Student Research Showcased During Pandemic

Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, second year medical students continued to generate new knowledge in both systems improvement and basic and social science research as part of the Clinical Microsystem Clerkship (CMC) and Inquiry Curriculum. Their research was recently featured in annual symposia and awards programs.

CMC Annual Health Systems Improvement Symposium

Held on October 25, the 2021 Clinical Microsystems Clerkship Annual Health Systems Improvement Symposium was an opportunity for medical students to showcase quality improvements completed as part of the Clinical Microsystems Clerkship. During CMC, students are immersed in an interprofessional, team-based clinical environment where they learn clinical skills and complete a longitudinal health systems improvement project to address urgent health care challenges.

In opening remarks, UCSF School of Medicine Dean Talmadge E. King Jr., MD, noted that the CMC, “is a body of work that has led to improvements in our health system, reflects extraordinary partnerships between the school and our many medical centers and the students who learn and work in those medical centers.” “The skills you have learned are greatly needed and we know that they will serve you, your patients, your future institutions, and your communities well,” said Dean King.
The fifth annual CMC Improvement Symposium included 39 projects across three health system sites, six medical campuses, and 37 microsystems. In all, 162 students contributed more than 15,000 hours of effort over the past 16 months, across numerous areas of medicine benefitting a variety of populations. 

Videos of all 39 student presentations are available here. 

Four student projects were highlighted at the event:

Reducing Congenital Syphilis through Screening in the Emergency Department
Antonio Avalos-Perez, Kristienne Edrosolan, Ayushi Gautam, Amrik Kang, Oseas Medina, Anne Sommer
Coach: Eric Isaacs, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine  

Reducing Racial Disparities in Hypertension Control 
Rodrigo Gutierrez, Sophie Kupiec-Weglinski, Ayush Midha, Kunal Shroff, Kamina Wilkerson, Sara Zhou
Coaches: Michelle Guy, MD, Department of Medicine; Brent Kobashi, MD; Department of Medicine; Dina Wallin, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine

Melanoma Follow-Up Improvement Project at the SFVAHCS 
Donna Appiah, Michelle Martinelli, Elaine Nguyen, Robert Pearce, Jeremy Siu 
Coach: Daniel Butler, MD, Department of Dermatology

Efforts to Improve Documentation of Pediatric Delirium at UCSF PICU Sites
Michelle Bui, Lydia Kwarteng, Charles Macaulay, Johsias Maru, Madeline Matthys
Coach: Mukund Premkumar, MD, Department of Family and Community Medicine

Inquiry Curriculum Honors Second Year Students with Dean’s Prize in Short-Term Research and Their Faculty Mentors

This year, the annual Inquiry Curriculum’s Summer Explore Symposium was transformed from a poster session to virtual small group presentations. This format provided safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowed greater scheduling flexibility for both students and faculty, and ensured all students had the opportunity to watch and engage with 12 other student presentations. 

As in past years, six 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 five mentors were recognized with Mentor Prizes for their exceptional support and mentorship. The winning mentors 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:

Emma Greenstreet
Characteristics of Oncology Podcasts: Attitudes, Speakers Conflicts
Mentor: Vinay Prasad, MD, MPH, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics

Rodrigo Gutierrez
Brachioradial Pruritus: Clinical Characteristics and Treatment Outcomes
Mentor: Marlys Fassett, MD, PhD, Department of Dermatology 

Sohil Patel
Predicting the Risk of Aortic Dissections in Patients with Ascending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms: A Biomechanical Approach
Mentor: Elaine Tseng, MD, Department of Surgery

Ridhaa Sachidanandan
Meeting Demand: Obstetric Hemorrhage and Blood Availability in Malawi, A Qualitative Study
Mentor: Dilys Walker, MD, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences

Han Yin
Single Cell RNA Sequencing Reveals Unique Cell Population Following Hair Cell Injury
Mentor: Taha Jan, MD, Department of Otolaryngology

Sara Zhou
Effectiveness of Opt-In Versus Opt-Out Text Message-Based Outreach for Colorectal Cancer Screening
Mentor: Ma Somsouk, MD, MAS, Department of Medicine

FACULTY MENTOR PRIZES
Katrina Abuabara, MD, Department of Dermatology
Aileen Chang, MD, Department of Dermatology
Michael Peluso, MD, Department of Medicine
Alessandro Villa, DDS, MPH, PhD, Department of Orofacial Sciences
Jacquelyn Withers, MD, Department of Surgery