VA ORD Summer Research Program Accomplishments
Atlanta VA Medical Center (PI: C. Michael Hart, MD)
The Atlanta VA continues to work closely with Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) to continue to grow the Summer Research Program (SRP) and identify potential CDA applicants.
- 2nd annual Atlanta VA-MSM SRP – Hosted 5 medical students (June – August 2023)
- 1st annual Atlanta VA-MSM Research Symposium – Hosted at MSM (August 3, 2023)
a. 3 VA speakers
b. 3 MSM speakers
c. ORD Representation
d. Poster Session
e. The 5 SRP students presented their research project and received a certificate of completion.
f. Networking lunch
- Three Potential CDA applicants
Excerpts from testimonials written by Atlanta VA-MSM SRP participants:
“The biggest surprise to me was how interested researchers at the VA were that we joined. It was palpable that they were excited to have medical students joining the VA to help with research. They also were eager to share their research and opportunities at the VA. I was also surprised we got clinical rotations which were a good break from research activities and allowed me to see sides of medicine I hadn’t previously. The most important thing that I learned was the types of research there are. I had no prior research experience and seeing all the branches of research inside the VA allowed me to understand how vast research is.”
“The knowledge I gained this summer I will take with me to ensure that I will always be pushing myself to become the best physician I can because all that effort will one day determine the success, I have in treating my patients. Once again thank you for this amazing opportunity.”
“Initially, the idea of research was daunting to me. Because I did not have a lot of exposure to it beforehand, it seemed overwhelming and not all that interesting. Something that surprised me throughout this whole experience has been that it’s something that I can actually envision myself pursuing later into my career. There are times when it can be difficult and stressful, sure, but it’s no longer something I see that is unachievable for me.”
Baltimore VA Medical Center (PIs: Susan Conroy, Dsc., DPT and
Beth Hogans, MD, PhD, MS)
Accomplishments:
- Data Science Hack-a-thon joint meeting with VA Caribbean SRP.
- Research Ethics Escape Room experience.
- Published abstracts.
- National meeting late-breaking research presentation.
- Multiple manuscripts in preparation.
- Multiple interns accepted to medical and graduate school programs.
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Boston VA Health Care System (PI: Satish Singh, MD)
SRP Accomplishments:
Two students will be presenting their summer 2024 research at ABRCMS in Pittsburgh PA in November. The title of the posters are:
- A Computer Decision Support Tool to Calculate Appropriate Intervals for Colorectal Cancer Screening and Colonoscopic Prevention.
- Training a Deep-Learning Model to Classify Colorectal Polyp Pathology Slides
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Cleveland VA Medical Center (PI: Allison Hess-Dunning, PhD)
On July 3, 2024, we hosted our annual APTC Summer Internship Program (SIP) Research Symposium! Our 2024 interns presented the work they did over the summer at the interactive poster session to APT Investigators, mentors, staff, and fellow students of all levels. The top three posters were selected, and the winners received cash prizes as well as registration to a future scientific conference where they can showcase their work on a wider scale.
Congratulations to the 2024 SIP Poster Winners!
First place: Dylan Zhu – Mentor Dr. Hamid Charkhkar
Second place: Morgan Creighton – Mentor Dr. Dustin Tyler
Third place: Sanad Sweilem – Mentor Dr. Sandra Hnat
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Edward Hines Jr. VA Medical Center, Hines, IL (PI: Charlesnika Evans, PhD)
Hines Internship Program has had 13 interns over 3 years contribute to ongoing research projects through tasks such as primary data collection and analysis. Interns also displayed their skills and knowledge gained during the internship by creating their own research question and presentation, which they presented at a research symposium. This internship has led to a past intern returning to the internship for a second year, another being hired on as a full-time employee, and others furthering their education by attending graduate school. Through our internship we have successfully focused on improving diversity, equity, and inclusion with 80% of all our interns being a member of at least 1 minority or underrepresented group. Our internship program will continue to strive to provide a well-rounded, hands-on internship focused on improving diversity and enhance opportunities for future talented leaders from diverse backgrounds to pursue careers in health sciences.
