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Elaina Buchanan of the College of Medicine discusses her research during Student Research Day. More than 390 posters were submitted between the Little Rock and Northwest Regional campuses.
Image by Nathan Tidwell
UAMS Sees Record Participation for Student Research Day
| The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) experienced its biggest Student Research Day yet.
More than 390 posters were submitted, with all five colleges and the Graduate School being represented between the main campus in Little Rock and the Northwest Regional campus in Fayetteville. Additionally, 40 students participated in the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition.
Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation Daniel Voth, Ph.D., UAMS chancellor C. Lowry Barnes, M.D., McGehee Distinguished Lectureship speaker Daniel Drucker, M.D., Graduate School Dean Emeritus Robert E. McGehee, Jr.Image by Bryan Clifton
The March 10 event was held in Little Rock on the first and second floors of the I. Dodd Wilson Education Building, while the Northwest Regional Campus hosted its event at the Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Sciences in Fayetteville.
Daniel Drucker, M.D., an endocrinologist and professor of medicine at the Lunenfeld Tanenbaum Research Institute of Mt. Sinai Hospital and the University of Toronto, presented “The Expanding Therapeutic Landscape of GLP-1 Medicines” for the Robert E. McGehee Jr., Ph.D., Distinguished Lectureship in Biomedical Research.
The McGehee Distinguished Lectureship was created in 2011 from a gift by the late Carl D. and Jeannette Purnell of Pine Bluff.
The Northwest Regional Campus Student Research Day was held at the Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Services in Fayetteville.Image by David Wise
“This lecture is something that really means a lot to me,” said McGehee, a distinguished professor emeritus in the College of Medicine Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology and dean emeritus of the Graduate School. “We’ve had an amazing slate of speakers over the years, and that continues with Dr. Drucker.”
Drucker’s discoveries of GLP-1, GLP-2, and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) activity have enabled the development of multiple new innovative classes of medications for the treatment of diabetes, obesity, and obesity-associated comorbidities.
“We’ve had 40 years of GLP-1 science. We’ve learned a lot, but there’s so much more we need to know,” Drucker said.
There were four poster sessions during Student Research Day at the Little Rock campus.Image by Nathan Tidwell
Drucker said this was his first trip to Arkansas.
“I’ve really enjoyed my visit. I’ve met a lot of very smart and friendly people here at UAMS,” he said.
Daniel Voth, Ph.D., vice chancellor for Research and Innovation, noted how Student Research Day brings together faculty and students from across UAMS.
“Student Research Day is a fantastic event each year that showcases the hard work and innovation of our many trainees,” said Voth. “I enjoy walking around the poster sessions and talking to students I have not met before to learn about their interests and career goals. This event provides a special opportunity for faculty to interact with trainees and is a shining example of UAMS’ commitment to training and research.”
More than 200 students attended the Northwest Regional Campus Student Research Day.Image by David Wise
Graduate School Dean Sean Taverna, Ph.D., noted a big change with this year’s event.
“We had so much research being presented this year, we had to double the poster presentation sessions to four,” he said. “That worked out great and allowed our presenters to see more of their colleague’s studies, improving their chances for feedback, collaboration, and new connections.”
Medical student Tyler Angtuaco’s poster detailed his work with Arkansas Children’s Hospital studying oral tree nut food challenges in relation to allergies.
“We found that those who did multiple tree nut food challenges had similar pass and fail rates as those who did single tree nut food challenges,” said Angtuaco.
Noah Bogart of the College of Medicine’s research examines length of hospital stays for patients undergoing free tissue transfer surgery, where skin tissue is completely detached and moved from one part of the body to another.
Katie Cruse won the 3MT competition at the Little Rock campus.Image by Nathan Tidwell
“The outcome for patients who stayed in the hospital three days or less and those who were in the hospital four days or longer were not much different,” he said.
College of Nursing student Portia Cunningham’s research dealt with food insecurity and metabolic syndrome in midlife and older women.
“Metabolic syndrome is the combination of high blood pressure, fasting glucose, and triglyceride levels,” she said. “We’ve found that when you have food insecurity, the chances of metabolic syndrome increase.”
This was the fourth year for Student Research Day at the Northwest Regional Campus, which also included Interprofessional Education (IPE) Grand Rounds presentations by medical students Brendon Hogge and Chloe Moss, and a keynote speech by Jennifer Vincenzo, Ph.D., a professor in the College of Health Professions Department of Physical Therapy.
“I am incredibly proud of the spirit of inquiry our students and residents bring to Student Research Day,” said Tina Maddox, Ph.D., R.D., associate provost and associate director of IPE for the Northwest Regional Campus. “What makes this achievement especially meaningful is that it reflects the work of learners across all of our programs — medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapy, pharmacy, and genetic counseling — working together to advance knowledge and improve care for the communities we serve.”
