Summer Student Research Fellowship
The Summer Student Research Fellowship (SSRF) is an eight-week summer experience providing College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM) students an opportunity to work with accomplished faculty researchers within established research endeavors.
Background and Objectives
The fellowship program began in 2002 and since that time has continued to help COM students enhance their knowledge of research in order to become more skilled practicing physicians.
The three main objectives of the SSRF program are to: train medical students to conduct research; provide research faculty the opportunity to mentor students while the students conduct their own research projects; and provide COM students the opportunity to present papers at national conferences and publish manuscripts in peer-reviewed research journals.
Since the number of available residencies throughout the U.S. is now shared by both osteopathic and allopathic students, the SSRF program provides additional skills needed to keep students competitive for the limited number of residency positions and gives COM students an edge in attracting a residency.
About the SSRF Program
The fellowship is an eight-week hands-on research experience working with basic science faculty, clinical research faculty and faculty who conduct epidemiological research. At the beginning of the fellowship students and faculty attend an orientation session and learn lab safety protocols. Students work with faculty for eight weeks and at the end of the summer present a final formal summary of their accomplishments. Requirements include completing oral presentations and submitting a formal written report on the research outcomes. Students and faculty are expected to disseminate the results of the research at the annual KCU Research Symposium, and at local, regional, and national meetings and through publications.
Selection to the SSRF is competitive. Medical students and faculty mentors work together to develop a proposal for the research activity that will be conducted during the summer. The student’s proposal is then evaluated by a review committee consisting of a non-competing research faculty member and select members of the Research Committee. Each application is ranked according to the elements of significance, design and methodology, research experience of the fellow, environment for success and the professional appearance of the proposal and application. Once the student has been successfully awarded the summer student research fellowship, fellowship requirements are defined prior to signing an acceptance agreement.
For more information on how and when to apply for the fellowship, email research@kansascity.edu.
Current SSRF Projects
|
Name |
Title |
Primary Investigator/CO-PI |
|
Alpha Bah |
The profile of post-translational modifications of TDP-43 in neurodegenerative diseases: A blood-based biomarker development |
Abdulbaki Agbas PhD Shared Fellowship |
|
Mira Basuino |
Sexual Dimorphism of the Cardiovascular Responses to Doxorubicin |
Eugene Konorev MD, PhD |
|
Prescott Binder |
Mapping the Precise Anatomic Insertion of the Medial Ulnar Collateral Ligament Complex of the Elbow |
Barth Wright PhD |
|
Lauren Chi |
Effects of COVID-19 on Underserved Populations in Kansas City, MO: Identifying Barriers and Facilitators to Accessing Health Services |
Mark Pence DO |
|
Deborah Del-Oni |
Novel Treatment of Iron Overloading in Hereditary Homechromatosis Mouse Model |
Robert White PhD Shared Fellowship |
|
Twinkle Dutta |
Assessment of Mitochondrial Stress in Platelets of Patients with Neurodegenerative Diseases |
Abdulbaki Agbas PhD Shared Fellowship |
|
Reid Gamble |
U.S. medical school admissions and enrollment practices: status of LGBTQ inclusivity |
Jan Talley PhD, MA, MSW |
|
Spoorthi Hiremagalore |
HIF-1α Dependent Lipolytic Signaling Regulates Metabolic Plasticity of Aging Normal Human Fibroblasts |
Ehab Sarsour PhD, MSc |
|
Parker Howe |
Evaluating the Effect of Acute and Chronic Interleukin-6 and Interleukin-15 Exposure on Autophagy in Cultured C2C12 Myotubes |
Robert Rogers PhD |
|
Taylor Johnson |
Characterization of Genomic DNA in Somatic and Germline Tissues that Contribute to Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome |
Douglas Bittel PhD |
|
Kailey Kowalski |
The Blues of Low Oxygen in Brain: Effects of Hypoxia and Reperfusion on a Neuronal Calcium Transporter |
Asma Zaidi PhD |
|
Christopher Krueger |
Hepatic Arterial Patterns and Variations: Using CT Data Visualization Software to Decrease Procedural Complications Due to Hepatic Arterial Variations |
Charles Withnell PhD, MA |
|
Sharique Mohammed |
Is There a Difference in Compliance Between Pharmaceutical, Non-pharmaceutical, and Other Treatments in Adolescent Patients with ADHD and What Interventions May Be Used to Increase Patient Compliance |
Jan Talley PhD, MA, MSW |
|
Thomas Osterholt |
A systemic review of current literature to increase grit and resiliency in those training in medicine. |
Jozi McGowan, DO |
|
Alexis Roberts |
Race, Rurality, and Root Canals: An Assessment of Oral Health Accessibility Markers Among Pregnant Women in the Four-State Sub-region |
Jennifer Dennis PhD, MS |
|
Daulton Sauce |
The Forgotten Corner of the Knee: Using Digital Segmentation to Reconstruct the Conventional Anatomy, Anatomical Variations, and Clinical Implications of the Posteromedial Corner of the Knee |
Charles Withnell PhD, MA Shared Fellowship |
|
Quinn Smith |
Disrupted endothelial-pericyte interactions in doxorubicin treated microvessels |
Eugene Konorev MD, PhD |