Research Day - Past Research Days

See posters and abstracts from previous Research Days.

14th Annual Research Day, PCOM South Georgia: May 7, 2025

Keynote Speaker: Alex Ophir, PhD, Cornell University

Awards:

Best in Show: "AI in Early Detection of Gastrointestinal Cancers: Evaluating Harvard’s CHIEF Model and Machine Learning Innovations" (Saron H. Araya, Endalkachew B Melese, Simran Joshi, Saman Javid, Muhammad Jalal Shah)

Best Clinical Case Study: "A Case Report: Uterine Artery Embolization for Treatment of Uterine Fibroids" (Collin R. Morris, Darya J. Khani, Jamie Edwards)

Best Clinical Case Study (Runner Up): "Cryptococcus gatti Infection with Pulmonary and CNS Involvement in an Immunocompetent Patient" (Hima Chakka, Schilley Pierre Louis, Alex, Ragin, Christian J. Trujillo)

Best Original Research: "Challenges and Opportunities in Establishing a Student-Run Clinic in Rural Southwest Georgia" (Michael Abaskaron, Rajay Dockery, Jessica Mitchum)

Best Original Research (Runner Up): "Addressing the effects of stress on menstrual cycle regularity and symptoms: A review of contributing factors, racial disparities, and lifestyle interventions" (Nahimie Louissaint, Saron Araya, Embre Martin, Jennifer Mitchell)

Best Cadaver/Biomed Project: "Evaluation of chronic pyoderma gangrenosum, acne, and suppurative hidradenitis (PASH) syndrome and its effect on kidney function: A cadaveric study" (Sydnee N. Jackson, Marisela Benitez, Kayla E. Hasty, Patrice Sarrazin, Gerardo J. Tabares, Cailin Ingram, Rasheed Agboola, Shiv Dhiman)

Best Cadaver/Biomed Project (Runner Up): "Investigating the role of scoliosis in talocalcaneal joint osteoarthritis: a histologic and radiologic view" (Tyler Stanton, Valerie Yepez, Lily Dwyer, Melea Neely, D’andre Edwards, Mark Shearer, Samuel Jacobs, Huq Emranul)

14th Annual Research Day, PCOM: April 30, 2025

Keynote Speaker: Yana Kamberov, PhD, University of Pennsylvania
"How hair made the sweaty ape naked"

Awards:

David Miller, DO ’60 Endowed Memorial Research Day Best in Show Award: "Multi-Label Retinal Pathology Classification with Softmax Function Probability Distribution" (presented by Jason Fink)

David Miller, DO ’60 Endowed Memorial Research Day Award for Excellence in Research: "Examining changes in blood brain barrier integrity after early-life seizures in zebrafish" (presented by Alice Polunin)

David Miller, DO ’60 Endowed Memorial Research Day Award in Psychology: "Enhancing awareness: A brief educational intervention for clinicians on recognizing and managing common concussion symptoms" (presented by Belinda Newton)

David Miller, DO ’60 Endowed Memorial Research Day Masters in Biomedical Science Award: "Investigating The Role of Anti-NMDAR Antibodies in a Murine Model of Retinopathy of Prematurity" (presented by Sanjana Chekuri)

David Miller, DO ’60 Endowed Memorial Research Day Award in Alzheimer’s: "A curious case of Alzheimer's disease with mixed pathology and infectious involvement" (presented by Maria Renzi, Henry Barsh, and Justin Bettis)

Camille DiLullo Award for Excellence in Research: "The Role of Hoxa11 and Hoxd11 Expression Patterns in Determining Calcaneus Shape in Mice" (presented by Roberta Fisher)

CCDA Award for Research Excellence: "Investigating the role of Crk-CrkL genetic deletions on exercise capacity in mice" (presented by Melissa Vaaltyn)

Division of Research Staff Award: "Investigating the inflammasome and pyroptosis in SBMA" (presented by Gabrielle Davis)

Division of Research Award for Best Case Study: "Transient Neutrophilic Leukocytosis following Clozapine initiation: A Case Study" (presented by Riley Alvaro)

Division of Research Award for Exceptional Clinical Research: "Comparative Functional Outcomes for Ischemic Stroke Patients with and without COVID-19" (presented by Jacob Pascual)

Department of Psychology Excellence in Research Award: "Parent perceptions of culturally responsive school-wide positive behavior interventions and supports and students’ exclusionary discipline and academic outcomes" (presented by Nicole Akbari)

