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Research Day 2008
boasts record
involvement
This year’s event
featured 61 posters
by OU-COM students
and faculty
Sept.
23, 2008
Research Day 2008
featured a
record-breaking 61
research posters by
students and
faculty,
illustrating a
rising trend: OU-COM
students
increasingly have
engaged in research
activity as
undergraduates – and
therefore are more
likely to continue
their scholarly
pursuits into
medical school.
According to John
Schriner, Ph.D.,
director of
admissions, this
pattern may indicate
a national trend of
earlier research
exposure, but it
certainly reflects
the priorities of
OU-COM.
“I am
noticing that our
applicants have a
lot more research
background, and that
is absolutely
something we value
during our
admissions process,”
Schriner said.
“We’re always
interested in
students who can add
to the synergy of
scholarly activity
here at the
college.”
Peng
Wang, OMS II,
for example, had
developed a research
poster for a
National Science
Foundation
presentation before
starting medical
school. He said he
expanded the range
of his research at
OU-COM, working with
Felicia Nowak,
M.D., Ph.D.,
associate professor
of biomedical
sciences and
specialty medicine.
“I
learned more about
biochemistry and
biomedicine with
this research. It
was a lot harder
because of the
protocols and the
lab work,” Wang
said. His project,
conducted with
co-researchers
Jennifer Yee, OMS I;
Peng Wang,
OMS II;
and Zhenchao Wang, a
Ph.D. candidate in
the College of Arts
and Sciences,
focuses on the role
of the enzyme nitric
oxide synthase (NOS)
on diabetic kidney
disease.
Ten
students entered the
basic science poster
category, and 19
students entered the
clinical research
category. The event
also featured 32
posters by faculty
members.
Highlighting this
year’s Research Day
was keynote speaker
Robert Biscup,
D.O. (’80), a
member of OU-COM’s
first graduating
class. A
board-certified
orthopedic surgeon,
Biscup is
internationally
recognized for his
developments in
major reconstructive
spine surgery,
minimally invasive
spine surgery and
treating failed
spine surgery.
Biscup focused on
the physician as
scientist in his
lecture, noting that
medicine is a
life-long process of
learning and
investigation. He
urged Research Day
participants to
examine and
re-examine results
critically and
collaborate with
colleagues.
“We
are problem solvers,
but how do we do
that? We constantly
look at what we do
and how we are doing
it,” Biscup said.
“Education doesn’t
stop when you leave
this building.”
The
following four
student researchers
each received a $200
prize for their
projects.
-
Basic
science
category:
- Jonathan Umbel, OMS II – “Delayed-onset muscle soreness and blood flow restricted exercise”
-
Clinical
research
category:
- Cassandra Calabrese, OMS II – “Clinical spectrum of type 1 cryoglobulinemia: Retrospective analysis of eight-year Cleveland Clinic experience”
- Laura Stachowicz, OMS II – “Cancer screening behaviors in HIV-infected older adults”
- Molly Malone-Prioleau, OMS II – “The effects of an eight-week exercise intervention on parents’ perception of children’s body size”
Research Day
featured the
following three
judging teams.
-
Clinical
group
1:
- Christopher Simpson, D.O., assistant professor and chair of family medicine
- Randall Colucci, D.O. (’98)
- Walter Lawrence, D.O., associate professor of family medicine
-
Clinical
group
2:
- Robert Biscup, D.O. (’80)
- Gerald Rubin, D.O., associate professor of family medicine
- Joseph Cook, D.O. (’05)
-
Basic
science:
- Susan Williams, Ph.D., associate professor of biomedical sciences
- Patrick O’Connor, Ph.D., assistant professor of biomedical sciences
- Fabian Benencia, assistant professor, immunology
For
more on recent
student research at
OU-COM, check out
the summer research
slide show at:
http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/news/multimedia/research2008/.
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