Five FSU College of Medicine medical students have been selected to share their research work at the American Medical Association (AMA) Research Challenge Poster Symposium and Semifinals Nov. 7-9 in Orlando.
The AMA Research Challenge is the largest national, multispecialty medical research conference for medical students and residents. While it is being held alongside the AMA Interim Meeting of its House of Delegates for the first time and taking place at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort, it is also a hybrid event.
Manuel Alvarez, Stephanie Bogdan and Brittney Jabot from the M.D. Class of 2027 are joined by Alexis Kendall and Kiana Reaves from the M.D. Class of 2026, after submitting abstracts that met the AMA’s qualifying standards for inclusion in the Poster Symposium, which is separate from the Semifinals. Their digital posters and abstracts are on display in the symposium hall and available for review online.
Their entries cover a wide range of research categories, including advocacy and health equity, dermatology, basic science, radiology/nuclear medicine and health systems science.
“Through the college’s growth, both in Biomedical Sciences and Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine, the expansion of the faculty in those two areas is part of the reason why I think we continue to have such a diversity in opportunities for the students,” Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs and Medical Student Research Suzanne Baker said. “It really all fits into the model of translational research, from beginning to end. These are all the points along the way.”
The students’ digital research posters and abstracts on display are as follows:
Alvarez’s The Effects of Gabapentin on the Expression of Morphine Withdrawal in Male Rats can be reviewed here.
Bogdan’s A Cross-Sectional Assessment of the Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on the Prevalence of Violence and Substance Absue in Honduran University Students can be reviewed here.
Jabot’s Cadaveric Simulation for Hip Protection in Acetabular Tumor Cryoablation can be reviewed here.
Kendall’s Investigating the Vulvar Microbiome’s Role in the Pathogenesis of Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus can be reviewed here.
Reaves’ The Association Between Trauma and Chronic Disease Burden in African American Adults can be reviewed here.
The representation of FSU medical students in the event is reflective of both their initiative and the abundant opportunities available for them to pursue in the research arena.
“Ultimately, the credit goes to the students for being persistent in pursuing and valuing research,” Baker said. “There have been shifts within medicine and a lot the interest of our students is, in part, a response to residency applications and looking beyond their four years. Most of them are not looking to be clinician scientists, but their engagement in research allows them to be better clinicians.”
According to Baker, participation in research helps medical students gain a better understanding of the process leading to conclusions in evidence-based medicine. It also prepares them to better review and evaluate medical literature and learn how they may apply that in practice.
And it doesn’t hurt that College of Medicine students have access to more research opportunities than ever before.
“We try to make sure the students know about the opportunities,” Baker said. “We have faculty who have been very supportive of programs like the Summer Research Fellowship and most recently the Mayo Partnership. As FSU and FSU Health are growing, so are the opportunities for our students to participate in research.”