Research Day to spotlight student medical research

Studies on diabetes, cancer and more featured at OU-COM’s poster expo

 

By Nick Piotrowicz

Sept. 15, 2009

Diabetes management, glycemic index control, and biomarkers for ovarian cancer are a few of many topics to be highlighted at the eighth annual Research Day of the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine (OU-COM).

The event, which will be held Friday, September 18 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Irvine Hall, will showcase 43 posters featuring research by OU-COM and other OHIO students working with OU-COM faculty. Research Day gives student presenters an opportunity to gain invaluable experience conducting research and presenting it to a panel of judges. 

“Some projects go on to national conventions; several students have even won awards at national conventions,” says Jessica Wingett, Research Day coordinator and accounting specialist in OU-COM’s Office of Research and Grants.  

Presentations will be judged by the panel based on professionalism, clarity of the presentation, ability to answer questions and the readability and visual impact of posters.

Projects will be judged in two categories of research—clinical and basic science—with a $200 prize awarded to the winner of each group. Presenters must win over judges during 15-minute time-slots, during which they showcase their findings for the first ten minutes and answer judges’ questions for the remaining five.

Judging will take place on Thursday evening, before Friday’s event, which is open to the public.  

Research Day represents the fruition of many hours—often well over 400—of work for students and faculty who present. 

“I can’t speak for everyone, but students in RSAF (the Research and Scholarly Advancement Fellowship at OU-COM) work for 40 hours a week for ten weeks, and another 20 plus hours completing their paper and poster,” Wingett says. “These are very time-intensive projects.”

Most presenters are just starting to delve into the exhaustive process of research, Wingett said. From Research Day, students hope to go on to bigger things.

“The goal is to disseminate these projects to a state or even national level,” Wingett says. “This is only the beginning of what OU-COM students can do.”