post doc at Harvard Medical School, Peru.

Dr. Ivan Hancco Zirena is a distinguished Peruvian physician and researcher specializing in clinical hematology, physiology, and high-altitude medicine. With a rich academic and clinical background spanning multiple continents, Dr. Hancco has carved a niche in understanding human adaptation to hypoxia and extreme environments. Currently serving as a postdoctoral researcher at the Thrombosis and Hemostasis Unit at Harvard Medical School’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, he contributes to groundbreaking studies on coagulation, red cell physiology, and novel antithrombotic agents.

Profile:

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🎓 Educational Background:

Dr. Hancco earned his M.D. from the Universidad Nacional del Altiplano in Puno, Peru (2003), and later specialized in Hematology at Universidad Ricardo Palma, Lima. He pursued advanced studies in France, completing a Master’s in Integrated Biology and Physiology at Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, followed by a Ph.D. in Physiology at Université Grenoble Alpes. His doctoral thesis investigated hematological responses in high-altitude populations living above 5,000 meters, under the supervision of Dr. Samuel Verges. He is currently completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School (2023–2025).

💼 Professional Experience:

Dr. Hancco brings extensive experience in both clinical and academic medicine. He has worked in emergency care, hematology units, and cardiovascular rehabilitation in Peru, France, and Spain. His research roles at Laboratoire HP2 (France) and currently at Harvard Medical School (USA) have sharpened his focus on high-impact clinical studies. Additionally, he has provided care to patients with benign and malignant hematologic diseases in military and public hospitals.

Research Interests:

Dr. Hancco’s primary research explores the physiological and hematological adaptations to hypoxia, chronic mountain sickness, erythrocytosis, and cardiovascular and thrombotic responses at high altitudes. His recent work delves into the role of thiol isomerases in hemostasis and thrombosis, with applications in vascular medicine and novel antithrombotic therapies. His interdisciplinary approach bridges physiology, hematology, environmental medicine, and cellular biology.

Teaching Experience:

A passionate educator, Dr. Hancco has taught hematology, physiology, and molecular biology at top Peruvian universities including Universidad de San Martín de Porres, Universidad Científica del Sur, and Universidad Nacional del Altiplano. He has led student research groups, facilitated international exchange programs, and integrated research into medical training. His teaching style fosters critical thinking, debate, and hands-on learning in laboratory and clinical environments.

Skills:

Dr. Hancco is skilled in a wide array of biomedical techniques including flow cytometry, cell culture, platelet aggregation, protein purification, magnetic cell levitation, cytokinesis analysis, microscopy, and complete blood count analysis. These tools have supported his innovative research in hypoxia and hemostasis.

🏅 Recognition and Impact:

Dr. Hancco’s research on chronic mountain sickness and thrombosis has global relevance, particularly for populations living in extreme altitudes. His findings contribute to improved diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for hematological disorders in both high- and low-altitude settings. His work has earned him collaboration with world-renowned institutions and recognition as a rising figure in global hematology and physiology.

Publications:

Galloylated polyphenols represent a new class of antithrombotic agents with broad activity against thiol isomerases.
Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 2025.
Cerebral blood flow in Andean children and adolescents living above 5,000 m.
Journal of Neurophysiology, 2025.
Neurological manifestations associated with exercise at altitude.
Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports, 2025.
Pain perception threshold in young high-altitude natives after acute exposure to severe hypoxic conditions.
Oxygen (Basel), 2025.
Micro- and macrovascular function in the highest city in the world: A cross-sectional study.
Lancet Regional Health – Americas, 2024.
Performance in the six-minute walking test does not discriminate excessive erythrocytosis patients in a severe hypoxic environment.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2024.
Expedition 5300: Limits of human adaptations in the highest city in the world.
Journal of Physiology, 2024.
Cerebral homeostasis and orthostatic responses in residents of the highest city in the world.
Scientific Reports, 2024.
Lower glycemia levels in subjects with excessive erythrocytosis during the oral glucose tolerance test living in conditions of severe hypoxia.
Frontiers in Physiology, 2024.
Are coagulation profiles in Andean highlanders with excessive erythrocytosis favouring hypercoagulability?
Experimental Physiology, 2024.

Sandhini Agarwal | Medicine | Best Researcher Award

Posted on 24/12/202424/12/2024 by Phenomenological Research Awards

Ms. Sandhini Agarwal | Medicine | Best Researcher Award

Medical Student at Valley Vein Health Center, Georgetown University School of Medicine, United States.

🌍Sandhini Agarwal is a medical student at Georgetown University, with extensive experience in clinical settings, research, and leadership. She has worked as a research assistant at UChicago Medicine and Stanford Medicine, focusing on neural network-based systems, pediatric cardiology, and thyroid cancer. Her clinical experience spans pediatrics, ambulatory care, and community health outreach. Additionally, she has held leadership roles in organizations such as Georgetown Street Medicine and the Phoenix Biology RSO at UChicago. She has also been an active volunteer with Street Life Ministries and has received numerous academic awards.

