“The principles of osteopathic medicine are grounded in science,” said Joyce deJong, D.O., dean of the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (MSUCOM). “It’s strengthened by the rigorous research of those of you in this room and researchers throughout the world. The work you’re doing here is advancing and ensuring the future of our profession.”
Hosted with support from the Graduate Medical Education Alliance (GME Alliance) and Research, Innovation and Scholarly Engagement (RISE) at MSUCOM, the annual Research Day highlighted the ongoing research efforts, interdisciplinary partnerships and scholarly work taking place throughout MSU’s osteopathic medicine community to improve health outcomes.
Attendees heard from Terrie Taylor, D.O., MSUCOM senior advisor to the dean for Research Initiatives and Global Scholarship, who presented, “The Pathogenesis of Fatal Cerebral Malaria: Pieces of the Puzzle,” as the keynote.
A takeaway from the keynote was to stay curious in research and not assume the answers. “Safunsa, anadya phula. It means ‘the one who didn’t ask ate the wax.’ Don’t be afraid to ask questions,” Dr. Taylor said.
The day concluded with recognition of students and researchers for their contributions to scholarly work. Winners included sixth-year D.O.-Ph.D. student Colin O’Hern, who received one of the inaugural Dean’s Scholar Awards for his published research, “Human heart-macrophage assembloids mimic immune-cardiac interactions and enable arrhythmia disease modeling.”
“I’d like to thank Dean deJong for awarding and recognizing my work, along with the work of the other contributing authors,” O’Hern said. “I’d also like to recognize Dr. Aitor Aguirre, my thesis advisor, for pushing me to be the best I can be and for providing valuable guidance. I am also grateful for the institutional support that MSUCOM has provided me over the last six years.”
Second-year MSUCOM D.O. student Rhea Raut was awarded third place for her poster presentation, “Proteomics identifies lesion-specific and core protein biomarkers in hidradenitis suppurativa.”
“Receiving this award means so much to me, and I hope it encourages other students to get involved in research early,” Raut said. “You don't need to have it all figured out to contribute something meaningful, and the smallest steps still move the needle forward. Hidradenitis suppurativa was one of the first conditions that truly captured my curiosity in the clinic, and I'm so grateful to Dr. Mi and our lab for the chance to study it.”
Awards
Dean’s Scholar Awards
Recognizes the work of two students/trainees who have successfully published or made publicly available their scholarly work in a peer-reviewed journal.
Colin O’Hern, Ph.D.
D.O.-Ph.D. student; MSUCOM
Jake DeMeulemeester, MSc
Medical student; MSUCOM – OMSIII
Dr. Amalfitano Excellence in Research Award
Awarded to the highest quality oral or poster research presentation from all categories. Case reports are not eligible.
Vijayashree Jambunathan, BSc
Medical student; MSUCOM – OMSIII
Poster - Medical and Graduate Students
1st place: Jordan Sarver, D.O.
GME Alliance-affiliated Resident; DMC - Harper University Hospital
Urology Residency – PGY4
2nd place: Michael Wischer, BSc
D.O.-Ph.D. student; MSUCOM
3rd place: Rhea Raut, BSc
Medical student; MSUCOM – OMSII
Poster - Residents, Fellows and Post-docs
1st place: Sai Tharun Reddy Gopannagari, M.D.
GME Alliance-affiliated Resident; Garden City Hospital
Internal Medicine Residency – PGY2
2nd place: Nicholas Runge, D.O., BSc
GME Alliance-affiliated Resident; Corewell Health Farmington Hills and Dearborn
Orthopedic Surgery Residency – PGY5
3rd place: Sara Nesheiwat, D.O., MSc
GME Alliance-affiliated Resident; Henry Ford Health - Genesys
General Surgery Residency – PGY3
Oral - Medical and Graduate Students
Each selected oral presentation will receive $500.
1st place: Benjamin Xu, BSc
Medical student; MSUCOM – OMSIII
2nd place: Mahima Thapa, BSc
D.O.-Ph.D. student; MSUCOM
Oral - Residents, Fellows and Post-docs
1st place: Thu Duong, D.O., Ph.D.
GME Alliance-affiliated Resident; McLaren Greater Lansing
OB/GYN Residency – PGY2
2rd place: Fnu Romman Fatima, M.D.
GME Alliance-affiliated Resident; DMC - Sinai Grace
Internal Medicine Residency – PGY1
Best Case Report Award
Awarded to the best poster case report based on its uniqueness, clinical significance and novel educational value.
