With only 20 fellowships of $2,500 given nationally to first- or second-year medical students interested in working in a neurosurgical lab, second-year Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) student Vaidehi Mahadev knew the odds might be stacked against her when she applied for the Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation (NREF) Medical Student Summer Research Fellowship. And yet she won.

Mahadev is the first NEOMED student to ever win a grant in neurosurgery.

“I never thought I would get this grant, because prestigious schools, like Columbia University Medical Center, usually receive them,” said Mahadev.

NREF is a non-profit organization created by the Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS). It is dedicated to supporting research and education to help neurosurgeons improve the lives of others.

Mahadev originally studied opera at the University of Southern California, then decided to pursue a career in medicine. “When I saw brain slices for the first time, it took my breath away and made me fall in love with the anatomy of the brain,” said Mahadev.

Research allowed her to marry her two passions of music and science. “By becoming interested in neurooncology research, it allowed me to exercise the creativity I found in music and also give me the intellectual side of science I loved.”

With this grant, Mahadev hopes to study neurosurgery and study ependymomas- the third most common pediatric brain tumor. She chose research in pediatric cancer because she likes the complexity that comes with studying brain tumors.

Her research helps to continue the work of Jeremy Rich, M.D., department chair of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Learner Research Institute. Dr. Rich is a leader in the field of brain tumor biology. Stephen Mack, Ph.D., a post-doctoral research fellow under Dr. Rich served as Mahadev’s mentor and helped her apply for the grant.

Mahadev hopes to become a neurosurgeon and scientist in pediatric neurooncology and work at an academic research institution. Her goal is to use scientific discoveries to improve patient outcomes. Judging from her track record so far, she won’t let anything stop her.