Mar 1, 2016

Celebrating the 30th annual Medical Student Research Day

MD/PhD Program
Student showcases poster presentation
By

Amy Wang

IT9 student Alexander Lozano presents poster to a colleagueOn February 2, 2016, students and faculty from across the MD and MD/PhD Programs gathered at the annual Medical Student Research Day (MSRD). A daylong conference for medical students to exhibit their research, this year’s 30th anniversary of the event celebrates our longstanding tradition of discovery and innovation at the University of Toronto.

“For me, it’s a really exciting day because I get to see the various types of research being done,” said Tina Felfeli, 1T9 student. “It’s a day that we get to showcase our research studies and have a chance to learn about the amazing work that’s been done here at U of T.”

The conference began with a keynote presentation from esteemed clinician-scientist and paediatric oncologist, Dr. David Malkin. In an inspiring reflection on his career in science and medicine, he set the tone for a day that would carry promise for the future of research. “I want to cure Li-Fraumeni syndrome. And I think that’s within our grasp,” he said, sharing his vision with the students.”

Oral presenters Johnny-Wei Bai, Omri Arbivand and Josh AbrahamThree students were chosen by a panel of judges to present their work orally at the conference. 1T8 MD Program students Omri Arbiv and Johnny-Wei Bai and MD/PhD Program student Josh Abraham inspired the audience through their innovative work.

“Our students put an extraordinary amount of time and commitment into bringing their research to fruition,” said Norman Rosenblum, Associate Dean, Physician Scientist Training, in his remarks to the MSRD attendees. “It‘s wonderful to see you at this event supporting your peers. It is my hope that we continue to foster a culture of discovery and provide a pathway within which you can fulfil your professional goals.”

In the afternoon, students had the opportunity to display their research through 175 poster presentations in fields ranging from basic and clinical science disciplines to topics related to health care, medical education and international health.

“It’s good to see what research people are up to, what they’re interested in, and what new results people have to bring in,” Matthew Da Silva, 1T9 student, said of the experience. “There are tons of faculty members that may be interested in the same thing that you’re presenting,” said Da Silva. “You can touch base with them and maybe even work with them in the future.”

The event was made possible thanks to the efforts of the MSRD organizing committee: Michael Atkins, MD/PhD Program student, and 1T8 MD Program students Sally Hu, Yiwen Liu, Talha Maqboo and Weining Yang. They were supported by Dr. Neil Sweezey, CREMS Program Director, Lisa Charrette, CREMS Program Coordinator and Dr. Norman Rosenblum, Associate Dean of Physician Scientist Training Programs.

The event came to a close with a speech from Dr. Jay Rosenfield, Vice Dean of the MD Program. “I firmly believe that it is our social responsibility to work towards improving health outcomes through health research. I’m impressed by your passion and commitment to this responsibility,” he said, congratulating the students. “Each year, I’m astounded by the range and quality of presentations. And each year, the bar is raised. This year is no different. You should all be very proud.”

Congratulations to this year's award recipients

The following students were selected for an oral presentation by a group of their peers in the MD and MD/PhD programs on the basis of their abstract:

Basic Science: Josh Abraham MD/PhD

  • Suppression of RNA-DNA hybrids – Towards a novel and coherent mechanism governing repetitive DNA stability, aging and neurodegeneration

Clinical: Omri Arbiv

  • Risk factors for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in inherited bone marrow failure syndromes

Public/Population Heatlth: Johnny-Wei Bai

  • Cardiovascular disease guideline adherence and statin use in longstanding Type 1 Diabetes: Results from the Canadian Study of Longevity in Diabetes Cohort

 

Awards were presented to students judged to have the best poster presentation:

Basic Science: Paymon Azizi

  • Clathrin-Dependent Entry and Vesicle-Mediated Exocytosis Define InsulinTranscytosis Across Microvascular Endotheilal Cells

Public Health: Elise Fryml

  • Incidence and Severity of Burns in 2 Hospitals in Nairobi and Nakuru, Kenya

Quality Improvement: Kyle Eastwood

  • Defining Spatial Design Requirements of Dexterous Instruments for Combined Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy and Pineal Region Tumor Biopsy

Medical Education: Sydney McQueen

  • Failure to Fail: Challenges to Providing Meaningful Assessment and Feedback in Medical Education

Health Services: Xiao Xiong Yu

  • How Function and Social Support Predict Frequency of Family Practice Visits Among Geriatric Patients.

Clinical: Alexander Koven

  • The Incidence of Neuropathic Pain in Bone Metastases Patients Referred for Palliative Radiotherapy

First Year: Haniya Khan

  • Identifying Effective Behaviour Change Communication Strategies for Malaria Elimination in Macha, Zambia