Supporting Student Physician-Scientists

The Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Foundation awards $15,000 annually to at least one incoming Moran Eye Center resident to support research.

This gift allows promising young scientists to pursue research during their residencies with the hope they will choose careers that continue their scientific investigations. Moran matches the award for the following two years of residency, providing a total of $45,000.

This year, ARCS named two recipients: Nnana Amakiri, MD, who received the Mark and Kathie Miller Award in honor of Moran CEO Randall J Olson, MD; and Ashley Polski, MD, who received the ARCS Foundation Utah Chapter Award.

Ashley Polski, MD, left, and Nnana Amakiri, MD.

Amakiri earned his medical degree at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, where he was elected president of his medical school’s Gold Humanism Honor Society and president of the Dean’s Ambassadors group.

Amakiri is one of four siblings whose Nigerian parents immigrated to the United States several years before his birth. This strong international connection spurred his interest in global health. At Texas Tech, Dr. Amakiri also spent time researching the effects of amyloid beta cell components and their interaction with microRNA in the genetic makeup of Alzheimer’s disease.

As a Moran resident, Amakiri will focus on extending sustainable, high-quality eye care to resource-poor areas worldwide. Like the role models who shaped his career growth, he also plans to make a special effort to mentor students from under-resourced backgrounds.

Polski earned her medical degree from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, where she graduated with highest honors and distinction in research. Among her many projects in medical school, Polski helped evaluate tissue biopsy and staging in managing patients with ocular surface squamous neoplasia, a tumor that grows on the eye’s surface.

Her honors include the USC Dean’s Research Scholarship and Wright Foundation Research Award, which allowed her to spend a dedicated research year at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles as a third-year resident. There, she investigated a minimally invasive biopsy technique for retinoblastoma, the most common type of eye cancer in children.

She plans to participate in glaucoma research and continue pursuing interests in translational medicine and community outreach.