Research Forum Showcases 95 Medical Student Projects
By Dirk Hoffman
Published February 1, 2024
Ninety-five original research projects from aspiring physician-scientists were on display at the 2024 Medical Student Research Forum at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
The medical students showcased projects they conducted at the University at Buffalo, its partner health care agencies and institutions throughout the nation.
They shared their work with faculty members and peers in detailed poster presentations.
Faculty Judges Select Most Outstanding Projects
A faculty panel selected four outstanding projects for special recognition during the event, which took place Jan. 24 in the second-floor atrium of the Jacobs School building.
Allison Brashear, MD, MBA, UB’s vice president for health sciences and dean of the Jacobs School, announced the winners and gave closing remarks. She noted that student poster submissions increased 26 percent from the previous year.
“This is really being about on the journey to becoming a researcher. It is so important in medicine,” she said. “Whether you are at the bench, the bedside or you are out in the community, that is the way we are going to make an impact. That is how we end up bringing change into our patients and into our community.”
“You do not have to be in a lab to be a researcher. You can do research in any way and any shape you can contribute,” Brashear added. “There are multiple ways to be a researcher. And there is a wonderful pathway through each and every one of you to have that as part of your future career.”
David A. Milling, MD, executive director of the Office of Medical Education and senior associate dean for medical education, also commended and encouraged the students.
“You should be proud of the amazing work that all of you have done. And you make us very, very proud,” he said. “Congratulations and keep up the good work. Just because the Research Forum is done, don’t stop working on your projects. There are a lot more things to get accomplished in the time that you have left here.”
Two Posters Chosen to Share First-Place Honors
First Place (tie)
Anna Szombathy, Class of 2026
“Characterization of the Molecular Genetic Mechanism of the CHRFAM7A Inverted Allele”
CHRFAM7A is a human-specific fusion gene comprised of a fusion between CHRNA7 (alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor) and ULK4 (an ULK kinase). This gene is found in 99% of the human population and has robust associations with many neuropsychiatric disorders.
The gene can be found in either direct or inverted orientations (both of which are equally prevalent in the population), but only the direct orientation is translated and incorporated into the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7NAChR). The mechanism of the inverted allele, meanwhile, remains uncertain, though it has been shown to be strongly associated with diseases such as schizophrenia.
The researchers hypothesized that the inverted allele functions through an RNAi mechanism targeting either CHRNA7 or ULK4 (the two genes involved in the fusion gene). They used isogenic iPSC cell lines and neuronal progenitors to compare CHRNA7 expression in null (UB068) versus inverted CHRFAM7A (UB068_Δ2bp) cell lines.
They found that CHRFAM7A expression did not affect CHRNA7 gene expression. They then conducted immunoprecipitation studies with anti-CHRFAM7A and anti-α7NAChR antibodies to detect translation of CHRFAM7A and CHRNA7 in null versus inverted lines. The researchers found that CHRFAM7A was not translated in the inverted line, and that translation of CHRNA7 did not differ between the null and inverted genotypes, suggesting that the inverted allele does not regulate CHRNA7.
These results are consistent with the hypothesized RNAi regulatory mechanism of the CHRFAM7A inverted allele and suggests that the inverted allele regulates ULK4 expression. Improved understanding of this inverted RNAi mechanism will hopefully provide context for why the inverted allele holds such strong associations with neuropsychiatric disease.
Ryan Mackey, Class of 2024
“Predictive Accuracy of Rightward Extrapolation of the Left Ventricular End-Diastolic Pressure-Volume Relationship in Healthy Swine”
Objective: Myocardial stiffness is a primary determinant of left ventricular (LV) diastolic function and can be quantitatively described by the end-diastolic pressure-volume relationship (EDPVR). The EDPVR is traditionally derived by measuring LV end-diastolic pressure (EDP) and volume (EDV) during transient reductions in venous return (preload). However, the accuracy of this approach in predicting changes in LVEDP in response to a rise in LVEDV via rightward extrapolation has not been directly studied. Accordingly, the researchers sought to assess the predictive accuracy of preload reduction-derived EDPVRs in estimating LV diastolic stiffness (ΔLVEDP/ΔLVEDV) in healthy swine.
