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2018 Summer Research Program Summary


On July 30 and 31, students from the Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program Global and Public Health Track and the Aging and Neurological Disease Track presented their research projects in a culminating symposium and poster sessions, respectively.

2018 Public and Global Health Track

On July 31, Dr. Colleen McNicholas, Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology gave a keynote presentation titled, When Politics, Not Policy, is Prioritized: Advocating for Patients and the Profession. At the close of the event, the students were presented completion certificates.

Participants, Mentors and Projects

  • Adjoa Cofie from Stockton University worked with professor Haina Shin on “Neutrophil-mediated host defense against herpes simplex virus”
  • Jelena Debelnogich from Kent State University worked with professor Jason Newland on “Improving antibiotic use in ventilator-associated tracheitis in children”
  • Swetha Nakshatri (Stephanie and Chris Doerr Summer Research Scholar) from Washington University in St. Louis worked with professor Jeffrey Gordon on “Characterization of bifidobacterium longum subspecies B. infantis strains isolated from the fecal microbiota of healthy and malnourished children”
  • Sharon-Rose Nartey from the University of Notre Dame worked with professor Christina Stallings on “Characterization of mycobacterium tuberculosis RNA polymerase binding protein A core domain”
  • Lorcan O’Byrne, from University College Dublin worked with professor Rumi Price on “Acceptability and effectiveness of a mindfulness app on heart rate monitor for US veterans”
  • Margot Palmer from the University of Georgia-Athens worked with professor James Fleckenstein on “Impact of mucin-degrading enzyme EatA on interaction of enterotoxigenic escherichia coli with intestinal epithelia”
  • Marissa Rasgado from DePaul University worked with professor Shanti Parikh on “Commercial sex work and HIV stigma in Iganga, Uganda”
  • Taylor Ross from the University of Missouri-Columbia worked with professor Ali Ellebedy on “Human B cell responses to H3N2 influenza viruses”
  • Kricia Ruano from Williamette University worked with professor Tarek Alhamad on “Analysis of body mass index in simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplants in type-2 diabetes patients”
  • Adetutu Sadiq from the University of California-Berkeley worked with professor Mark Manary on “Comparison of a novel ready-to use supplementary food (RUSF) with optimized protein quality to standard protein quality RUSF for the treatment of moderate acute malnutrition in rural Malawian children”
  • Austin Smarsh from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor worked with professor Patricia Cavazos-Rehg on “Opioid use disorder and HIV and hepatitis C risk behavior among individuals socially networking online about opioids”
  • Laura Whitehill from University College Dublin worked with professor Bobbi Pineda on “Socio-demographic factors related to parent engagement in the neonatal intensive care unit”
  • Sarah Wishloff from Amherst College worked with professor Mark Manary on “Two novel high-oleic ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUFT) compared to standard RUTF and their effects of neurocognitive status of children with severe acute malnutrition”
  • Tiffany Xie (Gold Family Summer Research Scholar) from Indiana University-Bloomington worked with professor Kathleen Bucholz on “Associations between racial and socioeconomic discrimination and risk behaviors among African-American adolescents and young adults”
  • Celia Zhou from Wake Forest University worked with professor Philip Budge on “Variability in daily limb volume and circumference among patients with filarial lymphedema in Sri Lanka”

The 2018 Summer Research Program was supported by the Institute for Public Health, Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging and the Global Health Center of Washington University in St. Louis; the Departments of Medicine, Molecular Microbiology, and Pediatrics in Washington University’s School of Medicine; the Children’s Discovery Institute of Washington University and St. Louis Children’s Hospital; Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals Charitable Giving Program; Stephanie and Chris Doerr; and, Dr. and Mrs. Mark Stephen Gold.

Related Materials

Symposium Program Book
Facebook Photo Album
Summer Research Program Student Blog