CURATE Scholars
Summer 2026
Zeynep Atila
Boston College, 2028
Major: Nursing
Interests: I’m passionate about science and the humanities, with a strong interest in public health and community service. I’m especially interested in addiction medicine and its intersection with cardiology, including how substance use affects cardiovascular health and how prevention, treatment, and public health initiatives can improve patient outcomes.
Mentor: Dr. Jeffrey Samet
Project: I worked on the Gabapentin to Reduce Alcohol and Improve Viral Load (GRAIL) Study, where I conducted literature reviews, participated in weekly research team meetings, and contributed to drafting sections of the study manuscript.
Lila Horberg Decter
Vassar College, 2028
Major: Neuroscience and Behavior (Chinese minor)
Interests: Addiction neuroscience (the brain!), addiction medicine and research, population/public health
Mentor: Dr. Jeffrey Samet
Project: This summer I had the privilege of working on various sub-projects of the HEALing Communities Study as it comes to a close, including a project comparing nonfatal and fatal opioid overdose rates among HEALing Communities sites
Max Kalinichenko
Arjun Nair
Virginia Commonwealth University, 2027
Major: Biology
Interests: Integrating HIV prevention care in substance use disorder treatment settings
Mentor: Dr. Alyssa Tilhou MD, PhD
Project: Investigating the receipt of HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis among Medicaid beneficiaries with a stimulant use disorder that have a diagnosed risk for HIV.
April Wang
Syracuse University, May 2028
Major: Biology (minor, Psychology)
Interests: pediatrics/adolescents/youth medicine, mental health, addiction medicine (substance use, harm reduction), health disparities/social determinants of health, public health and drug policy.
Interests: pediatrics/adolescents/youth medicine, mental health, addiction medicine (substance use, harm reduction), health disparities/social determinants of health, public health and drug policy.
Mentor: Dr. Sarah Bagley
Project: This summer, I worked on a scoping review identifying the evidence base and knowledge gaps regarding withdrawal management for adolescents who use different substances. With my team under the Youth Advocacy and Research Collaborative (YARC), I also helped teach high school students about substance use and overdose prevention and response.