Showcasing UCSF medical students' achievements in inquiry, innovation, and discovery

At this year’s Inquiry Symposium and Pathways to Discovery Awards, over 100 medical students, mentors, faculty and staff gathered at the Parnassus campus to learn about the latest research led by students and residents from the UCSF schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, and Nursing.

Sponsored by the UCSF Pathways to Discovery Program and the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, the symposium celebrates scholarly and research accomplishments of learners from all the UCSF schools.

“Congratulations to our students and their mentors, whose research efforts advance discovery and innovation, helping to improve the care of patients at UCSF and improve healthcare around the world,” said Chris Stewart, MD, Chair of the Pathways Program Board, and Director of the Global Health Pathway.

Posters were presented in categories including Global Health, Molecular Medicine, Clinical and Translational Science, Health and Society, and Clinical and Translational Research.

“Through an inquiring mind and a spirit of relentless curiosity, our learners are advancing knowledge on behalf of our patients and our communities,” said Catherine Lucey, MD, Vice Dean for Education and Executive Vice Dean for the School of Medicine. “Educated on the Inquiry component of the medical school’s Bridges curriculum and seeing our patients through a lens of exquisite empathy, we are enhancing the clinical environment.”

Dr. Lucey’s opening remarks prefaced Dan Lowenstein, MD, Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost’s presentation of Dean’s Prize Awards to medical students including:

Simon Chu, who led a project assessing peripheral blood gene expression analysis in HIV+ transplant patients;

Solomon Lee, who designed a study on human ARF tumor suppressor in zebrafish cardiac regeneration; 

Cheri Mah (above), who studied the effects of sleep extension and sleep restriction on cognitive and physical performance in elite athletes;

Zachary Wettstein, who studied cardiovascular and emergency department visits associated with wildfire smoke exposure in California (in 2015);

William Zhang, who developed a kidney health panel of urinary biomarkers for HIV-infected tenofovir users.

Pathways to Discovery Awards were presented to medical students Max Wu (Molecular Medicine), Anelah McGuinness (Health Professions Education), Drusia Dickson (Global Health), Jennie Yoo (Health and Society), and Jessie Ikeme (Clinical and Translational Medicine).