Dozens of students and faculty at the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine (BCOM) congregated on Friday, July 19 for BCOM’s second annual Medical Student Research Day.
Over the course of the day, 22 research posters were presented by BCOM medical students, with topics ranging from leukemia and ovarian cysts to the West Nile Virus and testicular cancer rates on the U.S.-Mexico border.
“Today we celebrate the accomplishments of our student researchers who are presenting their research findings and thanking the faculty members for all of their guidance,” said Joseph Benoit, PhD, assistant dean for research. “I could not be prouder of BCOM and what these outstanding individuals have accomplished.”
The day culminated with an awards ceremony recognizing the best poster in each of the following four categories: biomedical research; clinical and OMT research; population and public health research; and medical education research. Posters were judged by a panel of faculty members who rated presentations and research by novelty, significance, scientific approach, depth of knowledge, organization and clarity.
Each awardee received a $250 cash prize. The student with the best presentation and most compelling research findings received the overall Best Research Poster award, earning paid travel to present research at the National Student Research Forum in Galveston, Texas. Scroll down to see a full list of this year’s 2019 award recipients and their project mentors.
The event also included a special keynote lecture by Alan Langnas, DO, Director of the Center of Transplantation and Chief of Transplantation Surgery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Dr. Langnas earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from the College of Osteopathic Medicine at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. He went on to complete transplant surgery fellowships at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan and the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska. In his current position, Dr. Langnas oversees all liver, kidney, intestinal and pancreas transplants.
2019 Medical Student Research Day Award Recipients
Best Research Poster Award
Project Title: Percentage of Staphylococcus Aureus and MRSA Colonization in First-Year Osteopathic Medical Students (Poster #302)
Awardee and Presenting Author: Samantha Meza-Rodriguez, OMS-I
Project Advisor(s): Debra Bramblett, PhD, and Michael Woods, PhD
1st Place Poster: Biomedical Sciences Research
Title: Neurological Responses to Stress are Modified by Time of Exposure and Hypertension (Poster #105)
Awardee and Presenting Author: Gina Gilderman, OMS-I
Project Advisor(s): Kristin Gosselink, PhD
1st Place Poster: Clinical Sciences and OMT Research
Title: Suboccipital Decompression Lowers Blood Pressure through Reduction of Sympathetic Tone (Poster #205)
Awardees and Presenting Authors: Kailee Weiler, OMS-I and Marielle Opeña, OMS-III
Project Advisor(s): Adrienne Kania, DO, and Harald Stauss, MD, PhD
1st Place Poster: Population and Public Health Research
Title: Percentage of Staphylococcus Aureus and MRSA Colonization in First-Year Osteopathic Medical Students (Poster #302)
Awardee and Presenting Author: Samantha Meza-Rodriguez, OMS-I
Project Advisor(s): Debra Bramblett, PhD, and Michael Woods, PhD
1st Place Poster: Medical Education Research
Title: Traditional Textbook Use Compared to External Resource Use in a First- and Second-Year U.S. Osteopathic Medical School Curriculum (Poster #401)
Awardee and Presenting Author: Kayla Ivey, OMS-III
Project Advisor(s): Cindy Funk, PhD
