The Medical Partnership hosts its largest Student & Resident Summer Research Symposium to date

Simultaneous to the Medical College of Georgia’s Medical Scholars Research Day, the Medical Partnership hosted its largest annual Research Symposium to date in terms of participation on September 20, 2017. Approximately 75% of the Class of 2020 chose to spend their only free summer in medical school doing research. In addition to the posters presented by current medical students, residents from both St. Mary’s and Piedmont Athens Regional presented posters on their recent research endeavors as well.

Students conducted research at UGA, AU and outside institutions including the CDC, Emory, UCLA, Yale, Vanderbilt, USF, St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, and Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago. While most were focused in the southeast, students researched in seven states across the nation this past summer.

All of the students who presented their summer projects received stipends for their work as part of MCG’s Medical Scholars Program (MSP). MSP aims to broaden student experiences in clinical and translational research, and it helps alleviate the burden of focusing on research rather than a summer job. The Medical Partnership was proud to offer this funding to its students in and out of state so that they could pursue whatever research and mentors caught their interest.

For second-year Silki Modi, MSP allowed her to travel to Illinois to work with one of the nation’s top pediatric specialty hospitals, the Ann & Robert Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. There she was able to address issues in clinical trial recruitment, patient postoperative recovery rates, factors leading to readmissions, and more:

“I not only gained exposure to the basic pitfalls of developing and implementing studies, but I also was able to observe clinical applications to the concepts we learned M1 year. The supportive academic environment allowed me to attend grand rounds and curriculum conferences, as well as observe surgeries in the operating room. It was exciting to feel my knowledge base expand as I became more able to be a part of “the conversation.” These exposures, as well the guidance I was given from these mentors, were invaluable.”  –  Silki Modi, Class of 2020
The more opportunities to interact with academic medicine given to our students, the more we can cultivate active members in future medical and research teams that will be the foundation of tomorrow’s treatments.
To find out more about how you can help support research growth and student learning experiences, contact the Office of Communications and External Affairs.

For a copy of the full list of presentations and abstracts, please email the Office of Communications and External Affairs.