The Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine Statewide Campus System (SCS) sponsored its ninth annual Scholarly Activity Poster Day, held virtually May 18.
The SCS awarded six prizes out of the 30 final poster abstracts presented. Each poster was evaluated by two of eight judges hailing from clinical or research backgrounds. Posters featured new Institutional Review Board-approved research on either quality improvement or scholarly activity projects that contribute to medical or health care knowledge.
The annual poster competition is open to all SpartanDO and SCS-affiliated members and provides resources to support the research process. In recent years, the SCS has also added monetary awards for top winners. Forty-two submissions were received from medical students, residents and faculty members this year.
According to William Corser, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, director of Research at the MSU Statewide Campus System, the SCS Scholarly Activity Poster Day encourages and recognizes research—a focus and requirement of ACGME—especially among medical students and residents. The event is an opportunity for them to showcase their work; gain experience presenting their projects, applications and future areas of study; and helps them become more competitive for residencies and fellowships.
“It brings together all sorts of different people from different clinical specialty areas, and that’s motivating,” Corser said. “People develop a deeper appreciation for the different worlds others are coming from. This kind of event is a broad spectrum of perspectives and that’s energizing for many people, particularly med students who haven’t figured out what area of medicine they want to get into.”
Presenters can share their research with clinicians and researchers outside of their areas, unlike at many conferences that focus on a specialty. It’s exciting for less experienced scholars to have more experienced clinicians and researchers interested in the approaches and results of their work.
Corser described the poster presentation as a balancing act to “elegantly tell your story of your design elements and results, without going overboard for people outside your specialty who would get lost.”
Posters were shared online, allowing a wider audience of interested colleagues to view the projects on demand. (Posters will be available until May 2023.) The presenters had five to seven minutes to present their research project, results and clinical implications, next steps and then answer questions from judges.
Over the years, the SCS has cultivated an evolving roster of judges, many of whom are alumni of the College of Osteopathic Medicine or affiliated with MSU or the SCS in different capacities. “The clinicians focus on the value and feasibility of the research to be able to contribute to the clinical space in a practical way, while the researchers often focus a bit more on the methodology. These perspectives complement one another to provide a more a well-rounded assessment,” said Sam Wisniewski, MS, a senior biostatistician at the MSU Statewide Campus System that helped to coordinate the event.
This event is the first opportunity for many of the presenters to experience the full academic research process: selecting a topic, applying for IRB approval, collecting and analyzing data, and disseminating the results. Corser and Wisniewski provide scholarly consultations because, as Corser explained, “You’ve got to have both clinical experience and methodological experience. It’s a challenge for many presenters that it's not linear—if you change one thing you have to change everything else.
“It’s often not how med students, residents or clinicians think about things. It’s a very different kind of professional experience for them.”
Poster Day award winners
Medical Students
- First Prize: Hunter Holsinger, OMS III, “Role of Abdominal Ultrasound and Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Pregnant Women Presenting with Acute Abdominal Pain” ($750 award)
- Second Prize: Erika Malana, M.A., OMS IV, “A randomized controlled trial investigating the pediatric patient experience of subantimicrobial dose doxycycline for acne treatment” ($500 award)
Residents
- First Prize: Dr. Stephanie Behme, DPM, McLaren Oakland, “Impact of Podiatric Surgery Consultation for Foot and Ankle Wounds on Patient Outcomes in A Community Hospital” ($1,500 award)
- Second Prize: Dr. Haley Lehman, D.O., Henry Ford, “Feasibility of an Opioid Sparing Discharge Protocol Following Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgery” ($1,000 award)
- Third Prize: Dr. William Kady, D.O., Ascension Providence, “Impact of superior semicircular canal dehiscence on cochlear implant audiologic outcomes” ($750 award)
Recognition
- Peoples’ Choice (votes from attendees through virtualpostersession.org): Megan Grossman, OMS-III, “Medical Students' Perceptions of How Osteopathic Principles Apply to Dermatology”
- Faculty (participation certificate): Dr. Mikita Patel, M.D., McLaren Oakland, “Insights of Resident Wellness Implemented During COVID-19”
“This year we had a lot of really thoughtful reflection on the entirety of their studies, that is, thorough consideration of their own study limitations, as well as implications for future research,” Wisniewski said. “We did see more submissions from medical students, as well.”
“All presenters were new,” Corser added, which he attributes to “more internal scholarly activity resources.”
Overall, Corser feels the poster event is a “meaningful experience for participants to see what’s happening in other systems and to identify similarities and differences in challenges and issues.”