HUCM

Medical Student Research Newsletter

The HUCM Medical Student Research Newsletter Communicates
Research Opportunities and Highlights Medical Student Research
Accomplishments

Table of Contents Page

HUCM Internal Research Opportunities 2
Funded Research Fellowship Opportunities at HUCM 3
External Research Opportunities 4
HUCM Student Research Publications and Presentations 5-7
Call For Meeting Abstracts 8



John T. Stubbs III, Ph.D.
Director of Medical Student Research
Howard University College of Medicine
Email: john.stubbs@howard.edu

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 HUCM Internal Research Opportunities
Surgical Outcomes Research Group
Meets Mondays 3:00 PM; 4th Floor, Room 4B-45 and 4B-39
The purpose of this group is to interact with all clinical divisions within the Department of Surgery,
and collaborate with clinicians to advance clinical outcomes research studies that have an impact on
health care policies, leading to national recognition and/or fundable research programs. Students
participate on research projects under the direction of Surgical Attendings.
Please contact Gezzer Ortega, MD, MPH at gezzer.ortega@howard.edu for additional information.

Radiology Students Research Group

Meets weekly on Tuesdays at 5 PM in the main Radiology Conference room in Hospital;
additionally, our department hosts an active Radiology Interest Group (RIG). Goal is to expose
students early on to all aspects of radiology, and to offer students at many levels exposure to clinical
radiology research. Please see the website below for additional information.
http://huhealthcare.com/healthcare/hospital/departments/radiology/research-group

NextGEN
Howard University Cancer Center Cancer Research Training Program
Provides a rich training environment for trainees to pursue cutting-edge cancer research in an
interdisciplinary environment. Two training opportunities exist.
Unpaid Research Internships provide research experiences to enhance knowledge and skills.
Paid Research Scholarships are accepted into paid slots within the University or an official affiliated
site.
Please contact Dr. Carla Williams, Ph.D. in the HU Cancer Center or
http://cancer.howard.edu or 202-806-7697 for additional information

Please make an appointment with Dr. Stubbs to inquire about other student research opportunities.

Important Dates
2017 NIH NIAID INRO Program Application DUE 10/15/2016
2017 Howard Hughes Medical Scholars Medical Research Fellowship 1 Year DUE 1/11/ 2017
2017 NIH Medical Scholar Program Application Availability, October 1, 2016
2017 MSSRP Application Availability November 2016
2017 NIH Summer Internship Application Availability November 2016
2017 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Summer Medical Research Fellowship Application TBD

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 Funded Research Fellowship Opportunities at the HUCM

Medical Student Summer Research Program (MSSRP)
Freshmen Medical Students may conduct basic and or a clinical research with HUCM faculty
members during the summer following their freshman year. The goal of the MSSRP is to foster
medical student participation in HUCM research. This program provides a current stipend of $2,500
and it has duration of seven weeks. Applicants are limited to first year medical students who remain
in good academic standing and who meet defined requirements.
Applications are available in November 2016

Gwendolyn E. Mingo Fellowship

Freshmen and Sophomore Medical Students may conduct cancer research with Howard University
Cancer Center Affiliated faculty members during the summer. This fellowship provides a stipend of
$ 2,000 and it lasts for six to eight weeks. Applications are available in the early Spring 2017

Matory-Kiernan Summer Surgical Research Fellowship

The fellowship involves mentored research in conjunction with an exciting surgical observership
experience. The fellowship is typically conducted at Howard University Hospital under the
supervision of surgical faculty during the summer following the sophomore year. Students receive a
$2,500 summer stipend ($1,000 near the beginning of the fellowship and $1,500 after satisfactory
completion and submission of a research paper). Applications are available in the early Spring 2017

