Science March Madness: FIU health researchers make it to the championship round

This story has been updated since its original publication to reflect onoing events.

Move, over NCAA March Madness. There's a better game in town.

The scientific equivalent of the annual collegiate basketball tournament has pitted 64 teams of health and medicine researchers against one another in a friendly compeition designed to spotlight the work of top investigators. FIU has made it through to the final match - and all Panthers are called upon to vote.

Diana Azzam and her cancer research group at the Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work have made news for a personalized cancer treatment that has seen great results in trials. The functional precision medicine approach developed by Azzam guides treatments for children with relapsed cancers. The work is now one “game” away from earning top honors nationally.

The teams participating in STAT Madness were selected by the editors of the prominent health news site STAT. 

Weeks into the competition, the FIU team has overcome a series of formidible “opponents” - other amazing research groups, among them Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, University of Michigan Medicine and the University of California, Irvine, that have likewise contributed to the betterment of humanity - to make it into the final pairing.

Fans advanced FIU via online voting, which now continues through 9 p.m. EDT on April 6.

“As a scientist, it’s a thrilling feeling to see our research recognized as a contender for STAT Madness,” Azzam says. “Our approach has shown promising results, and I look forward to continuing this important work to help ensure cancer patients receive the right treatment at the right time.” 

Dean of FIU Stempel College Tomás R. Guilarte encourages everyone to keep cheering on FIU.

“This friendly competition helps bring awareness to the critical role research and health technology play on human health,” he says. “I look forward to casting my vote for FIU. The work being done here by Dr. Azzam and her team is truly impactful. It’s advancing science and bringing renewed hope to cancer patients and their families.”

To vote for FIU — and bring the STAT Madness title to Florida this year — click here. Note that to vote, one must create an account, which takes all of a few seconds. Help bring home the championship, Panthers, by showing your support.