Research

Virginia Research Day 2025

ebailey — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 17:51:13 +0000

Virginia Research Day 2025 ebailey Wed, 09/25/2024 - 13:51

Virginia Research Day 2025

Tags: Research

Research Day Virginia: February 14, 2025

VCOM-Virginia Campus Building 2 (SWAG��Ƶ2), 2280 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24060
Location: SWAG��Ƶ2

Registration

Registration is FREE, but required. Registration opens on October 7, 2024, and the deadline to register is Friday, January 17, 2025.

PLEASE NOTE: OMSII students do NOT need to register using the form. You are already included in this event.

With registration for this event, attendees receive:

Program materials
Full access to all event activities
Boxed lunch during the event

Register Now

For any problems with registration, please email Alyson Farrar or Dr. Jim Mahaney at ResearchDay@vt.vcom.edu.

Agenda

TBA

Program

Available the week prior to the event

How do I participate?

Attendees are invited to share their research in poster format. Poster abstracts must be accepted for the event for posters to be displayed. The Via Research Recognition Day features an optional poster competition with distinct categories: Research by a medical resident, biomedical research by a faculty member, biomedical research by a student, clinical research by a faculty member, clinical research by a student, educational research by a faculty member and educational research by a student. For the competition, students are defined broadly as any student in training, including undergraduate, graduate, medical and post-doctoral students. The resident research category is reserved for physicians currently in residency, internship and/or fellowship training.

Abstracts must be submitted electronically to ResearchDay@vt.vcom.edu using the completed Abstract Submission Form linked below. The final deadline for abstract submission is Friday, November 8, 2024, by 5 pm.

Abstract Form (DOC)

Please note due to limitations in space, no extensions for abstract submission will be granted.

When an abstract is accepted, the submitting author will receive further instructions on poster submission via email. Abstract acceptance will be communicated by Friday, November 22, 2024.

SWAG��Ƶprovides free poster printing for any meeting attendee with an accepted abstract. Details will be sent to the submitting authors with the abstract acceptance email.

Free SWAG��ƵPoster Printing Deadline (if in-person conference) is January 24, 2025, at 5 p.m.

For questions about abstract submissions or participation in the poster competition, please email Alyson Farrar or Dr. Jim Mahaney at ResearchDay@vcom.vt.edu.

What will this conference offer?

The Via Research Recognition Day is a forum for health professionals and scientists at academic institutions, teaching hospitals and practice sites to present or benefit from new research innovations and programs intended to improve the health of all humans. By attending the sessions with the speakers, participants will have the opportunity to learn cutting edge information in the physiological bases of osteopathic manipulative therapy efficacy, new trends in physician-based research networks, and how to develop innovative research projects with high impact for human health. By attending the poster session, participants will also learn about the biomedical, clinical and educational research activities at SWAG��Ƶand its partner institutions and will have ample opportunity to identify new collaborative research opportunities.

Who should attend?

Physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, public health professionals, medical residents, health professions students and others interested in primary care issues and research.

Disclosure Statement

It is the policy of the SWAG��ƵMedical Education Department to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all its educational programs. All participating faculty are expected to disclose to the participants any real or apparent conflict of interest related to the content of their presentations.

Campus: Virginia

When: February 14, 2025 8:00am to 3:00pm EST

Carolinas Via Research Recognition Day 2025

ebailey — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 18:05:17 +0000

Carolinas Via Research Recognition Day 2025 ebailey Tue, 09/03/2024 - 14:05

Carolinas Via Research Recognition Day 2025

Tags: Research

Location: VCOM-Carolinas, 350 Howard Street, Spartanburg, SC 29303

The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) – Carolinas Campus will hold its Eleventh Annual Via Research Recognition Day on Friday, February 21, 2025. Research Day is a significant event for SWAG��Ƶand supports the mission of the College to provide medical education and research that prepares globally minded, community-focused physicians and improves the health of those most in need.

Registration

Registration is FREE but required for all participants, including students and poster presenters. Registration opens on November 11, 2024, and the deadline to register is February 3, 2025.

Registristration opens November 11, 2024.
Hotel Accommodations

With registration for this event, you get:

Program materials
Lunch will be provided during the event
Full access to all event activities

For any problems with registration, please email researchday-cc@carolinas.vcom.edu.

Agenda

Coming Soon

Speakers

Coming Soon

How do I participate?

