ANA Ascend
We are excited to announce the launch of our new program, ANA Ascend! This program is designed by the ANA Membership Committee to support medical students with an interest in academic neurology and research in their academic and career pursuits.
ANA Ascend supports 10 medical students through mentorship, networking, and professional development with ANA leadership and members. Throughout the year, participants will engage in a virtual meeting, an in-person meeting during ANA2026, and follow-up sessions to provide continued guidance and engagement.
Participants also receive $1,000 in travel support and complimentary registration to the ANA2026 Annual Meeting.
Participation includes:
- One virtual pre-meeting session
- One in-person meeting at ANA2026
- One annual check-in meeting to provide ongoing support and resources for residency applications and research opportunities
ANA Ascend is for U.S. medical students who meet the following criteria:
- MD (MS1/2/3) & DO students
- MD-PhD students who are within one year of starting clerkships
Applicants for ANA Ascend are required to do the following:
- Submit an abstract to ANA2026 (Call for Abstracts is now closed; Call for Late-Breaking Abstracts is now closed)
- Attend ANA2026 October 17-20, 2026, in San Diego
*Please note that students who are accepted into the ANA Futures program are not eligible to participate in ANA Ascend.
2026 Cohort
Yash Agarwal, Drexel University College of Medicine
Bijoya Basu, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Justin Geier, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Daria MacAuslan, Tufts University School of Medicine
Nicholson (Nico) Modesti, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Laurel Schappell, Stony Brook University
Noah Slobodin, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Kayla Vieira, New York Medical College
Peter Wild Crea, University of Minnesota Medical School
Jack Wish, Tufts University School of Medicine