CHICAGO, IL — Nine undergraduate students from eight institutions have completed summer research internship projects and have been accepted to present their work at the 2026 AES Annual Meeting, supported by grants from the American Epilepsy Society (AES).
The internship program is part of the Society’s continued efforts to develop a well-trained epilepsy workforce by helping promising undergraduate scientists begin their medical or research careers through mentorship, events, and hands-on experience. For each internship, the grant-receiving institution pairs a student who has demonstrated academic excellence with one or more AES members who introduce them to the field of epilepsy and help them explore their career interests through active participation in research.
“Introducing students to epilepsy research at this stage of their education can have an impact far beyond a single summer. By pairing hands-on research with mentorship and connection to the broader epilepsy community, we hope to inspire talented students to continue asking important questions and ultimately build careers that advance epilepsy science and care.” said Wendy Jo Toyama, MBA, FASAE, CAE, Chief Executive Officer at the American Epilepsy Society.
The 2026 BRIDGE summer research interns, their institutions and mentors are:
- Emily Bussey, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri with Rejean Guerriero, DO, and Lisa Harker, PsyD
- Deeba Dinarvand, University of North Texas, Denton, with Lin Li, PhD
- Bryan Anderson, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, with Peter West, PhD
- Meghna Pandey, University of Maryland, Baltimore, with Whitney Parker, MD, PhD
- Chloe Scott, Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School, Boston, with Kieran Normoyle MD, PhD, and Kevin Staley, MD, FAES
- Rina Dirickson, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, with Sridevi Sarma, PhD, and Joonyi Kang, MD
- Courtney Massie, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, with Ceylan Isgor, PhD
- Grace Sohn, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, with Jennifer Wong, PhD, FAES
- Drew Schell, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, with Ezequiel Gleichgerrcht, MD, PhD
Each grant provides up to $11,500, which includes $10,000 for housing, stipends, and program expenses, and $1,500 to cover expenses related to attending the AES Annual Meeting, taking place December 4-8, 2026, in Denver. Interns also receive a complimentary registration and research submission to the meeting, as well as AES membership for one year. At the meeting, they will have the opportunity to present their research during two poster sessions and network with top epilepsy professionals from around the world.
The summer internship program is made possible thanks to the generous support of UCB, Inc. through the 2026 Unlocking Potential through Leadership and Inclusion for a Future of Transformation (UPLIFT) Sponsorship, which helps provide mentoring, education, and career development resources and programming for students and early career professionals in epilepsy.
Applications for the 2027 Summer Research Internship Grant are anticipated to open in January 2027. For more information, visit aesnet.org/internship.