Collaborative seminar series to develop the next generation of physician-scientists.
Welcome to the Young Physician-Scientist Series (YPSS) webpage maintained by Duke University!
The YPSS is a partnership between Duke, Washington University in Saint Louis, Weill Cornell Medicine, Vanderbilt University, and the University of Texas-Southwestern. Participating institutions alternate hosting and moderating these sessions on topics that are relevant to early-career physician-scientists.
You do not need to be affiliated with one of the participating institutions to attend our seminar series. Please register below for upcoming YPSS events.
Upcoming Seminars:
Participating institutions will host seminars from Fall 2026 through Spring 2027:
- Building Mentorship Teams: The importance of assembling mentorship teams with variable content expertise, institutional knowledge, and various personal experiences (Dec 8th, 1 PM CT/ 2 PM ET)
- Building your CV as an early-stage investigator: When to say ‘yes’, and when to say ‘no’ (Feb 10th, 3 PM CT/ 4 PM ET)
- Reviewers’ Experience with the Simplified Framework for NIH Peer Review Criteria (Apr 21st, 3 PM CT/ 4 PM ET)
Click the link below to register for some or all of the upcoming seminars
Strategies for the First Faculty Job Search: When to Look, Where to Look, and More (October 29, 2026) Hosted by Vanderbilt University Medical Center with:
- Jeffrey Singer MD, PhD; (Moderator) Clinical Fellow (PGY-6) Gastroenterology,
Hepatology and Nutrition, Vanderbilt University Medical Center - Isaac Chan MD, PhD; Assistant Professor Hematology & Oncology, UT Southwestern Medical Center
- Jordan Jastrab MD, PhD; Assistant Professor Infectious Diseases, Weill Cornell Medicine
- Ching Zhu MD, PhD; Assistant Professor Cardiology, Duke University School of Medicine
- Ramon Jin MD, PhD; Assistant Professor Oncology, WashU Medicine
- Christopher Williams MD, PhD; Professor Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Nutrition, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Disseminating Your Research at National and International Talks (August 20, 2026) Hosted by UT Southwestern with:
- Evan Noch MD, PhD; (Moderator) Assistant Professor of Neuro-Oncology, UT Southwestern Medical Center
- Steven Small MD, PhD; Professor of Neurology, UT Southwestern Medical Center
- Santosha Vardhana MD, PhD; Assistant Member of Immuno-Oncology Program and Assistant Attending, Lymphoma Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
- Matthew Sparks MD; Associate Professor of Nephrology, Duke University School of Medicine
- Deborah Veis MD, PhD; Professor of Pathology & Immunology, WashU Medicine
- Julie Bastarache MD; Professor Allergy, Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Career Development in the Era of Team Science: Pursuing Independent Careers while navigating Team Science/Collaborations (March 31, 2026) Hosted by Weill Cornell Medicine with:
- Kyu Rhee, MD, PhD; (Moderator) Professor of Infectious Diseases, Weill Cornell Medicine
- Virginia Pascual, MD; Professor of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine
- Pinar Balikcioglu, MD; Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Duke University
- John Minna, MD; Professor of Internal Medicine and Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center
- Matthew Freiberg, MD, MSc; Professor of Cardiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Todd Fehniger, MD, PhD; Professor of Oncology, Washington University at St. Louis
Building your lab team: From 1st hires, trainees, and more (February 25, 2026) Hosted by Vanderbilt University Medical Center with:
- Chelsie Sievers, MD, PhD; (Moderator) PSTP Chief Fellow, Vanderbilt University
- Hao Zhu, MD; Professor of Pediatrics, University of Texas-Southwestern
- Yash Choksi, MD; Assistant Professor of Gastroenterology, Vanderbilt University
- Anna S. Nam, MD; Assistant Professor of Pathology, Weill Cornell Medicine
- Jonathan R. Brestoff, MD, PhD; Associate Professor of Pathology, Washington University-St. Louis
- Jeffrey Russ, MD, PhD; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Duke University
Taking Discovery Science to Clinical Trials (January 23, 2026) Hosted by Duke University with:
- Christopher Holley, MD, PhD; (Moderator), Associate Professor of Medicine, Duke University
- Vishal Patel, MD; Yin Quan-Yuen Distinguished Professorship in Nephrology, University of Texas-Southwestern
- Michael Savona, MD; Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology Oncology, Vanderbilt University
- Andrew Young, MD, PhD; Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology, Washington University-St. Louis
- Caitlin Gribbin, MD; Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, Weill Cornell Medicine
- Karl-Dimiter Bissig, MD, PhD; Chen Family Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Duke University
Building a Diverse Funding Portfolio (November 19, 2025) Hosted by Washington University in St. Louis with:
- Christoph P Hornik, MD PhD MPH; Professor of Pediatrics, Duke University
- Nicolas Gomez-Banoy, MD; Fellow in Endocrinology, Weill Cornell Medicine
- Scott McCall, MD, PhD; Assistant Professor of Medicine, Vanderbilt University
- Steven Vernino, MD, PhD; Professor of Neurology, University of Texas Southwestern
How to Write a Successful K-application (August 27, 2025) Hosted by Duke University School of Medicine with:
- Rasheed Gbadegesin, MD; (Moderator), Associate Dean for Physician-Scientist Development, Duke University
- Jillian Hurst, PhD; Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, Duke University
- Drew Schwartz, MD, PhD; Assistant Professor, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Washington University in St. Louis
- J.P. Arroyo, MD, PhD; Assistant Professor, Nephrology, Vanderbilt University
- Steven Crowley, MD, Professor, Medicine (Nephrology), Duke University
- Emre Turer, MD, PhD; Assistant Professor, Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern
- Hasina Outtz Reed, MD, PhD; Assistant Professor, Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine
Panelist answers to attendee questions:
Navigating the Path to Independence (February 6, 2025) Hosted by Weill Cornell Medicine with:
- Kyu Y. Rhee, MD, PhD; (Moderator) Professor, Medicine (ID), Weill Cornell Medicine
- Daniel Cook, MD; Assistant Professor, Anesthesiology Weill Cornell Medicine
- Angela Hirbe, MD, PhD; Associate Professor, Medicine (Oncology) Washington University in St. Louis
- Stacey Maskarinec, MD, PhD; Assistant Professor, Medicine (ID) Duke University
How Do I Fund My New Lab? (August 21, 2024) Hosted by WashU with:
- Megan Baldridge, MD, PhD; Associate Professor, Medicine & Molecular Microbiology, Washington University
- Andrew Landstrom, MD, PhD; Associate Professor, Pediatrics, Duke University
- Kyu Y. Rhee, MD, PhD; Professor, Medicine (ID), Weill Cornell Medicine
- Jacqui Hawkins,PhD; (Moderator) Director, Scientific Training of Physician-Scientists, Washington University)
Tips on Starting a Research Lab (May 22, 2024) Hosted by Duke University School of Medicine with:
- Gow Arepally, MD (Moderator); Professor of Medicine, Hematologist, Duke University;
- Anna Nam, MD; Assistant Professor, Pathologist, Weill Cornell Medicine;
- Sudarshan Rajagopal, MD, PhD; Associate Professor, Cardiologist, Duke University; and
- Melissa Mavers, MD, PhD; Assistant Professor, Pediatric Oncologist, Washington University-St. Louis