The 32nd 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, NIA, NCI, NIDDK(DULCE) the Bucksbaum-Siegler Institute for Clinical Excellence, and The Center for Healthcare Delivery Science. 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. Sola Olopade, Funmi Olopade, David Meltzer, Valerie Press, Rachel Wolfson, Erika Claud, and Arshiya Baig, 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
Margaret Mushi
Mentors: Jayant Pinto, MD
Social Function and Trajectories of Cognitive Decline in a National Study on Aging
The Sigma Xi Award for Impact on Society
Isabel Karohl
Mentor: Neda Laiteerapong, MD, MS
Health System Administrator and Physician Perspectives on Implementing Alcohol Use Screening
The Brain Research Foundation Award for Neuroscience
Charlie Sjogren-Black
Mentor: Bakhtiar Yamini, MD
Inhibition of Noncanonical NF-kB p52 Nuclear Translocation to Enhance Immunotherapy in Glioblastoma
Healthcare Delivery Science Award
Citali Aguilera-Rico
Mentor: Elizabeth Ebbens, MD
Adapting the Total Teen Micro-Visit for the Pediatric Emergency Department: A Pilot Efficacy and Acceptability Study
Overall Excellence in Scientific Quality, Content and Ability to Respond to Questions in the Performance of Research in Clinical or Social Sciences
Bipasha Ray
Mentor: Ann Borders, MD, MPH
Socioeconomic Status and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes: The Mediating Role of Mid-Pregnancy Cardiometabolic Health
Naima Turbes
Mentor: Brianna Fram, MD
Peripheral Arterial Calcification Detected by Radiography as a Predictor of Complications in Orthopedic Patients with Operatively Treated Ankle, Hindfoot,
and Tibia Injuries
Overall Excellence in Scientific Quality, Content and Ability to Respond to Questions in the Performance of Research in Basic Science
Constantijn Cole
Mentor: Eric Beyer, MD, PhD & Asim Farooq, MD
Connexins and Cataracts: Targeted Degradation of Lens Connexin50 by NEDD4
Laith Sawaqed
Mentor: Alexander Muir, PhD
Lysosomal Sphingolipid Catabolism is a Metabolic Vulnerability of Pancreatic Cancers
Overall Excellence in Scientific Quality, Content and Ability to Respond to Questions in the Performance of Research in Applied Science
Valentina Morales
Mentor: Molly Hales, MD, PhD
Emergency Department Usage, Characteristics, and Management of Patients at High Risk of Undiagnosed Hidradenitis Suppurativa from 2015-2024
Divya Nair
Mentor: Lee Hasselbacher, JD
A Qualitative Evaluation of Post-Abortion Needs of Chicago Abortion Fund Grantees
Honorable Mention for Excellence
Julia DiSano
Mentor: Arshiya Baig, MD, MPH
The ARISE Study: The Effectiveness of Training Health Center Staff on Diabetes Distress
Meehir Dixit
Mentor: Valerie Press, MD, MPH
A Care Transition Clinic’s Effect on Reducing Future Acute Care Utilization
Vi-Anh Hoang
Mentor: Courtney Cripps, MD
The Impact of Social Vulnerability on Access to and Outcomes of Gender-Affirming Surgeries
Vaishnavi Katragadda
Mentor: Sean Polster, MD
Endoluminal Biopsy of Intracranial Aneurysms: Feasibility of a Platform for Paired Endothelial Transcriptomics and Quantitative Permeability Imaging
Rebecca Kim
Mentor: Jade Pagkas-Bather, MD
Exploring the Impacts of a Basic Income Guarantee on Black People Living with HIV in Chicago
Angie Li
Mentor: Megan Huisingh-Scheetz, MD, MPH
The EngAGE Randomized Controlled Trial: Paper versus Voice-Activated Device Delivery of Go4Life Exercises on Lower Extremity Strength in Frail, Multimorbid, Older Adult-Care Partner Dyads
Tyrell Mann-Barnes, MPH
Mentor: Justin Hatchimonji, MD, MS
A Geographic Analysis of Chronic Medical Conditions and Firearm Violence in Chicago
Isaiah Osazuwa
Mentor: David Hampton, MD
The Anatomy of a Delay: Dissecting the Blood Transfusion Pathway at a Kenyan Referral Hospital
Diane Santos
Mentor: Marc Bissonnette, MD
Age-Related Differences in Cell-Free DNA Fragmentation in Colorectal Cancer