Rally Is Thrilled to Announce $600,000 Awarded to Our 2025 Postdoctoral and Clinical Research Fellow Grants

At Rally, we know the future of pediatric cancer research lies in the hands of the next generation of researchers. Many childhood cancer treatments have remained the same for decades. Kids with cancer deserve better. They deserve treatments with fewer harsh side effects and, ultimately, cures that will give them the chance to grow up healthy and strong.

Bright young minds work tirelessly to establish themselves as independent researchers in pediatric cancer — they push boundaries, seek new ideas and challenge the status quo — and Rally is here to support them. Postdoctoral and clinical research fellows are the ones who will ultimately find the breakthroughs that will change the lives of kids battling cancer.

Who are these Fellows?

Postdoctoral and clinical research fellows are in the early stages of their research careers, conducting cutting-edge studies under the mentorship of experienced scientists and physicians.

Postdoctoral fellows have completed their Ph.D. program and are conducting research under the guidance of senior scientists.

Clinical Research Fellows have graduated from medical school and completed their residency. They’re embarking on a three-year journey, blending clinical training and research in pediatric hematology/oncology.

Want to learn more about postdoctoral and clinic research fellows? Read here.

Why Is This So Important?

Rally Fellow Grants give these emerging scientists the financial support they need to jumpstart their careers. Each grant awarded provides $50,000 per year.

Meet the 2025 Postdoctoral and Clinical Research Fellow Grant Recipients

Now, let’s get to the exciting part! We’re thrilled to announce the recipients of our 2025 Postdoctoral and Clinical Research Fellow Grants. We can’t wait to see the breakthroughs they’ll achieve.

BRAIN AND CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEMS CANCERS

• The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center: Aaron Fan, M.D., Ph.D., for Combination Vaccine and Oncolytic Virotherapy in Pediatric Brain Tumors
• Emory University: Jorge Jimenez Macias, Ph.D., for Elucidating the Vascular Biology of RTK-mutant Pediatric High-grade Gliomas, co-funded by Rally Foundation and Kids Join the Fight
• Dana-Farber Cancer Institute: Sina Neyazi, M.D., for Metabolic Reprogramming as a Resistance Mechanism in Diffuse Midline Glioma, co-funded by Rally Foundation and Kids Join the Fight

BLOOD CANCERS

• New York University Grossman School of Medicine: Juan Balandran, Ph.D., for Investigating Therapeutic Avenues to Prevent Antigenic Escape in B-ALLIcahn
• School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: Miguel Quijada-Alamo, Ph.D., for Unravelling Novel Genetic Dependencies of CRLF2-rearranged Childhood B-ALL
• Children’s Hospital Los Angeles: Brittany Van Remortel, M.D., for A Two-Part Clinical Trial to Reduce Sedentary Time in early AYAs with ALL
• Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine: Margarita Dionysiou, M.D., for Harnessing miR-21 to Enhance Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, co-funded by Rally Foundation and the Luke Tatsu Johnson Foundation

SOLID TUMORS

• Dalhousie University: Jasmine Barra, Ph.D., for Defining Critical Features of Wilms Tumor with Spatial Transcriptomics
• The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia: Rachel Hurley, M.D., Ph.D., for Modulating the Tumor Micro-Environment in Pediatric Rhabdomyosarcoma
• Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology: Xiaofan Lu, Ph.D., for Molecular Underpinnings of Translocation Renal Cell Carcinomas
• Jude Children’s Research Hospital: Janeala Morsby, Ph.D., for Synergy of ATM and PARP Inhibitors in Pediatric Osteosarcoma
• Jude Children’s Research Hospital: Ian Delahunty, Ph.D., for Capitalizing on Functional Genomics with Targeted Protein Degradation, co-funded by Rally Foundation and Infinite Love for Kids Fighting Cancer

Congratulations to all 2025 Rally Fellows. With your support, Rally is investing in the discoveries of tomorrow and the next great generation of researchers. Together, we’re making a difference.

And who knows? One of these Rally Fellows might just be the one to find the next cure for pediatric cancer.