Written by: David Kloda

20 UAB medical students participated in 2021 summer research experiences under the mentorship of UAB Department of Surgery faculty.

Recently, these students presented their research results at the Dale J. Benos Medical Student Research Day on Sept. 13-14. Surgery mentees Anna Crawford and Collin Darwish placed first and second, respectively, for their virtual oral presentations.

In the poster presentation session, surgery mentees Harrison Smith and Andrew Bonner placed first and third, respectively, in public health. In the surgery and anesthesiology category, Sean Drummond and Paxton Peacockboth placed second and Meghna Katta placed third. Mentee Max Oscherwitz placed first in the other- immunology/hematology category.

Below is a complete listing of projects mentored by surgery faculty. The following students were funded by the NIH-funded “Short-Term Research Experiences Advancing Medical Students” (T35DK116670):

• Andrew Bonner, mentored by Herbert Chen, M.D., FACS
  • “Outcomes and Disparities Regarding the Treatment of Thyroid Malignancies in Diverse Populations”
• Anna Crawford, mentored by Jillian Richter, PhD
  • “The Relationship of Endotheliopathy and Acute Kidney Injury in Blunt versus Penetrating Trauma”
• Collin Darwish, mentored by Danielle Sutzko, M.D., M.S.
  • “Examining Social Vulnerability in Patients with Chronic Limb Threatening Ischemia and End Stage Renal Disease”
• Meghna Katta, mentored by Daniel Chu, M.D.
  • “Use of Telemedicine to Reduce Surgical Disparities in Vulnerable Populations”
• Max Oscherwitz, mentored by David Cooper, M.D.
  • “TKO Pig Heart Transplantation's Role in Treating Infants with Congenital Heart Disease”
• Harrison Smith, mentored by Daniel Chu, M.D.
  • “Identifying Socioecological Determinants Relevant to Colorectal Surgery Outcomes in the African American Patient Population”

Additional projects included:

• Sean Drummond, mentored by Prasanth Patcha, M.D., MEng
  • “A Retrospective Study into the Algorithm for Screening Patients for Thrombophilia prior to Microsurgery”
• Paxton Peacock, mentored by Rene’ Myers, M.D.
  • “Evaluating Prophylactic Flaps for ECMO Related Vascular Complications, a Retrospective Review”

The Dale J. Benos Medical Student Research Day celebrates the research accomplishments of medical students and provides them with the opportunity to present their projects to fellow students and faculty.