College of Community Health Sciences faculty, residents, medical students and graduate students presented their research and scholarly work Nov. 14 at the College’s 15th Annual Research and Scholarly Activity Day.
Forty-six posters were displayed, which highlighted research ranging from health education, nutrition, pediatrics, biomedical research and chronic conditions.
“This year, we had at least 10 more posters than we had last year,” said Dr. Martha Crowther, CCHS associate dean for Research and Health Policy. “Our research day continues to grow and has more engagement, particularly from our students. It’s nice to see our students working with faculty and residents to produce research projects.”
Dr. Richard Friend, dean of CCHS, said increased research by faculty and learners reflects a culture change at the College. “This event continues to get bigger and better every year. I know how much work it is for each of you to find a project to work on, see it through, develop a poster and write an article. That’s very challenging and I congratulate all of you for your hard work.”
He added: “The culture of the College is really changing, and we are beginning to see the flourish of that culture.”
Winners of the abstract poster reviews provided oral presentations about their research during the event:
- Amira Blakley, medical student – “Exercise in Medicine: Goal Setting”
- Dr. Andy Thomas, resident physician – “Studying Need for Lifestyle Medicine Assessments and Interventions at University Medical Center”
- Dr. Joy Bradley, assistant professor of community medicine and population health – “The Myth of the Food Desert: A Photovoice Project
After oral presentations, faculty, residents, medical students and graduate students with similar research topics broke out into groups to discuss their projects as part of CCHS Research Café.
In addition to winners of the abstract poster reviews, winners were also selected in other divisions:
Medical Student Division
First Place: Julia Giggie for Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in a 3-week Postpartum Patient: co-author: Dr. Mallory Scogin
Second Place: Sheena Khan for Adult IgA Vasculitis Following Conjunctival Infection
Third Place: Graham Jones for Assessing the Efficacy of Apple Health Medication Reminders on Medication Adherence for Diabetic Patients; co-authors: Dr. Jon Baccus, CCHS assistant professor of family, internal, and rural medicine; Dr. John Higginbotham, CCHS professor of community medicine and population health; and Dr. Abbey Gregg, CCHS assistant professor of community medicine and population health.
Casey Macander for Exploring the Reliability of Self-Report Cancer Diagnosis based on Cancer Type and Geographic Region; co-authors: Marcelo Galafassi, Hui Wang, Dr. Randi Henderson-Mitchell, CCHS assistant professor of community medicine and population health, and Dr. John Higginbotham, CCHS professor of community medicine and population health.
Resident Division
First Place: Dr. Morvarid Sanandaji for Developing a novel survey of Family Medicine Residency Continuity Clinic staff to investigate perceived barriers to immunizing against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV); co-authors: Dr. Brian Gannon, CCHS associate professor of pediatrics; Dr. Cheree Melton, CCHS assistant professor of family, internal, and rural medicine; Dr. Randi Henderson-Mitchell, CCHS assistant professor of community medicine and population health; and Jacquee Jessop.
Second Place: Dr. Austin Brooks for Application Personal Statements as Predictors of Rural Practice Choice; co-authors: Dr. McKenzie Donald, CCHS resident; Dr. Drake Lavender, CCHS associate professor of family, internal, and rural medicine; and Dr. Nathan Culmer, CCHS director of academic technologies and faculty development.
Third Place: Dr. Rachel Butler-Sarvaunt for Evaluating the Effects of COVID-19 Amongst Pregnant Patients at University Medical Center: A Retrospective Chart Review; co-authors: Dr. Melissa Deviney, CCHS resident; and Dr. Cheree Melton, CCHS assistant professor of family, internal, and rural medicine.
Dr. McKenzie Donald for Application Personal Statements as Predictors of Primary Care Residency; co-authors: Dr. Austin Brooks, CCHS resident; Dr. Drake Lavender, CCHS associate professor of family, internal, and rural medicine; and Dr. Nathan Culmer, CCHS director of academic technologies and faculty development.
Dr. William Wallace for Reducing DCHRMC Teaching Service 30-Day Heart Failure Readmissions; co-authors: Dr. Joseph Mestayer, CCHS resident; and Dr. Louanne Friend, CCHS associate professor of community medicine and population health and assistant residency director for Research and Quality Improvement.
Faculty Division
First Place: Dr. Yuhui Yao, CCHS assistant professor of community medicine and population health, for Integrating Multiple Data Sources for County-Level Daily Opioid Surveillance in Northwestern Alabama
Second Place: Dr. Maryam Bidgoli, CCHS assistant professor of community health and population, for Trust and Vaccination: The Role of Healthcare System and Online Sources in Shaping COVID-19 Vaccine Attitudes and Intentions; co-authors: Dr. Lisle Hites, CCHS associate professor of community medicine and population health; Dr. Catanya Stager, Dr. Victor Sutton, director of the Office of Preventive Health and Health Equity at the Mississippi State Department of Health; Lamees El-sadek, research analyst with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and evaluation lead with the Mississippi State Department of Health Office of Health Data and Research; and Shabnam Naher.
Third Place: Dr. Jen Nickelson, associate professor of health science with the UA College of Human Environmental Sciences, for Wilcox Empowerment Community Action Network: Coalition building to address the intersection of structural racism, childhood obesity, and rurality; co-authors: Dr. Joy Bradley, CCHS assistant professor of community medicine and population health; and Felecia Lucky.
The judges for Research and Scholarly Activity Day were Dr. Abbey Gregg, CCHS assistant professor of community medicine and population health; Dr. Rebecca Britt, associate dean for research, scholarship and creative activity for the College of Communication and Information Sciences; Dr. David Hardy, associate dean for research and services for the College of Education Office of Research and Service; Dr. James Geyer, CCHS professor and medical director of the Institute for Rural Health Research; Dr. Randi-Henderson-Mitchell, CCHS assistant professor of community medicine and population health; Dr. Lisle Hites, CCHS associate professor of community medicine and population health; Dr. Bob McKinney, CCHS associate professor of social work; Dr. Cecil Robinson, CCHS associate professor and director of Learning and Evaluation; and Andrea Wright, CCHS associate professor and clinical/technical services librarian.