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Page 4 of 8
Doctor, doctor
Amy Zidron and Adam Jara pursue Ph.D.s
while still in medical school
By
Matthew Bates
Many students discover a
passion for research before or during medical school. For
some, that passion turns into a professional calling. For
those like Amy Zidron, D.O. (’10), Ph.D., and Adam
Jara, OMS III, who wish to integrate cutting-edge
research into their medical careers, the OU-COM D.O./Ph.D.
program combines doctoral study with osteopathic medical
education.
OU-COM
dual-degree students complete the first two years of
academic medical education, then shift their attention to
earn their Ph.D.s before conducting third- and fourth-year
clinical rotations.
According to
Gillian Ice, Ph.D., M.P.H.,
associate professor of social medicine, this arrangement
complements medical training and allows future physicians a
window for serious research before they launch into clinical
training and professional practice.
“If
students are interested in doing research or academic
medicine, it’s a good idea to start early in medical
education,” said Ice, who served as Zidron’s Ph.D. advisor.
“Once they start residency and their medical careers, it’s
hard to take the time out to get the research training that
they need.”
Amy
Zidron, D.O. (’10), Ph.D
Zidron,
who received her D.O. degree at the OU-COM Commencement
Ceremony June 5, decided to pursue a Ph.D. after a medical
research trip to Kenya, where she assisted Ice with her
ongoing study of grandparents serving as caregivers for
grandchildren orphaned because of HIV/AIDS.
For
her doctoral research, Zidron returned to Kenya in the
summer of 2007. She worked with the Kenya Medical Research
Institute and conducted a field study of 411 children, about
half of whom were orphans.
She
compared orphans and non-orphans to determine if there were
significant differences between the groups in areas of
nutritional status, rates of depression, disease, food
intake and energy expenditure. Her research yielded four
separate papers, each dealing with a different topic. The
first paper, “Does being an orphan decrease the nutritional
status of Luo children?” was published last year in the
American Journal of Human Biology.
Zidron’s research allowed
her to work with children at a time of crisis. She says she
was moved by the emotional strength of the Luo children.
“The resiliency of the Luo children that I interacted with
astounds me to this day. I feel so blessed that they agreed
to participate in my study.”
Zidron’s research has been
presented at several venues, including the 10th Annual AOA
Bureau on International Osteopathic Medical Education and
Affairs International Seminar in October 2008, the Human
Biology Association’s 33rd Annual Meeting in
March 2008, where her research poster on depression in Luo
children affected by HIV and AIDS won a student research
award; and the American College of Osteopathic Pediatrics
Spring Conference in March 2008, where her research won
first place.
Zidron earned her Ph.D. in
November 2008. She next will begin a pediatrics residency at
West Virginia University. She also plans to further her work
in Kenya and to expand her research focus to include child
growth and nutrition in the United States.
Doctor, doctor continued
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