May 12, 2022 | Midwestern University

Midwestern University students explain their research projects as part of the annual Kenneth A. Suarez Research Day.

The annual Kenneth A. Suarez Research Day brought out the best of Midwestern University’s student and faculty research on both campuses. The Midwestern University Research Committee (URC) and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) sponsored the event on two separate days which included nearly 300 research posters, presentations, keynote addresses from leading scientists, and a virtual poster hall.

The Annual Research Day is named in memory of Kenneth A. Suarez, Ph.D., who guided the Midwestern University’s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) for 25 years and implemented the annual event as a way to encourage student interest in academic research.

Several students received special recognition and were announced as 2022 Kenneth A. Suarez Research Day Outstanding Poster Presentation Winners. The underlined names are the authors who presented the poster.

Glendale Campus Award Winning Posters, Student Researchers, Faculty Mentors:

Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine (AZCOM)

• Julia Kern M.A., Megan Scarpulla M.A., Charles Finch D.O. FACOEP, Wayne Martini M.D., Charlotte A. Bolch Ph.D., Layla Al-Nakkash Ph.D.
  The Assessment of Point-of-Care-Ultrasound (POCUS) in Acute Care Settings: The Benefits of Early Medical School Integration
  
  
• Kelsey Newbold, Charles Finch D.O., Lee, Alice M.D.
  Mosquitoes, Monsoons & Meningoencephalitis: Identifying West Nile Virus Meningoencephalitis in an Elderly Patient
    
• Julie Tamayo M.B.S., Stacy Kujawa, Hongji Zhang, Joshua Gasiorowski Ph.D., Michele Fornaro Ph.D., Kolbrun Fass Ph.D.
  ECEL1, PIEZO1 and NAV2 Genes are Altered in the Enhanced and Directed Axonal Growth in Dorsal Root Ganglia Grown Ex Vivo on Nano-scale Grooved Topographical Surfaces

College of Health Sciences (CHS)

• Kate Jansen Ph.D., Denise Mills D.D.S. M.H.A. Ed.D., Brad MacNeil Ph.D. Emily Campagnolo
  Eroding the Barriers to Eating Disorder Patient Care

College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM)

• Alanna Tonelli-Raylove, Morgan Hirsh, Melissa Kasai, Christopher Olson Ph.D., Jason Struthers D.V.M. M.VetSc. DACVP
  The Pathology and Incidence of Building-caused Bird Mortality

College of Graduate Studies (CGS)

• Yessica Nunez, Nicole Putnam Ph.D. M.S., Michael Kozlowski O.D. Ph.D.
  Using a Tracking Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope to Identify Effects of Caffeine on Fixational Eye Movements
  
  
• Lori Buhlman Ph.D., Tracy Mackey, Amber Juba
  Traumatic Brain Injury in Drosophila melanogaster Downregulates Nitric Oxide Synthase Associated with Increased Acute Behavioral Deficits and Decreased Survival Time

Arizona College of Podiatric Medicine (AZCPM)

•  Janna Kroleski D.P.M., Brooke Anderson, Carley Rotter
  Puncture Wound to the Tibial Nerve at the Ankle: A Case

Arizona College of Optometry (AZCOPT)

• Jeremiah Gagnon, Nicholas Gonzales, Neil Kawaguchi, Mahnoor Shahzad, Adam Blacker O.D. M.S., Eric Woo O.D. FAAO
  Correlation Between Visual Measurements and Abilities with Performance on a Video Game Training Application
  
  
• Madeleine Seidel, Lauren Kurowski, Cyntia Gonzalez, Trent Buckhanon, Balamurali Vasudevan Ph.D.
  Modified Convergence Insufficiency Symptom Survey Effective Compared to Original Convergence Insufficiency Symptom Survey

College of Dental Medicine Arizona (CDMA)

• Alexander Homer, Douglas Beals D.D.S., Alexandra Pierre-Bez D.M.D., John Francis D.D.S. M.S., Gina Agostini-Walesch Ph.D., John Mitchell Ph.D.
  Effect of Osseodensification on Dental Implant Stability: A Pilot Study

College of Pharmacy-Glendale (CPG)

• Salfee Bhathal, Eldo Joseph, Kellie Goodlet Pharm.D. BCPS BCIDP, Michael Nailor Pharm.D.
  Adherence and Outcomes of a Surgical Prophylaxis Guideline Promoting Cephalosporin Use Among Patients with Penicillin Allergy

