2026 Grant Recipients

Ian Lamborn, MD, PhD

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

The I-CIS Innovation Grant – Vicki Modell Award offers an award to an individual in the third or fourth year fellow (at the time of the award start) with a concentration or focus on primary immunodeficiency and inborn errors of immunity. The 2025 Fellowship Award will provide one individual with a one-year grant in the amount of $50,000. This award is made possible by a generous unrestricted grant from the Jeffrey Modell Foundation.

"I am a clinical immunologist and researcher using advanced tissue imaging to understand how lymphoid tissue organization establishes immune tolerance, and how genetic perturbations in inborn errors of immunity (IEI) disrupt this architecture to drive autoimmune disease. This award will support my career development by enabling the translation of findings from murine models of IEI into human studies. I am honored to receive this support from the CIS in recognition of Vicki Modell, whose legacy continues to improve the lives of patients with IEI and beyond."

Dr. Nutchaya Amornruk

New York

Nutchaya Amornruk moved from Thailand to the U.S. for her residency training and currently a second year allergy and immunology fellow at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY. She appreciates the opportunity to work with Dr. Puck and Dr. Condino-Neato.

She states, “Through this award, I aspire to bring all knowledge and expertise back to my home country to establish a nationwide TRECs newborn screen program and make Thailand a better place for patients with primary immune deficiencies.”

Dr. Lauren Meyer

Washington

Lauren Meyer is currently a pediatric hematology/oncology fellow at the University of Washington and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center (Fred Hutch). She will be traveling to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to work in the lab of Dr. Kim Nichols, an internationally recognized expert in the field of HLH.

She states, “I am honored and grateful to have received this CIS Foundation Scholar Experience Grant, as it will allow me to pursue training and mentorship that is essential to my career goals and that will form the foundation for my future research.”