College of Community Health Sciences faculty, staff, residents, medical students and graduate students were featured for their research and scholarly efforts during the College’s 13th Annual CCHS Research and Scholarly Activity Day on Nov. 17.
“It is very exciting that we have the ranges of different posters focusing on medical and behavioral issues built from beginning to end,” said Dr. Martha Crowther, the College’s associate dean for Research and Health Policy.
Twenty-eight poster presentations were displayed at the event that covered topics ranging from kidney injuries, physical therapy, blood pressure and COVID-19 vaccines.
“This event continues to grow,” said Dr. Richard Friend, dean of CCHS. “It is amazing to walk around and look at the variety of different posters and projects. I admire the hard work of the faculty, residents, and medical students that have participated. I want to thank our judges, our abstract reviewers and everybody that helped put this program together.”
During the program, medical students Kristen Yukness and Matthew Kiszla, provided oral presentations about their posters. Yukness’s research focused on breast cancer radiation treatment interruptions, and Kiszla’s research looked into surveillance of injurious metals in tattoo inks.
“I can honestly say that this is the joy of my work, working with residents,” said Dr. Louanne Friend, associate professor with the CCHS Department of Community Medicine and Population Health and assistant director for Research and Quality Improvement with UA’s Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency Program, which is operated by CCHS. “You’ve been training during two years of a global pandemic and yet you’ve been able to get your work done. I believe it is exquisite and important work.”
Winners were selected in several divisions:
Medical Student Division
First place: Kristen Yukness for Breast Cancer Radiation Treatment Interruption in the Southeastern United States: A Quantitative Approach; co-authors: Dr. Randi Henderson-Mitchell, assistant professor with the CCHS Department of Community Medicine and Population Health; Dr. Mercedes Morales-Aleman, assistant professor with the CCHS Department of Community Medicine and Population Health.
Second Place: Matthew Kiszla for Surveillance of tattoo inks for injurious metals and metalloids; co-authors: Dr. Dale Dickinson, associate professor and director of CCHS Medical Student Affairs; Dr. Craig Elmets professor of dermatology at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine.
Second Place: Garrett Davis for Self-powered glucose-responsive insulin microgels containing curcumin nanoparticles for diabetic management; co-author: Dr. Ingrid Heyns, research scientist with the UA Center for Convergent Bioscience & Medicine.
Third Place: Channing Bruce for HIV, Genotype, and CKD: Does Tenofovir Exposure Matter?; co-authors: Dr. Ellen Eaton, assistant professor with the Department of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham; Skye Opsteen.
Resident Division
First Place: Dr. Thomas Lindsey for The efficacy of osteopathic manipulation in acute lateral ankle sprains and implications for return to play in adult athletes; co-authors: Dr. Colton Eubanks, resident with the UA Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency Program; Dr. Ray Stewart, assistant professor and director of the Dr. Bill deShazo Sports Medicine Center at University Medical Center; Dr. Kevin Hayes of Dothan, Ala.
Second Place: Dr. Afrin Biswas and Dr. Tiffany Watson for An Assessment of Learners’ Child Passenger Safety Knowledge; co-author: Dr. Sara Phillips, assistant professor with the CCHS Department of Pediatrics.
Second Place: Dr. Jonathan Mikhail for Airway Management Workshop for PGY1 Residents;
co-authors: Dr. Brandon Duke; Dr. Mitch Currie; Dr. Tamer Elsayed, associate professor and director of the UA Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency Program; Dr. Louanne Friend, associate professor and assistant director for Research and Quality Improvement with the UA Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency Program; Catanya Stager, post-doc fellow with the CCHS Department of Community Medicine and Population Health.
Third Place: Dr. Mandeep Chatha for Improving HPV Vaccination Rates At UMC: A Quality Improvement Project; co-authors: Dr. Manpreet Singh, resident with the UA Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency Program; Dr. Brian Gannon, associate professor with the CCHS Department of Pediatrics.
Faculty Division
First Place: Dr. Rebecca Kelly for Health Benefits of a Plant Predominant Eating Approach in Workplace Settings; co-authors: Dr. Pamela Payne-Foster, professor with the CCHS Department of Community Medicine and Population Health; Janet Calhoun; Amy Hanus; Ron Stout.
Second Place: Dr. James Geyer, professor with CCHS Department of Family, Internal, and Rural Medicine for Feasibility of Polyclonal Avian Immunoglobulins (IgY) as Prophylaxis against Human Norovirus Infection.
Third Place: Dr. Alan Blum, the CCHS Gerald Leon Wallace, MD, Endowed Chair of Family Medicine and director of the UA Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society, for “TOBACCO HEART” Cigarette smoking has an enormous impact on cardiovascular health. What more can be done to reduce the devastating toll?
The judges for Research and Scholarly Activity Day were: Dr. Randi Henderson-Mitchell, assistant professor with the CCHS Department of Community Medicine and Population Health; Dr. Lisle Hites, associate professor with the CCHS Department of Community Medicine and Population Health; and Dr. Keri Barron, assistant professor with UA’s Capstone College of Nursing.