Congratulations to Meghana Gaini, 2018 Russell Cunningham Memorial Research Scholar, for placing third in the poster competition at the Future of Pediatric Practice 2019 Conference in Orlando, Florida over Labor Day weekend. Her poster presented research she completed with David Kimberlin, M.D., Pediatric Infectious Diseases, and was titled "Oseltamivir Post-Exposure Prophylaxis Dosing in Infants Under 1 year of Age Based on Drug Disease Modeling in Infants with Influenza Virus Infection."

Meghana worked with Myriam Peralta, M.D., Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, on her project titled "The Effects of Demographic Differences in the Use of Breast Milk and Complementary Foods on the Growth of Preterm Infants" during her summer internship as a Russell Cunningham Memorial Research Scholar in 2018. “The Russell Cunningham scholarship provided me with a wonderful opportunity to truly immerse myself in the world of developmental pediatrics with Dr. Myriam Peralta," said Meghana. "I believe that it is a blessing to be able to influence a child’s life, which in turn influences the adult they eventually become. Through my summer research experience, I gained confidence in interacting with children and their families. I had such a positive experience that I continued pediatric research in the department of pediatric infectious diseases with Dr. David Kimberlin during my research block in my third year of medical school. This scholarship is beneficial to any student, whether they have a current interest in pediatrics or not; it is an opportunity to gain valuable medical experience with a pediatric population prior to the beginning of your third year of medical school. I already have and will continue to encourage medical students to apply for this priceless experience.” She is a 2021 UASOM MD candidate.