Attendees are invited to submit their research abstract via email below and, if accepted, will be invited to share their research during the poster session that will be held on Friday, February 21, 2025. Submission categories will include Biomedical Research, Clinical/Educational Research, and Case Reports.

Research Day Abstract Submission Form (PDF)

Abstracts must be submitted electronically to researchday-cc@carolinas.vcom.edu using the Abstract Submission Form at the link above. The deadline for abstract submission is 12:00 noon on Monday, November 25.

In the interest of professionalism and fairness, no extensions for abstract submission will be granted.

For questions about abstract submissions or participation in the poster competition, please email the Research Day Committee at researchday-cc@carolinas.vcom.edu.

When an abstract is accepted, the submitting author will receive further instructions on poster submission via email. Three presentations from each category will be considered for a cash prize.

SWAG��Ƶprovides free poster printing for any participant with an accepted abstract. Details will be sent to submitting authors with the abstract acceptance email.

Free SWAG��ƵPoster Printing Deadline is 5:00 PM, Monday, January 27, 2025

What will this conference offer?

The Via Research Recognition Day is a forum for health professionals and scientists at academic institutions, teaching hospitals, and practice sites to present or benefit from new research innovations and programs intended to improve the health of all humans. By attending the oral presentations and poster sessions, participants will have the opportunity to learn cutting edge information in the physiological bases of osteopathic manipulative therapy efficacy, new trends in physician-based research networks, and how to develop innovative research projects with high impact for human health., Participants will also learn about the biomedical, clinical and educational research activities at SWAG��Ƶand partner institutions will have an opportunity to identify new collaborative research opportunities.

Who should attend?

Medical students, physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, public health professionals, medical residents, other health profession students and others interested in primary care issues and research.

Disclosure Statement

Campus: Carolinas

When: February 21, 2025 All day

Strengthening VCOM’s Partnership with Auburn University through Obesity and Diabetes Research

ebailey — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 19:05:45 +0000

Strengthening VCOM’s Partnership with Auburn University through Obesity and Diabetes Research ebailey Mon, 07/01/2024 - 15:05

Strengthening VCOM’s Partnership with Auburn University through Obesity and Diabetes Research

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Obesity is a growing health crisis affecting nearly 20% of the global adult population. It is associated with increased severity of infections, reduced responses to vaccines and increased risk for autoimmune disease. Further, it is a factor in major metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and cardiovascular disease. Despite the widespread nature of obesity, however, the mechanisms underlying obesity-associated immune system dysfunction are poorly understood.

To address this problem, Joseph W. Brewer, PhD, a professor of immunology at VCOM-Auburn, is collaborating with Robert L. Judd, PhD, a professor at the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine and an expert in adipocytes (fat cells). Adipocytes store fat as an energy source for the body and help regulate metabolic processes. They also affect cell types in other tissues, so Brewer and Judd reasoned that adipocytes are well-equipped to communicate with the immune system.

With intramural funding from the SWAG��ƵCenter for One Health Research, the team developed a system to investigate the hypothesis that adipocytes influence the behavior of B lymphocytes, a key cell type in the immune system that produces antibodies that fight infection but can also cause disease. VCOM-Auburn students participate in the work, helping generate critical knowledge about adipocyte-B lymphocyte interactions.

In their initial studies, the researchers investigated interactions between adipocytes and B lymphocytes. Preliminary findings suggest that adipocytes can indeed modulate B lymphocyte function, potentially leading to altered immune responses in obese individuals.

In the long term, Brewer and Judd plan to extend their work into studies of adipocytes and B lymphocytes from mouse models of diet-induced obesity and aging, as well as from healthy and obese human subjects. This comprehensive approach will make it possible to understand more fully the relationships between obesity and immune system functions. The goal is to identify novel therapeutic targets to mitigate the adverse effects of obesity on immune health.

Brewer, Judd and many other VCOM-Auburn faculty members participate in the Boshell Research Program, which aims to enhance opportunities for diabetes research at Auburn University by facilitating cross-disciplinary scientific discussion, supporting the study of new ideas, fostering the development of investigators new to the field of diabetes and expanding the overall base of diabetes investigation at the university. The vision of the Boshell Research Program is to improve the lives of people with diabetes through the world-class investigation into the prevention, cure and management of the disease and its complications.

That vision nicely complements VCOM-Auburn’s mission to cultivate community-focused physicians who will improve the lives of rural and medically underserved populations and advance research to enhance human health. The collaborative efforts of Brewer and Judd are a key part of the meaningful relationship between SWAG��Ƶand Auburn University.