Graduate Medical Education (GME)

GMEC – 1st Place

• Lyndie Wilkins-Parker D.O., Madalyn Elliott OMS IV, Ben Ihms D.O., Pamela Potter Ph.D., John Ashurst D.O., Anthony Santarelli Ph.D., Jiaxin Bai, Cathy Vu M.A., Brian Khin, Akash Villait
  Predicting Critical Care Bed Utilization via Analysis of Aspartate Transaminase in the Setting of SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Retrospective Analysis

GMEC – 2nd Place

• Ngoc-Tram Huynh D.O., ONMM3 Resident, William Devine D.O.
  Non-operative Treatment of Persistent Pelvic Pain in a Patient with Celiac Disease and Endometriosis

 GMEC – 3rd Place

• Zachary Hanafi D.O., Tro Sekayan M.D., Samer Hasson M.D., Neeraj Vij, M.D.
  A Unique Case of Babesiosis with Hematological Manifestations in Northern Arizona

GMEC – 4th Place

• Peter Zajac D.O., Rob Schuster M.D.
  Bariatric Laparoscopic Port Closure: A Simple, Effective and Easy Technique that Prevents Dimpling

Downers Grove Campus Award Winning Posters, Student Researchers, Faculty Mentors:

Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine (CCOM)

• Annamaria Durante, Emily Hays, Renier Velez-Cruz Ph.D.
  Inactivation of SWI/SNF chromatin remodelers affects chemotherapy-induced cellular senescence
  
  
• Jasmine Jody, Sarin Paluri, Karyn DiNovo, Robert Murphy, Kyle Henderson Ph.D., Rafael Mejia-Alvarez M.D. Ph.D.
  Adrenergic and Cholinergic Effects on Heart Rate Variability Evaluated in Isolated Mouse Heart
  
  
• Rebecca Zeidman, Taylor Ahlborn, Sarah El Mouatassim Bih, Gabriella Dupont, Sneha Pamulapati, Timothy Kwan, Anna Gerber, Sean Callahan, Brooke Hummel, Megan Teehan, Jordan Barry, Maja Popovic, Samantha Maurer, Jonathan Labampa, Sara Azher
  A Shift in Health Equity Analysis in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Chicago
  
  
• Sujin Seo, Jihad Aburas, Mark Hamman Ph.D., Alejandro Mayer Ph.D., Marsha Pierce Ph.D.
  Evaluation of Manzamine Compounds for Neuroactivity and Neuritogenesis in Murine Primary Cortical Cultures
  
  
• Ashley Sholmire, Alyssa Pisano, James Elste, Vaibhav Tiwari Ph.D., Bo Young Joo
  Neutrophil Elastase together with 3-O sulfated heparan sulfate enhances SARS-CoV-2 cell entry and spread
  
  
• Stephanie Hermann, Morgan Barnett, Kurt Heinking D.O., Kyle Henderson Ph.D.
  Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment may be a Cost-Effective Approach to Reducing Pain Associated with Acute Flare of Interstitial Cystitis
  
  
• Younus Baig M.A., Kurt Heinking D.O., Ryan Schultz, Kyle Henderson Ph.D.
  An Osteopathic Approach to Childhood Scoliosis and Leg Length Inequality in a Pediatric Patient with Chiari I Malformation
   
• Noor Alkhawam, Hadeel Yousef, Arijit Chakraborty Ph.D. MPhil, Kennedy Hall
  Combined non-invasive brain stimulation and perceptual learning to enhance peripheral attention in patients with macular degeneration
  
  
• Kally Dey, Matthew Pytynia, Julia Moore, Nicole Eck, Kristina Martinez-Guryn Ph.D., RD, Mae Ciancio Ph.D.
  Resisting the Obesity Epidemic: Heat Shock Regulation of Intestinal Glucose Uptake and Transport

College of Health Sciences (CHS)

• Madeline Ringer, Nicole Morrissey, Amy Johnson, Natalie Harding, Janey Prodoehl, PT, Ph.D.
  Clinical Measurement of Upper and Lower Cervical Motion: Reliability and Validity of a New Tool
        
• Sara Engimann, Jamie Deal, Sydney Sabbagha, Alexis Frazier, Emily Simpson Ph.D., M.S. OTR/L
  Impact of an Educational Workshop on Occupational Therapy Students' Perceptions of People with Justice System Involvement
          
