Annual research symposium provides Eastern Campus students and residents with opportunity to showcase vital research skills
Students and residents at the West Virginia University School of Medicine’s Eastern Campus had the opportunity to showcase their research skills as they presented their posters during the campus’s annual research symposium on Friday, March 31.
The research symposium, held each spring at the Health Sciences Center Eastern Division in Martinsburg, is open to all third- and fourth-year medical students on campus, as well as all of the residents in the Rural Family Medicine Residency Program in Harpers Ferry. Participants select a topic from a variety of available research areas and choose a faculty member to serve as their mentor before beginning their research and producing a poster to present in front of a panel of judges.
Third-year medical student Brianna Ritz said the symposium offered students like her the opportunity to conduct vital research into some of the crucial issues that West Virginians face – such as the opioid epidemic.
“We all know the devastating effect that the opioid epidemic has had on the health and wellness of our state,” Ritz explained. “For that reason, I decided to conduct research on alternative pain treatments that go beyond the prescription of medicine to mask pain and instead consider other treatment modalities that pose less of a risk of potential abuse for patients.”
Assistant professor and judge for the symposium, Madison Humerick, M.D., explained that the beauty of the research symposium is the freedom that it gives to its participants to conduct research into the topics they find the most interesting and engaging.
“We encourage our students and residents to choose research topics that they feel passionate about,” Dr. Humerick said. “Whether it’s because they are already looking into a specific career path, or because they have a connection to a certain health-related issue through their own history or that of a family member, we find that the results can be truly amazing when we give them that freedom.”
A total of 32 posters were presented at the 2023 symposium, including 19 from students, 12 from residents and one faculty poster. Eight posters were recognized as winners the following day during the Eastern Campus’s Faculty Development Day, including awards for first through third place and three honorable mentions. An award was also given to the poster chosen as the Best Case Report and a People’s Choice award, which was determined by votes from those in attendance at Friday’s symposium.
The top prize was claimed by third-year medical student Imani Major and third-year resident Breona Barr, M.D., for their project which examined the effects that buprenorphine, a drug commonly used in the treatment of opioid use disorders, has on women during pregnancy. Major said she decided to partner with Dr. Barr on this project because of their shared interest in the field of obstetrics and gynecology and that this particular topic aligned with her goals of providing medical care without barriers.
“I’ve always felt very strongly that all patients, regardless of socioeconomic status, race or substance use history, deserve to have information about medications and the potential side effects they can have,” Major said. “Given the prevalence of the opioid epidemic in rural areas, studying buprenorphine stood out to me as an important initiative that I feel can positively affect my future patients.”
One of the symposium’s judges was Eastern Campus dean Richard Thomas, M.D., D.D.S., who said he took a lot of pride in the amount of work and research students and residents put into their projects.
“It was exciting to see all of the hard work our students and residents put into their research projects and a very tough decision for us as judges to narrow it down to just a few winners,” Dr. Thomas said. “I am very proud of our students and residents and can’t wait to see how they further apply these vital research skills to their future medical careers.”
2023 Awardees
- 1st Place: Imani Major, third-year medical student; Breona Barr, M.D., third-year resident; “Assessing the Effect of Maternal Buprenorphine Usage During Pregnancy on the Prevalence of Newborn Congenital Anomalies in West Virginia: A Retrospective Chart Review”
- 2nd Place: Brianna Ritz, third-year medical student; “Comparing the Change in Disability of Patients With or Without Adjunct Opioid Therapy Undergoing Intervention for Low Back Pain”
- 3rd Place: Keyane Haile, M.D., second-year resident; Brittany Galucki, D.O., first-year resident; “Fluoride Varnish Application Rates in Rural Health Clinic”
- Best Case Report: Brett Miller, third-year medical student; “Pulmonary Sarcoidosis following Metastatic Melanoma and Treatment with Interferon-α Therapy”
- People’s Choice: Brett Miller, third-year medical student; Brooke Seamans, third-year medical student; “Attitudes, Perceptions, and Readiness to Treat Substance Use Disorder Amongst West Virginia Healthcare Students”
- Honorable Mention: Ellen Thomas, third-year medical student; Maninder Sohi, third-year medical student: “A Case of Poor Dentition Leading to the Development of a Lung Abscess”
- Honorable Mention: Alexa Lenz, third-year medical student; “Untreated Idiopathic Megacolon in Pregnancy Resulting in Fetal Demise”
- Honorable Mention: Kathryn McQueen, M.D., second-year resident: “Family Medicine Residents’ Perspectives on Weight Loss Counseling”
To learn more about the School of Medicine’s Eastern Campus, visit medicine.hsc.wvu.edu/eastern.