Scalpel Meets Smartphone

By Office of the President | Jun 3, 2025

We proudly announce that Nicole Gladstein, a third-year medical student at Downstate, has received the prestigious 2025 Carolyn L. Kuckein Student Research Fellowship from the Alpha Omega Alpha (AΩA) Honor Medical Society. This national award honors her innovation, rigor, and leadership in reshaping surgical education.

Nicole’s project, MicroAnywhere: Evaluating a Microsurgery Curriculum and Training Kit for At-Home Training with a Smartphone, offers a bold, practical solution to a persistent challenge: how to make microsurgical training more accessible.

Under the mentorship of Peter W. Henderson, M.D., MBA, FACS, Associate Professor of Surgery and Director of Research (Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery) in the Icahn School of Medicine’s Mount Sinai Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, she developed a portable, low-cost training experience using common materials and smartphone technology, making self-directed skill-building feasible for students outside of the operating room.

Her work responds to a growing need for flexible, resource-conscious training models in medical education, particularly for procedures demanding fine motor precision and repeated practice. In early pilot testing with residents and faculty, trainees praised the kit’s usability and educational value; their feedback highlighted the curriculum’s potential to democratize microsurgery training, especially in environments with limited access to simulation labs.

With $6,000 in funding from the Kuckein Fellowship, Nicole will expand her research into a larger-scale trial over the next year. The fellowship also supports travel to national meetings, where she will present her findings and amplify Downstate’s reputation as a center of innovation in medical education.

Nicole’s success reflects a network of mentorship and institutional support, including Jason M. Lazar, M.D., Ph.D., MPH, Executive Vice Dean and Chair of the Department of Medical Education, and Councilor of the New York ETA Chapter of AΩA—as well as the Dean’s Office, which championed her application. Together, they underscore Downstate’s commitment to nurturing student-led scholarship to meet real-world clinical needs.

As a passionate aspiring plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Nicole channels her artistic sensibility into every aspect of her work. In her free time, she paints, crochets, and reads—pursuits that mirror the fine motor skills, precision, and creative problem-solving central to her chosen field.

Nicole’s achievement builds on a strong legacy—several Downstate students have earned the Kuckein Fellowship over the past eight years, underscoring the strength of our mission-driven academic community and the quality of research our students lead.

Congratulations to Nicole on this phenomenal achievement; we look forward to cheering her on as she continues to innovate, lead, and transform how we teach and learn medicine.