Conclusions: Rightward extrapolation of the EDPVR derived via IVC occlusion underestimates the rise in LVEDP when LVEDV is increased in the normal heart. This was observed with increased afterload (aortic occlusion) as well as when afterload and preload were simultaneously increased via PE. These findings highlight challenges in quantifying myocardial stiffness and reinforce the importance of assessing the hemodynamic response to increased LV loading directly, rather than extrapolating from EDPVRs created via transient preload reduction.
Second Place
Moriah Martindale, Class of 2026
“Race, Gender, Healthcare, and Research Perceptions Among Orthopaedic Patients: A Qualitative Study”
Race and gender impact health outcomes in multiple and complex ways. Direct patient experiences as well as patient attitudes and beliefs about race and gender may affect various aspects of health care, including patient willingness to participate in health care research.
This study aimed to describe 1) patient perceptions of racial and/or gender influences on their health care and 2) attitudes and barriers related to orthopaedic research participation among primarily Black/African American orthopaedic patients.
Twenty patients between the ages of 45 to 85 who presented with knee pain to an orthopedic clinic within a Level 1 county hospital were interviewed.
Half of the interviewed patients in this study perceived race or gender to be factors in their health care. The most salient factors included the quality of care received as well as their provider choice. Patients who expressed a preference for a provider desired a shared experience (e.g., concordant gender) with their provider, which is consistent with existing literature. Among the interviewed orthopaedic patients, there was a moderate to high level of trust in their provider.
Third Place
Walker Black, Class of 2026
“Complement Signaling as a T-Cell Checkpoint in Ovarian Cancer Microenvironment”
Durable antitumor immunity requires expansion and activation of tumor antigen-specific T cells. However, multiple immunosuppressive pathways are obstacles to T cell-driven antitumor immunity, and novel approaches are required to abrogate suppressive pathways.
The researchers used an ex vivo model consisting of neutrophils and T cells from healthy donors or patients with ovarian cancer (OC) and ascites fluid from OC patients or malignant effusions from other cancers as authentic components of the human tumor microenvironment (TME).
The researchers observed that neutrophil suppressor phenotype is dependent on neutrophil-T cell contact and several neutrophil functions that include complement signaling and NADPH oxidase. Neutrophil suppressors have broad effects on pathways driving T cell proliferation and activation including inhibition of stimulated T cell proliferation, cytokine responses, metabolic changes and mTOR activation.
Though exposure to OC ascites fluid supernatants does not inhibit CD3/CD28-stimulated T cell proliferation, it dramatically reduces cytokine production (e.g., IL-2 and IFN-γ) important for T cell activation. Importantly, stimulated T cell cytokine production was rescued by complement inhibition in TME. While complement C3-inhibitors restored Il-2 production, restoration is not dependent on C3aR and C5aR inhibitors.
These results will guide subsequent T cell signaling studies that will delineate mechanisms by which complement signaling is a checkpoint on T cell cytokines responses in the TME.
