Fourteen Wayne State University School of Medicine medical students competed in the Detroit Medical Center's sixth annual Quality Education and Safe Systems Training, or QuESST, Graduate Medical Education Research Day, capturing two of the three medical student prizes in the student poster competition.

The Class of 2017's Mohamed Salar won first place and $250 for "Analyzing Risk Factors for Surgical Site Infection in Robotic-assisted Arthroplasty Knee Surgeries: A Case-Control Study."

Shibandri Das, Sudheer Dhoop and Mary Meinke, of the Class of 2017 and 2018, won third place and $150 for "An Empirically-Based Proposal to Establish Checklist Guidelines for the Presentation of Curriculum Material at Wayne State University School of Medicine."

QuESST, held April 26, is a comprehensive program designed to increase the knowledge and application of patient safety best practices and quality improvement methods of DMC's Graduate Medical Education program participants. Each year, QuESST sponsors a conference highlighting more than 100 quality improvement projects produced by its participants. This year, 92 residents and fellows, and 15 medical students from 42 programs at the DMC presented before Wayne State University School of Medicine and Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine faculty judges.

"Our GME trainees' persistence in asking the tough questions that will drive solutions for providing the safest and highest quality care for every patient who comes through our doors is what makes our annual QuESST program so successful," said Heidi Kromrei, Ph.D., assistant vice president of Academic Affairs at the DMC.

The 2017 QuESST GME Resident Research Day showcased projects that recognized a variety of patient safety and quality improvement efforts conducted in clinical settings throughout the DMC during the past year.

"Our QuESST participants have historically made significant contributions at the DMC," said Suzanne White, M.D., the DMC's chief academic officer and chief medical officer. "Their high-impact work has translated to better care for patients, families and the community at large."

During the half-day event, students discussed their projects with other students, residents, faculty and hospital administrators, who, in turn, offered feedback regarding opportunity for project expansion or enhancement. The QuESST program is designed to assist medical students and residents in further developing critical thinking and medical knowledge application while strengthening their leadership, communication and collaboration skills.

Resident/Fellow Oral Competition Award Winners:

First Place, $1,000 prize:
Fazeena Shanaz, M.D., Internal Medicine Sinai-Grace Hospital Residency Program, "A Quality Improvement Initiative to Lower HBA1C and to Improve Outcomes in Patients with Uncontrolled Diabetes Mellitus in the Outpatient Primary Clinic." Primary faculty mentor: Camelia Arsene, M.D., Ph.D., M.H.S.

Second Place, $500 prize:
Bhagyashri Navalkele, M.D., Internal Medicine/Infection Prevention, Epidemiology and Antimicrobial Fellowship, "Determining the Risk Factor for Surgical Site Infections in Neurosurgery Patients: A Case-Control Study." Primary faculty mentor: Teena Chopra, M.D., M.P.H.

Third Place, $250 prize:
Nicholas Rickert, M.D., Anesthesiology Residency Program, "Design and Implementation of the Perioperative Institute of Surgical Excellence (PISE) at the Detroit Medical Center." Faculty mentor: Vinay Pallekonda, M.D.

Resident/Fellow Poster Competition Award Winners:

First Place $1,000 prize:
Allie Dakroub, M.D., Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency Program, "Patient-Centered Interdisciplinary Bedside Rounding." Primary faculty mentor: Renato Roxas, M.D.

Second Place, $500 prize:
Vistasp Daruwalla, M.D., Radiology Residency Program, "Radiation dose reduction of CT pulmonary angiography for PE by limiting acquisition length: Simple yet effective." Primary Faculty mentor: Adnan Fateh, M.D.

Third Place, $250 prize:
Casey Yas, M.D., Internal Medicine-Downtown Residency Program, "Quality Improvement Study of Discharge Summary." Faculty mentor: Diane Levine, M.D.

Audience Choice Award: Best in Show, $100 prize:
Ketan Chopra, M.D., Anesthesiology Residency Program, "Group Messaging with the HIPAA-Compliant Smartphone App TigerText Improves Healthcare Team Intergroup Communication." Faculty mentor: Steven Tennenberg, M.D.

Medical Student Poster Competition Award Winners:

First Place: $250 prize
Mohamed Salar, WSU School of Medicine, Class of 2017, "Analyzing Risk Factors for Surgical Site Infection in Robotic-assisted Arthroplasty Knee Surgeries: A Case-Control Study." Faculty mentor: Teena Chopra, M.D.

Second Place: $200 prize
Raef Fadel, Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Class of 2018, "An Innovative Approach to Improving Water Quality Along the Amazon River Using Bio-sand Filters." Faculty mentor: Shane Sergent, D.O.

Third Place, $150 prize
Shibandri Das, Sudheer Dhoop and Mary Meinke, WSU School of Medicine, Class of 2017 and 2018, "An Empirically-Based Proposal To Establish Checklist Guidelines for the Presentation of Curriculum Material at Wayne State University School of Medicine." Faculty mentor: Jason Booza, Ph.D.