Elena Gilde Grossfield Award

Elena Gilde Grossfield (10/28/2010 – 7/22/2011) was the second child of Dr. Alan Grossfield and Danielle Gilde. Shortly after birth, it became apparent she had a serious liver condition, diagnosed a few months later as Alagille syndrome. Alagille syndrome is a genetic disorder most commonly associated with poor liver function, although other bodily systems can be affected; this caused Elena to be very small, with fragile bones and poor clotting.

Elena was an unusually cheerful and sociable baby. As many of the department faculty and office staff could attest, Elena was intensely aware of all adults; anyone who spoke to her, or even made eye contact, was rewarded with a huge smile. Tragically, Elena was injured in a fall, and died from complications of a head injury at the age of 9 months. This award, given for the best presentations by a student or postdoc at the Annual Biophysics Retreat, was created to honor her memory.

Award Recipients

• 2012 - Joseph Liberman
• 2013 - Dejun Lin, Richard Watson
• 2014 - Clarance Ling, Wanaruk Chaimayo
• 2015 - Mohammed Kayedkhordeh, Jeffrey Zuber
• 2016 - Karl J. P. Smith, Leslie Salas-Estrada
• 2017 - Sreyoshi Sur (Talk), Lauren Benoodt (Poster)
• 2019 - Matt Brewer (Talk), Gabrielle Kosoy (Poster)
• 2024 - Nicole Waild (Talk), MaryClaire Haseley (Poster)