Cancer, Surgical Procedures Among Topics
Participants researched many important areas in their projects:
| Student(s) | Project |
|---|---|
Ademola Adegbemigun | Patient Skin Radiation Dose During Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement |
Daniel Adelsberg | Risk Factors for Nasogastric Tube Feeding Failure Following Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Resection |
Christina Andreou | Enrichment of Neuroblastoma Cells from Peripheral Blood Stem Cells of High-Risk Patients |
Eylon Arbel | Colpectomy Reduces the Incidence of Urethral Fistula and Stricture Formation in Female-to-Male Gender Affirming Surgeries: A Meta-Analysis |
Michael Augustin | Perception of Sunscreen Need and Affordability in the Buffalo Area |
Beatrice Bacon | University at Buffalo DoctHERS (AMWA): Female Mentorship Pilot Program |
Daniel Baetzhold | Buffalo Food Resources Needs Assessment |
Mohamed Bah | Single Surgeon Unilateral Pedicle Screw Transformational Lumbar Interbody Fusion: Experience of More Than 100 Patients With Long-Term Follow-Up |
Madison Ballacchino | Determining the Benefit of Frailty Scoring in Post-Operative Outcomes |
Claire Beecher | Health Care Worker Education for Palliative Care in Africa |
Perya Bhagchandani | Comparative Genomic Analysis of Autoimmune Diseases With Pemphigus Vulgaris |
Walker Black | Complement Signaling as a T-Cell Checkpoint in Ovarian Cancer Microenvironment |
Fernando Bomfim | Exploring Feasibility and Interest in Inegrated Urology-Transplant Surgery Training Programs in the United States |
Jamie Bousleiman | Perceptions and Understanding of Parental Leave During Orthopedic Surgery Residency |
Brayan Calle Gonzalez | Identifying Cell Processes Involved in Corneal Endothelial Cell Injury from Phacoemulsification |
Deana Chan | Seizure Following In-Office Administration: A Case Report and Literature Review |
Lauren Chavanne | Cardiac Arrest Pearls for Survival (CAPS): A Quality Improvement Initiative to Enhance Resident Education |
Alexandra Corbin | YouTube’s Role in Empty Nose Syndrome Education |
Gaby Cordero | Barriers to Longitudinal Community Service in Medical Education |
Chloe Cottone | Supraclavicular Artery Island Flap for Head and Neck Reconstruction: Our Experience and Factors Predictive of Complications |
Patrick Crossen | An Interprofessional Education Model to Provide Free School Sports Physicals to Underserved Communities |
Ashtah Das | Not All Frailty is Equivalent: Comparing Frailty Index Scales in Their Capacity to Predict Mortality in Older Adults with Traumatic Brain Injuries |
Erika Davidson | Modulation of the Chenokine Production in Colorectal Cancer Tumor Micro-Environment |
Abbigail Delmonte | Elevated Liver Enzymes at the Time of Deceased Donor Organ Donation Do Not Affect Recipient or Pancreas Allograft Survival Following Pancreas Transplantation |
Peter Demjanenko | Effects of SOS-Inhibiting Compounds on Protein and Nucleic Acid Release in Gram-Negative Bacteria |
Nadine de Nijs | Assessing the Influence of Therapy Dogs on Mental Health and Well-Being Among Medical Students |
Kendall DeSantis | Is Coronal Alignment Overcorrection a Risk Fsctor for Revision in TKA? |
Alexandra DiVasta | A Qualitative Study of Patient Treatment Preferences and Willingness to Enroll in a Randomized Controlled Trial Among Primarily African American Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis |
Katelyn Donnelly | A Qualitative Analysis of North American Medical Students’ Perspectives on the Impact to Medical Education of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization |
Sabrina Dunn | Identifying Factors that Contribute to Delays in Stroke Treatment: An Analysis on Atypical Stroke Symptoms. |
Tara Edwards | Determinants of Breastfeeding Among Ex-Smoking Mothers |
Jade Edwards | Egg Consumption During Pregnancy and Risk of Gestational Diabetes |
Sinan Ersan | The Effect of Teprotumumab Infusion on Ocular Alignment in Patients With Symptomatic Thyroid Eye Disease |