Pugh-Leffall Surgical Education Fellowship

This fellowship is awarded to outstanding sophomores who desire an early exposure to the
specialty of surgery and who wish to develop skills in surgical education research. The
fellowship is performed at the Howard University Health Sciences Simulation Center under the
supervision of surgical faculty during the summer following the sophomore year. The program
is directed by Dr. Debra H. Ford, Associate Professor of Surgery and Medical Director of the
Simulation Center. Please see the website below for information.
https://www.howard.edu/simcenter/cnt/research/pugh-lefall-fellowship.html
Applications are available in Spring 2017

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 External Research Opportunities

NIH Intramural NIAID Research Opportunities (INRO) program
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the largest Institutes at the National
Institutes of Health (NIH), is looking for science students with a passion to advance global health research in
the 21st century for its Intramural NIAID Research Opportunities (INRO) program, held February 69, 2017,
in Bethesda, Maryland. Applications are Due: October 15, 2016
Please see https://www.niaid.nih.gov/labsandresources/labs/training/inro/Pages/default.aspx
Contact: Wendy J. Fibison, Ph.D. Associate Director, OTD Phone: 301-496-2638 INRO@niaid.nih.gov

NIH Summer Internship Program (NIH-SIP)
Internships cover a minimum of eight weeks, with students generally arriving at the NIH in May or June. The
NIH Institutes and the Office of Intramural Training & Education sponsor a wide range of summer activities
including lectures featuring distinguished NIH investigators, career/professional development workshops, and
Summer Poster Day. Applications are Due: Nov. 2016. Please see https://www.training.nih.gov/programs/sip

NIH Clinical Centers Medical Research Scholars Program

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Medical Research Scholars Program (MRSP) is a comprehensive, year-long
research enrichment program designed to attract the most creative, research-oriented medical, dental, and veterinary
students to the intramural campus of the NIH in Bethesda, MD.
Eligibility
The MRSP is designed for students who have completed their core clinical rotations but does not exclude students with
strong research interests from applying prior to having completed their clinical rotations.
Please see http://clinicalcenter.nih.gov/training/mrsp/index.html

Howard Hughes Medical Research Fellows Program Year Long Program

The Howard Hughes Medical Research Fellows Program funds medical student research in the basic, translational, or
applied biomedical sciences. HHMI does not fund health services or health policy research.
Eligibility
Applicants must be currently enrolled in a medical, dental, or veterinary school in the United States. Students may apply
during any year of their studies, but applicants in the last year of school must defer graduation until completion of the
fellowship year. All students must make a commitment to conducting 12 months of continuous, full-time research with
minimal interruptions for interviews for residency or post-graduate training. These fellowships are not available to
students enrolled in a combined medical, dental, or veterinary/ Ph.D. program (e.g., M.D./Ph.D.), a Ph.D. program, or a
Sc.D. program or to those who have completed a Ph.D. or a Sc.D. in a laboratory-based science.
Please see https://www.hhmi.org/programs/medical-research-fellows-program/year-long-program

HHMI Summer Medical Research Fellowship under the auspices of the HHMI-Howard
Summer Medical Fellows Initiative
The HHMI-Howard Summer Medical Fellows Initiative funds HUCM medical students to conduct research in the basic,
translational, or applied biomedical sciences. HHMI does not fund health services or health policy research.
Eligibility
Applicants must be currently enrolled in a medical, dental, or veterinary school in the United States. Students may apply
during any year of their studies, but applicants in the last year of school must defer graduation until completion of the
fellowship year. HHMI encourages students to seek a rigorous laboratory-based research training experience for 8-10
weeks (10 weeks preferred) with an experienced mentor in the laboratory of their choice at any academic institution in the
U.S. The mentor should be R01-funded, have a strong publication and training track record, and the time, interest and
commitment to training the student.
Please contact Ms. Melanie Daub, MBA, Program Officer, HHMI Medical Fellows Program, Office: 301-951-6708,
Email: daubm@hhmi.org

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 HUCM Student Publications and Presentations


Student Publication

Congratulations to Mr. Roderick Davis HUCM Class of 2017 and

Dr. Bernard Kwabi-Addo for

Wang S, Clarke PA, Davis R, Mumuni S, Kwabi-Addo B

Sex steroid-induced DNA methylation changes and inflammation response in prostate cancer.
Cytokine. 2016 Oct; 86:110-8. doi: 10.1016/j.cyto.2016.07.006. Epub 2016 Aug 5.

