Center of Excellence in Inflammation, Infectious Disease, and Immunity members Dr.
Aaron Polichnowski (above, left) and Dr. Patrick Bradshaw (above, right) were the
director and associate director, respectively, of the 24th Annual Quillen Research
Symposium. The Medical Student Summer Research Program is offered to rising second-year
medical students at ETSU's Quillen College of Medicine. Students selected for this
competitive program spend approximately six weeks during the summer, between their
1st and 2nd year of medical school, working with a faculty mentor on a basic science,
clinical research, or population health research project. Additionally, all students
involved with the program are invited to participate in a didactic research curriculum
that introduces students to high-yield topics in research, such as literature review,
statistical software and methods, poster/abstract drafting, and several others. This
program has grown exponentially since its inception and remains a valuable experience
for Quillen students with 73 students participating this year. A number of CIIDI members
served as mentors to one or more students and also served as judges, speakers, or
organizers.
The complete 2025 program list is attached.
The winners of the poster and oral presentations who were mentored or assisted by CIIDI members or staff are as follows:
Category 2: Medical Education, Public Health, Equity & Social Determinants
2nd place oral presentation – Roarke Burton – Touchscreen Health Education: A Patient-Centered Approach in Internal Medicine Clinics
Mentor: Dr. Deidre Pierce – Department of Internal Medicine.
Assisted by James Adkins, CIIDI Staff
Category 3: Mental Health, Substance Use & Behavioral
2nd place oral presentation- Jordan Godfrey- Self-Compassion and Health in Sexual Minorities: Do Reductions in Internalized Homophobia, Better Sleep, and Less Depression Explain the Link?
Mentors: Dr. Jameson Hirsch, Dr. Morgan Treaster
3rd place oral presentation – Alexis Wiemer & Harper Kirby – Evaluating Buprenorphine Tapering During Pregnancy: A Meta-Analysis of Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes
Mentor: Dr. Darshan Shah – Department of Pediatrics.
Category 4: Basic Science, Experimental & Translational Research
1st place oral presentation – Landon Finke – Borderline Hypertensive Rats Exhibit Stage 2 Hypertension but Minimal BP Salt-Sensitivity and Renal Injury
Mentor: Dr. Aaron Polichnowski – Department of Biomedical Sciences.
2nd place oral presentation – Clifford Jones – Distinct Patterns of Renal Autoregulatory Impairment in Rat Models Susceptible to Hypertensive-Renal Injury
Mentors: Dr. Aaron Polichnowski – Department of Biomedical Sciences.
Best Poster – Cade Oculam – Effects of Chronic Psychological Stress on Cardiovascular Reflexes in Borderline Hypertensive Rats
Mentors: Dr. Matthew Zahner, College of Public Health and Dr. Michelle Chandley – Department of Biomedical Sciences.
Category 5: Best Poster Award as Voted on by Attendees
Landon Finke – Borderline Hypertensive Rats Exhibit Stage 2 Hypertension but Minimal BP Salt-Sensitivity and Renal Injury
Mentor: Dr. Aaron Polichnowski – Department of Biomedical Sciences.
These CIIDI members also mentored M2 students who participated in the Medical Summer Research Program and the Quillen Research Symposium:
Analysis of Pediatric Dog Bite Injuries Requiring Surgical Intervention Presented by Lauren Reed - Mary M. Barron, Caitlin Orschell, Mikayla Foster, Melissa White-Archer, Mentors: Jeremy M. Powers, Brad Feltis
Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia of Prematurity Presented by Madeline Gallagher – Abigail Horrar, Luke Arntz, Madeline Gallagher, Mentor: Darshan Shah
Selective C-6 Deacetylation of 1-O-Allyl-2,3,4,6-Tetra-O-Acetyl-Mannoside Toward the Synthesis of the 1,6-α-Linked Candida Mannan Backbone Presented by Ethan Jilek – Mentors: Zuchao Ma, David Williams
Prolonged Renal Hypoperfusion and GFR Recovery Despite Early MAP Normalization After Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury Presented by Joshua Rogers - Clifford Jones, Christopher Joseph, Maisie Fowler, Andy Johnson, Zara Rashid, Mentor: Aaron Polichnowski
Establishment and Characterization of a Vaginal Microbiome Repository Presented by Laken Woods - Ann Rouse, Suzanna Kulikowski (CIIDI Staff), James Adkins (CIIDI Staff), David L. Williams, Jonathan Moorman, Mentors: Michael Kruppa, Jennifer V. Hall
Effects of Carotid and Aortic Baroreceptor Denervation on Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Variability in Borderline Hypertensive Rats Presented by Andy Johnson - Cliff Jones, Landon Finke, Joshua Rogers, Christopher Joseph, Maisie Fowler, Zara Rashid, Matthew Zahner, Mentor: Aaron Polichnowski
Neutrophil swarming behavior and function in patients with diabetes mellitus Presented by Jacob Thorn - Tasha K Phillips, Mentor: Alex Hopke
Establishing a Method to Differentiate Murine HoxB8 Hematopoietic Progenitors into Neutrophils Presented by Georgia Moeller – Mentor: Valentin Yakubenko
CIIDI members who served as judges: Dr. Suman Dalal, Dr. Patrick Bradshaw, Dr. Melissa White-Archer, Dr. Regenia Campbell, Dr. Nicole Lewis, Dr. Jenny Hall, and Dr. Doug Thewke. CIIDI members who served as summer research curriculum speakers: Dr. Nicole Lewis and Dr. Melissa White-Archer
Congratulations to all of the participating students and the many CIIDI members who acted as leaders, mentors, and supporters of student research education. To find out more about becoming a mentor or other ways you can support the program, please contact Dr. Aaron Polichnowski at Polichnowski@etsu.edu or 439-5625.
