Armen H. Tashjian Jr. Annual Award

The Armen H. Tashjian Jr. Award was established to recognize early-career faculty members who are pursuing novel areas of discovery in endocrine and related areas of research.

We were thrilled to celebrate the winners of the 2026 Armen H. Tashjian Jr. Awards for Excellence in Endocrine Research at our annual award ceremony on May 14, 2026.

Young Yon Kwon, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the Hui Lab in the Department of Molecular Metabolism, received the Research Fellow Award. Dr. Kwon investigates how systemic metabolism shapes disease progression, with a particular focus on cancer cachexia. His work spans model systems from yeast to large animals and uses comprehensive metabolomics and in vivo stable isotope tracing to uncover the metabolic mechanisms driving cancer‑associated wasting.

Jessalyn B. Ubellacker, M.D., Ph.D., an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Metabolism at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, received the Faculty Award. Dr. Ubellacker leads the Ubellacker Lab examining how metabolic microenvironments shape cancer progression. Her discoveries on how lipid oxidative stress and ferroptosis regulate cancer cell survival in the bloodstream versus the lymphatic system have opened new avenues for therapeutic intervention.

Interested in recognizing a colleague’s outstanding contributions? Return to this page in early 2027 for information on how to nominate

Armen H. Tashjian Jr. Award Recipients

2026 Awards

16^th Annual Award Recipients

Research Fellow Award

Young Yon Kwon, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow in the Hui Lab
Department of Molecular Metabolism
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Faculty Award

Jessalyn Ubellacker, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Molecular Metabolism
Department of Molecular Metabolism
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Past Recipients Tashjian Award

15^th Annual Award Recipients

Research Fellow Award

Bo Yuan, Ph.D
Postdoctoral Fellow, Hui Laboratory
Department of Molecular Metabolism
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Faculty Award

Cristina Aguayo-Mazzucato, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Investigator, Joslin Diabetes Center
Margaret A. Congleton Chair

14^th Annual Award

1^st Annual Research Fellow Award

Renata L.S. Goncalves, PhD
Research Associate, Hotamışlıgil Laboratory
Department of Molecular Metabolism
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

13^th Annual Award

Sheng Tony Hui, Ph. D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Department of Molecular Metabolism
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

12^th Annual Award

Alexander S. Banks, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School

11^th Annual Award

Edward T. Chouchani Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Harvard Medical School
Watch the 2021 Award Ceremony and Lecture here

10^th Annual Award

Nada Y. Kalaany Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Associate in Medicine, Medicine/Endocrinology, Boston Children’s Hospital
Featured in the Department of Molecular Metabolism
Watch the 2020 Award Ceremony and Lecture here

9^th Annual Award

William Mair Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Molecular Metabolism
Harvard Chan School of Public Health
Featured in HSPH News, May 2019

8^th Annual Award

Mark Anderman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, HMS, Featured in HSPH News, May 2018

7^th Annual Award

Yu-Hua Tseng, Ph.D.
Senior Investigator, Joslin Diabetes Center
Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Featured in HSPH News, May 2017

6^th Annual Award

James Mitchell, Ph.D.
Associate of Molecular Metabolism
Department of Molecular Metabolism
Featured in HSPH News, May 2016

5^st Annual Award

Sudha Biddinger M.D., Ph.D
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital
Featured in HSPH News , May 2015

4^st Annual Award

Aaron Martin Cypess, M.D., Ph.D., MMSc
Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School
Assistant Professor of Medicine at Joslin Diabetes Center
Featured in HSPH News, May 2014

3^rd Annual Award

Quan Lu, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Environmental Genetics and Pathophysiology
Department of Environmental Health
Department of Molecular Metabolism
Featured in HSPH News, May 2013

2^nd Annual Award

Chih-Hao Lee, Ph.D.
Professor of Molecular Metabolism
Department of Molecular Metabolism
Department of Nutrition
Featured in GCD Newsletter, Spring 2012

1^st Annual Award

Brendan D. Manning, Ph.D.
Professor of Molecular Metabolism
Department of Molecular Metabolism
Featured in HSPH News, March 2011