Department of Psychology Best Oral Presentation Award: "The relationship between toxic leadership behaviors on perceived stress, turnover intention, and gender among US Army National Guard and Reserve service members" (presented by Emily Canale)

Department of Psychology Best Visual Presentation Award: "Primary care physician perspectives on integrated behavioral health: Addressing mental health and substance use issues in rural Montana" (presented by Hannah Reiser)

14th Annual Research Day, PCOM Georgia: May 6, 2025

Keynote Speaker: Sean Xin, DO, Mercy Health

Awards:

Best in Show: "Spine-tingling 3D prints: bringing spinal tracts to life!" (Alexandra She, Nathan She, Robert McAfee, Donald Penney)

Best Clinical Case Study: "Benign, estrogen-producing testicular Leydig cell tumor: a case report of an incidental finding explaining a patient’s infertility" (Jaci Carithers, Kaitlyn Brown, Michael L. Waters)

Best Clinical Case Study (Runner Up): "Effect of Talocrural Joint Manipulation on pain sensitivity for Patients with Achilles Tendinopathy" (Matt Anani, Kennedy Keith, Dris Khang, Scott Lowe)

Best Clinical Case Study (Honorable Mention): "Breaking the stereotype: small cell lung cancer in a never-smoking patient" (Alexandra She, Edward Hamilton, Francis Jenney)

Best Original Research: "Modulation of Purkinje cell plasticity in the cerebellum using direct current stimulation: investigating the effects on long-term depression" (Rehan Sheikh, Emily Graves, Baria Rafiq, Huo Lu)

Best Original Research (Runner Up): "Investigating the Molecular Mechanisms of Heparan Sulfate Polymerization in the Treatment of Multiple Hereditary Exostoses" (Kavya Suryadevara, Xiaolin Dong, Ryan Weiss)

Best Original Research (Honorable Mention): "Preparation of Xanthohumol (XN)-incorporated sub-5 ultrafine iron oxide nanoparticles: Investigation of their effects on multiple myeloma cell growth" (Teralan Hobson-Matthews, Tu Dang, Joshua Pruner, Tiffanie Hoang, Yuancheng Li, Xinyu Wang)

Best Cadaver/Biomed Project: "Development and Characterization of Hydrogel Microneedle Patch" (Tatyanna S. Goodson, Yujin Kim)

Best Cadaver/Biomed Project (Runner Up): "Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome in a 76 year-old Cadaver" (Shervin Hovanloo, Abraham M. Venegas, Hayden Evans, Lyndsey Edelman, Kevin Wang, DC Peterson)

Best Cadaver/Biomed Project (Honorable Mention): "Case study of bone-anchored hearing aid" (Victoria Pfennig, Zoë M. Rushetsky, Caleb M. Findley, Diana C. Peterson)

13th Annual Research Day, PCOM South Georgia: May 8, 2024

Awards:

Best in Show: "Assessment of bacterial diversity in South Georgia water sources using bacterial isolation and MALDI TOF-based identification" (presented by Andrew Metry)

Best Clinical Case Study: "Rare Variation of Hepatic Blood Supply: A Case Study" (presented by Himanshu Rambhai)

Best Original Research: "Comparing the capacity of 3 mathematical models to forecast tumor volume dynamics and predict individual head and neck cancer patient responses to radiotherapy" (presented by Talha Syed)

Best Cadaver/ Biomed Project: "Investigating LVAD thrombosis in cadaveric heart model" (presented by Bryan Hernandez)

13th Annual Research Day, PCOM: May 1, 2024

Awards

David Miller, DO ’60 Endowed Memorial Research Day Best in Show Award: “Improving IOL Calculators’ Total Corneal Astigmatism Predictions with Deep Learning” (presented by Jason Fink)

David Miller, DO ’60 Endowed Memorial Research Day Award for Excellence in Research: "Enhancing Intracellular Delivery of Protein Kinase C Beta II via N-Terminus Conjugation of Myristic Acid-Trans-Activator of Transcription to Attenuate Superoxide Release in Rat Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes" (presented by Alexandra Barrera)

David Miller, DO ’60 Endowed Memorial Research Day Award in Psychology: "The relationship between maternal stress, disordered eating, depressive symptoms, and infertility in women throughout the postpartum period" (presented by Christina Shoshilos)

David Miller, DO ’60 Endowed Memorial Research Day Masters in Biomedical Science Award: "The role of PPARs during Coxiella burnetii infection" (presented by Kaitlin O’Boyle)

