‘Driven by personal motivation’

13 medical students awarded for their research contributions during annual ceremony

February 28, 2019 — The 2019 Celebration of Medical Student Research, held Tuesday afternoon in the George T. Harrell, M.D., Medical Education Building, recognized 13 UF medical students for their research posters, which they displayed for colleagues, faculty, friends and family.

The event highlighted the research conducted last summer by students in the Medical Student Research Program, part of the Discovery Pathways Program that prepares students for careers as clinician-scientists. Out of 88 posters presented by medical students during the UF-wide Research Poster Session held Feb. 19 in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, 13 were selected as award winners. Nine students received $100 semifinalist awards, three students received Lawrence M. Goodman Research Awards ranging from $300 to $500, and second-year medical student Emily Pregmon received the $1,000 Alpha Omega Alpha award for her poster, “In utero exposure to caffeine reduces DNA methylation levels in human mesenchymal stem cells.”

Pregmon said she’s passionate about her research, which challenges current assumptions that two cups of coffee a day are suitable for pregnant women. She says her lab’s work shows that the currently accepted amount might exceed a safe level of caffeine for pregnant mothers and their unborn babies.

“It’s exciting to see our work transformed into something so amazing as this poster and to bring this award back to our lab,” Pregmon said. “To have an opportunity to potentially change the care received by mothers and babies is a huge honor.”

Two people pose together for a photo with one of the people holding up a certificate award.

Second-year medical student Emily Pregmon and senior associate dean for educational affairs Joseph Fantone, M.D., pose at the Celebration of Medical Student Research and Award Recognition event. Photo by Jesse S. Jones

Gregory Schultz, Ph.D., course program director for the Discovery Pathways Program, addressed the students and congratulated them on their well-deserved awards.

“This helps students understand what goes into quality research, teaches them how to read and evaluate others’ research and makes them very competitive for residency programs, during which they will be required to conduct their own research,” Schultz said.

Senior associate dean for educational affairs Joseph Fantone, M.D., said the Discovery Pathways Program fuels quality student research because of the freedom students have to choose the focus of their work.

“We wanted to create an environment where students could find an aspect of health care they’re passionate about and explore that in greater depth,” he said. “Their projects are driven by personal motivation, and they can take this work forward throughout their residencies and careers.”

A group of six young adults are looking at poster presentations in a brightly lit indoor hallway. Two people in the foreground, a man and a woman, are closely examining a poster on the right, with the woman facing it and the man turned slightly toward her. Behind them, four others are dispersed, also viewing posters. The hallway has tiled floors and large windows.

Four people are engaged in conversation within a brightly lit indoor space with a neutral-toned tile floor and large windows. A woman in a red shirt and another in a patterned dress face a man in a blue and white checkered shirt and a man in a blue sweater vest and khaki pants. They are all looking at each other as if in dialogue. Other individuals are blurred in the background.

A man speaks at a podium while wearing a white coat. There is a wood panel background behind him.

Two women stand smiling and holding certificates in front of a wooden wall with text reading "even M. Scott, M.D. & Rebecca". A man with his back to the camera is taking a photograph of the women with a smartphone.

A woman with curly brown hair wearing a white button-down shirt and black pants is smiling while talking to a man with short black hair, a blue shirt, and a yellow tie. They are standing in a hallway with posters and people in the background.

A crowded convention hall with rows of research posters displayed on tables. Several people are gathered around the posters, viewing the presentations and engaging in conversation. Attendees are standing and looking at posters along the walls. A doorway and an exit sign are visible on the left.

Group portrait of fifteen people, some holding certificates, posing on stairs in a hospital lobby.

Below is a complete list of students who received awards at the 2019 Celebration of Medical Student Research:

Jayden Curry, semifinalist, “Radiotherapy for solitary plasmacytoma”

Gabriella Tom, semifinalist, “Hyperacusis in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain”

Jennifer Loso, semifinalist, “Prospective surveillance study of antimicrobial utilization in hospitalized children”

Navid Farahbakhsh, semifinalist, “Skin cancer awareness in solid organ transplant recipients: Patient survey study”

Miles Cameron, semifinalist, “A muscular index predicts treatment response and failure to initial treatment in stage IV pancreatic adenocarcinoma”

Matthew Kruchten, semifinalist, “Surgical revascularization in children with sickle cell disease and Moyamoya syndrome”

Travis Bryant, semifinalist, “Qualitative evaluation of pediatricians’ views on continuous board certification: Understanding the ABP diplomate’s perspectives and experiences for programmatic enhancement”

Patricia Sacks, semifinalist, “The effect of temozolomide on T cell function in GBM and implications for immunotherapeutic strategies”

Robert King, semifinalist, “Does the HEART score apply to patients with nontraditional risk factors?”

I-Chia “Daniel” Liu, 3rd place Lawrence M. Goodman Research Award, “Extracellular matrix stiffness mediates vascular smooth muscle cells calcification”

Dana Eyerly, 2nd place Lawrence M. Goodman Research Award, “Brains and sprains: The relationship between neurocognitive performance and musculoskeletal injury risk in high school athletes”

Ryan Lewis, 1st place Lawrence M. Goodman Research Award, “Knee ultrasonography to determine risk for non-contact injuries in collegiate American football players”

Emily Pregmon, Alpha Omega Alpha Award winner, “In utero exposure to caffeine reduces DNA methylation levels in human mesenchymal stem cells”