• Anush Ahmed, Abigail Maas, Lauren Petrich, Shaina Patel, Morgan Werkmeister, Divya Sood O.T.D. OTR/L
  Investigating the Outcomes of a Parent Mediated Coaching Intervention to Improve Play Participation in Children with a Diagnosis of Autism

College of Pharmacy, Downers Grove (CPDG)

•  Sylwia Marianski, Kimberly Valdez, Gwendolyn Pais Ph.D., Jack Chang Pharm.D., Renz Paulo Melicor Pharm.D., Marc Scheetz Pharm.D. M.SC BCPS
  Evaluation of vancomycin, flucloxacillin and cilastatin nephrotoxicity in comparison with vancomycin in a rat model
  
  
•  Jack Chang Pharm.D., Gwendolyn Pais Ph.D., Patti Engel Ph.D., Patryk Klimek, Sylwia Marianski, Kimberly Valdez, Marc Scheetz Pharm.D. M.SC BCPS
  Investigation of temporal changes in glomerular function and urinary biomarkers related to vancomycin

 College of Dental Medicine-Illinois (CDMI)

• Amy Hensel M.B.S., Justin Rayyan, Jennifer Jones, Thomas Bodenstine Ph.D.
  Identification of linoleate as a regulator of gap junctional intercellular communication in SCC-25 oral squamous carcinoma cells
  
  
• Briana Joy Travis M.A., James Elste, Feng Gao D.M.D. M.S.D., Bo Young Joo, Maria Cuevas-Nunez D.M.D. D.M.Sc., Vaibhav Tiwari Ph.D., John Mitchell Ph.D., John Mitchell Ph.D.
  Significance of Oral Rinses In Preventing SARS-CoV-2 Cell Entry             
  
  
• Olivia Fink, Feng Gao D.M.D. M.S.D., John Mitchell Ph.D., John Mitchell Ph.D., Mario Ramos D.D.S. M.S., Maria Cuevas-Nunez D.M.D. D.M.Sc.
  Degree of Conversion in High-Viscosity Bulk-Fill Resin Composites

College of Graduate Studies (CGS)

• Atiya Zaidi, Jennifer Jones, Thomas Bodenstine Ph.D.
  Examining Cadherin-11 and Connexin 43 Interactions in Response to Metabolic    Adaptations in Breast Cancer Cells
           
• Katja Gonzalez, Tori Price, Duncan Gombar, Jocelyn Aguilar, Jacob Kozik, Julia Moore, M.S., Sinju Sundaresan, Ph.D., Mae Ciancio Ph.D., Kristina Martinez-Guryn Ph.D. R.D.
  Intestinal Overexpression of Heat Shock Protein 70 Alters Motility in C57Bl/6 Mice
  
  
• Katherine Brown, Matthew Pytynia, Ira Sigar Ph.D., Mae Ciancio Ph.D.
  HSP70 and the Immune Response Following Infection with Chlamydia muridarum

Graduate Medical Education (GME)

GME – 1st Place

• Alessandra Carrillo D.O., Resident Physician, Shil Punatar D.O., Resident Physician, Dixita Patel, Resident Physician, Sushma Pavuluri, Resident Physician, Damoun Safarpour, Fellow, Masood Ghouse, Attending Physician
  Optimal Anticoagulant Dosing in Patients with COVID-19, a Retrospective Review

GME – 2nd Place

• Anum Qadri D.O., Christina Burke D.O., Bridgette Arnett M.D., Ph.D.
  A case of ascending paralysis due to aquaporin-4 antibody negative neuromyelitis optica

GME – 3rd Place

• Jonathan Meadows D.O., M.S., M.P.H., Jakub Furmaga M.D., Jeffery Brent M.D., Ph.D., Stephanie T. Weiss, M.D., Ph.D., April Brill D.O.
  Decreased Clinical Toxicity and Two-Phase Elimination Kinetics Observed After Intravenous Iron Sucrose Overdose            

GME – 4th Place              

• Alessandra Carrillo D.O., Resident Physician, Shil Punatar D.O., Resident Physician, Aamir Mohiuddin D.O. Resident Physician, Dean Kalia D.O. Fellow, Hassan Azar M.D., Attending Physician
  Outside the Plurality of Pleural Effusions: Consideration of Translocative Pathogens in Empyema