The scholars in the 2023 cohort come from 29 countries, including the first scholars from Hungary, Malawi, the Netherlands, Russia, Sierra Leone, and Turkey. They have earned degrees from 55 institutions, including 17 outside of the United States. At Stanford, they will pursue graduate degrees in 38 degree programs across all seven schools.
Conor Messer (left), from Denver, Colorado, is pursuing a master’s degree in biomedical data science at Stanford School of Medicine. He graduated summa cum laude from Northeastern University with a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering and minors in computer science and vocal performance. Conor aspires to harness data to achieve more equitable health outcomes by changing how it is collected and utilized, both in research and in the clinic.
Rahul Thapa (right), from Euless, Texas (originally from Chitwan, Nepal), is pursuing a PhD in biomedical informatics at Stanford School of Medicine. He graduated summa cum laude from Villanova University with a bachelor’s degree in computer science. Rahul aspires to collaborate with AI and health care experts to develop machine learning methods that are useful, reliable, and fair for the advancement of health care.