David Miller, DO ’60 Endowed Memorial Research Day Award in Alzheimer’s: "Does interplay among dementia severity, activities of daily living, and depression in older adults vary by social frailty and dementia subtype?" (presented by Melanie Ventura)

Camille DiLullo Award for Excellence in Research: "Intravitreal injection of Noggin slows retinal degeneration in a mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa" (presented by Xiangliang Sui)

CCDA Award for Research Excellence: "Inhibiting MMP-9 activation prevents increased seizure susceptibility after early-life seizures in larval zebrafish" (presented by Christopher Stegmuller)

Division of Research Staff Award: "Inhibition of CD38 recovers NAD+ and corrects metabolic dysregulation in skeletal muscle of mice modeling SBMA" (presented by Gabrielle Davis)

Division of Research Award for Exceptional Clinical Research: "Evaluation of Transitional Zone Lesions on Multiparametric MRI and MRI-targeted Biopsy in Detecting Clinically Significant Prostate Cancer in the Community Setting: A Retrospective Study" (presented by Danielle Terrenzio)

Department of Psychology Excellence in Research Award: "Examining the psychosocial impact of having an adolescent sibling with a cancer diagnosis" (presented by Jordan Barczak)

Department of Psychology Best Oral Presentation Award: "“Music to move you: comparing music genre’s effect on athletic performance in a practice setting" (presented by Devin DeTurk)

Department of Psychology Best Visual Presentation Award: "(In)Animate: Exploring the relationship between obsessive-compulsive disorder, perceived thought control, and anthropomorphism" (presented by Kaitlyn O’Neill)

13th Annual Research Day, PCOM Georgia: May 7, 2024

Best in Show: "Effects of Second-Generation Calcineurin Inhibitor, Voclosporin, on Calcineurin Isoform Activity and Nephrotoxicity in Comparison to Cyclosporine and Tacrolimus" (presented by Tu Dang)

Best Clinical Case Study: "Did the Introduction of the Chickenpox Vaccine Contribute to an Increased Incidence of Shingles Cases in Younger Demographics? A Case Series" (presented by Jack H. Lansdowne)

Best Original Research: "Mechanistic Insights into Xanthohumol-Induced Apoptosis and Cytokine Modulation in Multiple Myeloma with a Focus on Nanoparticle Targeting Strategies" (presented by Joshua Pruner)

Best Cadaver/ Biomed Project: "Quantitative Analysis of Cadaveric Cervical Lymph nodes and the Relationship with Cervical Carcinoma Treatments" (presented by Samuel Ighodaro)

12th Annual Research Day, PCOM Georgia: May 9, 2023

Awards:

Award for Best Visual Presentation: "Widespread cutaneous metastasis of oropharyngeal cancer" (Drew Fidler)

Award for Best Oral Presentation: "Single cannabidiol administration affects anxiety, obsessive compulsive, object memory, and attention-like behaviors in mice in a sex and concentration dependent manner" (Brigitte Cochran)

Award for Excellence in Research: "Prevalence of Bacterial Vaginosis By Demographics and Its Connection to Fertility Issues" (Itza Garcia)

Award for Best in Show: "A combined radio-immunotherapy regimen eradicates late-stage melanoma in mice" (Sritha Moram)

12th Annual Research Day, PCOM: May 3, 2023

Awards:

David Miller, DO ‘60 Endowed Memorial Research Day Best in Show Award: "Role of lipid droplets and prostaglandinE2 in Coxiella burnetii intracellular growth" (Yasmina Sultan, Courtney Wilson)

David Miller, DO ‘60 Endowed Memorial Research Day Award for Excellence in Research: "Insights into Corneal Transplant Fibrosis: Investigating the Role of Myo/Nog Cells in Wound Healing" (Kathryn Mitchell)

David Miller, DO ‘60 Endowed Memorial Research Day Award in Psychology: "Pediatric anxiety disorders: Therapy process predictors of response to CBT" (Samantha Baker)

David Miller, DO ‘60 Endowed Memorial Research Day Masters in Biomedical Science Award: "Comparison of Ihh and its receptor Patched in the growth plate forming and non-forming ends of the mouse metatarsal" (Sherrie Wallace)

David Miller, DO ‘60 Endowed Memorial Research Day Award in Alzheimer’s: "Evaluation of the olfactory neuro-epithelium and limbic system from cadaveric Alzheimer’s disease and non-Alzheimer’s disease brains for evidence of pathology and Chlamydia pneumoniae infection" (Matthew Connolly)

