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Kristy Richards Initiative

Kristy Richards

The Kristy Richards Initiative was established to honor the legacy of Dr. Kristy Richards, a research oncologist in Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine's Department of Biomedical Sciences (now the Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences). Dr. Richards also held a joint appointment at Weill Cornell Medical College and was a passionate advocate for fostering collaboration across Cornell's Ithaca and New York City campuses.

Built on three founding pillars, the Initiative celebrates and advances the spirit of collaboration that defined Dr. Richards' career. The Scholar Exchange Fund, Kristy Richards Memorial Lecture, and Collaborative Paper of the Year Award each promote meaningful partnerships across colleges, disciplines, and research and clinical institutions, strengthening connections that drive innovation and discovery.

Scholar Exchange Fund

The Kristy Richards Scholar Exchange Fund supports cancer biology researchers pursuing innovative, cross-institutional collaborations among Cornell and its affiliated research partners. By fostering new connections and strengthening existing partnerships, the fund advances translational research and scientific discovery.

Funding of up to $3,000 is available to support transportation and accommodation costs associated with cancer biology exchange visits.

Eligible exchanges may take place between Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine and:

• Weill Cornell Medicine
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
• Rockefeller University

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

For more information or to apply, please contact Jess Hayward (BTS) at jessica.hayward@cornell.edu. 

Recipients
Rebecca Schmitt

Rebecca Schmitt (Visiting WCM February 2026)
Dr. Rebecca (Bec) Schmitt, a Postdoctoral Associate in Dr. Rick Cerione’s lab in Biomedical and Translational Sciences, visited Weill Cornell to participate in a training opportunity with their collaborators in Dr. Howard Fine’s lab. There, they learned how to grow Glioblastoma Cerebral Organoids (GLICOs) by first using human embryonic stem cells to generate cerebral organoids, then enriching these “mini brains” with patient derived glioblastoma cells. This model system will enable the investigation of how aggressive brain cancer cells adapt to extrinsic and intrinsic stressors in an environment that mimics human brain tissue architecture.

Nahuel Zamponi

Nahuel Zamponi (Visited Ithaca October 20-26, 2025)
Dr. Nahuel Zamponi, Instructor of Cancer Biology at Weill Cornell Medicine, visited the Ithaca campus for one week to present at the 2025 Intercampus Cancer Metabolism Symposium and to meet with collaborators at the College of Veterinary Medicine. Discussions centered on advancing novel tumor–microenvironment–based stratification strategies for canine B-cell lymphoma to enable a forthcoming “Smart-Start” clinical trial, as well as on developing new murine models to study the lymphoma microenvironment and investigate emerging immunotherapeutic approaches. This visit further strengthened collaborative efforts between both campuses within the Progressive Assessment of Therapeutics (PATh) initiative.

Glenn Simmons

Glenn Simmons Jr. (Visited WCM May 13-16, 2025)
Dr. Glenn Simmons, assistant professor in Biomedical and Translational Sciences, used the Kristy Richards Scholar Exchange fund to access the tumor model resources he needed to begin some critical experiments for his lung cancer research. The program made it cost-effective for him to spend extra time engaging with critical collaborators that he had only met via zoom, and to test his published molecular mechanism in vivo.

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Elisa Benedetti (Visited Ithaca September 16 - October 5, 2024)
Dr. Elisa Benedetti, a data scientist with the Cornell Veterinary Biobank, participated in a 3-week exchange visit to both WCM in New York city and CVM in Ithaca to explore novel and innovative applications of Large Language Models (LLMs) and Generative AI (GenAI) across disciplines. During her visit, she was able to identify areas of strong opportunities and initiate several interdisciplinary collaborations with colleagues across cancer research, medical education and operations, which were successfully extended long after her visit, thereby strengthening cross-functional collaboration across Cornell Colleges and within Veterinary Medicine in particular.

Kristy Richards Memorial Lecture

The Kristy Richards Memorial Lecture is an annual event that highlights groundbreaking research at the intersection of basic science, translational medicine, and clinical care. By welcoming nationally recognized scientists and physician-scientists to Cornell, the lecture creates opportunities for learning, collaboration, and the exchange of ideas across the cancer research community.

The lecture serves as a forum for bringing together investigators, clinicians, trainees, and students who share a commitment to advancing discoveries from the laboratory to the clinic.

Past Events
Mark Mamula

May 7, 2026

Dr. Mark Mamula
Professor of Medicine
Yale University School of Medicine
Yale Cancer Center

"Canine Cancer Therapy: From Kennel to the Clinic"

Amy LeBlanc

May 6, 2024

Dr. Amy LeBlanc
Director, Comparative Oncology Program
Center for Cancer Research
National Cancer Institute

"Comparative Oncology Efforts in Canine Osteosarcoma: A Translational Patient Model for Humans"

Luca Aresu

May 10, 2022

Dr. Luca Aresu
Professor, Veterinary Pathologist
Coordinator, European Veterinary Pathology Service
Director, Canine Cancer Genomics Program
Department of Veterinary Sciences
University of Turin, Italy

“Integrative approach to fight cancers in dogs and humans reveals similarities and differences: DLBCL as paradigm”

Collaborative Paper of the Year

The Kristy Richards Collaborative Paper of the Year Award honors a research publication that exemplifies excellence in collaborative science. Awarded annually, it recognizes interdisciplinary partnerships that bring together investigators across Cornell to advance impactful research and discovery.

In addition to celebrating scientific achievement, the award provides $1,500 to support team-building activities for members of the collaborating research groups, fostering the connections that drive future innovation.