Medical Student Research Day Dazzles with Ideas, Science

The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine’s second annual Medical Student Research Day on May 5 featured fresh presentations from students who are looking at medicine - and the science to push it forward - in a whole new way.

The event was an afternoon affair which included more than 80 research posters by students, two featured student presenters, and a keynote address from Rachel Rosenstein, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor of internal medicine, and also an assistant member of the Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI).

The crowd numbered over 130 for the entirely in-person event.

“This event shows how vibrant a learning environment exists at this school,” said Stanley R. Terlecky, Ph.D., vice dean of research and medical sciences at the School. “We are a place that questions, and innovates, because of the talent we have attracted from across the country.”

Among the highlights:

• Dr. Rosenstein’s talk was titled “Chance Favors the Prepared Mind: Studies of Skin Immunity and Inflammation,” and examined translational studies linking human skin disease, sequencing, and the response to therapies.
• Aishwarya Sridhar (M2), working with Andrew Ip, M.D., of John Theurer Cancer Center, was one of the featured student presenters. The work focused on a case study of refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma following CAR T cell therapy. The results indicated that CAR T cells may persist in the body long after infusion, and clinicians should use sequencing to monitor patients.
• Meghana Singh (M2), offered another featured student presentation. Working with Michael Stifelman, M.D., professor and founding chair of urology at the School, Singh’s work showed a retrospective and prospective review of robotic pyeloplasty (a surgical procedure to remove a blockage preventing urine from reaching the bladder). The data suggested that single-port surgeries of this kind are a safe and acceptable alternative to multi-port varieties of the procedure.
• The 80 posters spanned the gamut of topics and were a product of partnerships with experts across Hackensack Meridian Health. These included: a new methodology to predict newborn outcomes with ultrasounds; a look at preventing injuries in lacrosse; assessing the prevalence of rashes in patients with certain cancers; analyzing new possible cancer treatment compounds; health screenings of public school students in Paterson during the COVID-19 pandemic; and many others.

The event was co-sponsored by the Hackensack Meridian Health Research Institute, the School, and the Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation.