2022 Research Symposium Highlights and Awards

Ehtesham Arif, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Division of Nephrology

Category: Junior Faculty
Mentors: Joshua Lipschutz, M.D., Kelly Hunt, Ph.D.
Title: Role of B2-adrenergic receptor agonists in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy

"A favorite part of the 2022 Department of Medicine Research Day was oral presentations from different research backgrounds with different categories. All presentations were excellent and questions raised during the session were also very informative. Getting an opportunity to present my research work on 2022 Department of Medicine Research Day is an honor and provided me a platform to talk and share our present research work with peers. I also got some good ideas from the audience that will surely be helpful for future research plans. My research is mainly focused on the role of B2 adrenergic receptor agonist formoterol in recovery of diabetic kidney disease. I am also looking for more general use of formoterol through activation of mitochondrial biogenesis in other complex diseases such as NASH."

Samuel Friedman, M.D.
Fellow, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy & Sleep Medicine

Category: Resident/Fellow
Mentor: Rahul Argula, M.D., MPH
Title: Is systemic sclerosis-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension a distinct phenotype?

"I enjoyed seeing the breadth of research being performed from the student level all the way to the professor level. It was amazing to see the depth of work being performed at all career stages. I was able listen to a number of presenters with overlapping research interests to my own, expanding collaboration possibilities beyond my own research bubble. I have been interested in characterizing a particularly aggressive form of pulmonary hypertension, Systemic Sclerosis-associated Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. We have demonstrated that the mechanisms behind the vascular injury in these patients are unique, and largely immune-driven. This was a finding that has long been theorized, but as of yet poorly characterized. Research Day was a fantastic experience, and allowed me to share my work with interdisciplinary colleagues who usually would not be in my target audience. It was a great way to take a step back and assess how to clearly and succinctly set a framework for our research, as well as demonstrate its importance to a broader crowd."

Ashley Golbus
Medical Student, MUSC College of Medicine

Category: Medical Student
Mentor: Blaithin McMahon, Ph.D., MBBChr
Title: Assessment of the Nature of Acute Kidney Injury Post Adult Orthotopic Heart Transplantation: A Single Tertiary Referral Center Experience

"My research is on the nature of AKI post- adult orthotopic heart transplantation at MUSC. Specifically, I investigated AKI incidence, severity, and timing; the effect of hemodilution on AKI I criteria; and kidney replacement therapy indication and initiation in a sub-cohort of AKI-D patients. I also investigated major adverse kidney events (MAKE) outcomes at 12 months post- heart transplantation. Finally, I analyzed intraoperative risk factors for AKI-D."

Lily Neff
Ph.D. Candidate, MUSC College of Graduate Studies

Category: Graduate Student
Mentor: Amy Bradshaw, Ph.D.
Title: Incomplete Regression and Persistence of Interstitial Fibrosis Following Removal of Left Ventricular Pressure Overload

"My favorite part of the 2022 Department of Medicine Research Day was giving an oral presentation about the current progress in my research. As a graduate student, I actively pursue opportunities to present my research to further develop my public speaking and presentation skills. The 2022 Department of Medicine Research Day provided me with an additional opportunity to advance my skillset. My research focused on determining the time course of extracellular matrix remodeling after alleviation of Left Ventricular Pressure Overload. Research Day is a great event to learn about the ongoing diverse research in the Department of Medicine. I look forward to next year’s event." 

Nathan Leaphart
3rd Year Medical Student, MUSC

Category: Medical Student
Mentor: Marcelo Guimaraes, M.D., MBA
Title: Impact of Delayed VIR Operations in Hospital Length of Stay at MUSC in 2020: An Analysis of Causation, Length, and Cost

"The poster presentations of my fellow students are always a joy to watch. Everyone does a great job, and I can always tell that people present with pride about what they have accomplished. The research day gives more confidence when presenting. I have a feeling that I will continue to do research into my residency, and there is a skill to presenting well. I take every chance I can to practice that skill. My research is on procedural delays in the Vascular & Interventional Radiology for the year 2020. We analyzed the length, total cost, and average daily cost of these delays and stratified the results among Floor and ICU patients. Additionally, we analyzed the reason of the delays and categorized them into delays due to a failure in hospital resources, due to a patient's standards of care/ preference, and those delays with an unknown cause. I thought it went well overall and would happily do it again in the future."

Nihar Shah, MBBS
2nd Year Fellow, Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy & Sleep Medicine

Category: Resident/Fellow
Mentors: Andrew Goodwin, M.D., Alyssa Rheingold, Ph.D.
Title: Burnout Rates and Contributing Factors Among MUSC Healthcare Workers

Charles Terry, M.D., MSCR
Assistant Professor, Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy & Sleep Medicine

Category: Junior Faculty
Mentors: Dee Ford, M.D., MSCR, Andrew Goodwin, M.D., MSCR
Title: Higher Driving Pressure and Elastance are Associated with an Increased Risk of Mortality Among a Heterogeneous Population in a Real-World Clinical Setting: A Bi-Center Analysis of EHR Data

"I think my favorite part of the day was getting to see the work in the poster sessions that so many of the residents and fellows (and rising fellows) in our division and the department have put into their research projects. The breadth, scope, and rigor of research that is being accomplished here in the department is inspiring and an invitation to rise to the occasion. I'm going to take away useful feedback from the judges and chance to practice as I present my research at an upcoming international meeting. My research project looked specifically at how existing strategies of lung protective ventilation may not adequately protect patients who require mechanical ventilation from pressure-related injury to the lungs. More generally, my research project used electronic health record data to efficiently create a large observational research study with relatively few resources using data models that harmonized information from two different healthcare systems. As research in critical care becomes more challenging, this type of approach creates the opportunity to integrate research activities with existing clinical care. I'm so thankful to my mentors and coauthors for the chance to present this research and the chance to hear all the excellent work going on across the department."

Elena Vlachos, D.O.
PGY-3, Internal Medicine Resident

Category: Resident/Fellow
Mentor: Rahul Argula, M.D., MPH
Title: Kidney Transplant Outcomes in Patients with Echocardiographic Evidence of Pre-Transplant Pulmonary Hypertension

"My favorite part was having the opportunity to see my colleagues' projects!"

Kristy Waldrep
Research Specialist, Rheumatology & Immunology

Category: Staff Scientist, Research Specialist, or Program Coordinator
Mentor: Carol Feghali-Bostwick, Ph.D.
Title: IGF-II induces Sox9, Egr1, and Nedd9 via the IGF1R/IR hybrid receptor to promote a profibrotic environment

David Wilson
3rd Year Medical Student, MUSC

Category: Medical Student
Mentors: Raymond DuBois, M.D., Ph.D., Dingzhi Wang, Ph.D., Jie Wei, MS, Bo Cen, Ph.D.
Title: Prostaglandin E2 promotes increased PD-1 expression on CD8+ T-cells and THP-1-derived macrophages

"My favorite part of the research day was listening to a broad range of topics that spanned most areas of medicine specialties. I learned a lot about medical fields that I have not yet been exposed to, so it was truly eye-opening. The research day impacted me because it provided a meaningful poster presentation experience that I was able to use to better prepare me for residency interviews and larger research presentations in the future. My research focused on prostaglandin E2 promoting the increased expression of PD-1 (an immunosuppressive cell-surface molecule) on CD8+ T-cells and THP-1-derived macrophages, specifically in regard to colorectal cancer. It was a very well-organized research day."