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BIDDEFORD, Maine

Hundreds attend forum showcasing student research at the UNE College of Osteopathic Medicine

Taxiarhia Arabatzis, Evangeline Green, Karen Houseknecht, Meghan May, Carol Brenner, David Shbeeb and Morgan O’Leary
Taxiarhia Arabatzis, Evangeline Green, Karen Houseknecht, Meghan May, Carol Brenner, David Shbeeb and Morgan O’Leary

The UNE College of Osteopathic Medicine held its annual research forum September 21, 2018, marking both the highest number of abstract submissions and the largest attendance in the event’s history.

The event included a keynote address by Associate Provost for Research and Scholarship Karen Houseknecht, Ph.D. The talk, which was also streamed online, featured her groundbreaking work on the actions and side effects of antipsychotic drugs.

The forum also featured four oral presentations by first, second and third-year medical students. Taxiarhia Arabatzis (COM ’21) Evangeline Green (COM ‘21), Morgan O’Leary COM ‘22), and David Shbeeb (COM ‘21) presented their research findings focused on gene expression changes between benign and malignant skin tumors, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus evolution, the effectiveness of a field test for concussion during athletic events and unusual complications of shingles.  

A portion of the COM Research Forum was broadcast via Facebook Live on the college’s Facebook page. The live video was hosted by Meghan May, Ph.D., and featured welcomes from Houseknecht and Carol Brenner, Ph.D., associate dean for Research and Scholarship for UNE COM, as well as interviews with medical students about their research.

Awards were given to the following student researchers: 

First place – Basic Science Research

Taylor M. Oullette (COM ‘21): “A Novel Role for Primary Cilia of the Cardiac Neural Crest in the Maturation of Ventricular Myocardium in the Embryonic Heart” (Research Mentor: Kerry Tucker, Ph.D.)

Second place – Basic Science Research

Karim Abdel Jalil (COM ‘21): “Redefining the Vulnerable Coronary Plaque: Ruptured Thin Intimal Walls don’t Occlude Vessels, Thrombogenic Cores do” (Research Mentor: Dr. Mark Brezinski)

Third place – Basic Science Research

Haley Etskovitz (COM ‘21): “Contribution of Bordetella pertussis Genetic Diversity to Vaccine Failure in the US Patient Population” (Research Mentor: Dr. Meghan May)

First place – Clinical Research

Sujaay Jagannathan (COM ‘22): “Assessing Food Security Among University Students in Ontario, Canada” (Research Mentor: Dr. Ketan Shankardass, Ph.D.)

Second place – Clinical Research – (Tie)

Brett Armstrong (COM ‘22): “Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Mobile App for Delirium Screening” (Research Mentor: Edward Marcantonio, M.D.)

Zeth Zelinski (COM ‘20): “Use of Otical Coherence Tomography in the Detection and Diagnosis of Early Osteoarthritis and Femoroacetabular Impingement” (Research Mentor: Mark Brezinski, M.D., Ph.D.)

Third place – Clinical Research

Kristina Michaud (COM ‘19): “Musculoskeletal Disease as Abnormally Stored Ground Force Energy (GFE) During Gait: Simplifying Diagnosis and Treatment for Primary Care Physicians” (Research Mentor: Mark Brezinski, M.D., Ph.D.)

This event was organized by the UNE COM Research and Scholarship Committee and the UNE Office of Research and Scholarship.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.