Research

Auburn

By Brittany Lilla -

VCOM-Virginia Researcher of the Year: Harsha Bhagtani, MD

ebailey — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 17:55:50 +0000

VCOM-Virginia Researcher of the Year: Harsha Bhagtani, MD ebailey Mon, 04/22/2024 - 13:55

VCOM-Virginia Researcher of the Year: Harsha Bhagtani, MD

Dr. Bhagtani's students show off her Researcher of the Year Award

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VCOM-Virginia is home to some pretty amazing faculty, which makes it difficult to choose just one each year for Researcher of the Year. This year’s recipient, Harsha Bhagtani, MD, is the discipline chair for pediatrics and is devoted to making sure her students have ample opportunities to engage in research with her. “It is very important for students to be involved in research,” she says. “As a medical school, we need to foster the future researchers of tomorrow.”

Currently, Dr. Bhagtani and her students are working on “Feed, Read and Grow,” a multi-agency project focused on improving access to health services, food, and literacy resources in the community. The goal of the project is to deliver educational information on pediatric health-related topics in a creative way. To accomplish that, partnerships have been forged with professionals throughout the community and they are creating a suite of age-appropriate videos for children.

Elizabeth Acors ’26, one of the students working on the project, says she has learned a lot. “Dr. Bhagtani is so passionate about all of her research projects because they will benefit many children struggling with a variety of topics like mental health,” Acors says. “The team she has put together consists of incredible people who work together so well, and I appreciated how they included me and the other students every step of the way.”

Dr. Bhagtani believes that community collaborations are a vital part of doing effective research. “The information is developed and vetted by a multitude of professionals, including pediatricians, personal trainers, librarians, psychologists and teachers,” she says. “Our goal is to increase the ease with which accurate and high-quality information can be provided to members of the community. Development of such a resource involves the creation of musical educational videos that feature an original song created by author, chemical engineer, and artist Carolina Smales, also known as Carol Joy ®.”

It is very important for students to be involved in research. As a medical school, we need to foster the future researchers of tomorrow.

Harsha Bhagtani, MD , VCOM-Virginia Discipline Chair for Pediatrics

Of course, as a medical educator, she enjoys working with students and says they bring a fresh perspective to the work. “The students bring their own talents to the collaboration and improve the work with their involvement,” Dr. Bhagtani observes. “They are very interested in community service and leaving a legacy of good community programs that will benefit our patients and families.”

Spencer Prematta ’27 has become even more interested in community service as a result of his work on the project. “Dr. Bhagtani has really instilled in me the importance of public and community health that I will certainly take with me as a physician,” he says.

In addition to being a valuable learning experience, working with Dr. Bhagtani is an uplifting experience. “Dr. Bhagtani is the most kind, joyful, encouraging, and dedicated person I've ever met,” says Brittany Renner ’27. “She has such a passion and vision for everything she does, including this research, and it shows. This research would not be possible without her.”

Dr. Bhagtani, along with her students and community partners, has just finished a series of pediatric anxiety videos. They are currently applying for more grants to continue their work, and she hopes to address other mental health issues for children, such as depression.

award Research

Virginia

By Amy Ostroth -

Collaborative SWAG��Ƶand Virginia Tech Research Projects to Study Low Back Pain

ebailey — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 18:30:33 +0000

Collaborative SWAG��Ƶand Virginia Tech Research Projects to Study Low Back Pain ebailey Wed, 03/20/2024 - 14:30

Collaborative SWAG��Ƶand Virginia Tech Research Projects to Study Low Back Pain

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Low back pain (LBP) is a condition that affects millions of people each year. It is the leading cause of disability worldwide and the condition for which the greatest number of people may benefit from rehabilitation.

Al Kozar, DO, knows a little something about LBP.

Dr. Kozar is a professor of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine and sports medicine at VCOM-Virginia. He is also a practicing physician at the SWAG��ƵSports & Osteopathic Medicine practice in Blacksburg where he regularly treats patients suffering from LBP. He points out that chronic back pain can have a major impact on the quality of life because in addition to biological and mechanical challenges, it also has psychosocial implications. “Everybody responds differently, based on their upbringing and how their family addressed pain and how much the pain affects their ability to do their work or their daily activities,” he says. “We often put up with back pain until it prevents us from doing those things. But pain tells us there is dysfunction somewhere in the musculoskeletal system.”

