UT MD Anderson names 2026 Andrew Sabin Family Fellows

HOUSTON ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center today announced the newest class of Andrew Sabin Family Fellows, marking 102 fellows funded through this transformative philanthropic investment that provides support for emerging scientists and clinicians making breakthrough discoveries in cancer research and patient care.

Established through the generosity of the Andrew Sabin Family Foundation, the Sabin Family Fellowship supports high-impact research across UT MD Anderson, providing funding from a $30 million endowment to early career faculty advancing impactful discovery as well as translational and clinical research. Each fellow receives $100,000 over two years, providing the resources and flexibility to focus more fully on innovative research while reducing the burden of securing additional funding.

“We are extremely proud to recognize our newest cohort of fellows, part of a growing community of exceptional researchers whose work is shaping the future of oncology,” said Peter WT Pisters, M.D., president of UT MD Anderson. “We are grateful to Mr. Sabin and the foundation for their enduring commitment to supporting promising faculty and accelerating breakthroughs that bring us closer to ending cancer.” 

The 2026 class of Sabin Family Fellows includes 10 researchers across diverse disciplines who have been identified as rising leaders with the potential to significantly advance cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The current class includes:

Basic/Translational Scientists

• Luigi Perelli, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor, Cancer Biology

• Georgios Karras, Ph.D., associate professor, Genetics

• Palaniraja Thandapani, Ph.D., assistant professor, Hematopoietic Biology & Malignancy

• Wantong Yao, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor, Translational Molecular Pathology

Clinical Researchers

• Mark Hamilton, M.D., assistant professor, Lymphoma & Myeloma

• Simone Krebs, M.D., associate professor, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging Physics

Physician-Scientists

• Chelain Goodman, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor, Breast Radiation Oncology

• Clinton Yam, M.D., associate professor, Breast Medical Oncology and Translational Molecular Pathology

Population/Quantitative Scientists

• Chong Wu, Ph.D., assistant professor, Biostatistics

• Jane Montealegre, Ph.D., associate professor, Behavioral Science

“The Sabin Family Fellowship has become a powerful catalyst for scientific innovation at UT MD Anderson, enabling talented investigators to pursue high-impact research at critical stages of their careers,” said Albert Koong, M.D., Ph.D., chief scientific officer at UT MD Anderson. “As we celebrate this important milestone and recognize our newest class of fellows, we are grateful for the Sabin family’s commitment to discovery.”

The Andrew Sabin Family Foundation also has previously committed $10 million to support the groundbreaking immunotherapy research of the James P. Allison Institute™ through the Andrew Sabin Family Excellence Endowment and the Andrew Sabin Family Recruitment and Retention Fund. This generous support provided for the recruitment of Betty Kim, M.D., Ph.D., professor of Neurosurgery, to become a core member of the Allison Institute in 2026. Kim previously was named a Sabin Family Fellow in 2021.

“I am incredibly proud to celebrate the newest class of Sabin Family Fellows and the more than 100 pioneering individuals the foundation has supported to date,” said Andrew Sabin, a senior member of the UT MD Anderson Cancer Center Board of Visitors. “Each class builds on that legacy of progress, bringing forward bold ideas and fresh perspectives. My family and I are honored to support these trailblazing scientists and clinicians as they push the boundaries of discovery and help shape the future of cancer care worldwide.”