Clayton Frazier won the 3MT competition for the Northwest Regional campus.Image by David Wise
“I could not be more proud of our students and residents after this record-breaking research day,” said Hanna Jensen, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor in the College of Medicine Departments of Surgery and Radiology and course director of the M2 cardiovascular module at the Northwest Regional Campus. “Research is becoming increasingly important for medical students, particularly for those hoping to match into competitive residencies. Early exposure to research also helps all students develop critical thinking skills, learn to interpret medical literature, and better understand evidence-based medicine.”
The 3MT competition at the Little Rock campus had 34 entrants, which were narrowed to nine finalists who presented during the event.
This year, the Arkansas Research Alliance helped contribute to prizes for the competition. The winner received $500, with $250 each going to the second place and People’s Choice winner. Each finalist also received a $50 gift card.
Brian Koss, Ph.D., hosted the 3MT competition at the Little Rock campus.Image by Nathan Tidwell
“We were happy to be able to expand the prizes,” said Brian Koss, Ph.D., assistant professor in the College of Medicine Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, who hosted the 3MT Finals.
“We love supporting events like this,” said Arkansas Research Alliance president and CEO Bryan Barnhouse, who was also one of the 3MT judges.
Katie Cruse of the Graduate School won the 3MT Finals on the Little Rock campus for her presentation, “The Cure Within: Strengthening the Immune System’s Fight Against Cancer.”
The second place and People’s Choice winners in the Little Rock 3MT Finals were Graduate School students Christian Mitchell and Bushra Zaman.
“This is fantastic, I’m very grateful,” said Cruse, who in the Cancer Biology track in the Graduate Program in Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences. “What we’re studying in our lab is very exciting and presents a lot of hope for the future.”
Six students competed in the 3MT Finals competition at the Northwest Regional Campus. Second-year medical student Clayton Frazier was the winner for his presentation, “If Walmart Can Optimize Access, Why Can’t Dermatology? Leveraging Geospatial Science to Reduce Care Disparities.”
College of Pharmacy student Maha Hanafi was selected as the overall winner in the poster competition at the Little Rock campus. Christopher Mayfield of the College of Health Professions was second, followed by Tucker Andrews of the Graduate School.
Nathaniel Gonzales of the College of Medicine was the overall poster winner at the Northwest Regional Campus. Frazier was selected for second place, followed by Katelyn White of the Graduate School.
Medical student Elizabeth Stevens praised UAMS for holding Student Research Day.
“Student Research Day is wonderful,” she said. “I like how interactive it is — students and faculty stop by and ask about what you’re doing. It’s a great thing UAMS does and shows collaboration amongst all students.”
3MT Awards (Little Rock campus)
• First place ($500 award) — Katie Cruse (Graduate School)
• Second place ($250 award) — Christian Mitchell (Graduate School)
• People’s Choice ($250 award) — Bushra Zaman (Graduate School)
3MT Awards (Northwest Regional campus)
• First place — Clayton Frazier (College of Medicine)
Poster Awards (Little Rock campus)
Overall
• First place — Maha Hanafi (College of Pharmacy)
• Second place — Christopher Mayfield (College of Health Professions)
• Third place — Tucker Andrews (Graduate School)
Postdoctoral Fellows/Medical House Staff
• First place — Md Rafikul Islam (College of Medicine)
• Second place — Ishu Karki (College of Medicine)
• Third place — Amarnath Singh (College of Public Health)
Professional Degree-Seeking Students
• First place — Jed Johnson (College of Medicine)
• Second place — Reece Forrest (College of Medicine)
• Third place — Tawni Bacorn (College of Medicine)
Graduate Students
• First place — Md Mahbub Hasan (Graduate School)
• Second place — Mohamed Abdelhamed (Graduate School)
• Third place — Sydnye Shuttleworth (Graduate School)
Poster Awards (Northwest Regional campus)
• First place — Nathaniel Gonzales (College of Medicine)
• Second place — Clayton Frazier (College of Medicine)
• Third place — Katelyn White (Graduate School)
• Audience Choice — Alex Wilkerson (College of Medicine)
Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Awards for Outstanding Cancer Research
Postdoctoral Fellows/Medical House Staff
• First place ($100 award) — Maha Hanafi (College of Pharmacy)
Graduate Students
• First place ($100 award) — Sydnye Shuttleworth (Graduate School)
• Second place ($75 award) — Laura Osborn (Graduate School)
• Third place ($50 award) — Katie Cruse (Graduate School)
Bhuvan Awards for Excellence in Biochemistry Graduate Research
• First place ($750 award) — Md Mahbub Hasan (Graduate School)
• Second place ($500 award) — Christian Mitchell (Graduate School)
• Third place ($250 award) — Anisha Neupane (Graduate School)
BioVentures Student Innovator Awards
• Madison Allen (College of Medicine)
• Aric Anloague (Graduate School)
• Daniel Armstrong (Graduate School)
• Emmanuela Beliard (College of Medicine)
• Luke Enemark (College of Medicine)
• Pooja Ghai (College of Medicine)
• Nicole Hooten (College of Medicine)
• Md Rafikul Islam (College of Medicine)
• Eva Palmer (Graduate School)
• Randall Rainwater (Graduate School)
David Wise contributed to this report.
