Meet the Scholars – Research

Erik Brown

Natalie Clark

Makaela Johnson

Maria Kalogeromitros

Rachel Musa

Bryce Pugh

Sara Rodriguez

Benjamin Gerstein
Mentor Name:
Dr. Kori Brewer, Department of Emergency Medicine
Project Name:
Clinical Outcomes in Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department for Opioid Overdose and Concurrent COVID-19 Infection

Phoebe Jollay-Castelblanco
Mentor Name:
Dr. Benjamin Degner, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences
Project Name:Development of Novel Biopsychosocial Approach for Risk Estimation of Acute Type A Aortic Dissection Repair and Potential for Improvement of Patient Outcomes

Arvind Mallikarjunan
Mentor Name:
Dr. David Leeser, Department of Surgery
Project Name:
Printing Beyond the Pages: Enhancing Medical Education Through Interdisciplinary Development of 3D Printed Models

Emma McQueen
Mentor Name:
Dr. Kathleen Bryant, Department of Emergency Medicine
Project Name:
Navigating the Digital Playground: Balancing Screen Time for Early Language Growth

Emily Moore
Mentor Name:
Dr. Paul Shackelford, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Project Name:
Assessing the Use of Retinal Imaging in Detection of Hypertension and/or Diabetes in North Carolina Farmworkers

Cere Poovey
Mentor Name:
Dr. David Tulis, Department of Physiology
Project Name:
GPR68 Signaling in Vascular Smooth Muscle Under Acidic Conditions

Francisco Reyes
Mentor Name:
Dr. Samuel Sears, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences
Project Name:
Continuing the Talk: Reducing Readmissions Through the Understanding of Symptoms and Disease Experience of Postoperative Thoracic Surgery Patients

Kristen Armel
Mentor Name:
Dr. Andrew Ju, Department of Radiation Oncology
Project Name:
Bradykinin Receptor Serves as a Target for Reducing Lung Fibrosis in COVID Mouse Model

Haley Behm
Mentor Name:
Dr. Sean Peach, Department of Radiation/Oncology
Project Name:
Cisplatin-induced neurotoxicity risk factors for head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy

Cara Girardi
Mentor Name:
Dr. Kori Brewer, Department of Emergency Medicine
Project Name:
Decreasing Opioids in the Emergency Room: Pramipexole Adjuvant Cuts Opioid Dose in Half in Acute Renal Colic Patients

Shirley Parraga
Mentor Name:
Dr. Maranke Koster & Dr. Peter Koch, Dept of Anatomy and Cell Biology
Project Name:
Identifying Cell Adhesion Defects in Keratinocytes Expressing TP63 Mutations Linked to Ectodermal Dysplasias

Aaron Phillips
Mentor Name:
Dr. Dmitry Tumin, Department of Pediatrics
Project Name:
Immune checkpoint inhibitors promote colitis via the upregulation of adhesion molecules in an experimental murine model

Nethusan Sivanesan
Mentor Name:
Dr. Johanna Hannan, Department of Physiology
Project Name:
Dose Optimization of SDF-1 mRNA to Treat Erectile Dysfunction

Rachel Stiglitz
Mentor Name:
Dr. Roberto Portela, Department of Internal Medicine
Project Name:
Heart rate variability in EMS providers to determine stress level

Sydney Taylor
Mentor Name:
Dr. Michael Honaker, Department of Surgery
Project Name:
Effects of Mental Health Diagnoses in Patients with Young Onset Colorectal Cancer

Ilya Boykov
Mentor Name:
Dr. Kelsey Fisher-Wellman, Department of Physiology
Project Name:
Determine the Effect of Complex I Loss on Colorectal Tumorigenesis

Madeline Burt
Mentor Name:
Dr. Johanna Hannan, Department of Physiology
Project Name:
Increased Mitochondrial Respiration in Bladder Mucosal but not Detrusor Tissues from Aged Female Mice

Catherine Colonna
Mentor Name:
Dr. Nasreen Vohra, Department of Surgery
Project Name:
The Influence of Sentinel Lymph Node Immune Signatures on Tumor Recurrence in Stage II Melanoma Patients

