Second-Year Students Honored with Dean's Prize in Short-Term Research

Each year, UCSF medical students in the Inquiry Curriculum participate in over 200 mentored research projects ranging from eight weeks of summer research to full-time, yearlong projects. In 2022, the Inquiry Funding Office awarded over 100 Summer Explore grants to first-year students to engage in mentored research with UCSF faculty between their first and second years. After months of work, students presented the initial results of their research projects in mid-November at the Summer Explore poster sessions.

Rita Redberg, MD, Inquiry Curriculum Director, said, “Summer Explore encourages students between their first and second years to begin the transition from a consumer of research towards an independent producer of knowledge. I am consistently amazed by the connection and collaboration between our students and faculty mentors, and the valuable research these partnerships produce.”

This year, the Summer Explore poster presentations were a mixture of in-person and virtual small group presentations. This hybrid format gave students the opportunity to celebrate together, while allowing greater scheduling flexibility for both students and faculty, and ensured all students had the opportunity to share their findings and engage with other student presentations. 

Five students were selected to receive the Dean’s Prize in Short-Term Research. Dean’s Prizes are awarded twice annually to medical students who demonstrate outstanding scholarship and research during Summer Explore and long-term research terms. Finalists are selected based on submission of a one-page abstract, letter of nomination, and successful presentation to the faculty review committee. Additionally, this year Alison Huang, MD, MAS, won the Mentor Prize for her exceptional support and mentorship. Eleven other mentors received special recognition. Mentor prizes were selected based on nominations by students that were reviewed by the Inquiry Curriculum Funding office faculty.

Dean’s Prize in Short-Term Research Finalists:

Anika Kumar
Non-infectious Uveitis Risk After COVID-19 Vaccination in a Large U.S. Claims Database

Poojan Shukla
A Single Cell Atlas of Glioblastoma Under Bevacizumab Treatment  

Savannah Shumock
Impact of Stem Cell Transplantation After CAR-T Cell Therapy on Event Free and Overall Survival

Anjali Walia
Effect of Fetal Growth Restriction on Delivery Outcomes Among Pregnancies with Severe Preeclampsia at Preterm Gestational Age

Paul Wong
Neoplasms of the Pancreas May Differ from Those for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma
 

Faculty Mentor Prizes

Winner:

Alison Huang, MD, MAS Professor of Medicine

Special Recognition:

Ajay Maker, MD Professor of Surgery

Lindsay Hampson, MD, MAS Associate Professor of Urology

Jason Nagata, MD Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

Manish Aghi, MD, PhD, MAS Professor of Neurological Surgery

Margot Kushel, MD Professor of Medicine

Katrina Abuabara, MD Associate Professor of Dermatology

Marko Boskovski, MD, MHS, MPH Assistant Professor of Surgery

Anthony DiGiorgio, DO Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery

Derek Ward, MD Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery

Amanda Twigg, MD Associate Professor of Dermatology

Sharad Wadhwani, MD, MPH Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

Learn more about opportunities to mentor UCSF medical student research.