Former SPIRE Participants
For over a decade, the SPIRE program (formerly known as the Faaiza Ansari Internship) has supported the development of our clinical scientists.
Cultivating Leaders in Child and Maternal Health Research
The Summer Pediatric Internship Research Experience (SPIRE) program at the University at Buffalo’s Child & Maternal Health Research Institute offers medical students and undergraduates an immersive, mentored introduction to research. Participants not only build critical skills in scientific inquiry, writing, and presenting, but also develop meaningful mentorship relationships that guide their future academic and clinical paths. Many SPIRE students present their work at conferences, publish their results, and continue pursuing research throughout medical school and residency. For over a decade, SPIRE has fostered early engagement in pediatric scholarship, cultivating the next generation of clinician-scientists.
Program Impact
- Build core research and clinical skills.
- Strengthen writing and presentation abilities.
- Connect with faculty mentors.
- Conference presentations and publications.
- Gain interest and confidence in academic research.
- Expand understanding of child & maternal health issues.
Faces & Voices
Recent SPIRE Graduates
- 2024 SPIRE Participant
- Mentor: Stephanie Anzman-Frasca
- SPIRE Project: Effects of a shared activities parenting intervention on weight outcomes in middle childhood: An exploratory study.
- Awarded 2nd place prize for the project "Effects of a shared activities parenting intervention on weight outcomes in middle childhood: An exploratory study." by the . Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Annual Medical Student Research Forum (2025).
- First Author Publication: "Effects of the Play With Me parenting intervention on weight status in middle childhood."
- Publication: "INSIGHT responsive parenting intervention effects on child self-regulation at ages 3 and 6 years."
- Publication: "Effects of the INSIGHT responsive parenting intervention on parenting and child behavior at ages 3 and 6 years."
- Publication: "Taste ratings of healthier main and side dishes among 4-to-8-year-old children in a quick-service restaurant chain."
- Publication: "Examining links between child temperament and feeding, eating, and weight outcomes: An updated systematic review of the literature."
- Currently a medical student at the University at Buffalo
- Summer Pediatrics Internship Research Experience 2023
- Mentor: Mark D. Hicar
- Project: “Novel autoantibody target can distinguish Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children from Kawasaki Disease”
- Presented Poster at American Association of Immunology, Chicago, May 2024
- Currently a medical student at the University at Buffalo
- 2023 SPIRE Participant
- Mentor: Stephanie Anzman-Frasca
- Project:
- Publication: "Relationships between outdoor physical activity, health-related quality of life, and sleep in 8-to-12-year-old children"
- Currently a medical student at the University at Buffalo
- 2023 SPIRE Participant
- Mentor: Stephanie Anzman-Frasca
- Project: "RE-AIM Evaluation of a Regional, School-Based Health Program" presented in the 2024 Medical Student Research Forum
- Publication: "Effects of a hiking intervention on daily activities, sleep, and stress among adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: A replication study."
- Currently a medical student at the University at Buffalo
- Summer Pediatrics Internship Research Experience 2022
- Mentor: Mark D. Hicar
- Project: “Emergency Dept. Evaluation of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)”
- Dean’s Summer Research Fellowship (concurrent)
- Presented poster at Pediatric Academic Society/Society for Pediatric Research, Washington DC, 2023
- Manuscript published - "Creation of prediction tool to guide further workup of febrile children in the emergency department under consideration for Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children"
- Former UB medical student, now a Resident Physician in Chicago
- 2021 Faaiza Ansari Pediatric Internship Participant
- Mentor: Stephanie Anzman-Frasca
- Award: Selected as a 2024 American Academy of Family Physicians to participate in a year-long program aimed at creating future leaders in the field of family medicine.
- Currently a Resident Physician at The Institute for Family Health at 17th Street in New York City and faculty with the Family Medicine Department at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, N.Y.
- 2022 SPIRE Participant
- Mentor: Stephanie Anzman-Frasca
- Project: "Effects of an optimal default grocery shopping intervention on dietary intake: Exploring the role of food source"
- Publication: "Relationships between outdoor physical activity, health-related quality of life, and sleep in 8-to-12-year-old children"
- Dr MacKenzie Swanson is currently a resident within Adult/Child Psychiatry at the University at Buffalo
- 2019 Faaiza Ansari Pediatric Internship
- Mentor: Mark D. Hicar
- Project: “Antibody binding studies on HIV and Kawasaki Disease”
- Currently: Anesthesia Resident Physician, UB WNY
- 2019 Faaiza Ansari Pediatric Internship Participant
- Mentor: Stephanie Anzman-Frasca
- Project: Examining young children’s delay of gratification behavior via a board game played in a naturalistic setting
- Published: "Evaluating a board game designed to promote young children’s delay of gratification."
- Published: "Development of a measure of the relative reinforcing value of food versus parent-child interaction"
- Published: "Using repeated exposure through hands-on cooking to increase children’s preferences for fruits and vegetables"
- Dr Reardon is currently a physician in Buffalo, N.Y.
- 2018 Faaiza Ansari Pediatric Internship
- Mentor: Mark D. Hicar
- Project: “Developing deep sequencing database interface”
- Currently: Family Medicine Faculty Member with the University at Buffalo
- 2015 Faaiza Ansari Pediatric Internship
- Mentor: Mark D. Hicar
- Project: “IL-21 levels do not distinguish children presenting with Kawasaki disease from other febrile children.”
- Presented poster at Eastern Society for Pediatric Research, Philadelphia Pa., 2016
- Publication: "Observational study of Interleukin-21 (IL-21) does not distinguish Kawasaki disease from other causes of fever in children"
- Currently: Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine at Mount Sinai.
- 2014 Faaiza Ansari Pediatric Internship
- Mentor: Mark D. Hicar
- Project: “Kawasaki disease immunity”
- Currently: Pediatric Nephrologist at University of Rochester
- 2013 Faaiza Ansari Pediatric Internship
- Mentor: Mark D. Hicar
- Project: “Assessment of Antibody Interference of Enfuvirtide (T20) Function in HIV treatment”
- Published a manuscript based on her summer project "Assessment of Antibody Interference of Enfuvirtide (T20) Function Shows Assay Dependent Variability"
- Currently: Pediatric Intensivist, University at Rochester