The annual Medical Student Research Symposium for Wayne State University School of Medicine medical students was held in Scott Hall and the Margherio Family Conference Center, with 69 posters and 13 oral presentations eligible for awards in four categories.

The annual Dr. Hershel and Lois Sandberg Travel Award was given to student Lara Fahmy, whose presentation earned the most overall points from the symposium judges across the four categories.

All WSU medical students were eligible to submit abstracts on a research project to which they made a significant contribution in their undergraduate or graduate years. The symposium, held Jan. 12-13 this year, gives students an opportunity to discuss and deliberate research and accompanying results with fellow students and faculty, and strengthens the message that clinicians can have fulfilling research careers.

Professor of Internal Medicine Noreen Rossi, M.D., co-organized the event with Associate Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology Dennis Goebel, Ph.D., who thanked the Office of Student Affairs staff members Lynette Harper, Nicole Collier and Tracey Eady, who coordinated the event, and the judges who volunteered their time to participate. The organizers are also grateful to Dean Jack D. Sobel, M.D.; Vice Dean of Medical Education Richard Baker, M.D.; Henry Ford Health Systems Director of Research Margot LaPointe, Ph.D.; and Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Lisa MacLean, M.D.

The 2017 Medical Student Research Symposium Award Winners:

2017 Sandberg Travel Award
Lara Fahmy (Mentor: Dorry Segev, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Department of Surgery), "Short-term post-donation renal function of living kidney donors in the United States."

Basic Science Poster Presentations
1st: Frank Mei (Mentor: Ryan Thummel, Department of Ophthalmology, and Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology), "Development of a zebrafish model for infectious endophthalmitis."

2nd: Hassan Fadel (Mentor: Sandeep Mittal, Department of Neurosurgery and Department of Oncology), "Targeting IDO1, IDO2, TDO2 and AHR in primary patient-derived melanoma brain metastatic cells."

Honorable Mention:
Leo Hall (Mentor: Tomomi Ichinose, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology), "Subtype-specific expression and function of bungarotoxin-sensitive, alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in bipolar cells of the mouse retina."

Elizabeth Curtiss (Mentor: Jena Steinle, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology), "Epac1 decreases inflammatory proteins in the retinal vasculature of mice and in retinal endothelial cells."

Neha Gupta (Mentor: Ashok Kumar, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Department of Ophthalmology, and Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry), "Retinal innate immune response to aspergillus fumigatus in fungal endophthalmitis."

Maxwell Laws (Mentor: Juri Gelovani, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute), "Molecular imaging of epigenetic regulation mediated by HDACs 4, 5 using PET/CT/MRI with 18F-TFAHA in a rat model of human glioma."

Clinical Science and Prospective Clinical Studies Poster Presentations
1st: Lara Fahmy (Mentor: Dorry Segev, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Department of Surgery), "Short-term post-donation renal function of living kidney donors in the United States."

2nd: Tara van Veen (Mentor: Joseph Miller), "Patient decision support tool for sore throat."

Honorable Mention:
Nathan Nartker (Mentor: Jennifer Mendez, Co-Curricular Programs), "Using an interprofessional treatment summary assessment to improve diabetes education and compliance."

Dandrich Lim (Mentor: Vanji Karthikeyan, Henry Ford Hospital Transplant Institute), "Effect of rigorous, early and frequent screening protocol for BK virus on the development of BK virus nephropathy and graft function - an institutional analysis."

Shivali Patel (Mentor: Michael Simoff, Department of Internal Medicine), "Smoking history quality with transition from dictated physician notes to the use of an electronic medical record: Impact on determination of lung cancer screening eligibility."

Retrospective Clinical Studies and Other Clinic Projects Poster Presentations
1st: Lucy Ching Chau (Mentor: Joseph Kim, University of Toronto Division of Nephrology and Toronto General Hospital Multi-Organ Transplant Program), "Validation of predictive nomograms for delayed graft function in Canadian kidney transplant recipients."

2nd: Francis Tinney (Mentor: Nicole Bhave, University of Michigan Department of Internal Medicine-Cardiology), "Detection of right ventricular dilation and dysfunction by transthoracic echocardiography predicts renal transplant outcomes."

Honorable Mention:
Rasanjeet Singh (Mentor: Carolyn Harris, Department of Neurosurgery), "Cost and impact of lumboperitoneal and ventriculoperitoneal shunts in hydrocephalus."

Ahmad Al-Awadi (Mentor: Sohel Somani, University of Toronto Department of Ophthalmology), "Atypical transient subretinal exudation following photodynamic therapy for chronic central serous retinopathy: A case report."

Matthew Sweet (Mentor: Vani Sabesan, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery), "Does Medicaid payer status affect patient outcomes following surgical repair of massive rotator cuff tears?"

Clinical Science Oral Presentations
1st: Lauren Newhouse (Mentor: Jacqueline Limberg, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., Department of Anesthesiology), "Three hours of intermittent hypoxia increases circulating glucose levels in healthy adults."

2nd: Mathura Ravishankar (Mentor: Vaibhav Diwadkar, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences), "Frontal-temporal connectivity during rest in an episodic memory task modulates early stages of learning."

Honorable Mention:
Raphael Banoub (Mentor: Sanjeet Rangarajan, The Ohio State University Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery), "Arterial phantom blood flow simulator brings model-based surgical training 'To Life' - inspired by endoscopic endonasal skull based surgeries."

Tabitha Moses (Mentor: Mark Greenwald, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences), "Developing domains of negative consequences of regular heroin use."