Camille DiLullo Award: "Evaluating CD38 activity in spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy" (Everett Ziegenfuss)

CCDA Award for Research Excellence: "Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy and Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy in Patients with Early Onset Pancreatic Cancer: Outcomes and Toxicity" (Shuchi Sehgal)

Division of Research Staff Award: "CD38 inhibition increases NAD in quadriceps of mice modeling SBMA" (Elyse Nissley)

Division of Research Award for Exceptional Case Reports: "Vaccine induced annular atrophic lichen planus" (Curtis Perz)

Department of Psychology Best Research: "The effects of euphemized language on the identity development of individuals who have experienced sexual violence and the benefit of resiliency factors" (Keena Stewart)

Department of Psychology Best Oral Presentation: "Sexual Education and Behavior of Adolescents: A Retrospective Study" (Rachel Albanese)

12th Annual Research Day, PCOM Georgia: May 11, 2023

Awards:

Award for Best Visual Presentation: "Amygdala projections to auditory cortex: Retrograde tracing study" (Ji H. Choi)

Award for Best Oral Presentation: "Pustular psoriasis and the potential therapeutic usage of an IL-36 receptor monoclonal antibody" (Jeannel T. Miclat)

Award for Excellence in Research: "Evaluating the effects of novel calcineurin inhibitor Voclosporin on calcineurin isoform activity and nephrotoxicity in comparison to cyclosporine and tacrolimus" (Tu Dang)

Award for Best in Show: "Evaluation of using 3D Printing to design and build OMM Spinal Models for teaching and education" (John Matechak, Madison Cohen, & Meagan Sherrington)

11th Annual Research Day, PCOM South Georgia: May 4, 2022

Awards:

Best Overall Research Project: "Concurrent malignant and benign nephrosclerosis in an elderly cadaver with previously diagnosed cerebral atherosclerosis" (Destiny Sciuva, Jake Winchester, Emon Alavi, Sritha Moram, Dhruvi Patel, Alexander Cohen, Shiv Dhiman, and Savita Arya)

D.O. Student Research Award: "Concurrent malignant and benign nephrosclerosis in an elderly cadaver with previously diagnosed cerebral atherosclerosis" (Destiny Sciuva, Jake Winchester, Emon Alavi, Sritha Moram, Dhruvi Patel, Alexander Cohen, Shiv Dhiman, and Savita Arya)

Biomedical Sciences Student Research Award: "Synthesis and characterization of novel reformulated bioactive paclitaxel complexes and considerations for administration via inhalation method for targeted lung cancer treatment" (Teighlor Livingston)

11th Annual Research Day, PCOM : May 11, 2022

Awards:

David Miller, DO ‘60 Memorial Research Day Best in Show Award: "Novel Mediators of Reelin Signaling in Human Vascular Endothelial Cells" (Beryl Khakina, Ellen Scott, Cameron Jeffers, and Cathy A. Hatcher)

David Miller, DO ‘60 Memorial Research Day Award for Excellence in Research: "Normalization of a Murine Model of Retinopathy of Prematurity by Myo/Nog Cell Supplementation" (Grace Wilgucki, Christopher Sutera, Edgar Weyback, Mark Martin, E-Jine Tsai, Rushil Brahmbhatt, Sarah Adams, Paul Lecker, Jake Bernstein, Karanveer Johal, John Spikes, Grzegorz Gorski, Jacquelyn Gerhart, Nancy Philp, Mindy George-Weinstein, and Arturo Bravo-Nuevo)

David Miller, DO ‘60 Memorial Research Day Award in Psychology: "Exploring the relationship between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and sluggish cognitive tempo" (Anna Podrasky, Bradley Rosenfield, Robert DiTomasso, and J. Russell Ramsay)

David Miller, DO ‘60 Memorial Research Day Masters in Biomedical Science Award: "Infarct-sparing effects of naltrindole and analogues through inhibition of myocardial hypercontracture during ischemia/reperfusion injury" (Desmond Boakye Tanoh, Logan Clair, Thomas Taylor, Sunit Singh, Cameron Stinson, Arjun Nair, Devani Johnson, Kayla Harrell, Annam Humayun, Tameka Dean, Qian Chen, Robert J. Barsotti, and Lindon H. Young)

David Miller, DO ‘60 Memorial Research Day Award in Alzheimer’s: "Analysis of learning and memory and AD-like pathology in balb/c mice following intranasal infection with chlamydia pneumonia" ( Begum Slayyeh, Joseph Infanti, Sarah Blizard, Megan Ukers, Eric Boxer, Craig Strohmeier, Jessica Kendorski, Denah M. Appelt, and Brian J. Balin)