Mr. Davis was a 2015 MSSRP fellow in the lab of Dr. Kwabi-Addo.

Invited Student Research Presentation

National Medical Association, July 31, 2016 Los Angeles, CA

Danh Truong, BS2; Eugene Bivins, BS2; Joshua Obamedo, BS2; Davis Abongwa, BS2;
Bonnie Davis, MD1; Andre Duerinckx, MD-PhD1
Indications for Computed Tomography Pulmonary Angiography in Diagnosing Pulmonary Embolism
1
Department of Radiology, Howard University Hospital, Washington, D.C. 20060
2
Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, D.C. 20059

Please share your publications and invited presentations with us.

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 HUCM Student Publications and Presentations
2016 MSSRP Summer Poster Day August 15, 2016

Pierce DeRico, B.S.1, Mary Katherine Howell, M.S.2, Ameenat Akeeb, B.S.3 Thomas A. Mellman, M.D.3
Fear of Sleep, Dysfunctional Beliefs About Sleep, and General W orry and Choice of Cognitive.
Howard University College of Medicine1, Department of Psychology2 & Department of Psychiatry3, Washington, DC

Nehah Harinarayan, Sabrina Holder, Liang Shan MD, PhD
PD-L1 Expression Changes in Response to EGFRvIII Mutation and IFN- Stimulation
Molecular Imaging Laboratory, Department of Radiology

Sachin Vasikaran, B.S. 1, Ameenat Akeeb, B.S. 1,2, Ihori Kobayashi, Ph.D. 1,2, Joseph Lavela, B.A. 1,2, and Thomas
Mellman, M.D. 1,2
The Impact of Insomnia and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder on Quality of life in Urban Young Adult African-
Americans
Howard University College of Medicine1, Department of Psychiatry2

Alicia V. Dillard, Maurice B. Fluitt, PhD, Gail Nunlee-Bland, MD, Kanwal K. Gambhir, PhD
The Effects of DPP-4 Inhibitors and Disease Duration on Plasma Adiponectin in African Americans with T2DM
Molecular Endocrinology Lab, Department of Medicine, HUCM

Brandon E. Albert, Carolyn Ecelbarger, Otelio S. Randall and Dexter L. Lee
Urinary Excretion of Na-K-2Cl Co-Transporter (NKCC2) Increases in Human Subjects profiled as Hypertensive &
Diabetic.
Howard University College of Medicine & Georgetown University College of Medicine

Lydie D. Francillon1, Hagos Z. Aymut1, Bethlehem A. Agize1, Safia F. Mohamud1, and Celia J. Maxwell1
Educational Level and HIV Health Literacy among Clients Obtaining Opt-out HIV Screening at an Anonymous Testing
Site (ATS) in an Urban Hospital, USA
Howard University College of Medicine / Howard University Hospital

Eugene Park, Paul T. Austin, Ze-Jun W ang, Thomas Heinbockel

Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors and GABA Receptors Regulate Firing Properties in Mitral Cells of the Mouse Main
Olfactory Bulb
Howard University College of Medicine, Department of Anatomy, Washington, D.C., 20059

James C. Rodriguez, II; Justin P. DeAndrea; Paul C. Wang and Yunkou Wu
Developing Gd3+ MRI Contrast Agents for the Study of -cell Function
Molecular Imaging Lab, Department of Radiology, Howard University, Washington DC, USA.

