by Joanna Zurko, PGY-2

The 33rd Annual Department of Medicine Trainee Research Symposium (TRS) was a huge success this year. The event, which took place on March 1, had a record high number of submissions this year with 108 abstracts submitted for review. All trainees of the Department of Medicine (Residents, Associate Fellows, Post-doctoral Scholars and Graduate Students) were eligible to submit an abstract describing their original basic, clinical, or population research.

Winners were awarded a travel stipend to be used toward presenting at a national conference approved by their mentors. In the Resident Category Lauren Shea, PGY-3, won first place this year for her research on predicting prognosis and clinical progression in CLL with mentor Randall Davis, MD. Joanna Zurko, PGY-2 came in second place for her research on palliative care consultation in critically ill patients with mentor Roozbeh Sharif.

Drs. Lauren Shea and Joanna Zurko present award-winning research posters at TRS 2017

The following were the first and second place finalists for the 2017 DOM TRS. Congratulations to all participants and winners!

Resident Category

First Place: Lauren Shea, Internal Medicine Residency
Mentor: Randall Davis
FCRL2 is a Superior Predictor of Favorable Prognosis and Clinical Progression in CLL

Second Place: Joanna Zurko, Internal Medicine residency
Mentor: Roozbeh Sharif
Timely Palliative Care Consultation Correlates with Decreased Health Care Utilization and Cost in Critically Ill Chronic Lung Disease Patients

Associate Fellow Category

First Place: Anand Iyer, Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care Division
Mentor: Karin Hoth
The Burden of Active and Untreated Psychological Distress in Smokers with and without COPD - A Cross Sectional Analysis of the COPDGene Cohort

Second Place: Abolfazi Zarjou, Nephrology Division
Mentor: Anupam Agarwal
Myeloid Specific H-ferritin Mediates Sepsis Induced Inflammation and Organ Injury

Postdoctoral Scholar Category

First Place: Bryan Becker, Nephrology
Mentor: David Pollock
Renal Nerves in Mediate Hypertension in Male ETB-deficient Rats but not Salt Sensitivity

Second Place: Ying Liu, Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Division
Mentor: Stuart Frank
Subdomain 2 (S2), Not the Transmembrane Domain (TMD), Determines the Dimerization Partner of Growth Hormone Receptor (GHR) and Prolactin

Graduate Student Category

First Place: Bindiya Patel, Cardiovascular Disease
Mentor: Sumath Prabhu
Macrophages Infiltrating Into the Heart Early After Pressure-Overload are Indispensable for the Transition to Chronic Heart Failure

Second Place (Tied): Kristin Olson, Infectious Diseases
Mentor: William Geisler
Beyond Behavior: Association between HAS-DQB1*06 and Chlamydia Reinfection in African-American Women

Second Place (Tied): Rebecca Duron, Infectious Diseases
Mentor: Michael Mugavero
Risk Factors for Poor Retention in HIV Care Using Clinic and Statewide Surveillance Data