In the immediate aftermath of receiving the “surreal” news that he was the winner of the 2024 AMA Research Challenge, Ayush Kumar admitted that result wasn’t even on his radar when he submitted an abstract to participate in the event.
Winning “definitely wasn't something that I thought at the top of my mind,” said Kumar, an MD-PhD student the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School. “I just wanted to do a good job practicing my presentation skills and share the research I was able to accomplish.
“But I'm glad that it turned out this way.”
Kumar’s first-place finish earned him a $10,000 prize from sponsor Laurel Road. His research—"Enhancing the radiosensitivity of triple-negative breast cancer by targeting VEGF/Neuropilin-2” (PDF)—beat out a field of more than more than 1,300 abstract submissions from medical students, resident physicians and fellows, and international medical graduates in the country’s largest national, multispecialty research event.
A potential breast cancer treatment path
An AMA member, Kumar’s research focused on triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease. By identifying that blocking a certain protein with an antibody could make radiation therapies more effective—testing the findings on lab-grown cancer cells and mice with tumors—the research could ultimately lead to a new way to treat triple-negative breast cancer.
The three-judge panel unanimously selected Kumar’s research as the winning project, praising it for its use of both basic science with translational research that moves closer to a potential clinical application.
Sanjay Desai, MD, the AMA’s chief academic officer, praised Kumar for his mastery of the research process. “Listening to somebody at his tenure in medical education present, identifying the clinical question, understanding the science, his facility with that science, creating the experiments” and show “capacity to communicate that in this type of presentation is unique."
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Standing out
The field of competitors started with a record 1,330 abstract submissions, with participants coming from 188 institutions. Of those initial abstracts, 939 were selected for presentation. The 50 top-scored posters then advanced to the semifinals, where judges and AMA members scored them. The five finalists emerged from that group.
Speaking broadly about all five finalists, judges were impressed with the range of topics covered, the high-quality science applied and the presentation skills displayed.
“I'm heartened because we need those early in their career to be interested in a breadth of types of science … from medical education to very mechanistic science—I think that's going to be important," said Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, MD, PhD, MAS, editor-in-chief of JAMA® and the JAMA Network.
In announcing the selection of Kumar’s project as the winner, judges were “impressed both by the science, and the importance of the question, as well as the very clear presentation of the very interesting results,” Dr. Biggins-Domingo said.
Projects from other finalists focused on:
- Disabilities in general surgery residency programs.
- Upper-airway stimulation therapy for adolescents with Down Syndrome and obstructive-sleep apnea.
- Post-procedural outcomes of femoropopliteal versus tibial angioplasty in patients with peripheral artery disease.
- Tumorwide splicing-derived neoantigens in glioblastoma.
For medical students looking to hone their research skills, the AMA offers resources and programs that bring you from the basics all the way to the AMA Research Challenge where you too can compete for a $10,000 prize.
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Asking simple questions
Kumar is nearing the end of the PhD phase of his training, after which he will finish the final two years of medical school. In reflecting on his win, Kumar said he believed his presentation resonated with the judges because he made a complex topic relatable.
"One of the biggest things in research is learning to communicate something very complicated in a way that’s easily digestible to others,” he said. “That has translated into my ability to be an advocate for patients and explain medical treatments in a way they can understand."
In offering advice to fellow medical student researchers, he offered that “there are no stupid questions.”
“Most med students that come into this academic and research world, we start off asking basic questions, but I learned they do lead somewhere,” he said. “Those questions can lead to an impactful project.”
Next up? Kumar will defend his doctoral thesis in the coming weeks before moving back to the clinical realm to earn his MD. He also has some idea on how he’ll spend the prize money.
“I’ll definitely celebrate with a lot of lab members who helped me get to this position,” he said. “Maybe taking them out to a nice dinner would be good."
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The winner’s circle
In taking home the top prize, Kumar joins an esteemed list of recent AMA Research Challenge winners.
In 2023, third-year medical student Jesse Kirkpatrick won the AMA Research Challenge for his poster on the detection of cholangiocarcinoma—a rare bile duct cancer that is among the deadliest forms of cancer.
In 2022, MD-PhD candidate Leelabati “Leela” Biswas won the $10,000 grand prize for her research examining potential genetic biomarkers of infertility.
In 2021, international medical student Marielisa Cabrera-Sánchez took home the top spot for her research on Moraxella catarrhalis—an upper respiratory bacterium that exacerbates chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
The call for abstracts has opened for the 2025 AMA Research Challenge. Enter for the chance to showcase your research, bolster your CV and win a $10,000 grand prize presented by Laurel Road. The abstract submission deadline is July 16, 2025.