Dr. Kozar is collaborating with Vincent Wang, Ph.D., director of Virginia Tech’s Orthopedic Mechanobiology Laboratory, on two research projects to better understand the causes of back pain and how to treat it more effectively.

Like Dr. Kozar, Wang is an expert in the musculoskeletal system. His laboratory in Virginia Tech’s Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics has received millions of dollars in funding to “support a variety of projects related to skeletal soft tissue biomechanics, repair, and healing.” The new research will build on recent advances in Wang’s lab and will include faculty and students at both SWAG��Ƶand Virginia Tech. The researchers will recruit people who have LBP, as well as people who don’t, to perform ultrasound imaging on their thoracolumbar fascia (TLF). Ultrasound is a useful diagnostic tool, in part because it does not use ionizing radiation, is inexpensive and is effective in detecting soft tissue changes.

The TLF is integral to body movement. It has an important mechanical function in enabling us to bend over and pick things up, and it is a proprioceptive structure, meaning that it helps our bodies sense movement, action and our location in space. Dysfunction in this large soft tissue complex may be a frequent cause of LBP. However, TLF is also incredibly thin—only about 5 mm thick—so its injury is difficult to diagnose clinically. Medical imaging techniques such as ultrasound allow physicians and researchers to more effectively investigate changes not only to a patient’s TLF structure but also the glide motion within the layers of the TLF.

The teams are partnering on two funded projects related to diagnosing and treating LBP. The first project will take 24 months and is being funded by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) because service members and veterans often suffer from LBP due to the nature of their work. The DoD funding will enable the teams to study the effectiveness of a novel treatment called hydrodissection, which involves using ultrasound guidance to apply a dextrose solution to the TLF to separate its tissue layers and restore any glide restriction that might be contributing to causing a patient’s pain.

Additional funding from the American Osteopathic Association will enable an 18-month study on how osteopathic manipulative treatments can do essentially the same thing—relieve the restriction in the TLF.

Dr. Kozar anticipates that he will spend more than 1,500 hours over the next two years using ultrasound to acquire images of patients’ TLF. Wang’s research team will then perform detailed computer-based image analyses to help them quantify lower back flexibility and examine potential relationships between pain, function and imaging metrics. In addition to using conventional image analyses, the researchers will develop artificial intelligence approaches to objectively determine whether an image is from an individual with LBP.

“We hope these tools will further facilitate and improve clinical diagnosis, treatment and care of patients—not just within our group, but more broadly among clinicians and researchers in the field,” Wang says. Their research is particularly important because, he observes, “LBP can be experienced at any age, and we see these projects as valuable opportunities to extract valuable information from TLF ultrasound images in a manner that hasn’t been done before.”

Dr. Kozar’s team will study the clinical efficacy of osteopathic manipulative treatments and track patients over time. “We will be testing some physical exam maneuvers to see if they will be able to predict that a patient’s pain is being caused by TLF as opposed to something else,” he says. Dr. Kozar has been using these maneuvers for several years and the research will help him understand their effectiveness at predicting an issue with a patient’s TLF.

For years, we taught that an acute episode of back pain would go away in a couple of days, and it was nothing to worry about, but that’s not true at all. For 65-85% of people, those episodes get closer together, and they eventually end up with daily chronic pain that can be debilitating. I think it is important to view back pain as a progressive disease that can be altered and stopped.

Albert J Kozar, DO, FAOASM, R-MSK , Professor for Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine and Sport Medicine SWAG��ƵVirginia

In addition to developing effective treatments for LBP, the research may be able to prove to entities like insurance companies that there are evolving technologies that are useful for patients and that physicians should be able to use them. The more treatments that are covered, the more patients who can be treated.

Although SWAG��Ƶis an independent medical school, the faculty and researchers at the College’s four campuses—in Blacksburg, Virginia; Spartanburg, South Carolina; Auburn, Alabama; and Monroe, Louisiana—have productive and meaningful research partnerships with colleagues at other institutions like Virginia Tech and Auburn University.

Dr. Kozar and Wang, who have already worked together for several years on tendon studies, are eager to expand their collaboration to similar tissues like the TLF. “[Physicians] do a lot of things clinically, but we don’t always know how they work,” Dr. Kozar notes. “I don’t have the capacity to conduct mechanistic studies, so we need somebody to partner with us to look at those things.”

