The 23rd Annual Pritzker Summer Research Program proved to be another successful year of scholarship for a large number of second-year students. Funded in part by the NHLBI, NIDDK, NIA, The Arnold P. Gold Foundation and the Bucksbaum Institute for Clinical Excellence, the Summer Research Program allowed students to work closely with faculty mentors across the clinical, translational, and basic sciences. Thanks in large part to the continued guidance of Drs. Vineet Arora, Eugene Chang, Sola Olopade, David Meltzer, and V. Leo Towle, the Summer Research Program has often given students a platform for ongoing research and a chance to present and publish their work on a national level.

After presenting their work to a panel of faculty judges, the following students were recognized for their excellence. The Pritzker School of Medicine would like to congratulate these second-year medical students:

The Joseph B. Kirsner Research Award for Excellence

Maura Clement
Mentor: Peggy Mason, PhD
Empathy in Rats: The Bystander Effect

The Sigma Xi Award for Impact on Society

Emily Frey
Mentor: Nicola Orlvo, MD'08, MPH
Modeling Safe Infant Sleep Practices in the Hospital

The Brain Research Foundation Award for Neuroscience

Katherine Mullersman
Mentor: David Dickerson, MD'08
Shifting Attitudes and Changing Behavior for Improved Pain Management: Implementing Preoperative, Non-Opioid Analgesics

Overall Excellence in Scientific Quality, Content, and Ability to Respond to Questions in the Performance of Research in Clinical Science

Michael Andersen
Mentor: David Rubin, MD
Longitudinal Changes of Patient Reported Outcomes and Quality of Life Measures in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Marika Kachman
Mentor: Shannon Martin, MD, MS
Describing Variability of Inpatient Consultation Practices

Overall Excellence in Scientific Quality, Content, and Ability to Respond to Questions in the Performance of Research in Basic Science

Jonathan Matthews
Mentor: Savas Tay, PhD
Automated High-Throughput Drug Screening on Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Organoids with Computer-Controlled Microfluidics and Image Processing

Shannon Zhang
Mentor: Jane Churpek, MD
Defining the Role of Germline Mutations in Malignant Mesothelioma

Overall Excellence in Scientific Quality, Content, and Ability to Respond to Questions in the Performance of Research in Translational Science

Nicole Dussault
Mentor: Matthew Churpek, MD, PhD
A Novel Machine Learning Infection Prediction Model

Noah Simon
Mentor: Kamran Riaz, MD
The Effect of Pharmacological Dilation on Calculation of IOL Power Using Fourth-Generation Formulas

Honorable Mention for Excellence

Catherine Castro
Mentor: Rima McLeod, MD
Impact of Gestational and Congenital Toxoplasmosis Medical Education: A Pre-and Post-Intervention Study in Panama City, Panama

Amarachi Erondu
Mentor: Vinny Arora, MD, MAPP'03
Letting Sleeping Kids Lie: Characterizing Pediatric Inpatient Sleep Duration and Disruptions

Michael Gwede
Mentor: Arlene Chapman, MD
Validation of Smart Water Bottle for Use in Fluid Intake Prescription Adherence Studies

Julia Naman
Mentor: Anna Volerman, MD
Examining Student Perspectives on Asthma Management in Schools: A Qualitative Study of Facilitators and Barriers

Anastasia Pozdnyakova
Mentor: Wei Wei Lee, MD, MPH
Impact of Scribes on Physician Satisfaction and Patient Experience in Primary Care

Kellie Schueler
Mentor: John Schneider, MD, MPH
PrEP Awareness and Use within Transmission Networks in Chicago

Aaron Smith
Mentor: Barbara Scavone, MD
A Validation Study of the Maternal Early Warning Criteria

Alison Taylor
Mentor: Harold Pollack, PhD
Pilot Year Evaluation of Chicago's Westside Narcotics Treatment and Diversion Initiative

Aaron Wallace
Mentor: Mohan Gundeti, MD
Postoperative Course Following Complex Pediatric Urologic Surgery: A Single Surgeon Experience