CCDA Excellence in Research Award: "Investigating the role of Myo/Nog Cells in proliferative vitreoretinopathy" (Mara Crispin, Jacquelyn Gerhart, Alison Heffer, Mark Martin, Fathma Abdalla, Ajay Kuriyan, and Mindy George-Weinstein)

Camille DiLullo Award: "The effects of ascorbic acid and sodium ascorbate on doxorubicin-induced H9c2 cell damage" (Sasha Ghofrani, Kelly Annie Mercado, Nelma Malik, Kimberly Dawes, Robert Barsotti, Lindon Young, and Qian Chen)

Division of Research Staff Award: "Role of lipid droplets and prostaglandinE2 in Coxiella burnetii intracellular growth" (Maria Biancaniello, Steven Wooten, and Minal Mulye)

Excellence in Research in Psychology Award: "The relationship between impulsivity, avoidance, and overly positive maladaptive thinking in adults with ADHD" (Morgan Hagner, Bradley M. Rosenfield, Robert A. DiTomasso, and J. Russell Ramsay)

Best Oral Presentation in Psychology Award: "Racial differences in the perception of chaos and executive functioning among veterans" (Emmy Valazquez and Beverly White)

Best Visual Presentation in Psychology Award: "Postpartum depression symptoms and the mediating relationship of cognitive distortions and relationship satisfaction" (Kylie Hastings, Barbara Gordon, and Robert DiTomasso)

11th Annual Research Day, PCOM Georgia: May 3, 2022

Awards:

Best Overall Research Project: "The use of ruthenium substituted NGR-tagged rubredoxin for targeted cancer therapeutic drug delivery" (Alexa Cornwell and Francis Jenney)

D.O. Student Research Award: "Isolation and Recording of Thalamic Neuronal Activity from Ventral Medial and Ventral Lateral Thalamic Nuclei in Rat" (Michael Bien, Halley Fowler, Jessica Hiscox, Anum Ul-Haque, and Huo Lu)

Excellence in Pharmaceutical Sciences Research: "High Throughput Screening of 26 Anthraquinone Derivatives against SARS-CoV-2 Enzymes" (Krishna Chavada, Devin Lewis, Anasha Kawall, Avini Sharma, Srujana Rayalam, Shashidharamurthy Taval, and Vicky Mody)

Excellence in Physical Therapy Research Award: "The association between waist to height ratio and cardiopulmonary disease" (Mierra Robinson, Yuhyun Kang, Julia Eisman, Vikas Damineni, Hamad Hassan, Bebe Eke, Fei Gao, Maryam Vessalpour, Samuel Ighodaro, and Shelley DiCecco)

Biomedical Sciences Student Research Award: "The use of ruthenium substituted NGR-tagged rubredoxin for targeted cancer therapeutic drug delivery" (Alexa Cornwell and Francis Jenney)

10th Annual Research Week: May 10-13, 2021

Awards:

David Miller, DO ’60 Endowed Memorial Research Day Best in Show Award: "Pretreatment with naltrindole exhibits robust cardioprotection in an isolated rat heart model of ischemia-reperfusion injury" (Alexis Verwoert, Arjun Nair, Michael Bamimore, Tameka Dean, Sunit Singh, Melinda Beale, Kayla Harrell, Cameron Stinson, Qian Chen, Robert Barsotti, and Lindon Young)

David Miller, DO ’60 Endowed Memorial Research Day Award for Excellence in Research: "The effects of in vitro seizure-like activity on actin capping in dendritic spines" (Cassidy Nieder, Peter Rovito, Alfonsina Ramon, and Jocelyn Lippman-Bell)

David Miller, DO ’60 Endowed Memorial Research Day Masters in Biomedical Science Award: "Extracellular Matrix Protection Factor 1 (ECPF-1), a Novel Osteoarthritis Therapeutic Demonstrates Chondroprotective Properties in a Rat Model of Osteoarthritis; a Microcomputed Tomography and Histological Analysis" (Amy Bhatt, Brian Heist, Joseph Musiol, Jamil Shariff, Jazmine Loman, Paige Black, Frederick J. Lombard, Ellen Cho, Sarah Chmielewski, Tiffany C. Holmes, Belinda Beqo, Jeremiah Kinsey, Patrisia Mattioli, Lyudamila Lukashova, Abdulhafez A. Selim, and Marina D'Angelo)