Jack Iasiello
Mentor Name:
Dr. Johanna Hannan
Project Name:
Leveraging the Electronic Health Record to Collect Social Determinants of Health Data in Patients with Cancer

Jennifer McMains
Mentor Name:
Dr. Juan March, Department of Emergency Medicine
Project Name:
Using Heart Rate Variability (HRV) to Measure Changes in Emergency Medicine (EM) Physician Stress During Intern Year

Akshita Paruchuri
Mentor Name:
Dr. Karlene Cunningham & Dr. Irma Corral, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Medicine
Project Name:
South Asian Attitudes Toward Mental Health

Melisa Pasli
Mentor Name:
Dr. Kori Brewer, Department of Emergency Medicine
Project Name:
Racial Disparities in Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Lung Cancer Receiving Immunotherapy: A Retrospective Analysis

Evan Bradner
Mentor Name:
Dr. Grainger Lanneau, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Project Name:
Impact of a 12-week Lifestyle Medicine Intervention on Newly Diagnosed Stage 1 Uterine Cancer

Manuel Gomez
Mentor Name:
Dr. Shahab Akhter and Dr. Michael Bates, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences
Project Name:
Outcomes of Surgical Management for Bacterial Endocarditis at the East Carolina Heart Institute Over the Past Two Decades

Hanifah Hendricks
Mentor Name:
Dr. Lisandra E. de Castro Brás, Department of Physiology
Project Name:
Collagen Peptide Inhibits Fibroblast Differentiation: A Potential Anti-Fibrotic Factor

Duy Huynh
Mentor Name:
Dr. Andrew Ju, Department of Radiation Oncology
Project Name:
Use of 4DCTs before bronchoscopy to improve fiducial placement and tracking for SBRT in patients with lung tumors

Sina Kazemzadeh
Mentor Name:
Dr. Suzanne Lazorick, Departments of Pediatrics and Public Health
Project Name:
Comparing Self-Reported days of Physical Activity between Adolescents in Rural North Carolina with Adolescents across North Carolina and the US

Karen Kennamer
Mentor Name:
Dr. Michael Lang, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine
Project Name:
Influenza vaccination status of patients admitted to an inpatient behavioral health unit

Charles Klose
Mentor Name:
Dr. Johanna Hannan, Department of Physiology
Project Name:
Induced SDF-1 Chemokine Expression in the Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction

Simran Koura
Mentor Name:
Dr. Lauren Sarno, Department of Pediatrics
Project Name:
Rate and predictors of spontaneous patent foramen ovale closure after identification on prenatal echocardiogram

Zahra Mohseni
Mentor Name:
Dr. Suzanne Lazorick, Departments of Pediatrics and Public Health
Project Name:
Beverage intake in treatment-seeking obese children in eastern NC using the validated BEVQ-15

Michael Moseley
Mentor Name:
Dr. Cassandra Bradby, Department of Emergency Medicine
Project Name:
Covid 19 Infection & Long Term ED Usage

Abdulazeez Swaiti
Mentor Name:
Dr. Kori Brewer, Department of Emergency Medicine
Project Name:
Vitamin D Deficiency and Non-Specific Complaints in the Emergency Department

Ke’Asia Craig
Mentor Name:
Dr. Kathrin Rothermich, Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders
Project Name:
The role of the right temporo-parietal junction in social communication: A preliminary study

Sahil Dayal
Mentor Name:
Dr. James Speicher, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences
Project Name:
Thoracoscopic Lobectomy after Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation

Katayoon Dowlatshahi
Mentor Name:
Dr. Jennifer Stahl, Department of Emergency Medicine
Project Name:
Ibuprofen/Lidocaine Patch vs. Ibuprofen for the Treatment of Acute Musculoskeletal Pain in the Emergency Department

Tyler Hinshaw
Mentor Name:
Dr. Rebecca Snyder, Department of Surgery
Project Name:
Racial and Geographic Disparities in Stage of Presentation in the Colorectal Cancer Hotspot Region of North Carolina

