55th Annual Medical Student Research Conference Award Winners

The Carver College of Medicine has sponsored a Research Week for more than five decades, most recently concluding earlier this month. With nearly 65 oral presentations, a nearly equal number of poster presentations, and a keynote, the college celebrates the work that our medical students conduct and refine in a multitude of ways.

Recognizing excellence among the medical students work takes a number of different forms. There are six Foundation Awards, including the Donald D. Heistad Prize for Best Poster Presentation, the François M. Abboud Prize for Best Platform Presentation, and the Melvin Marcus Clinical Research Award, among others. There are also a number of awards sponsored by each of the departments.

Congratulations and thank you to all of this year’s participants, judges, winners, and to these students’ mentors for helping shape the future of health care research! Below are the winners and their mentors from our department.


Global Health Programs Research Award

Michael Klemme, M2

“Identification and Analysis of Leishmania exosome-associated proteins and patient demographic information in Natal, Brazil”

Mentor: Mary E. Wilson, MD – Internal Medicine – Infectious Diseases; Microbiology & Immunology; Epidemiology


John Stokes Award for Research in Internal Medicine

Mikako Harata, M1

“Delivery of short hairpin RNA via lentivirus in human pseudoislets provides a model to test dynamic regulation of insulin secretion and gene function in human islets”

Mentor: Yumi Imai, MD – Internal Medicine – Endocrinology and Metabolism


Excellence in Internal Medicine Research

Richard Uhlenhopp, M2

“Staphylococcus aureus Nasal Carriage and the Risk of Surgical Site Infections among Patients Undergoing Orthopedic Surgical Procedures to Fix Acute Fractures: A Retrospective Cohort Study”

Mentor: Loreen A. Herwaldt, MD – Internal Medicine – Infectious Diseases; Epidemiology


Excellence in Internal Medicine Research

Joyce Wahba, M2

“Insights into the pathogenesis of leishmaniasis through the study of circulating exosomes”

Mentor: Mary E. Wilson, MD – Internal Medicine – Infectious Diseases; Microbiology and Immunology; Epidemiology


Excellence in Pharmacological and Toxicological Sciences Research

Ryan Staudte, M2

“Endocrine Effects of BPF on HS Rats”

Mentor: Anne E. Kwitek, PhD – Pharmacology; Internal Medicine


A full list of winners is here. (pdf)

The complete abstracts are available here. (pdf)

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