“Collaborations are vital,” Wang said in 2022. “I pursue what I regard to be highly important and timely clinical topics, but I’m not a physician. Combining expertise is how we address these challenges and hopefully improve others’ lives.”

Study participants are needed for this research. If you are between the ages of 18 and 50—whether you have LBP or not—you might qualify to particpate. Read full details and find out how to participate.

Research

Virginia

By Amy Ostroth -

VCOM-Carolinas’ Student Researcher of the Year Max Muir

ebailey — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 19:05:53 +0000

VCOM-Carolinas’ Student Researcher of the Year Max Muir ebailey Mon, 03/18/2024 - 15:05

VCOM-Carolinas’ Student Researcher of the Year Max Muir

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Amidst the resounding success of VCOM-Carolinas’ Research Recognition Day, held on campus February 9, emerged a student researcher who, according to the SROY Selection Committee “exemplifies a dedication to osteopathic research, leadership in osteopathic research, professional development, and the embodiment of osteopathic philosophy”: Max Muir. A member of the Class of 2024, Mr. Muir hails from Columbus, Ohio and is a graduate of Wake Forest University with a Bachelor of Science degree with a Chemistry Concentration in Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Discovery.

According to the Committee, “Max has always had an interest in research, but his journey really began at Ohio State while investigating growth factors within concentrated and unconcentrated platelet-rich and poor plasma as a biotherapeutic device for osteoarthritis. He went on to pursue novel research at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, where he expanded his research into 3D-bioprinting islets, developing a water-based decellularization method for the pancreas, creating oxygen delivery systems, and more. While at VCOM, he worked with Dr. Mount on hypophosphatemia and traumatic brain injury, joined a pediatrics team to investigate maternal stress in a NICU setting, and initiated a project to investigate bone marrow aspirate concentration in two and three-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. Max hopes to use his research experience and skills to mentor other students and investigate the role of osteopathic medicine in orthopedic post-op patients who are still experiencing symptoms. We have no doubt that he will go on to do great things!”

In all, 119 posters were presented at this year’s Research Day, a new VCOM-Carolinas record Congratulations to Student Researcher of the Year Max Muir and all the talented, hard-working participants in this year’s event!

Research

Carolinas

By James Nichols -

Aldret, Salim Take Top Honors at VCOM-Louisiana’s Second-Annual Research Day

ebailey — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 19:21:33 +0000

Aldret, Salim Take Top Honors at VCOM-Louisiana’s Second-Annual Research Day ebailey Fri, 03/01/2024 - 14:21

Aldret, Salim Take Top Honors at VCOM-Louisiana’s Second-Annual Research Day

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VCOM-Louisiana’s second-annual Via Research Recognition Day is in the books, and in the words of Pawel Michalak, PhD, associate dean for Biomedical Affairs and Research, “The event was a resounding success.”

Research Day, a pivotal event in VCOM’s pursuit of its mission, serves as a platform where medical students, healthcare professionals and scientists representing academic institutions, teaching hospitals and clinical settings, can showcase and learn from research innovations aimed at enhancing the well-being and health of all individuals.

“In my opening remarks,” said Michalak, “I underscored the expectation that participation in Research Day is poised to grow. This growth is a testament to the advancing scope of our research endeavors, such as syndromic surveillance, both at the local level and across the entire system, positioning us as an emerging research leader in the region. This expansion aligns perfectly with VCOM’s mission, which strongly prioritizes research as a fundamental component. “

The event featured two keynote speakers, a plenary speaker and a poster competition. The day’s first keynote address came from Jonathan Auguste, PhD, associate professor of arbovirology at Virginia Tech. His presentation on “The Tale of an Insect-Specific Virus: from Ecology to Vaccine Development” discussed the replication mechanisms of some viruses in vertebrate cells, as well as new vaccine testing efforts.

Albert J. Kozar, DO, professor for osteopathic manipulative medicine and sports medicine at VCOM-Virginia, provided the second keynote address of the day. His discussion, “Do Biomarkers Exist in the Thoracolumbar Fascia for LBP Pain?” featured takeaways from his integrative research into tendinopathy, low back pain, fascia, and visceral motion.

P. Gunnar Brolinson, DO, vice provost for research at VCOM, gave his plenary address on “The State of Research at VCOM,” in which he shared insight into current research projects happening across the four campuses and future research initiatives on the horizon.

The poster competition featured research on a wide range of topics, all falling within four main categories: biomedical research; clinical research; case studies; and education, simulation and best practices. Of the 67 posters in the competition, a vast majority featured student-led research.