Ifeoma Ezeilo | Relationship Between Sleep Disturbances and Neurodegenerative Markers in Older Veterans |
Farangis Farsio | Mandibular Reconstruction of Hemifacial Microsomia in Goldenhar Syndrome: A Case Report and Review |
Hendrick Francois | Sagittal Deformity Correction With Schwab 4 Osteotomy and Patient Reported Outcomes |
Gabriela Funez-dePagnier | Maternal Neonatal Health Outcomes of an Integrated Obstetric Care Model in a Multicultural, Underserved Population |
Karlie Gambino | Effects of an Optimal Default Grocery Shopping Intervention on Dietary Intake: Exploring the Role of Food Source |
Erin Gawel | Current Diagnosis and Management of Cervical Non-Tuberculous Mycobacterial Infections in Children |
Sabrina George | Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Genetic Risk Haplotypes: Relevance to Children of African Ancestry |
Jason Gershgorn | Diversity Among EMS Fellows |
Adam Greenstein | Comparison of Percutaneous Cryoablation vs Microwave Ablation of Small Renal Masses in a Large Community Hospital Setting |
Eisa Hashmi | Aurora Surgiscope for Minimally Invasive Evacuation of Intracranial Hemorrhages — A Preliminary Institutional Experience |
Victoria Hoffman | Association Between Psoriasis with Depression in U.S. Adults: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2014 |
Holly Houenstein | The Role of the Microbiome in Chemotherapy-Associated Oral Mucositis |
Nathaniel Iskhakov | Addressing Disparities in Kidney Transplant Outcomes: Insights From Lupus Nephritis Patients on Race, Gender, and Donor Sources |
Sydney Johnson | Preliminary Evaluation of the Two Patient-Centered Educational Videos About Kidney Transplant Complications |
Koulako Kaba | Creation of and Preliminary Analysis of Mutants in Two Low Molecular Weight Penicillin Binding Proteins, 5/6 and 6b in the XDR Acinetobacter Baumannii Clinical Isolate Ab834 |
Alaina Kenny | Auricular Erythromelalgia: A Survey of Patient Experiences |
Joshua Kent | Incidence of Melanoma During the COVID-19 Pandemic: SEER Database Analysis |
Kyle Kenyon and Macrae Kozody | Tibial Tubercle Avulsion With Concomitant Patellar Tendon Avulsion in the Pediatric Population: A Case Series |
Katherine Kozlowski | The Influence of Musical Experience and Immersion on Laparoscopic Surgical Skill Performance |
Marissa Kruk | Accessibility of Lactation Policies and Facilities for 1,847 ACGME-Accredited Surgical Residency Training Programs |
Charles Lafargue | Characterization of Notch2 Expression and Opioid-Induced Molecular Plasticity in Rat Striatal Brain Regions |
Michael LaRock | Efficacy and Efficiency of Tourniquet Application in a Hemorrhagic Shock State |
Eric Lovett Jr. | Update on “Cell Therapy” Clinics Offering Treatments of Ocular Conditions Using Direct-to-Consumer Marketing Websites in the United States |
Madelyn Lux | Kawasaki Disease Antibody Peptide Binding Obtained Using Phage Display |
Ryan Mackey | Predictive Accuracy of Rightward Extrapolation of the Left Ventricular End-Diastolic Pressure-Volume Relationship in Healthy Swine |
Bailey Majtyka | Teaching and Applying Motivational Interviewing Strategies Within a Primary Care Setting in Caring for Patients With Opioid Use Disorder |
Megan Malueg | Global Congenital Anomalies of the Central Nervous System: A Systematic Review of Literature |
Colin Marchincin | The Effect of Central Corneal Thickness and Corneal Hysteresis on Intraocular Pressure Measurements Using Various Devices |
Moriah Martindale | Race, Gender, Healthcare, and Research Perceptions Among Orthopaedic Patients: A Qualitative Study |
Daniel Maywalt | Improving COVID-19 Disease Severity Surveillance Measures: The Case for Implementing Accessible Screening to Protect High-Risk Populations |
James McKinnon, Sydney Pigott, Jenna Lutfy, and Bryan Velez | Mass Casualty Simulation: Assessment of the Performance of Anesthesia Residents in a Mass Casualty Scenario After Receiving Prior Didactic Training in Hospital Trauma and Triage Care |