2023 and 2024 Intern Presentations:
- Military toxin Exposure:
- Infertility and Miscarriages Among Women at Camp Lejeune (Jennifer Gaucin)
- Health Impacts of Toxin Exposure on Female Veterans at Camp Lejeune (Jennifer Gaucin)
- Identifying Neurobehavioral Conditions among Camp Lejeune Residents using Natural Language Processing on Electronic Health Records (Ranik Jelinek)
- Analyzing Social Media Posts to Examine the Impact of Legislation related to Toxic Exposure at Camp Lejeune on Veterans and Families (Carlos Luna)
- Infectious Disease
- The Impact of a Clinical Decision Support System on Inappropriate Tests for Clostridium difficile Infections (Olivia Stojak)
- Clostridiodes Difficile Infection: Review on appropriate testing in U.S. Veterans (Rebecca Cooper)
- Patient and Facility Factors Associated with Recurrence of Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) Infection Among Veterans (Chinonyerem Nwankpa)
- Spinal Cord Injury (SCI/D)
- Examining Veterans with SCI/D Satisfaction with Their Annual Evaluations (Leann Torrez)
- Perceptions of Telehealth Communications vs In-Person Communications among Veterans with SCI/D (Vanessa Rosales)
- Loneliness associations with unhealthy lifestyle behaviors in persons with SCI/D (Sophia-Rose Raval)
- Healthcare Utilization
- Vocational Rehabilitation and Mental Health: Evaluating program attendance for Veterans with mental health conditions (Myles Williamson)
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Minneapolis VA Medical Center (PI: Melissa Polusny, PhD)
Comments from former students:
“I learned a ton while getting paid and making friends and connections. I was able to challenge myself to be more confident and resulted in getting a job!”
“Great mentorship, interesting seminars, and prepared you for the future in research field/VA/graduate school.”
“For people who are discerning a career path in research, I think it’s a good start.”
“This was such a great summer internship. I learned a lot about my project area, and about research in general. I think the people are also what make it, and you have such a special group of human beings here at the Minneapolis VA. I feel lucky to have been a part of this process and grateful to be her.”
“I think this program does a phenomenal job at exposing aspiring researchers to the ins and outs of the VA, which was one of my main goals this summer. I feel like people even remotely interested in the veteran demographic will benefit immensely from this program.”
“I was surrounded by like-minded individuals who love research. I’ve also never had a formal grad student mentor before and such a structured week in research, so I learned a lot about what it takes to do research day-to-day and come out with a finished product.”
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Phoenix VA Medical Center (Katherine Petersen, PhD)
Abstracts and Presentations from the Phoenix SRP:
- Devault D, Petersen K, Chew M, Lau M. The Correlation Between Sarcopenia and Aldolase Concentration in Veteran Cancer Patients Receiving Chemotherapy. Poster presentation at Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Students (ABRCMS), ABRCMS November 2024.
- Lev L, Petersen K, Roberts JL, Kupferer K, Werder S. Exploring the Impact of Folic Acid Supplementation and Vitamin B12 Deficiency on Maternal and Fetal Outcomes in Pregnant Women with Celiac Disease. Nutrients. 2024, 16(18), 3194. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16183194
- Diaz Delgado P, Petersen K, Nitzsche L, Askren P. Can screening for sarcopenia lead to early identification of nutrition risk in cancer patients?: A quality improvement project. Poster presentation at ABRCMS Conference November 2023.
- Waynick K, Karlan E, Kurtz J, Petersen K, Chew M. Congruency between physician and dietitian of malnutrition identification for inpatient Veterans at the Phoenix VA Health Care System (PVAHCS). Poster presentation at ABRCMS, November 2023.
- Martin E, Migrino R. Comparison of thrombomodulin in cerebral arteries of Alzheimer’s disease vs non-demented brain donors. Poster presentation at ABRCMS, November 2023.
- Brammeier C. The Impact of Prophylactic Gastrostomy Tube Placement and Rates of Malnutrition in Veterans with Advanced Stage Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma in the Phoenix Veteran Affairs Population. Thesis in partial fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree Master of Science. Approved April 2024
- Chapman L, Basile A. Effect of an Evolutionary Mismatch Narrative Education on Consumption of Ultra-Processed Foods and Quality of Life Among Veterans with Diabetes: A Feasibility Study. Poster presentation at ABRCMS Conference November 2023.
- Lev L, Petersen K, Roberts JL, Kupferer K, Werder S. Interactions Between Folic Acid Supplementation and Vitamin B12 Deficiency in Pregnant Women with Celiac Disease. Poster presentation at ABRCMS, November 2024.
- Milyard, K, Petersen K. Prevalence, Severity, and Duration of Oral Pain, Dysgeusia, and Fatigue in Veterans with Head and Neck Cancer Undergoing Chemoradiotherapy. Poster presentation at ABRCMS, November 2024.