This year’s event marked a significant growth over our inaugural research recognition last year, with more than a 20% increase in participation. This surge reflects the escalating recognition and interest in SWAG��Ƶresearch both locally and regionally, evidenced by the participation from our partner academic and clinical institutions. This growth is remarkable, especially compared to the modest beginnings at our other campuses years back, when we were starting with a dozen posters at that time.

Pawel Michalak, PhD , Associate Dean for Biomedical Affairs and Research

In addition to naming the poster competition winners, two major research awards were given out during the event. The first, Faculty Researcher of the Year, is awarded to a faculty member who is active in an extramurally-funded research program involving student training, significant publications, and who has received national recognition. The 2024 Faculty Researcher of the Year award recipient was Randy Aldret, Ed.D.

The second major award handed out at this year’s Research Day event was Student Researcher of the Year. This award is presented to a current VCOM-Louisiana student who shows dedication to their research, whose research has resulted in publications during their time at VCOM, who is participating in the DO with Research Distinction program, and who has made research presentations. The 2024 Student Researcher of the Year award recipient was Navid Salim, Class of 2025.

Poster competition winners, by category, were:

Biomedical Research: Section 1

1st place:

Annie Pham, Class of 2026
EXOY INTOXICATION SUPPRESSES LUNG ENDOTHELIAL TAK1 TO PROMOTE TAUOPATHY

2nd place:

Lucia Conlon, Class of 2026
EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL PROTECTIVE ROLE OF THE BACTERIAL-DERIVED METABOLITE INDOLE-3-PROPIONIC ACID AGAINST OBESOGENIC INSULTS IN PLACENTA CELL LINES

3rd place:

Rachita Gupta, Class of 2026
INVESTIGATING THE FUNCTION OF THE BACTERIAL-DERIVED METABOLITE INDOLE-3-PROPIONIC ACID IN ENDOMETRIAL CANCER

Biomedical Research, Section 2:

1st place:

Dalal Dawud, PhD Candidate
INVESTIGATING THE THERAPEUTIC EFFICACY OF COMBINED TREATMENT OF CHLORPROMAZINE AND ENZALUTAMIDE ON CASTRATION-RESISTANT PROSTATE CANCER CELLS: A COMPREHENSIVE IN VITRO AND IN VIVO STUDY

2nd place:

Md Towhidul Tarun, MS
(-)-S-OLEOCANTHAL ATTENUATES THE PROGRESSION AND RECURRENCE OF NEUROENDOCRINE PROSTATE CANCER THROUGH DOWNREGULATION OF THE PROTEIN LYSINE METHYLTRANSFERASE SMYD2

3rd place:

Md Saqline Mostaq, PhD Student
INHIBITION OF CERAMIDE GLYCOSYLATION REVERSES ANTICANCER DRUG RESISTANCE OF COLON CANCER CELLS CARRYING P53 MUTATION

Clinical Research

1st place:

Austin Bordelon, Class of 2024
SYNTAX ERROR: VARIATIONS IN VERBIAGE BETWEEN PRESCRIBER AND PHARMACIST PRESCRIPTION LABELS FOR PEDIATRIC LIQUID MEDICATIONS

2nd place:

Ebony Griffin, Class of 2025
ASSESSING PRACTICAL COMPETENCE: AN IN-DEPTH EXAMINATION OF PRECLINICAL MEDICAL STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE IN DETECTING FRACTURES THROUGH ULTRASOUND PRACTICAL EXAMS ON CADAVERS

3rd place:

Cameron Driskell, Class of 2025
A CONTINUATION OF CADAVERIC EXPLORATION AND ANALYSIS OF VARIATION IN THE INFRACLAVICULAR BRACHIAL PLEXUS

Case Studies

1st place:

Yaroslav Zuyev, Class of 2025
TYPICAL EXERTIONAL ANGINA WITH NO ANGIOGRAPHIC CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE

2nd place:

Kason Goss, Class of 2025
A CEREBRAL CHALLENGE: NAVIGATING THE COMPLEXITIES OF PSEUDOTUMOR CEREBRI - A COMPREHENSIVE CASE STUDY

3rd place:

Madison Cox, Class of 2025
RENAL ANGIOMYOLIPOMA: A CASE REPORT

Education, Simulation and Best Practices

1st place:

