The winners of the 2025 Wayne State University School of Medicine’s Medical Student Research Symposium were announced April 2.
The annual event, hosted by the Office of Medical Student Research Programs on March 7 in Scott Hall, gave students an opportunity to discuss and deliberate research and accompanying results with fellow students and faculty, and strengthened the message that clinicians can have fulfilling research careers.
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. This year, students submitted 122 posters in six categories: basic science, clinical research, public health and community engagement, medical education, women’s health and, new this year, business in medicine.
Awards included cash prizes for placements.
Winners included:
Basic Science Studies
First Place: Sydni Rosenfeld, “Methods for a Bioengineered 3D Human Brain-like Tissue Model of Neuro-regeneration After Traumatic Brain Injury”
Second Place: Jack Summers, “Cardiovascular Interoceptive Accuracy Correlates with Piezo 1Mediated Baroreceptor Sensitivity and State Anxiety: Implications for Hypoglycemic Awareness”
Third Place (tie): Katherine Davanzo, “Characterizing KMT2D in Endometrial Cancer”
Third Place (tie): Brianna Regan, “Determining the Wound Closure Capabilities of a Biological Engineered Blood Vessel for HD Access”
Clinical Research Studies
First Place: Nasser Junedi, “Characterizing the Impact of Explosion-Induced Acoustic Trauma on Hearing Loss”
Second Place: Trevor Ruesch, “Canary in the Carpal Tunnel: A Pilot Study of the Value of the Screening for Amyloidosis in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome”
Third Place: Saleh Al-Juburi and David Abdelnour, “Efficacy of Current DPSHC Training in Improving Confidence and Knowledge of Future Health Leaders”
Fourth Place: Grace Doakes, “Skin of Color Representation in Biologic Advertisements for Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis”
Business in Medicine
First Place: Richard Tuttle, “Comparing Cost-Effectiveness of Corticosteroid vs. Hyaluronic Acid Knee Injections”
Second Place (tie): Diana Kernen, “Synergistic Surgical Strategies: A Comparative Analysis of Combined Carpal Tunnel and Trigger Finger Release”
Second Place (tie): Clayton Kramm, “Value in Orthopedic Surgery: Comparing THA in the ASC vs. HOPD Setting”
Public Health and Community Engagement
First Place (tie): Nora Sharba and Grant Zydeck, “The Impact of Legislation and Implementation of an Emergency Department Medications for Opioid Use Disorder program on Buprenorphine Administration”
First Place (tie): Kendall Brothers, “Review of Emergency Department Utilization Before, During, and After the COVID-19 Pandemic”
Second Place: Molly Dahle, “Patient Perception of Chronic Disease Management and Preference for Resources at a Student-Run Free Clinic in Metro Detroit”
Third Place: Rafael Ramos, “Understanding Vaccine Hesitancy and Barriers to Access in Hispanic Individuals of Metro Detroit”
Medical Education Research
First Place: Timothy Chalom, “Efficacy of First Aid Training in the Curriculum of First-Year Medical Students”
Second Place: Hunter Cohn, “The Financial Implications of Medical Education: An ROI Analysis of School Type, Specialty and Training Location”
Women’s Health
First Place: Noor Sulaiman, “Barriers to Substance Use Treatment in Pregnant Populations: A Literature Review and Patient Perspectives in Detroit”
Second Place (tie): Morolayo Ilori, “Oral Contraceptive Pills on TikTok: An Assessment of Content and Reliability”
Second Place (tie): Kendra Juliette, Munna Hazime and Annie Hillenberg, “Sperm Morphology in Recurrent Pregnancy Loss: A Pilot Study”
Third Place: Robert Leone, “Patient and Health Care Provider Knowledge of Exercise During Pregnancy”