ROC Announces Research Seed Grant Winners

January 7, 2026

The Department of Surgery's Research Oversight Committee has chosen this year's Research Seed Grant winners:

Stephanie Chao, MD
"PLEDGE to end childhood gun deaths"
Pediatric Surgery
HSR-Clinical Research

Alma-Martina Cepika, MD, PhD
"TollGut: a functional map of human intenstinal epithelial cell activity in response to microbial components in IBD"
General Surgery
Basic-Translational Research

"We had a robust number of applications and some really good proposals," said Department Chair Dr. Mary Hawn.

Technology/Innovation and Transdisciplinary Seed Grants awardees will be announced at a later date.

2025 Seed Grant Awardees will present at Department Grand Rounds on February 17, March 24, and May 19th. Watch previous presentations below:

Media Contact

Director of Communications

(650) 723-2301

rebaker@stanford.edu

Bio

As the Director of Communications for Stanford Surgery, Rachel Baker tells the stories of her department's faculty, staff, and trainees. With the help of an amazing team of content creators, she produces and curates original articles, photos, videos, graphics, and podcasts. She works with each division, center, program, and lab within her purview to define their audience and reach their goals while maintaining a consistent brand voice. She also offers both 1:1 and group education on a variety of topics including media training, using social media to advantage, and presentation refinement. Rachel holds a Bachelor's degree in journalism with a focus on photography from Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and is currently pursuing a Master's Degree in Strategic Communications from the University of Maryland.

About Stanford Surgery

The Stanford University Department of Surgery is dedicated to inventing the future of surgical care through:

• pioneering cutting-edge research,
• developing the next generation of leaders, and
• healing through incomparable surgical skills and compassion.

To learn more, please visit surgery.stanford.edu

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