SEATTLE — June 23, 2026 — Fred Hutch Cancer Center announced eight recipients of this year’s Dr. Eddie Méndez Scholar Award. The annual award recognizes the work of exceptional early-career scientists who are studying cancer, infectious diseases and basic sciences.
This year’s awardees hail from research institutions across the United States, with areas of expertise including the tumor microenvironment, T-cell differentiation and cancer metastasis.
“We offer our enthusiastic congratulations to this year’s awardees, who are moving the needle forward on science that will improve lives across the world,” said Christina Termini, PhD, MM , who co-directs the awards program. “Each year we choose from a competitive pool of applicants, and these recipients impressed us with their drive to make critical new discoveries with their innovative research.”
Termini is an assistant professor in the Translational Science and Therapeutics and Human Biology Divisions at Fred Hutch. She received the Méndez award in 2020.
The namesake award honors Dr. Eddie Méndez , a beloved physician-scientist at Fred Hutch who died of cancer in 2018.
A specialist in head and neck cancers, Méndez worked to save as many patients as possible and aimed to minimize negative side effects of cancer treatments. Born in Puerto Rico, he completed his residency at the University of Washington and joined Fred Hutch in 2000. He spent his career spearheading robotic surgery for head and neck tumors and was the first provider in Washington to perform the surgery.
“Dr. Méndez embodied our mission to improve the lives of our patients, not just through treating disease, but by ensuring that their health, safety and comfort was prioritized throughout their treatment experience,” said Christopher Li, MD, PhD , who co-directs the awards program alongside Termini. “This year’s recipients embody his curiosity and diligence in expanding our knowledge of treatments and patient care.”
Li is currently the vice president and associate director of Faculty Development and Advancement for the Fred Hutch/ University of Washington/ Seattle Children’s Cancer Consortium and holds the Helen G. Edson Endowed Chair for Breast Cancer Research. Starting July 1, he will assume the role of senior vice president and director of Fred Hutch’s Public Health Sciences Division.
Fred Hutch faculty created the namesake award in his honor one year after his death. To date, it has recognized and supported 70 postdoctoral researchers.
Fred Hutch will host this year’s recipients for the Méndez symposium on July 16 in Seattle, where recipients will present their research to Fred Hutch faculty and senior leaders and build their professional networks.
2026 Dr. Eddie Méndez Award Recipients:
Rachael Chanin, PhD
Stanford Medicine
Mohamed El-Brolosy, PhD
Whitehead Institute at Harvard
Amy C. Fan, PhD
UC San Francisco
Mario Palma, PhD
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Simone Park, PhD
University of Pennsylvania
Carolina Rodriguez Tirado, PhD
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Madeline Rollins, PhD
University of Chicago
Zeda Zhang, PhD
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
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Media contact:
Shayla Ring
sring@fredhutch.org
Fred Hutch Cancer Center unites individualized care and advanced research to provide the latest cancer treatment options while accelerating discoveries that prevent, treat and cure cancer and infectious diseases worldwide.
Based in Seattle, Fred Hutch is an independent, nonprofit organization and the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in Washington. We have earned a global reputation for our track record of discoveries in cancer, infectious disease and basic research, including important advances in bone marrow transplantation, immunotherapy, HIV/AIDS prevention and COVID-19 vaccines. Fred Hutch operates eight clinical care sites that provide medical oncology, infusion, radiation, proton therapy and related services. Fred Hutch also serves as UW Medicine’s cancer program.