Sara Carroll, Class of 2025
UTILIZING GAMIFICATION TO TEACH PAIN MANAGEMENT: A QUALITY IMPROVEMENT STUDY

2nd place:

Rebecca Peters, Class of 2025; Maham Khan, Class of 2026; Emma Barham, Class of 2026
INVESTIGATING THE CHANGE IN EMPATHY THROUGHOUT TRADITIONAL OSTEOPATHIC MEDICAL EDUCATION

3rd place:

Tiffani Najadifar, Class of 2026
AIRX: A DOSE OF AI FOR SMART MEDICAL EDUCATION

Research

Louisiana

By Desi Hammett -

Auburn Research Recognition Day 2024

ebailey — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 21:03:55 +0000

Auburn Research Recognition Day 2024 ebailey Fri, 01/26/2024 - 16:03

Auburn Research Recognition Day 2024

Tags: Research

Research Day Agenda (PDF)

Campus: Auburn

When: February 2, 2024 8:00am to 2:30pm CST

VCOM-Carolinas Faculty Present Research Projects

ebailey — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 20:34:40 +0000

VCOM-Carolinas Faculty Present Research Projects ebailey Tue, 12/12/2023 - 15:34

VCOM-Carolinas Faculty Present Research Projects

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Research is a key part of VCOM’s mission, and the College encourages students across its four campuses to seek out opportunities to conduct research in topics that interest them. The College’s talented faculty researchers mentor students and oversee research projects while also conducting their own. SWAG��Ƶresearchers contribute original insights to their respective fields, fostering a culture of intellectual curiosity and academic excellence within the institution.

In December 2023, six VCOM-Carolinas faculty members—Krit Ritthipichai, DVM, MS, PhD; Michael Parks, MPA; Zoltan Hajdu, MD; Bidyut Mohanty, PhD; Steven Enkemann, PhD; and JuliSu DiMucci-Ward, PhD, MPH, RDN, CDE, LD—presented their research at the campus’s annual Fall Research Fair. 

The diverse topics of research included several projects conducted in the VCOM-Carolinas Simulation Center as well as several projects focused on pulmonary issues.

Dr. Enkemann talked about personalizing chemotherapy to make it more effective while also causing fewer side effects for patients. Cancer therapies are often chosen based on the specific genetic and molecular details of each cancer. But what about the specific genetic and molecular details of each patient? Treatments effective against a tumor may be toxic for the patient. Dr. Enkemann’s research seeks to develop a genetic test that will predict if a cancer drug would be harmful to the patient and, if so, indicate alternative treatments.

Students engaging in Dr. Enkemann’s research explore the complexities of how genetic differences between people shape our noses, color our eyes and define our height, and the ways genetics impact how the body metabolizes drugs. This research experience enhances the students' ability to interpret and apply scientific literature to clinical scenarios, fostering a more comprehensive approach to patient care.

Click the links below to see Dr. Enkemann’s presentation as well as those of his colleagues:

DiMucciWard - Are the Zung Depression and Anxiety Scales Still Valid in 2023 (PDF)

DiMucciWard - Correlations Between Methyldopa Administration and Norepinephrine Levels in 14 Outpatient Psychiatric Patients (PDF)

DiMucciWard - Stanford MetMap (PDF)

Enkemann - Improving Growth Curves (PDF)

Enkemann - Personalizing Chemotherapy (PDF)

Hajdu - Cardiovascular Biology and Tissue Engineering Laboratory (PDF)

Mohanty - Noncanonical DNA Structures and Diseases (PDF)

Research

Carolinas

By Lily Collins -

SWAG��ƵResearch May Lead to Treatment for Neurological Disorders

ebailey — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 12:21:59 +0000

SWAG��ƵResearch May Lead to Treatment for Neurological Disorders ebailey Fri, 10/20/2023 - 08:21

SWAG��ƵResearch May Lead to Treatment for Neurological Disorders

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According to the Cleveland Clinic, neurological disorders—Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and others—may affect more than 50 million people worldwide. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 280 million people in the world suffer from depression. The American Psychiatric Association estimates that 3.5% of Americans are affected by post-traumatic stress disorder each year.

Clearly, neurological and mental health challenges are a huge issue in the United States and around the world, but many of these conditions have limited treatment options. Blaise Costa, MPharm, PhD, hopes his research will one day change that.