- Tewalt E, Petersen K, Chew M. The Impact of Carbohydrate Loading on Surgical Outcomes for Veterans Undergoing Colorectal Surgery. Poster presentation at ABRCMS, November 2024.
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Pittsburgh VA Medical Center (PIs: Rory Cooper, PhD and Alicia Koontz, PhD)
Pittsburgh VA Summer Program Accomplishments:
During the initial pilot period, 28 students were supported under this program (10 in 2022, 8 in 2023, 10 in 2024).
The 2024 cohort coincided with Human Engineering Research Lab (HERL)'s 30th anniversary celebration, which allowed program participants the opportunity to display their work to and converse with representatives from major educational and medical institutions (UPitt, UPMC, CMU, Highmark Health Systems) as well as researchers from HERL's history who have advanced their careers. This cohort saw 4 graduate students and 6 undergraduates, and all engaged on active research projects. ZN furthered research on how irisin affects bone density in wheelchair users. GS and KS worked with a student Veteran from HERL's ELeVATE program to develop a prototype omindirectional powered wheelchair, which was unveiled at the 2024 National Veteran's Wheelchair Games. PD collaborated with Dr. Jonathan Duvall and several others to develop and rapidly prototype multiple accessibility modifications for wheelchair users to utilize in adaptive sports, and several participants worked on a large-scale project to further adapt airline pallets to accommodate powered wheelchair users. KU split her focus between improving the digital footprint of HERL to increase visibility and accessibility, while also performing calibration and subject testing on the Powered Patient Transfer System (PPTS). Finally, VR and EH helped develop and streamline a process for creating rigid aluminum and steel kirigami-inspired custom manual wheelchairs comparable to carbon fiber frames.
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San Juan, PR (PIs: Irma L. Molina-Vicenty, MD, Lourdes Guerrios Rivera, MD, MS, Ingrid Bonilla Mercado, PhD and Gerardo Jovet Toledo, MS)
VA Caribbean Healthcare System SRP Accomplishments:
- Hack-a-Thon participation with Baltimore VA
- Manuscript submissions to Peer Reviewed Journals
- Visit to NIH
- Presentation of work at VA Office of Research and Development and during the VA National Research Week
- Participation in national conferences (SACNAS, AMSA)
VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA (PI: Lindsay Anderson, PhD)
Seattle VA SRP Accomplishments
Student co-authored publications:
- Herodes M, Legaspi A, Garcia JM. Mild traumatic brain injury as a cause of adult growth hormone deficiency: Diagnosis and treatment. Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2023 Dec;37(6):101818. doi: 10.1016/j.beem.2023.101818. PMID: 37666680.
- Kerr HL, Krumm K, Lee II, Anderson B, Christiani A, Strait L, Breckheimer BA, Irwin B, Jiang AS, Rybachok A, Chen A, Caeiro L, Dacek E, Hall DB, Kostyla CH, Hales LM, Soliman TM, Garcia JM. EXT418, a novel long-acting ghrelin, mitigates Lewis lung carcinoma induced cachexia in mice. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2023 Jun;14(3):1337-1348. doi: 10.1002/jcsm.13211. PMID: 36942661; PMCID: PMC10235874.
- Hulse K, Durfy S, Lassiter E, Ravanpay AC. Neurosurgery Clerkships in United States Medical Schools: A Survey of Doctor of Medicine-Granting and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine-Granting Schools. World Neurosurg. 2024 Jan;181:e978-e982. doi: 10.1016/j.wneu.2023.11.023. PMID: 37952883.
- Kerr HL, Krumm K, Anderson B, Christiani A, Strait L, Li T, Irwin B, Jiang S, Rybachok A, Chen A, Dacek E, Caeiro L, Merrihew GE, MacDonald JW, Bammler TK, MacCoss MJ, Garcia JM. Mouse sarcopenia model reveals sex- and age-specific differences in phenotypic and molecular characteristics. J Clin Invest. 2024 Jun 11;134(16):e172890. doi: 10.1172/JCI172890. PMID: 39145448; PMCID: PMC11324300.
- Caeiro L, Jaramillo Quiroz S, Hegarty JS, Grewe E, Garcia JM, Anderson LJ. Clinical Relevance of Physical Function Outcomes in Cancer Cachexia. Cancers (Basel). 2024 Apr 1;16(7):1395. doi: 10.3390/cancers16071395. PMID: 38611073; PMCID: PMC11010860.
In the Press:
https://mednews.uw.edu/news/VA-summer-research-program
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