Research Forum highlights medical graduates’ work
The broad scope of research work by Vanderbilt Medical Center’s residents and fellows was recently illustrated at the 27th Annual Research Forum, sponsored by the House Staff Advisory Council.
In addition to the house staff presenters, several medical students also presented research posters this year at the forum, which included more than 60 oral and poster presentations. Over the past year residents and fellows delivered 115 national or international oral presentations, 134 national poster presentations, 78 regional oral presentations, and 51 regional poster presentations, according to Josh Smith, M.D. and Susan Bell, M.D., this year’s chair and co-chair. In addition, they have authored or co-authored 247 journal publications and were awarded more than 60 grants totaling more than $2.6 million.
During the forum, selected projects were presented before a panel of judges and winners were selected in several categories. Winners this year include: Eddy S. Yang, M.D., Ph.D., (who won in the same category last year) and Jamie N. Deis, M.D., who each were selected to receive Elliot V. Newman awards for best oral presentations. Yang, who is a Radiation Oncology resident, presented his project, "Inhibition of GSK3β Enhances Repair of Radiation-Induced DNA Double Strand Breaks in Hippocampal Neurons.” Deis, a clinical fellow in Pediatric Emergency Medicine won for her project, “Parental Knowledge and Use of Preventive Asthma Care Measures.”
The two winning posters were prepared by John Gary Phillips, in basic sciences, for his poster entitled "Targeted Drug Delivery Using Recombinant Peptides," and Kevin Hill, in clinical research, for his poster entitled "Assessment of Pulmonary Hypertension in the Pediatric Catheterization Laboratory: Current Insights from the Magic Registry."
Brent Polk, M.D., Vanderbilt Dean’s Professor of Pediatric Gastroenterology, received the Grant W. Liddle Award, presented to a faculty member who demonstrates exemplary mentorship in research.
“I am most impressed by the House Staff Advisory Council that puts this forum together every year,” said Donald W. Brady, M.D., associate dean of Graduate Medical Education. “The forum is a real feather in their cap. This year’s poster presentations were outstanding. Our house staff not only are clinically excellent but also are productive scholars, and the forum allows us to honor them for their achievements. Having been started by a surgical resident 27 years ago, the Annual Research Forum continues to be a vital part of GME life here at Vanderbilt.”
The April 16 forum also featured a keynote address for the first time. Gordon Bernard, M.D., assistant vice chancellor of Research, gave a talk entitled "ARDS Research at Vanderbilt: A Paradigm for Translational Science."