Daniel Ladin
Mentor Name:
Dr. Rukiyah Van Dross, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology
Project Name:
Targeted Induction of Immunogenic Cell Death in Integrin Avb3 Overexpressing Melanoma by RGD Modified 15-Deoxy-Prostamide J2

Justin McCallen
Mentor Name:
Dr. Yuxuan Mao, Department of Internal Medicine
Project Name:
Retrospective Analysis of Cardiotoxic Events in Patients Receiving Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

Stephen Orr
Mentor Name:
Dr. John Norbury, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Project Name:
Integrating Mindfulness Meditation into Inpatient Rehabilitation for Patients with Devastating Neurological Damage

Akash Patlolla
Mentor Name:
Dr. Andrew Ju, Department of Radiation Oncology
Project Name:
Placement Criteria for Improved Fiducial Tracking in Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy for Treatment of Lung Tumors

Jacqueline Poston
Mentor Name:
Dr. Doyle “Skip” Cummings, Department of Family Medicine
Project Name:
Goal Setting to Control BP among Rural African Americans with a History of Uncontrolled Hypertension: The Impact of Facilitating Goal Setting

Ahmed Samy
Mentor Name:
Dr. Megan Ferderber, Department of Family Medicine
Project Name:
CVS Testing Prolongs the Return-To-Play of Concussed Athletes and This Delay is Correlated to Demographics and Specific Test Categories

Lindsey Burleson
Mentor Name:
Dr. Johanna Hannan, Department of Physiology
Project Name:
Role of oxidative stress and fibrosis in female genitourinary dysfunction following radiation

Lauren Forbes
Mentor Name:
Dr. Devon Kuehn, Division of Neonatology and Newborn Medicine
Project Name:
Differences in non-specific metabolomic composition of umbilical cord tissue in infants with in utero opioid exposure versus infants without exposure

Trevor Hunt
Mentor Name:
Dr. Johanna Hannan, Department of Physiology
Project Name:
Mitochondrial function in a high fat diet induced bladder dysfunction

Szu-Aun Lim
Mentor Name:
Dr. Kori Brewer, Department of Emergency Medicine
Project Name:
Adjuvant treatment with pramipexole to reduce the dose of morphine necessary for analgesia in acute renal colic patients

Zachary Pruitt
Mentor Name:
Dr. Mark Mannie, Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Project Name:
Characterization of novel double-positive CD4+ CD8+ regulatory T cells

Joshua Randolph
Mentor Name:
Dr. Johanna Hannan, Department of Physiology
Project Name:
The role of schwann cells on pelvic neuron survival and growth following radiation

James Stanton
Mentor Name:
Dr. David Leeser, Department of Surgery
Project Name:
Health outcomes and billing charges for kidney transplant recipients with a positive virtual crossmatch

Susan Woody
Mentor Name:
Dr. Andrew Ju, Department of Radiation Oncology
Project Name:
Optimizing the dose of SBRT/CKRS radiation in patients with metastatic cancer being treated with immunomodulating drugs

Breann Zeches
Mentor Name:
Dr. Tonya Zeczycki, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Project Name:
Using fluorescently labeled a-synuclein to monitor TG2 macromolecular assembly: Determining biophysical properties that promote lewy body amyloidosis

Nicole Bolick
Mentor Name:
Dr. Charles Phillips, Division of Dermatology
Project Name:
Characteristics of Patients with Catastrophic Cutaneous Carcinomatosis and other Skin Cancers

Gabe Gaweda
Mentor Name:
Dr. Lisandra de Castro Bras, Department of Physiology
Project Name:
Dopamine receptor D3 agonist (Pramipexole) reduces morphine-induced tolerance and preserves cardiac health in mice during morphine exposure and withdrawal

Thomas George
Mentor Name:
Dr. David Collier, Department of Pediatrics
Project Name:
Food Insecurity Associated with Increased Weight Gain and Sugar Sweetened Beverage Intake

Sean Johnson
Mentor Name:
Dr. David Tulis, Department of Physiology
Project Name:
Upregulation of Protease-Activated Receptors in Vascular Smooth Muscle in Response to Injury and the Cooperativity Between PAR 2 and 4