David Miller, DO ’60 Endowed Memorial Research Day Award in Psychology "The association between trauma history and body image, depression, posttraumatic stress, and relationship satisfaction in postpartum women" (Kristen Hawk-Purcell and Michelle Lent)

David Miller, DO ’60 Endowed Memorial Research Day Award in Neurodegenerative Disease: "Investigating the activity of the NAD+ -dependent deacetylase, SIRT3, as a potential therapeutic intervention for spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy" (David Garcia-Castro, Joe Mazuk, Erin Heine, Dan Simpson, Dylan Mathis, Kathryn Hoffman, Tyler Farmer, Phillip Morrin, Diane Merry, Maria Pennuto, Qiang Tong, Christiana Mezes, and Heather L. Montie)

Division of Research Award for Excellence in Research — GA Campus: "Preparation of caffeic acid phenethyl ester-incorporated nanoparticles and their inhibitory effects on multiple myeloma cell growth" (Barkley Smith, Yuancheng Li, Travis Fields, Michael Tucker, Hui Mao, and Xinyu Wang)

Division of Research Award for Excellence in Research — SGA Campus: "Development of humanized mouse model for organ transplantation" (Daniel D. Horuzsko, Ashwin Ajith, Laura L. Mulloy, A. Musa, Valia Bravo-Egana, Imran Gani, and Anatolij Horuzsko)

Psychology Department Award for Excellence in Proposed Research: "Inventory of Cognitive Distortions-Youth Version: The development and validation of a psychometric test for the measurement of cognitive distortions" (Kelsey L. Jones, Robert A. DiTomasso, Susan M. Panichelli Mindel, and Michael B. Roberts)

CCDA Staff Award: "Ensuring internet access during a pandemic: Piloting a wifi hotspot lending program" (PJ Grier, Matt McNelis, Erica Rosalle, Jackie Werner, and Barbara Wood)

Camille Dillulo Award for Excellence in Research: "De novo SOX6 variants cause a neurodevelopmental syndrome associated with ADHD, craniosynostosis, and osteochondromas" (Dara Tolchin, Jessica P. Yeager, Abdul Haseeb, Marco Angelozzi, Véronique Lefebvre, and Cédric Le Caignec)

CCDA Resident Award: "Predictive factors and outcomes in patients with severe postoperative anemia following total joint arthroplasty" (Hunter M. Hayes, Yash P. Chaudhry, Sandesh S. Rao, Gregory Toci, Kevin L. Mekkawy, Julius K. Oni, Robert S. Sterling, and Harpal S. Khanuja)

Physical Therapy Department Award for Excellence in Research: "A case of multiple simultaneous brachial plexus anomalies in one specimen" (Shanni W. He, Connor A. O’Neill, and Philip A. Fabrizio)

Pharmacy Department Award for Excellence in Research: "Anti-myeloma effect of xanthohumol on multiple myeloma cells" (Michael Tucker, Erica Wong, Srujana Rayalam, and Xinyu (Eric) Wang)

9th Annual Research Day, Georgia Campus: May 14, 2019

Keynote Speaker: Periasamy Selvaraj, PhD, Professor, Department of Pathology, Emory University School of Medicine
"Immuno-Oncology: The Past, the Present and the Future"

Award Winners:

Excellence in Research - Biomedical Sciences

• First place: Daniel Horuzsko, "Allicin reverses diabetes-induced dysfunction of human coronary artery endothelial cells"
• Second place: Christine Okaro, "Increased autophagy and liver regeneration protects LCN2 KO mice from APAP-induced acute liver failure"
• Honorable mention: Alina Farah, "Studies examining the potential of ruthenium-substituted, NGR-tagged rubredoxin to act as a cancer therapeutic drug"

Excellence in Research - Pharmaceutical Sciences

• First place: My Hahn Duong, "Impact of pharmacist-driven management of direct oral anticoagulants: A preliminary observational study"
• Second place: Adrian Gavre, "Grapefruit flavanoid naringenin: A promising therapeutic agent for obesity"
• Honorable mention: Lucy Yang, "Student pharmacists self-perceived confidence in communication skills with healthcare practitioners before and after a seminar course"

Excellence in Research - Osteopathic Medicine

• First place: Samir Sarda, "The Atlanta Interprofessional Student Hotspotting Program: Service-oriented education and community-centered accountable care for high utilization patients"
• Second place: Hyeon Jeong Park, "Melatonin for sleep? Examining the effect of melatonin on inflammation, neurodevelopment, and oxidative stress"
• Honorable mention: Timothy Cofer, "What is the response of Cerebellar Purkinje cells and the Cerebral Cortex to tACS stimulation in-vivo?"