Profile👤

Education 🎓

🎓Sandhini Agarwal attended the University of Chicago, where she earned a B.S. in Biological Sciences and a minor in Health and Society, graduating cum laude with a GPA of 3.88/4.0. During her time at UChicago, she was consistently recognized for her academic excellence, making the Dean’s List from 2021 to 2022 and earning the Clinical Excellence Scholars Track recognition. She also received multiple awards during high school, including the Senior Book Award in Biology and the Faculty Cup Nominee. Sandhini is currently pursuing her medical degree at Georgetown University School of Medicine, Class of 2028. Her academic focus continues to center around biology, medicine, and public health, with a particular interest in addressing health disparities and improving healthcare access for underserved communities. Sandhini’s academic achievements reflect her commitment to excellence and her determination to make a meaningful impact in the medical field.

Experience

🩺Sandhini Agarwal has extensive clinical and research experience that spans multiple prestigious institutions. She is currently involved in clinical work at Georgetown Med, including shadowing Dr. Sejal Bavishi in pediatric outpatient clinics and assisting with physical exams. She also plays a key role in community health initiatives through Hoya Clinic and Learn2Derm, where she educates underserved children on skincare. Prior to Georgetown, Sandhini gained valuable experience at UChicago Medicine, conducting patient interviews as a research assistant for the Hospitalist Project. She also worked at Valley Vein Health Center as a patient care coordinator, conducting surveys and researching Ozempic’s impact on lymphedema. In addition to her clinical roles, Sandhini has participated in research at institutions such as Stanford, where she worked on developing neural network-based systems for medical imaging, and at Harvard Medicine, where she researched thyroid cancer pathways. Her experiences in both clinical care and research have provided her with a comprehensive understanding of healthcare.👨‍🔬🌍

Awards and Honors 🏆

Sandhini Agarwal has received several prestigious awards for her academic and extracurricular achievements. At the University of Chicago, she earned a spot on the Dean’s List from 2021 to 2022 and participated in the Clinical Excellence Scholars Track, recognizing her academic prowess and commitment to clinical excellence. In high school, she received multiple honors, including the Senior Book Award in Biology and the Faculty Cup Nominee. Sandhini was also recognized as a National AP Scholar for her high AP scores and received the Katen Metcalf Scholar award in 2021. She was honored with the Aspirations Award by the National Center for Women & Information Technology in 2018 and won several medals in the National Spanish Exam, including Gold in 2017. Sandhini’s accomplishments reflect her strong academic background and her commitment to leadership, service, and excellence in healthcare.

Research Interests 🔬

🔬Sandhini Agarwal’s research focuses on the intersection of biology, medicine, and technology, with a particular interest in pediatric cardiology, endocrinology, and neuroimaging. At UChicago Medicine, she researched FoxF1 expression in the second heart field and its role in cardiomyocyte differentiation and heart development. This work contributed to the understanding of heart disease and its underlying mechanisms. She also worked on analyzing thyroid cancer pathways at Harvard Medicine, focusing on the diagnosis-to-treatment process for thyroid cancer patients. Sandhini’s research experience extends to neural networks for medical imaging at Stanford, where she developed a system to segment brain parenchymal metastatic lesions using radiological data. In addition, she contributed to cardiovascular drug discovery at UChicago, analyzing genomic data and supporting the HeartBioPortal database. Sandhini’s research aims to enhance healthcare delivery and outcomes, with a particular focus on improving diagnostic accuracy, treatment pathways, and patient care, especially in underserved populations.🌿🧪

Conclusion

Sandhini Agarwal is highly deserving of the Best Researcher Award. Her dedication to both research and clinical practice, combined with her leadership in social initiatives, demonstrates a holistic approach to the field of medicine. Her achievements indicate a future leader in healthcare and research, and her continued contributions promise even greater impacts in the years to come.

Publications Top Notes

A Holistic Approach to Undesired Content Detection in the Real World

Authors: Markov, T., Zhang, C., Agarwal, S., Jiang, A., Weng, L.

Citations: 35

Year: 2023

Training language models to follow instructions with human feedback

Authors: Ouyang, L., Wu, J., Jiang, X., Leike, J., Lowe, R.

Citations: 3,339

Year: 2022

Learning Transferable Visual Models From Natural Language Supervision

Authors: Radford, A., Kim, J.W., Hallacy, C., Krueger, G., Sutskever, I.

Citations: 9,325

Year: 2021

Language models are few-shot learners

Authors: Brown, T.B., Mann, B., Ryder, N., Sutskever, I., Amodei, D.

Citations: 15,410

Year: 2020

Recursive routing networks: Learning to compose modules for language understanding

Authors: Cases, I., Rosenbaum, C., Riemer, M., Potts, C., Karttunen, L.

Citations: 11

Year: 2019

Ana Perona-Moratalla | Medicine | Best Researcher Award

Posted on 16/12/202416/12/2024 by Phenomenological Research Awards

Dr. Ana Perona-Moratalla | Medicine | Best Researcher Award

Neurologist at Servicio de Salud de Castilla-La Mancha, Spain.

🌍Dr. Ana Belén Perona Moratalla, a Neurology Specialist at the Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Albacete since 2016, is a distinguished researcher and clinician. She completed her Neurology training with excellence and pursued advanced studies, including a master’s degree in Movement Disorders and a doctoral focus on von Hippel-Lindau disease. She leads the Movement Disorders Unit and has made significant contributions to stroke protocols, deep brain stimulation in Parkinson’s disease, and dementia diagnosis through biomarkers. With over 39 conference presentations, 13 high-quality publications, and active participation in clinical trials, her work bridges clinical care and innovative research. She also teaches at the University of Castilla-La Mancha, mentoring undergraduate and postgraduate students.