Students Statewide Showcase Research at 31st Annual Dr. Curtis L. Parker Student Research Symposium
Students from across Georgia had the opportunity to show off their hard work at the
31st Annual Dr. Curtis L. Parker Student Research Symposium. The day-long event took place
at Morehouse School of Medicine on Wednesday, Feb. 13. Medical students, residents,
graduate students and undergraduates came from Fort Valley State University, Mercer
University, and Georgia Gwinnett College in addition to schools in the Atlanta University
Center. Topics varied from the mental health among women who survived breast cancer
to how zoning policies for restaurants plays a role in obesity in low-income communities.
Throughout the morning, a dozen students conducted oral presentations in front of numerous researchers as well as peers. In the afternoon, attendees perused poster presentations while having one-on-one conversations with the students about their research. The day also included the keynote address “Catalyzing Translation Innovation,” delivered by Christopher P. Austin, M.D., Director of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Austin spoke of the importance and necessity of understanding real-world applications of scientific findings.
Six students also took part in the Three-Minute Thesis ® Competition. MSM students Crystal Lipsey and Ian Saunders were named as the two winners.
At the close of the day, several other awards were presented to the researchers. The winners are as follows:
Curtis L. Parker Award – Presented to the most outstanding oral or poster presenter in the Ph.D. student category. Winners (TIE): Jasmine George (MSM) Topic – “High-fat diet exacerbates diabetic kidney injury in mice lacking eNOS” and Annette Nti (MSM) Topic – “Heme Scavenging Factors, Malaria in Pregnancy and Birth Outcomes”
Graduate Education in Biomedical Science Award – Presented to the most outstanding oral or poster presenter in the undergraduate student category. Winner: Aisha Atwater (MSM) – Topic “Exploring the Interaction between Shift Work Exposure and Race/Ethnicity on Markers of Disease Risk”
Honorable Louis B. Stokes Research Award – Presented to the most outstanding oral or poster presenter in the undergraduate student category. Winner: Malcolm Williams-Green (Morehouse College) Topic – “Can Febuxostat Therapy Protect Kidney Function in Mice with Sickle Cell Disease?”
Jay Romans Medical Student Research Award – Presented to the most outstanding oral or poster presenter in the medical student category. Winner: Djibril Niang (MSM) Topic – “Secretion Modification Region, HIV Derived Peptide Effect on Staphylococcus aureus and Vibrio cholerae Static Biofilm Formation and Motility”
Postdoctoral Research Award – Presented to the most outstanding oral or poster presenter in the postdoctoral category. Winner: Jeong Hwan Kim (Morehouse-Emory Cardiovascular Center for Health Equity) Topic – “Better Neighborhood Characteristics are Associated with Ideal Cardiovascular Health Among Blacks: Results from the Morehouse-Emory Cardiovascular (MECA) Center for Health Equity”
Graduate Education in Public Health Award – Presented to the most outstanding oral or poster presenter in the public health category. Winner: Ashlea Gordon (MSM) – Topic “Innovations in Community Health, Training High School Community Health Workers”
