLA’s beneficial effects may prove to be an innovative treatment approach.

Chiara Nicoletti profile photo with Fishamn Fund medal

Chiara Nicoletti, PhD

Cynthia Schwartz Shenkman Fishman Fund Research Excellence Award

Chiara Nicoletti, PhD, is a postdoctoral associate in the laboratory of Pier Lorenzo Puri, MD. She studies epigenetic patterns, which are genetic changes that don’t alter the DNA itself yet modify how genes are expressed to make proteins or other products. She studies epigenetic patterns in skeletal muscle development and disease. Nicoletti hopes to help develop personalized medicine tools for patients suffering from muscular dystrophy.

James Marchant profile photo with Fishamn Fund medal

James Marchant, PhD

Fishman Fund Fellowship Award

James Marchant, PhD, is a postdoctoral associate in the lab of Alexandre Colas, PhD, an associate professor in the Development, Aging and Regeneration Program. 

Marchant’s research focuses on developing a gene therapy to treat heart failure. Heart attacks reduce blood and oxygen flow to heart muscle, leading to scar tissue that can increase the risk of future attacks. Dr. Marchant aims to convert cells within this scar tissue back into healthy muscle cells.

Fishman Awards Community Advisory Board

The Fishman Awards Community Advisory Board Members have been so important to the continued success of the Fishman Awards. Their participation, advice, and counsel are what makes these awards possible.

  • Reena Horowitz
    Co-Founder and Co-Chair
  • Jeanne Jones
    Co-Founder Designee
  • Brad Benter
    Co-Chair
  • Jeffrey Adler
  • Cathe Burnham
  • John Cashman
  • Jessica Cline
  • Nan Eastman 
  • Nina Fishman
  • Cynthia Goodman
  • Laura Mitchell
  • Ludvina Nevarez
  • Doreen Schonbrun
  • Aaron Shenkman
  • Judy White

Fishman Fund Award Winners

  • 2008
    Melanie Hoefer
    Jochen Maurer
    Elizabeth Rico-Bautista
    Maria Cecilia Scimia
    Chih-Cheng Yang
  • 2007
    Jennifer Katz
    Ana Miletic Sedy
    Sayantan Mitra
    Derek Ostertag
    Peter Teriete
  • 2006
    Sergio Alonso
    Mari Enoksson
    Amy Howes
    Yuehai Ke
    Lutz Tautz
  • 2005
    Ruchi Bajpai
    Lionel Hebbard
    Nicole K. Noren
    John Stebbins
    Ramón Díaz Trelles 
  • 2004
    Tasmia Duza  
  • 2003
    Sean Oldham
  • 2002
    Hudson Freeze
    José Luis Millán

Joana Borlido, PhD, describes why the Fishman Fund Award has been such a boost to her career.

Fishman Fund Awards Selection Committees

Thank you to the dedicated selection committees for their time and expertise.

Fishman Fund Fellowship

Fishman Fund Career Development Awards

  • Barbara Ranscht, PhD (Chair)
    Professor Emeritus
  • Elena Pasquale, PhD
    Professor and Director of Academic Affairs
  • Sanju Sinha, PhD
    Assistant Professor
  • Nisha Cavanaugh
    Associate Director of Career Development and Postdoctoral Programs
  • Cynthia Goodman, Ed.D.
    Member, Fishman Awards Community Advisory Board

Fishman Fund Cynthia Schwartz Shenkman Research Excellence Award

  • Barbara Ranscht, PhD (Chair)
    Professor Emeritus
  • Linda Bradley, PhD
    Professor and Faculty Advisor for Postdoctoral Training
  • Kevin Yip, PhD
    Professor and Cancer Center Associate Director for Training and Education
  • Aaron Shenkman
    Member, Fishman Awards Community Advisory Board

Donate to the Fishman Fund Awards

The Fishman Awards relies on support from community members. To invest in the next generation of scientists please considering making a gift to support the program.

In Memory Of Will Down

Sanford Burnham Prebys is working on a groundbreaking treatment for addiction.

Will Down had shared his personal journey with the Institute’s Board of Trustees and researchers. He was aware of the research and was excited about it.

Please honor Will and the Down family by making a contribution to support this important research.

 

Nancy Angus Memorial Fund

Remembering a Champion for the Institute and Science

The Nancy Angus Memorial Fund is established to remember Nancy, an accomplished, donor-centric, major and principal gifts development officer. Although she was only with us for a short time her presence will be deeply missed. Nancy had a sincere passion for her work in helping to make the world a better place. She very much enjoyed everyone she worked with at the Sanford Burnham Prebys, which only fed her motivation to secure funds in support of the Institute. Nancy was young at heart and her legacy will live on in the lives she is able to help though her selfless choice to become an organ donor.

If you have any questions, please contact us at (858) 795-5070 or email giving@sbpdiscovery.org.

Donate Now

 

Karen L. Anderson Memorial Fund

Supporting Science Specialists

Remembering a Gifted Cell Biologist and Electron Microscopist

The Karen L. Anderson Memorial Fund is established to remember a gifted cell biologist and highly skilled electron microscopist whose dedicated service and career in science made her an invaluable member of the Sanford Burnham Prebys family. Karen lost her battle to cancer, a challenging disease she herself studied with meticulous detail.

Karen developed unique protocols that would allow researchers to learn the behavior of individual molecules in living cells that promote cell migration and, on the flip side, spread cancer cells through metastasis. Karen worked on these cell preparations on the most advanced microscope in the world, the Titan Krios Microscope located here at the Institute. In her 16 years at Sanford Burnham Prebys, dozens of technicians and researchers from laboratories all over the world came to learn her protocols that enabled scientists to see details in cells. Though she was due for retirement, she delayed her plans so she could pass on her knowledge to the scientific community.