Chloe McQuestion | The Validity of Frailty Scoring in Preoperative Risk Assessment for Patients in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit |
Jacob Mogerman | Risk of Infection Following Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty After Failed Rotator Cuff Repair: A Retrospective Review |
Kyle Mueller | Cyclosporine Immunosuppression Enhances Only Early Tumor Growth During Chronic UV Exposure in a Mouse Model of Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma |
Nitya Murali | Dose Response Study of Extracellular Vesicles on Adult Cardiomyocyte Apoptosis |
Mehr Nasir-Moin | Machine Learning-Based Identification of Hair Follicles in Mouse Skin Using Reflectance Confocal Microscopy |
Sara Nieto | Egg Consumption During Pregnancy and Risk of Gestational Diabetes |
Dominic Occhino | Effects of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Treatment Resistant Depression on PHQ-9 and Cognivue Cognitive Assessment Scores |
Alexandra Pado | Early BBN-Induced Proliferation in Male and Female Mice Bladders and Associated TRP53 Mutations |
Teresa Pullano | Dialysis Staff Perceptions of Animated Video Education About Kidney Transplantation |
Alyssa Reese | Penile Replantation: A Review of Microsurgical Techniques, Patient Outcomes, and Potential Solutions to Complex Reconstructive Challenges |
Baltaj Sandhur | Comparison of Volk and Phelcom Hand-Held Portable Fundus Cameras for the Identification of Common Retinal Diseases |
Johann Schwarz | Role of Oxytocin Receptor in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Cancer Associated Fibroblasts |
Nuuh Sidali | Impact of Radiologists and Pathologists on Thoracic Multidisciplinary Cancer Conferences |
Shyon Small | Identifying Literature on Long-Term Clinical Outcomes After Shoulder Arthroplasty Using Uncemented Humeral Stems |
Anthony Snyder | Effect Of Ticketing Rates On Pediatric Motor Vehicle Crashes In New York State: A County-Based Analysis |
Joshua Sorrentino | Adipofascial Anterolateral Thigh Free Flap in Head and Neck Reconstruction — A Case Series |
Alexandra Spath | Radiation Safety Among Female Orthopaedic Surgeons: A Survey of Provider Knowledge and Practices |
Karen Stephenson | “I’m Not a Bad Mother.” Perceptions of Stigma Among Mothers With Substance Use Disorder in the Criminal Justice System |
Daniel Sullivan | Management and Outcomes of Patients with Ta Low Grade Urothelial Carcinoma of the Bladder with Focal High-Grade Features |
Umair Syed | Immediate Effects of Acoustic Blast Overpressure on Corneal Endothelial Cells |
Anna Szombathy | Characterization of the Molecular Genetic Mechanism of the CHRFAM7A Inverted Allele |
Zakwan Uddin | Acute Changes in Erythema and Edema in SKH1 Mice After UV Irradiation |
Maria Urbina Castillo | Unidos Por La Salud: A Pathway to Improving Latino Health in Buffalo |
Emily Vallee | Examination of Social Determinants of Health and Their Influence on Presentation and Outcomes Among Patients Undergoing Surgery for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis |
Alexandra Wadhwani | Pro-Fibrotic Gene Expression is Observed Throughout the Left Ventricle in a Porcine Model of Multi-Vessel Coronary Artery Disease |
Joseph Wahba | Expression and Function of Ketolytic Enzymes in Lung Cancer Cell Survival |
| Gretchen Weiss | Geometric Modeling of Rod and Cone Photoreceptor Arrangement in the Human Retina |
Jeremy Wells | Readability of Orthopedic Trauma Patient Educational Materials From Top Orthopedic Trauma Hospital Websites |
Tenzin Yongye | A Private Facebook Support Group for Kidney Transplant Patients at a Single Center: A Qualitative Analysis of Member Engagement |
Callista Zayatz | RE-AIM Evaluation of a Regional, School-Based Health Program |
Sam Zheng | Investigating the Effect of SOS Response Pathway on Biofilm Formation in Enterobacter Cloacae Niagara |