Rebecca Jones
Mentor Name:
Dr. Devon Kuehn, Division of Neonatology and Newborn Medicine
Project Name:
The Association Between Pregnancy Exposures with Fetal Metabolites and Neonatal Outcomes

Chloe Opper
Mentor Name:
Dr. Suzanne Lazorick, Departments of Pediatrics and Public Health
Project Name:
Assessing the association of school and community determinants of health with baseline student measures and program effectiveness in MATCH

Shelby Powers
Mentor Name:
Dr. Johanna Hannan, Department of Physiology
Project Name:
Nerve injury and impact on erectile function following prostate cancer treatment

Seth Saylors
Mentor Name:
Dr. Shannon Longshore, Department of Surgery
Project Name:
Ground level Falls in Patients aged 65 and Older Treated in a Rural, Level I Trauma Center

Lynette Staplefoote-Boynton
Mentor Name:
Dr. Doyle “Skip” Cummings, Department of Family Medicine
Project Name:
Using Practice Facilitation to Improve Hypertension Control Rates: The Experience of Rural Clinics in the Black Belt

Caroline Early
Mentor Name:
Dr. Peter Kragel, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Project Name:
Autopsy mortality review provides clinically important information that can improve patient care

Ebone Evans
Mentor Name:
Dr. Kori Brewer, Department of Emergency Medicine
Project Name:
Enhancement of opioid-induced analgesia via activation of D3 dopamine receptor following spinal cord injury

Natalie Ford
Mentor Name:
Dr. Suzanne Lazorick, Departments of Pediatrics and Public Health
Project Name:
Student involvement in MATCH program through online student portal shows improved obesity health outcomes

Grey Fortenbery
Mentor Name:
Dr. Kyle Mansfield, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Project Name:
The role of hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) in the stabilization of VEGF mRNA by hypoxia

Salil Saxena
Mentor Name:
Dr. Andrew Ju, Department of Radiation Oncology
Project Name:
Single center comparison of patient reported quality of life between conventionally fractionated IMRT vs SBRT

Aravind Somasundaram
Mentor Name:
Dr. Dean Yamaguchi, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences
Project Name:
Model to predict stroke

Hayley Stowe
Mentor Name:
Dr. Andrew Ju, Department of Radiation Oncology
Project Name:
Effects of proton beam radiation therapy on childhood brain tumors: a prospective study

Christine Ward
Mentor Name:
Dr. Maria Clay, Department of Bioethics and Interdisciplinary Studies
Project Name:
How does AMA lobby compare to PhRMA lobby in relation to strategies chosen by each to influence health policy and impact health costs?

Alexander Almeida
Mentor Name:
Dr. Myles Cabot, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Project Name:
Colorectal Cancer Cell Adhesion and Metastatic Potential Significantly Decreased after Exposure to Ceramide

Caitlyn Durr
Mentor Name:
Dr. Weili Chang, Division of Neonatology and Newborn Medicine
Project Name:
Differences in duration of respiratory support required for neonates born to insulin-treated and non-insulin-treated diabetic mothers in Eastern North Carolina

Jim Eubanks
Mentor Name:
Dr. Clinton Faulk and Dr. John Norbury, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Project Name:
Reduction in Opioid Use in Injured Workers Following Completion of a 4-Week Interdisciplinary Pain Program

R. Drew Gardner
Mentor Name:
Dr. Kori Brewer, Department of Emergency Medicine
Project Name:
Predicting opioid use disorder in chronic pain patients who present to the ED

Nicole Lawing
Mentor Name:
Dr. Mahvish Muzaffar, Division of Hematology/Oncology
Project Name:
Electronic Medical Record Alerts to Improve High-Risk Breast Cancer Patients’ Rate of Referral to Genetic Counseling

Stephan Lefcoski
Mentor Name:
Dr. Jitka Virag, Department of Physiology
Project Name:
Anatomical-Molecular Distribution of EphrinA1 in Infarcted Mouse Heart Using MALDI Mass Spectrometry Imaging