If you have any questions, please contact us at (858) 795-5070 or email giving@sbpdiscovery.org.

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Dongxian Zhang Memorial Fund

“One of the most positive people I’ve ever met.”

The Dongxian Zhang Memorial Fund is established for Dongxian Zhang, Associate Professor in our Degenerative Diseases Program and who served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Pathology at University of California San Diego since 2004. He joined the Institute in the fall of 1999 after working at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

Dongxian made key advances in the study of motor neuron degeneration, including the discovery of novel neuroprotective factors and biomarkers of early events in disease pathology. His work will inform future development of therapies and diagnostics for conditions including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal motor atrophy.

“He was a valued associate professor in our Degenerative Diseases Program and served as an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Molecular Pathology at UC San Diego since 2004,” says Kristiina Vuori, MD, PhD, president of Sanford Burnham Prebys. “His positive and helpful personality will be missed and always remembered.”

“He told me he was surprised that he had been accepted to college, but that acceptance motivated him to go on to make major contributions to his chosen field of study,” says Randal Kaufman PhD, director of the Degenerative Diseases Program at the Institute.

“When Dongxian shared the news about his diagnosis, he was incredibly brave and at peace with his life,” says Kaufman. “I will truly miss my friend. I will also miss the times we played golf. We enjoyed the camaraderie, which I will never forget.”

Dongxian made key advances in the study of motor neuron degeneration, including the discovery of novel neuroprotective factors and biomarkers of early events in disease pathology. Recent findings in collaboration with Huaxi Xu, PhD, Sanford Burnham Prebyss Jeanne and Gary Herberger Leadership Chair in Neuroscience Research, professor and director of the Neurosciences Initiative, should be published soon and may lead to new diagnoses and treatments for motor neuron diseases.

Xu says he will remember his friend for his gentle demeanor and extreme dedication to his trainees. “Dongxian would never hesitate to jump into the lab to finish an experiment, calibrate instruments or perform molecular biology to help out members of his lab, as well as our lab,” Xu says. “His illness came as a surprise to everyone. He faced his sickness with great integrity and humor.”

“To me, he was more than a mentor for my work but also to my life,” says Lu-Lin Jiang, PhD, who worked in Dongxian’s lab. “He gave us much freedom to explore the beauty of the science. He took care of us like he took care of his own kids. When he was recovering from his first brain surgery, he told us he was not afraid of death, but he was worried about us. Later, he tried to help us to find new positions. Dongxian was the most positive person I have ever met.”

More About Dongxian Zhang

In 1969, during the Culture Revolution in China, Dongxian, like many students in big cities, was sent from Shanghai to a rural village to be “re-educated” by farmers. He was only 16 years old and had completed less than one year of middle school. When the Revolution ended in 1977, the Chinese government reopened enrollment for college entrance and Dongxian took the national college entrance exam.  Using textbooks he borrowed from the headquarters of a local railroad, he taught himself enough middle and high school subjects to receive one of the top 10 exam scores in Yunnan province in 1978.  He went on to study at Peking University, one of the most prestigious in China.

Dongxian was hoping to write a novel based on his life experience, but sadly this never happened.

Following an 18-month fight against glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer, Dongxian passed away on March 23, 2017 at the age of 64.

He leaves behind his wife Dong-Er Zhang and two sons, David and Phillip.

If you have any questions, please contact us at (858) 795-5070 or email giving@sbpdiscovery.org.

Donate Now

 

The Rocket Fund

Help Battle Childhood Diseases

The Rocket Fund Supports the Heroic Battle Against Heartbreaking Rare and Neglected Children’s Diseases.

Named after John Taylor “Rocket” Williams IV who suffered from a rare condition known as CDG, or Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation, Rocket’s family and friends generously started The Rocket Fund in 2007. Sadly, Rocket passed away in November 2008. His spirit lives on as Sanford Burnham Prebys tirelessly works hard to understand devastating childhood diseases. 

Rocket touched the lives of many, including Sanford Burnham Prebys’ Dr. Hudson Freeze, Director and Professor of the Human Genetics program. Your support can help children like Rocket.

We work for families with kids like Rocket because we believe: From research…the power to cure.

If you have any questions, please contact us at (858) 795-5070 or email giving@sbpdiscovery.org.

Hudson Freeze, PhD

Donate Now

 

Eric Dudl Endowed Scholarship Fund

Support Future Postdocs

Portrait of Eric Dudl

Remembering a Promising Young Postdoc Who Left a Legacy For Young Scientists

The Eric Dudl Endowed Scholarship Fund was established at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute to remember a promising young postdoc at the Institute whose life was tragically cut short at the age of 33 years old. He was stricken by cancer, the very disease he dedicated himself to researching. He cherished the Institute so dearly that he left his life’s savings to help other postdocs continue the work he loved.

If you have any questions, please contact us at (858) 795-5070 or email giving@sbpdiscovery.org.

The Dudl Family presents the 2021 Eric Dudl Scholarship Award to Guillem Lambies Barjau.

Dudl Scholarship Recipients

  • Shiyu Wang – 2013
  • Elizabeth Rico-Bautista – 2012
  • Peter Mace – 2011
  • Eric Lau – 2010
  • Martin Denzel – 2009
  • Adam Richardson – 2008
  • Kenneth Yip – 2007

You Can Support Exceptional Young Scientists Like Eric with a Financial Contribution

 

In Memory Of
Alisa Lynn Carson

Sanford Burnham Prebys is working on a groundbreaking research to fight cancer.

Please honor Alisa Lynn Carson and her family by making a contribution to support this important research.