Excellence in Research - Physical Therapy and Physician Assistant

• First place: Rodney Carter, "Variation of the lateral ligaments of the knee: A case study"
• Honorable mention: Jocilyn Yarnell, "Unreported anatomic variation of the iliocapsularis muscle: A case report"

Excellence in Research - Residents/Fellows

• First place: Irandokht Khaki Najafabadi, "Medication use evaluation of intravenous acetaminophen in surgical patients"
• Second place: Travis Fields, "Chronic inflammation associated with obesity exacerbates bone loss in mice"
• Honorable mention: Haris Hatic, "Thyrotoxicosis in molar pregnancy"

Fisher Scientific - Excellence in Research

• Haris Hatic, "Thyrotoxicosis in molar pregnancy"

9th Annual Research Day, Philadelphia Campus: May 8, 2019

Keynote Speaker: Bela Peethambaran, PhD, Professor, University of the Sciences

"Rx7: A Novel ROR1-inhibitor Represses Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cell Survival and Migration"

Award Winners:

The David Miller, DO '60 Memorial Research Day Best in Show Award: Dillon McCourt, "Covalent tethering of beta-amyloid onto titanium reduces bacterial colonization"

The David Miller, DO '60 Memorial Research Day Award in Psychology: Nicole Fleischer, "Understanding the Comorbidity of Asthma and Anxiety in Childhood: Characteristics, Vulnerabilities, and Treatment Implications"

The David Miller, DO '60 Memorial Research Day Award in Alzheimer's: Sidra Haque, "Chlamydia pneumoniae and Herpes simplex virus type 1 co-infection of human astrocytes alters host cell transcription of β-APP cleaving enzyme-1 (BACE1) and neprilysin, enzymes implicated in Alzheimer disease"

The David Miller, DO '60 Memorial Research Day Masters in Biomedical Science Award: Whitney Otto, "Effects of nutrition and behavioral intervention on adults seeking healthier lifestyles"

The David Miller, DO '60 Memorial Research Day Award for Excellence in Research: Ryan Moncman, "Epithelioid Glioblastoma Presenting as Aphasia in a Young Adult with Ovarian Cancer "

Camille DiLullo, PhD Memorial Award for Excellence in DO Research: John Spikes II and Karanveer Johal, "Investigating the Role of Myo/Nog Cells in the Animal Model of Glaucoma"

Excellence in Staff Research Award: Ellen Scott, "Reelin Signaling in Vascular Endothelial Cell Biology"

Excellence in Biomedical Science Capstone Research Award: Molly Martin, "Analysis of the Gut-Brain Axis in Aging: Implications in Alzheimer Disease"

8th Annual Research Day, Georgia Campus: May 15, 2018

Keynote Speaker: Omer Kucuk, MD, FACN, Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
"Botanicals in Integrative Cancer Medicine and Health"

Award Winners:

Excellence in Research - Biomedical Sciences

• First place: Anna Abbott, "Generation of a sandwich based 3D hydrogel to support human mammary fibroblast viability and proliferation"
• Second place: Merideth Hawkins,"Novel anti-obesity effects of human milk oligosaccharide Lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT)"
• Honorable mention: Syara Slaughter, "Utilization of semi-solid agar inoculation in microbial co-culture yields a bacteria with antibiotic properties against MRSA"

Excellence in Research - Pharmaceutical Sciences

• First place:Sirena Hu, "Using educational board games adjunct to traditional lectures for pharmacy students in learning infectious disease"
• Second place: Jonathan Park, "Inhibitory effect of resveratrol and its derivative pinostilbene on multiple myeloma cell growth"
• Honorable mention: Irandokht Najafabadi, "Preceptor's grading scale preference for student pharmacy practice experiences and assessment of the common grading scale along U.S. Schools of Pharmacy"

Excellence in Research - DO Program

• First place: Reshma Patel, "Examining addiction treatment facilities: An observational study from the perspective of medical students"
• Second place: Loc Lam, "Does the firing rate of Purkinje cell change under direct current stimulation?"
• Honorable mention: Tawsif Nadir, "Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease using anti-biofouling magnetic nanomaterials"
• Honorable mention: Hafex Golzarian, "Development of novel mitochondrially targeted electrophiles (MTE) as potential anti-metastatic drugs in ER/PR-negative breast cancer cells"

