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Kota Medical Student Named ACP Researcher of the Year 2026
Dr Komal Verma Saluja is a medical student from Kota who won a major research award.
The award came from the India chapter of the American College of Physicians.
She is the youngest person and the first medical student to receive it.
Her research uses brain scans to look for early thinking problems in people with type 2 diabetes.
She also studied whether heart ultrasound tests could help find fatty liver disease.
She will present her liver-disease research at a medical meeting in Nashville.
She also received a USD 2,000 travel grant for that meeting.
Saluja thanked her teachers and encouraged India to support more medical research.
Her college said her achievement could inspire other students.
Dr Komal Verma Saluja, a final-year Government Medical College Kota student, received the ACP Researcher of the Year Award 2026.
She is the award’s youngest recipient and its first medical-student honoree.
Her research includes brain-MRI biomarkers for early cognitive decline in type 2 diabetes and echocardiography-based screening for fatty liver disease.
She received a USD 2,000 American College of Gastroenterology travel grant for an upcoming conference in Nashville, Tennessee.
Saluja, a university-topping MBBS student and former Khorana Scholar, dedicated the award to her college mentors.
- Who
- Dr Komal Verma Saluja, a final-year student at Government Medical College Kota, received the award.
- What
- She received the Researcher of the Year Award 2026 from the India chapter of the American College of Physicians.
- Where
- The award was presented in Indore, and Saluja studies in Kota, Rajasthan.
- When
- The award was presented on Saturday evening; the report is dated September 14.
- Why
- She was recognized for research on early cognitive decline in type 2 diabetes and screening for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.
Key facts
- Award
- Researcher of the Year Award 2026
- Awarding body
- India chapter of the American College of Physicians
- Recipient distinction
- Youngest recipient and first medical student to receive the accolade
- Brain research
- A Nature Scientific Reports study used FreeSurfer-based cortical-thickness measurements from brain MRIs to detect early cognitive decline in patients with type 2 diabetes.
- Liver research
- Saluja developed an echocardiography-based opportunistic screening method for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.
- Travel grant
- The American College of Gastroenterology awarded her a USD 2,000 international travel grant.
- Academic record
- She ranked 67th in NEET-UG 2020 and remained a university topper throughout her MBBS professional examinations.
Sources
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