2008 Summer Research Program
The 14th Annual Pritzker Summer Research Program proved to be another successful year of scholarship for a large number of second-year students. Funded in part by the NIH, NHLBI, NIDDK, and NIA, the Summer Research Program allowed students to work closely with faculty mentors across the clinical, translational, and basic sciences. Thanks in large part to the continued guidance of Drs. Vineet Arora, Eugene Chang, V. Leo Towle, and William A. McDade, the Summer Research Program has often given students a platform for ongoing research and a chance to present and publish their work on a national level.
After presenting their work to a panel of faculty judges, the following students were awarded for their excellence at the closing ceremony, held on August 29:
The Joseph B. Kirsner Research Award for Excellence
Emily Bethea
Emily Bethea, MS 2
Research topic: Virtual Colonoscopy: An Analysis of Measurement Parameters in CT Colonography (CTC)
Mentor: Abraham Dachman, MD
The Brain Research Foundation Award for Best Neuroscience Project
Elliot Arsoniadis
Elliot Arsoniadis, MS 2
Research topic: Combination Temozolomide and NF-kB Inhibitor in Cancer Treatment
Mentor: Bakhtiar Yamini, MD
The Sigma Xi Award for Impact on Society
Jonathan Lee
Jonathan Lee, MS 2
Research topic: Assessing Cost Shifting at a Midwest Academic Medical Center
Mentor: Elmer Abbo, MD
Overall Excellence in Scientific Quality, Content and Ability to Respond to Questions in the Performance of Research in Clinical Science
David Rubin
Adam Mikolajczyk, MS 2
Research topic: Assessment of Gut pH and Transit Time in Ulcerative Colitis Patients
Mentor: David Rubin, MD
Chana Sacks
Chana Sacks, MS 2
Research topic: Evaluating the Role of Socioeconomic Status in the Perception of Self-Efficacy Among Parents of Pediatric Cochlear Implant Patients
Mentor: Dana Suskind, MD
Melissa Weston
Melissa Weston, MS 2
Research topic: Desire and Uptake of the Intrauterine Device by Postpartum African American Adolescents
Mentor: Melissa Gilliam, MD, MPH
Overall Excellence in Scientific Quality, Content andAbility to Respond to Questions in the Performance of Research in Basic Science
Aaron Cohn
Aaron Cohn, MS 2
Research topic: Regulation of IL10 Function in Preclinical Studies of Asthma
Mentor: Blanca Camoretti-Mercado, PhD
Eugenie Du
Eugenie Du, MS 2
Research topic: Role of Phosphatases MKP-1 and PP2A in Retinal Ischemic Preconditioning
Mentor: Steven Roth, MD
Ravi Sood
Ravi Sood, MS 2
Research topic: Radiation-Inducible Viral Oncolytic Therapy of Low-MEK Tumors Using HSV-1 R2660
Mentor: Ralph Weichselbaum, MD
Honorable Mention for Excellence
- Leonardo Aliaga, MS2
Research Topic: Protective Effect of Poloxamer 188 Against DNA Damage
Mentor: Raphael Lee, MD, ScD, DSc (Hon) - Melissa Fish, MS2
Research Topic: Relationship Between Quality of Care for Hospitalized Vulnerable Elders and Post-Discharge Mortality
Mentor: Vineet Arora, MD - Elizabeth Garza, MS2
Research Topic: Thermal Analgesia: Expanding the Benefits
Mentor: Larry Gray, MD - Mark Healy, MS2
Research Topic: Digital Image Analysis of Prostate Adenocarcinoma in H&E Sections
Mentor: Yulei Jiang, PhD - Jillian McKee, MS2
Research Topic: Neural Correlates of Memory Storage and Retrieval
Mentor: V. Leo Towle, PhD - Cary Paine, MS2
Research Topic: Innate Gluten Peptide p31-43 and the Promotion of Adjuvant Effects of Double Stranded RNA in Celiac Disease
Mentor: Randy Depaolo, PhD - Narayan Saha, MS2
Research Topic: Does Estrogen Receptor Alpha (ERalpha) Induce Expression of Serum/Glucocorticoid-Regulated Kinase1 (SGK1)?
Mentor: Suzanne Conzen, MD - Marion Stanley, MS2
Research Topic: The Role of P188 in Post-Ischemic Spatial Learning in Male Wistar Rats
Mentor: Jeremy Marks, MD, PhD - Jeremy Wortman, MS2
Research Topic: Comparing the Effectiveness of Phone and Palm Based Experience Sampling Methods in Hospitalized General Medicine Patients
Mentor: David Meltzer, MD, PhD