Costa is VCOM-Virginia’s discipline chair for pharmacology. Pharmacologists research and test new drugs and treatment strategies to benefit patients, but this research is difficult, expensive and often fails. In the classroom, Costa teaches students how drugs work in the human body and how they interact with each other. In addition to his teaching duties at VCOM, Costa also works at the Virginia Tech Center for One Health Research (COHR), which is a facility that integrates faculty, staff and students from SWAG��Ƶand the Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine to do research projects.

In his COHR lab, Costa is researching novel treatment strategies for neuropsychiatric disorders. He is specifically looking at the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor in the brain, which “receives” glutamate, an amino acid created by the brain. Glutamate is a neurotransmitter, bringing excitatory messages from one neuron to another. In a normally functioning brain, glutamate binds to NMDA receptors and helps with learning and memory formation. The brain is essentially like a computer circuit board, but with the ability to constantly rewire itself based on our everyday experiences. Neurons build these new pathways based on the quantity and frequency of glutamate and other similar chemical messengers released by the brain cells.

Costa likens the system to a game of football, in which glutamate—the football—is being caught by the NMDA receptors—the wide receivers.

There are several problems that can happen within the system. One is that the NMDA wide receivers might be randomly running in the field or maybe the equipment folks brought too many footballs to the game. In either case, there is too much glutamate in the brain with no way for the receptors to catch it all. This kind of hyperactivity, known as excitotoxicity, can kill neurons. This is what happens after a stroke. Studies indicate that excitotoxicity and the resulting cell death may also be part of what causes Alzheimer’s Disease. Alternatively, the equipment folks may have neglected to bring any footballs and there is no glutamate at all in the system. This lack of glutamate can lead to issues like schizophrenia, major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, among others.

The goal, Costa says, is to have about the right amount of glutamate for the receptors. He is researching a drug compound called CNS4 to determine if it can help regulate the system, making the NMDA receptors more effective and ensuring that there is neither too much, nor too little, glutamate in the brain.

“This is complicated in many ways,” Costa says. “There are hundreds of variants of the NMDA receptor, and they can be created by lifestyle and medical conditions. It took me more than 20 years to study the normal function, abnormalities and activities of potential therapeutic agents like CNS4.”

There are more than a hundred million possible compounds to study. Using his expertise, Costa synthesized five to study by doing some extremely educated guessing to select the ones he would focus on. One of those compounds was CNS4. In 2017, Costa discovered that CNS4 worked the way he expected in modulating the response of glutamate in isolated NMDA receptors.

The next step was to work with Gunnar Brolinson, DO, VCOM’s vice president for research, to develop intellectual property protections for Costa’s work. The U.S. and international applications to patent the research Costa has done are currently under examination.

So, then what?

The goal, ultimately, is to develop a treatment for imbalances in glutamate that will improve the health of patients across the globe. Costa says that there is also some potential to develop a non-opioid pain drug, which is a high priority for the United States.

Of course, drug development is an incredibly long, complicated and expensive process. The first step is to develop a hit compound. Costa has done that through the discovery of CNS4. He’s now in the “hit to lead” part of the process and is applying for grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support his research. For the next few years, Costa will develop analog compounds of CNS4 and test how effective they are in modulating glutamate. Compounds that show a particular promise may become leads.

After that, the process generally moves to drug companies, which have more resources to devote to turning a lead into a marketable drug. This part of the process can take up to a decade and cost about $1 billion.

Research

Virginia

By Amy Ostroth -

Research

Virginia Research Day 2025

Virginia Research Day 2025

Research Day Virginia: February 14, 2025

Registration

Agenda

Program

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Disclosure Statement

Carolinas Via Research Recognition Day 2025

Carolinas Via Research Recognition Day 2025

Registration

Agenda

Speakers

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Disclosure Statement

Strengthening VCOM’s Partnership with Auburn University through Obesity and Diabetes Research

VCOM-Virginia Researcher of the Year: Harsha Bhagtani, MD

Collaborative SWAG��Ƶand Virginia Tech Research Projects to Study Low Back Pain

Study Participants Needed

VCOM-Carolinas’ Student Researcher of the Year Max Muir

Aldret, Salim Take Top Honors at VCOM-Louisiana’s Second-Annual Research Day

Biomedical Research: Section 1

Biomedical Research, Section 2:

Clinical Research

Case Studies

Education, Simulation and Best Practices

Auburn Research Recognition Day 2024

Auburn Research Recognition Day 2024

VCOM-Carolinas Faculty Present Research Projects

SWAG��ƵResearch May Lead to Treatment for Neurological Disorders