Sai Medavaka, BSc
Medical student; MSUCOM – OMSIV
Henry Ford Health - Providence
“The principles of osteopathic medicine are grounded in science,” said Joyce deJong, D.O., dean of the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (MSUCOM). “It’s strengthened by the rigorous research of those of you in this room and researchers throughout the world. The work you’re doing here is advancing and ensuring the future of our profession.”
Hosted with support from the Graduate Medical Education Alliance (GME Alliance) and Research, Innovation and Scholarly Engagement (RISE) at MSUCOM, the annual Research Day highlighted the ongoing research efforts, interdisciplinary partnerships and scholarly work taking place throughout MSU’s osteopathic medicine community to improve health outcomes.
Attendees heard from Terrie Taylor, D.O., MSUCOM senior advisor to the dean for Research Initiatives and Global Scholarship, who presented, “The Pathogenesis of Fatal Cerebral Malaria: Pieces of the Puzzle,” as the keynote.
A takeaway from the keynote was to stay curious in research and not assume the answers. “Safunsa, anadya phula. It means ‘the one who didn’t ask ate the wax.’ Don’t be afraid to ask questions,” Dr. Taylor said.
The day concluded with recognition of students and researchers for their contributions to scholarly work. Winners included sixth-year D.O.-Ph.D. student Colin O’Hern, who received one of the inaugural Dean’s Scholar Awards for his published research, “Human heart-macrophage assembloids mimic immune-cardiac interactions and enable arrhythmia disease modeling.”
“I’d like to thank Dean deJong for awarding and recognizing my work, along with the work of the other contributing authors,” O’Hern said. “I’d also like to recognize Dr. Aitor Aguirre, my thesis advisor, for pushing me to be the best I can be and for providing valuable guidance. I am also grateful for the institutional support that MSUCOM has provided me over the last six years.”
Second-year MSUCOM D.O. student Rhea Raut was awarded third place for her poster presentation, “Proteomics identifies lesion-specific and core protein biomarkers in hidradenitis suppurativa.”
“Receiving this award means so much to me, and I hope it encourages other students to get involved in research early,” Raut said. “You don't need to have it all figured out to contribute something meaningful, and the smallest steps still move the needle forward. Hidradenitis suppurativa was one of the first conditions that truly captured my curiosity in the clinic, and I'm so grateful to Dr. Mi and our lab for the chance to study it.”
Awards
Dean’s Scholar Awards
Recognizes the work of two students/trainees who have successfully published or made publicly available their scholarly work in a peer-reviewed journal.
Colin O’Hern, Ph.D.
D.O.-Ph.D. student; MSUCOM
Jake DeMeulemeester, MSc
Medical student; MSUCOM – OMSIII
Dr. Amalfitano Excellence in Research Award
Awarded to the highest quality oral or poster research presentation from all categories. Case reports are not eligible.
Vijayashree Jambunathan, BSc
Medical student; MSUCOM – OMSIII
Poster - Medical and Graduate Students
1st place: Jordan Sarver, D.O.
GME Alliance-affiliated Resident; DMC - Harper University Hospital
Urology Residency – PGY4
2nd place: Michael Wischer, BSc
D.O.-Ph.D. student; MSUCOM
3rd place: Rhea Raut, BSc
Medical student; MSUCOM – OMSII
Poster - Residents, Fellows and Post-docs
1st place: Sai Tharun Reddy Gopannagari, M.D.
GME Alliance-affiliated Resident; Garden City Hospital
Internal Medicine Residency – PGY2
2nd place: Nicholas Runge, D.O., BSc
GME Alliance-affiliated Resident; Corewell Health Farmington Hills and Dearborn
Orthopedic Surgery Residency – PGY5
3rd place: Sara Nesheiwat, D.O., MSc
GME Alliance-affiliated Resident; Henry Ford Health - Genesys
General Surgery Residency – PGY3
Oral - Medical and Graduate Students
Each selected oral presentation will receive $500.
1st place: Benjamin Xu, BSc
Medical student; MSUCOM – OMSIII
2nd place: Mahima Thapa, BSc
D.O.-Ph.D. student; MSUCOM
Oral - Residents, Fellows and Post-docs
1st place: Thu Duong, D.O., Ph.D.
GME Alliance-affiliated Resident; McLaren Greater Lansing
OB/GYN Residency – PGY2
2rd place: Fnu Romman Fatima, M.D.
GME Alliance-affiliated Resident; DMC - Sinai Grace
Internal Medicine Residency – PGY1
Best Case Report Award
Awarded to the best poster case report based on its uniqueness, clinical significance and novel educational value.
Sai Medavaka, BSc
Medical student; MSUCOM – OMSIV
Henry Ford Health - Providence