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Graduate students, professionals, and postdoctoral fellows presented their work during Student Research Day at the Little Rock and Northwest Regional campuses.
Image by Bryan Clifton
Student Research Day Celebrates UAMS’ Next Generation
| Aspiring researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) presented their work to faculty and peers at Student Research Day on the main campus in Little Rock on April 17.
The UAMS Northwest Regional Campus in Fayetteville hosted a concurrent Student Research Day at Washington Regional Medical Center.
The event, originally scheduled for February but postponed due to inclement weather, consisted of research project poster sessions and the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition at both locations, with awards in various categories. More than 290 posters were submitted, with all five colleges and the graduate school represented between the two participating campuses.
UAMS Northwest Regional Campus vice chancellor Ryan Cork, MHSA, and UAMS vice chancellor for Research and Innovation Dan Voth, Ph.D., at Student Research Day on the Northwest Campus.Image by David Wise
Typically, the Robert E. McGehee Jr., Ph.D., Distinguished Lectureship in Biomedical Research coincides with Student Research Day. However, Daniel Drucker, M.D., was unavailable for the rescheduled date. But Graduate School Dean Sean Taverna, Ph.D., said there are plans to bring Drucker to UAMS later.
“We were bumped in February,” said McGehee, a distinguished professor in the College of Medicine Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology and dean emeritus of the Graduate School. “Who in their wildest imagination would think that if we invited a speaker from Toronto that he couldn’t come due to weather in Little Rock?
“This is truly Plan B,” he continued. “Looking at the number of students who were able to make it to show their posters is remarkable.”
Robert E. McGehee, Jr., Ph.D., presided over the 3MT Finals.Image by Nathan Tidwell
“Student Research Day is an annual highlight across our dynamic UAMS research community,” said Taverna, who presented the awards. “It is a wonderful mechanism for our students and early-career researchers to promote the important work they are doing here and receive constructive input and recognition from faculty and peers alike.”
Daniel Voth, Ph.D., vice chancellor for Research and Innovation, also stressed the event’s importance.
“Student Research Day showcases the very heart of our research programs at UAMS. Our trainees drive our research and use these experiences to forge their own scientific careers. I can’t imagine a better way to celebrate the many research accomplishments of UAMS.”
This was the third year for Student Research Day at the Northwest Regional Campus, which consisted of two grand rounds sessions, poster presentations and a 3MT competition.
This was the third year Student Research Day was held at the UAMS Northwest campus.Image by David Wise
“Student Research Day showcased the depth and breadth of scholarly work happening across the UAMS Northwest Campus,” said Tina Maddox, Ph.D., the campus’ associate provost and associate director of interprofessional education. “This event continues to grow — in 2023 we had nine poster participants, 32 in 2024, and a record-high 46 this year. Events like these not only celebrate achievement — they help shape future professionals.”
“I had a wonderful time talking with the trainees about their projects,” said Voth, who attended the Fayetteville event. “They showed an incredible amount of cool research, and I can’t wait to visit again.”
Lokesh Akana of the Graduate School won the 3MT Finals on the Little Rock campus for his presentation, “Targeting SETD2 in Combination with Radiotherapy in Rectal Cancer.” Akana used a reference to the Lord Voldemort character in the “Harry Potter” series to explain how radiation fights cancer.
Robert E. McGehee, Jr., Ph.D., with 3MT first-place winner Lokesh Akana (right), and second and third-place finishers Nickolas Alsup and Taiquitha Robins.Image by Nathan Tidwell
“I enjoyed giving the presentation, because I could see people smiling when I talked about Harry Potter,” Akana said. “I was glad I was able to connect my research with something relatable.”
College of Medicine student Alex Maldonado-Lopez was the 3MT Finals and People’s Choice winner on the Northwest Regional Campus for his presentation, “Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) for Major Depressive Disorder: A Retrospective Analysis.”
The poster sessions in Little Rock were held on the first and second floors of the I. Dodd Wilson Education Building.
Karli Boatright of the College of Health Professions discussed her research on studies of the effects of vibration therapy in the treatment of voice disorders.
“We’ve found that vibration therapy, either alone or in coordination with traditional voice therapy, showed dramatic increases in vocal quality,” she said.
Olabowale Olola of the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health discussed her research on obesity and the risk of hypertension in cancer survivors.
“We choose this population because cancer survivors have very unique challenges,” said Olola.
London Parsons’ project is a proposal for studying the differences in proteins of samples of those with and without knee, hip and shoulder osteoarthritis.
“We’re looking for proteins we can find in the blood and hopefully catch the disease early,” said Parsons, a student in the College of Medicine.
For students such as the graduate school’s Ana Coelho, the opportunities UAMS offers are valuable.
“UAMS is great for research,” she said. “We have so many different areas here, and they all collaborate.
Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Awards for Outstanding Cancer Research
Graduate Students
• First place ($100 prize) — Matthew Thompson (Graduate School)
• Runner-up ($50 prize) — Thanh Ha Vy Nguyen (College of Medicine)
Postdoctoral fellows
• First place ($100 prize) — Preeti Nagar (College of Medicine)
Bhuvan Awards for Excellence in Biochemistry Graduate Research
• First place ($750 prize) — Walter Saul Aragon (Graduate School)
• Second place ($500 prize) — Baku Acharya (Graduate School)
• Third place ($250 prize) — Matthew Thompson (Graduate School)
BioVentures Student Innovator Awards
• First place — Hayley Sabol (Graduate School)
• Second place — Baha’a Jabali (Graduate School)
• Third place — Joshua Spiva (College of Medicine)
Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Awards (Little Rock campus)
• First place — Lokesh Akana (Graduate School)
• Second place — Nickolas Alsup (College of Medicine)
• Third place — Taiquitha Robins (Graduate School)
Poster Awards (Little Rock campus)
Overall
• Carmen Broussard (College of Health Professions)
Graduate Students
• First place — Christoph Mora (Graduate School)
• Second place — Toni Jaudon (Graduate School)
• Third place — Hayley Sabol (Graduate School)
Professionals
• First place — Jordan Scribner (College of Health Professions)
• Second place — Londyn Edwards (College of Pharmacy)
• Third place — Julianna Rose (College of Medicine)
Fellows
• First place — Cristobal Calvillo (College of Public Health)
• Second place — Sergio Cortes (College of Medicine)
• Third place — Rami Shahror (College of Medicine)
Poster Awards (Northwest Regional campus)
• First place — Charles Conkin (GME Regional Centers)
• Second place — Forrest Arnold (GME Regional Centers)
• Third place — Calvin Walker (College of Medicine)
Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Awards (Northwest Regional campus)
• First place and People’s Choice — Alex Maldonado-Lopez (College of Medicine)
