The college’s
fifth annual Research Day was, by all measures, a resounding
success and featured 46 projects, an increase of 10 from the
previous year.
“This is a
spectacular Research Day; the best one we’ve ever had,” said
Dean Jack Brose, D.O. “I want to acknowledge not only the
increase in the number of projects, but the increase in the
quality of research that we’re doing. That’s what really strikes
me. We’ve had a dramatic increase in the number of grant
submissions this year, a dramatic increase in funding, and
everything related to research seems to just keep going up. Our
Research Day reflects that progress.”
Jack Bantle,
Ph.D., Ohio University vice president for research, says to see
the fruition of the university’s investment, in terms of
technology and students, was very gratifying. The quality
overall of COM’s Research Day, he says, “was definitely up, and
participation was up. Good things are happening in research in
osteopathic medicine.”
The almost four
dozen posters covered a variety of research subjects, ranging
from the effect of stress factors on the risk of developing
cardiovascular disease to the role of zinc in hemostasis.
(Titles and abstracts are available
here.)
The diversity of
projects, says Richard Klabunde, Ph.D., associate
professor of physiology, is one of the strengths of OU-COM’s
Research Day.
“The research
here represents many different areas within the basic sciences
as well as clinical research and that’s unlike most scientific
meetings that most of us attend, where there’s primarily basic
science projects. Research Day is very multidisciplinary.”
Although most
projects fell into basic science and clinical research
categories, some, such as “Effect of a Zinc Chelator and
17ß-Estradiol Administration on Bone Mineral Density of
Ovariectomized Rats,” bridged the two categories.
“I’m impressed.
It’s great to see the research supported by the college on
display,” says Harold C. Thompson III, D.O., assistant
professor of emergency medicine. “I think the work our students
and faculty are doing will certainly have implications for
future health care. I’m very impressed. And I’m pleased to see
that the Center of Excellence cosponsored a number of the
student projects.”
Nineteen student
projects were on display on Research Day, representing the work
of 24 students. Growing numbers of students engaged in research
is the result of their response to the college’s push to have
more students involved in research during the early phases of
their medical careers. More than half of those student posters
were a result of student participation in the
Research and Scholarly Advancement
Fellowship program this past summer.
Second-year
students Utkarsh Acharya and Mohammad Khan, who
presented “Does Gastric Acid-Suppressive Therapy (GAST) Increase
the Risk of Pneumonia in Older Hospitalized Adults?”,
participated in the summer program.
“I didn’t have a
research background before I came to medical school,” says Khan,
“so for me this was a new experience. This project was very
exciting and challenging, and definitely kept me busy.”
Among the several
benefits of the experience, Khan says, are learning to
professionally present research and how to efficiently cull what
you need from published research.
“I want to
continue this project with Dr. Gau over this year. It is an
ongoing project.” He says he plans to continue being involved in
research through his third- and fourth-year rotations.
“Medical science
changes every minute.”
Being involved in
research, he says, makes you more aware of those changes and
their importance to your medical practice.
Two prizes were
awarded to students for the best basic science and clinical
posters. “Student projects in each category were judged by a
panel of five after a short presentation on the basis of
professionalism, clarity of the presentation, ability to answer
questions, readability of the poster and visual impact of the
poster,” says Gillian Ice, Ph.D., M.P.H., chairwoman of
the Research and Scholarly Affairs Committee, which, along with
the Office of Research and Grants, sponsors Research Day. “The
competition was close and overall the judges felt the students
did an excellent job.”
This year’s
clinical winners — there was a tie — were Rachel Holt
(Diabetes Care in Extended Care Facilities: Appropriate
Intensity of Care?”) and Kimberly Jackson (“Nutrition
Transition and Health Consequences Among Kenyan Elders”). The
top basic science poster was awarded to Robert Huff (“A
Study of the Role of Drosophila CLIC in Programmed Cell
Death”). The winners received $200 cash prizes.
Doug Mann,
Ph.D.,
assistant professor of social medicine and one of the five
judging clinical research posters, says the students were
“impressive in their ability to answer our questions. We never
caught them flat-footed. They were passionate about their
research and had thought about almost every aspect of their
studies and other ways they might do things. They are able to
integrate their basic science and clinical knowledge very well.
“They’ve taken
ownership of their research studies, and are not just tagging
along with their mentors.”
- 30 -
News for
the week of
Sept 25 – Sept 30