Excellence in Research - Residents/Fellows

• First place: Rashed Alfarra, "Severe drug induced cholestasis 5 weeks after anabolic steroids exposure"
• Honorable mention: Haris Hatic, "Folate Deficiency in May-Thurner Syndrome"
• Honorable mention: Cynthia Francis, "The role of renal epithelial cell crosstalk in the regulation of cyclosporine A-induced MMP-9 production in calcineurin isoform-specific renal fibroblasts"

Fisher Scientific - Excellence in Research

• Hyeon Jeong Park, "Is “BPA-free” really safe? - A comparison of the effects of bisphenol-A and its analog bisphenol-S on the production of biomarkers of inflammation, neurodevelopment and oxidative Stress"

8th Annual Research Day, Philadelphia Campus: May 9, 2018

Keynote Speaker: 

Dr. Maggie Wallon, Lankenau Institute for Medical Research

"Moonlighting TIMP-4 – a Modifier of Tumor Behavior and Therapeutic Efficacy"

Award Winners:

The David Miller, DO '60 Memorial Research Day Best in Show Award

• Dillon McCourt, "Assay for Personalized Prediction of Chemotherapy-induced Nausea and Vomiting"

​The David Miller, DO '60 Memorial Research Day Award in Psychology

• Rachel Allen, "Pediatric Medical and Mental Health Conditions and Teacher Self-Efficacy: A Regression Analysis"

​The David Miller, DO '60 Memorial Research Day Award in Alzheimer's

• Aghilas Belkadi, "Neurobehavior in Humans and Its Role in Alzheimer's Disease"

​The David Miller, DO '60 Memorial Research Day Masters in Biomedical Science Award

• Anahi McIntyre, "Comparing the Efficacy of Pharmacological Preconditioning with Myristic Acid-Conjugated, TAT- Conjugated and Native Protein Kinase C Epsilon Peptide Activator in Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion (MI/R) Models"

​The David Miller, DO '60 Memorial Research Day Award for Excellence in Research

• Zein Al-Atrache, "Chlamydia pneumoniae Infection of Astrocytes Favors the Pro-Amyloidgenic Pathway of Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) Processing in Alzheimer Disease"

DO Research Award

• Michael Bamimore, "Cardio-Protective Effects by a Novel Opioid Peptide in Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury"

Excellence in Resident Research Award

• Jillian Ploof, "Liposclerosing Myxofibrous Tumor of the Cranial Vault"

Excellence in Research Staff Poster

• Sarah Blizard, "AAV9-Driven Neuron-Specific Transgene Expression: A Tool to Study the Role of Imp2 in Axon Regeneration"

Young Investigators Library Award (Aspira & Esperanza Charter School Students)

• First place: Inya Wyche, "Diabetes"
• Second place: Frantzia Jean, "Coronary Heart Disease"
• Third place: Danisha Robledo, "Dementia"

2017 Research Day, Philadelphia Campus

Keynote Speaker: Gabrielle Wanamaker, ICW Consulting 
“Emotional Intelligence as a Critical Competency For Your Clinical Practice"

Award Winners: 

The David Miller, DO '60 Memorial Endowed Research Day Awards

• Excellence in Research - Best in Show: Mihoko Tantabe, “Family Planning in Refugee Settings: Findings from a Multi-Country Study.”
• Excellence in Research - Psychology: Noah Sideman, “Task fMRI and Functional Connectivity Show Concordant Memory Laterality in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.”
• Excellence in Research - Masters in Biomedical Sciences: Anahi McIntyre, “Protein Kinase C Epsilon Peptide Inhibitor Exerts Cardioprotective Effects in Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury.”
• Excellence in Alzheimer's Disease Research: Vanessa Valdivia, “Evaluation of Smell and miRNA Biomarkers in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD).”

The Camille DiLullo, PhD, Excellence in Research Awards

• DO award: Morgan McCoy, “Assessment of Clinicians’ Knowledge and Screening Practices of Stimulant Misuse in Adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.”
• Resident award: Mark Ishak, DO, “Minimally Invasive In Vivo Real-time Identification of Human Astrocytoma with Sulforhodamine 101.”
• Staff award: Danielle Exler, “Determining Whether Seizures During Early Development Lead to Long-term Behavioral Deficits in Zebrafish.”

PCOM Library Young Investigators Award

• Alixandria Colon, Omayris Ramos and Tracy Wong, of Olney Charter High School in Philadelphia, “Understanding Cervical and Breast Cancer.”