LUCOM student-doctors demonstrate valuable research from diverse areas of medical science
Additional Navigation
January 21, 2025 : By Ryan Klinker - Office of Communications & Public Engagement
A pivotal step in the research process is seizing opportunities to share one’s findings with others in the field, and in the medical profession, the results of research can illuminate ways to better treat and protect the human body for healthier generations.
During the sixth annual Research Day at the Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM) on Jan. 10, 42 presentations were made by students who have been actively engaged in relevant projects that have enhanced their education and understanding of diverse topics.
The event was held at the Center for Medical and Health Sciences and featured 10 oral presentations and an atrium full of posters outlining the work student-doctors have been doing under the direction of LUCOM faculty.
“The point of Research Day is to give the students an experience in learning how to engage in one of the fundamental aspects of science, which is communicating your science,” said Dr. Michael Price, LUCOM Professor of Microbiology and Research Day Committee Chair. “We give students an opportunity to be able to learn how to engage in the enterprise of dissemination of scientific data. They have opportunities to do it in different categories — basic science work, clinical research, and literature research — and we’ve seen an increase in student involvement.”
The oral presenters spoke on their work that ranged from kidney functions, ectopic pregnancy, and cystic fibrosis medication to smoking’s effects on Parkinson’s Disease and treatment of a rare nerve cancer. Posters on display represented a wide variety of medical fields, including osteopathic manipulation, infectious diseases, physiology, and psychology.
This year’s winner for Best Oral Presentation was Drew Thibault (OMS-IV) for his research on “Prognostic Factors and Predictive Nomogram of Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Patient Survival: A Population-Based Retrospective Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Database Analysis.” The Best Poster Presentation was awarded to Ashlee Evans (OMS-IV), for her research, “An Osteopathic Approach to Failure to Thrive in Infancy.”
LUCOM actively promotes and funds research among its faculty through its Center for Research. At over 8,500 square feet, the center features eight state-of-the-art molecular and cellular labs, a large central lab, a dedicated administrative suite, and an expanded animal facility.
“We have a good culture of research here at LUCOM and a number of faculty with projects that students can participate in and gain some appreciation for how research is done, how it informs medicine, and how it informs whatever career they choose,” Price said. “Even though we’re training future physicians, that does not necessarily lock them into only a clinical practice where they just see patients. Through these research options, they get to explore that.”
Many students are involved in research through an optional summer research elective following their first year at LUCOM. During the elective, they are paired with faculty members to assist in ongoing research. The elective’s size varies year-to-year, Price said, with sometimes as much as 80 student-doctors (half of a student class) taking part.
Stephan Hanna (OMS-IIl) participated in the elective and worked with Associate Professor of Physiology Dr. Anthony Bauer.
“Near the end of my first year, they gave us a presentation of the different professors who were doing research and a glimpse of what they are currently researching, and I thought what he is working on would be an interesting focus,” Hanna said. “It’s been an eye-opening experience for me. Research is how progress is made — creating new medications, developing new procedures, anything new in this field — and it is the basis of medicine. I’ve always been interested in research, and I want to see what I can do as a physician.”
By gaining research skills and experiences, student-doctors are also building up their credibility and viability for residency matches later in their medical training journey.
“Being able to not only work on a project but put together a presentation like what they’re doing at Research Day — and even potentially have a publication out of it — helps them stand above their peers when it comes to residency,” Price said. “Our match rates show that our students are extremely competitive for those positions.”
Read the abstracts for all presentations for Research Day 2025.