Gillian Lee1, Marina Jerebtsova, PhD2, Sergei Nekhai, PhD2
Urinary biomarkers in sickle cell disease patients with h emoglobinuria for chronic kidney disease
1Howard University College of Medicine, 2Center for Sickle Cell Disease, Howard University

Rajdeep Singh, B.S1., Ameenat Akeeb, B.S.1,2, Ihori Kobiyashi, Ph.D. 1,2 Tyish Hall Brown, Ph.D., MHS1,2, and
Thomas Mellman, M.D.1,2
Preliminary Findings: The Relationship Between Dysfunctional Beliefs About Sleep, Nocturnal Fears & Insomnia In 6
Veterans Howard University College of Medicine1, Department of Psychiatry2
 HUCM Student Publications and Presentations
2016 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Summer Research Program Poster Day
Presentations on July 29, 2016
Latonia Miller
Dysregulated JNK signaling contributes to the anti-apoptotic phenotype of BMPR2-silenced endothelial cells
Preceptors: Dr. Keytam Awad, Dr. Robert Danner
Clinical Center NIH

Raina Bembry, Paul Hanona

Deep Phenotyping of Patients with Xeroderma Pigmentosum
Preceptors: Dr. Kenneth Kraemer, Dr. John DiGiovanna
National Cancer Institute NIH

Karima Holmes
Characterization of Vaccine-Induced TARP-Specific Responses by Intracellular Cytokine Staining (ICS)
Preceptors: Dr. Lauren Wood, Ms. Katherine McKinnon
National Cancer Institute NIH

David Johnson
Paradoxical signaling of primed T cells
Preceptors: Dr. Gregoire Altan-Bonnet, Dr. Alon Oyler Yaniv, Mrs. Jennifer Oyler Yaniv, Dr. Amir Erez
National Cancer Institute NIH

Allyssa Lee
Evaluating p53 immunohistochemistry as a surrogate for mutation status in high grade gliomas
Preceptors: Dr. Martha Quezado, Dr. Drew Pratt
National Cancer Institute NIH

Carensa Cezar
Trans-end mortality of patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus from 1960-present
Preceptors: Dr. Michael Ward, Dr. Maria Tektonidou
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases NIH

Tell Us About Your Presentations.

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 Meetings
& Call For
Abstracts
43rd Annual Eastern-Atlantic Student Research Forum, Feb. 22-25, 2017

The Eastern-Atlantic Student Research Forum (ESRF) is a four-day international symposium held at
the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine (UMMSM) in Miami, Florida. Each
year, ESRF selects medical, graduate, M.D./Ph.D. students, and resident physicians from the United
States, Canada, Europe, Central and South Americas to present original basic science and clinical
research in multiple biomedical fields. In addition to formal presentations, the forum includes the
informal exchange of scientific ideas among students and faculty preceptors, the encouragement of
student-initiated research, and the professional development of future leaders in biomedical research.
The meetings dates for this year are Feb. 22-25, 2017 in Miami, FL.
Abstracts are accepted Sept. 30, 2016 to October 31, 2017.
Please see http://uresearch.miami.edu/esrf for additional information.

Twenty-seventh Annual Scientific Session of the Society of Black Academic Surgeons.

April 2729, 2017
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS Deadline November 28, 2016. SBAS Members, residents, fellows, medical
students and hospital/teaching faculty are invited to submit an abstract on the clinical or laboratory
investigation of your choice. One is not required to be a SBAS member to submit an abstract.
Please see the following for additional information http://www.sbas.net/abstracts/

The American Association for Cancer Research
April 1-5, 2017 Walter E. Washington Convention Center Washington, DC
The AACR Annual Meeting highlights the best cancer science and medicine from institutions all
over the world. Attendees are invited to stretch their boundaries, form collaborations, attend sessions
outside their own areas of expertise, and learn how to apply exciting new concepts, tools, and
techniques to their own research. Abstract Deadline: Nov. 17, 2017.
Please see http://www.aacr.org/Documents/2017_AACR_Annual_Meeting_Call_for_Abstracts.pdf

12th Annual Academic Surgical Congress, Feb 7-9, 2017
Please inform Dr. Stubbs if your abstract was selected for presentation at the Academic
Surgical Congress.