Student Spotlights

Authorship Achievement—Third-year medical student Olivia Low is a contributing writer for the online magazine in-Training, which provides a venue for news and commentary written by the worldwide medical student community. Ms. Low writes on issues of social justice and global health equity. Now, her work has been featured in a recently published book, in-Training: Stories from Tomorrow's Physicians. The book is described as a collection of “peer-edited narratives written by medical students on humanism, our real-life patients, and the challenges of being a physician-in-training.” The book features her essay, “Learning to See: On Photography, Narrative, and Medical Education.” In the piece, Ms. Low shares her experiences as an amateur photographer and the lessons drawn that she hopes may help students in their development as humanistic physicians.

Impressive Productivity—Third-year medical student Rabbi Peter Kahn has had a productive year for publications. An invited paper regarding student views on the ethics of anatomy was published in a special volume produced by the American Association of Anatomists and has been cited in other journal articles. A portion of his master’s thesis in theology, at Harvard, was published in the Journal of Religion and Health. Most recently, Rabbi Kahn served as lead editor of the latest issue (volume 6) of Verapo Yerape: Journal of Torah and Medicine, a joint publication of Einstein and Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. The journal, which is dedicated to the interface between Jewish law (Halakhah) and science/medicine, achieved top status for new releases in the “Jewish Orthodox Movements” section on amazon.com. Volume 6 includes an article by Rabbi Kahn titled “The Definition of a Human.” Dr. Edward R. Burns, executive dean, penned the foreword for the current issue. The editorial advisor for the journal is Rabbi Dr. Edward Reichman, professor of clinical emergency medicine and of clinical epidemiology & population health at Einstein and attending physician in emergency medicine at Montefiore.

Academic Opportunity—Fourth-year medical student Gabriel Rand had the rare privilege and honor to deliver an oral presentation at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting, to an audience exceeding 1,000. In all, 27,000 eye health professionals and students attended the meeting. Mr. Rand described his study examining the effects of different topical glaucoma drug types on transplant donor cell viability using the largest electronic donor eye database in the world. He performed his work as part of Dr. Roy Chuck’s research group. Dr. Chuck is professor and chair of ophthalmology and visual sciences at Einstein and Montefiore. He also is professor of genetics and holds the Paul Henkind Chair in Ophthalmology.

Recognizing Student Research—Fourth-year medical student Nan Wang received the Jack and Pearl Resnick Gerontology Center Aging Research Award in clinical research—which recognizes Einstein medical students who have conducted research in aging—for her work showing that lacunar infarcts in frontal brain regions are associated with the Motoric Cognitive Risk (MCR) syndrome in senior citizens of Indian descent. MCR syndrome is a recently recognized stage of pre-dementia characterized by slow gait and difficulty with cognition. Ms. Wang’s research was recently accepted for publication in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease; she conducted her studies under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Joe Verghese.  He is professor in the Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology and of medicine, and is director of the Jack and Pearl Resnick Gerontology Center.

Recognizing Young Investigators—The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) awarded Brandi Freeman a Young Investigator Award for her work investigating how the vascular protein endothelin-1 contributes to the characteristic manifestations of cerebral malaria – in which a breakdown of the blood-brain barrier leads to cerebral vascular dysfunction and cognitive impairment. The award is given annually to five students or postdoctoral fellows in  recognition of their work in the field of tropical diseases, and to encourage them to pursue careers in tropical disease research. Ms. Freeman’s research demonstrated that treatment of malaria-infected mice with an endothelin-receptor inhibitor protected them against the damaging effects of cerebral malaria and prevented cognitive decline. She is a recent Ph.D. graduate in the department of pathology. She conducted her studies under the guidance of Dr. Mahalia Desruisseaux, assistant professor of pathology and of medicine.

Research Achievement—Fourth-year medical student Jo Henderson-Frost is among this year’s recipients of a Benjamin H. Kean Travel Fellowship in Tropical Medicine. The fellowship, which is awarded by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, recognizes the accomplishments of medical students conducting research on infectious diseases in tropical areas. Ms. Henderson’s fellowship will support her continuing work on a project she began in Peru and Bolivia last year, studying Chagas disease – a tropical parasitic disease that causes damage to the heart and central nervous system.

Treating Burns—Angelo Landriscina, a fourth-year medical student and Einstein research fellow, received a first-place award from the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) for his poster describing his burn research. Under the supervision of Drs. Joshua Nosanchuk and Adam Friedman, Mr. Landriscina evaluated burns treated using a drug, N-acetylcysteine s-nitrosothiol, delivered using nanoparticles, which can effectively release drugs into the skin. Mr. Landriscina showed that burns in mice treated with N-acetylcysteine s-nitrosothiol nanoparticles healed faster, and expanded less, than untreated burns or burns treated with empty nanoparticles or with coconut oil. His results suggest that N-acetylcysteine s-nitrosothiol nanoparticles might be useful for treating burns in humans. His poster was selected for top honors from among nearly 1,000 on display during the AAD annual meeting. The paper also published in the July issue of the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology. Dr. Nosanchuk is professor of medicine and of microbiology & immunology, and assistant dean for student affairs; Dr. Friedman is adjunct assistant professor of clinical medicine and adjunct assistant professor of physiology and biophysics.

Medical Students Excel — Medical students Patience Gallagher, Carly Hirschberg and Nicholas Farris attended the annual clinical genetics meeting of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, where leading experts in the fields of genetics and genomics gathered to discuss advances in their fields. In addition to learning about the latest research and clinical advances in genetic disorders and how genetics can be applied to medical practice, the students had the opportunity to present their own work. Ms. Gallagher delivered a presentation on the use of healthcare services by people following personal genomic screening, a project she undertook as an intern at Harvard Medical School last summer. Ms. Hirschberg and Mr. Farris presented posters on research they each conducted under the mentorship of Dr. Susan Klugman. Ms.Hirshberg’s poster discussed the clinical utility of noninvasive prenatal screening, and Mr. Farris’s described a chromosomal abnormality. Dr. Klugman is professor of clinical obstetrics & gynecology and women’s health and director of reproductive genetics.

Support for Medical Research  — First-year medical student Daniel Riggins is a recipient of this year’s David E. Rogers Fellowship, awarded by the New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM). The fellowships support exceptional medical students from across the country in undertaking projects that address the health requirements of underserved and disadvantaged populations. The honor will provide Mr. Riggins with a $4,000 stipend toward conducting research on “The Influence of Incarceration on Outcomes for Opioid-Dependent Individuals.” Dr. Aaron Fox will serve as his mentor on the project, and Mr. Riggins will present his findings at the NYAM’s annual medical students’ forum, held in August. Dr. Fox is assistant professor of medicine.

Winning Words — Second-year medical student William Malouf won the 2015 John Conley Ethics Essay Contest. Held annually, the contest invites essays based on questions concerning medical ethics and professionalism. Mr. Malouf’s winning essay, “Redefining Professionalism in an Era of Residency Work-Hour Limitations,” received top honors and was featured in the February issue of the American Medical Association Journal of Ethics.