26 UNECOM students awarded 2011 Research and Practice Fellowships
The University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine's Department of Geriatric Medicine - Adding Life to Years, chaired by Dr. Bruce Bates, announced that 26 UNECOM students have been awarded 2011 research and/or practice Fellowships that either focus on geriatrics or includes older adult issues.
Eighteen (18) students will participate in such fellowships as: American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR), Betty Ford Summer Institute for Medical Students (SIMS), Rehabilitation Research Experience for Medical Students (RREMS), Institute for Research, Education and Training in Addictions (IRETA), as well as Pettapiece and UNECOM’s Dean’s Research funding.
Additionally eight (8) students have been chosen to conduct ethnographic/biographic research as an "elder resident" in the UNECOM Learning By Living Research Program.
STUDENT FELLOWSHIPS
American Federation for Aging Research Fellowship
UNECOM has a strong track record in attaining the highly prestigious and competitive AFAR (American Federation for Aging Research) Fellowships. To date, UNECOM has the highest submission and funding rate for AFAR applications of any Osteopathic Medical School in the nation (24 applications, 17 funded fellowships since 2003). This summer 3 UNECOM students have been awarded AFAR Fellowships:
Suvi Neukam, MS I, is conducting research at the University of California San Diego, Department of Geriatric Medicine. Her on-site mentor and project are being determined and will focus on older adult wellness and medical home.
Elizabeth Burch, MS I is conducting research at Massachusetts General Hospital under the leadership of Brad Dickerson, MD, Director for the MGH Frontotemporal Temporal Dementia Unit. Her project is entitled: Monitoring the progression of primary aggressive aphasia.
Jamison Costello, MS I, although awarded the AFAR Fellowship to conduct research at the University of North Carolina Medical School, Jamison has instead accepted a position focusing on orthopedics at the Albany, New York, Medical Center.
Rehabilitation Research Experience for Medical Students (RREMS) Fellowship
Jaclyn Barcikowski, MS I, is the second UNECOM student to apply and be awarded this fellowship. Her on-site research mentor is Dr. Jonathan Bean, Medical Director, Spaulding Cambridge Rehabilitation Center; Director, Research Training and Education, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School; Director, Research Center for Lifelong Health and Fitness; and Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School.
Institute for Research, Education and Training in Addictions (IRETA) Fellowship
Emilynne Buchanan, MS I, is the third UNECOM student to be awarded this 3-week fellowship located in Pittsburgh, PA that combines medical practice and research skill development in the area of substance abuse and addictions.
Nth Dimension Orthopaedic Educational Solutiions Fellowship
Anna King, MS I is the first osteopathic medical student to be awarded this prestigious and competitive allopathic medical student fellowship for women and underrepresented minorities who have completed their first year of medical school. She will be conducting research at Johns Hopkins Medical School this summer and will be engaged in this fellowship for 4 years in order to complete her research, present it nationally and publish her work.
Betty Ford Summer Institute for Medical Students (SIMS)
Four students were awarded this Fellowship in California: Gary Bining, MS I (May 23-27), Meredith Carbone, MS I (June 6-10), Melanie Ripley, MS I (August 1-5), and Geoffrey McWilliams, MS I (July18-22). These students will participate in one extremely intense week with either patients or families who have been affected by substance abuse/addiction.
Carman Pettapiece, DO Student Research Fund
Pettapiece funding was awarded to 2 students. (1) Monica Thim, MS I, who is conducting 8 weeks of research with Dr. Paul Fanning, Assistant Professor at the Orthopedics Department at UMass Medical School. Monica will be testing the efficacy of an anti-apoptosis based therapy that was developed by Dr. Fanning; and (2) Daniel Pievsky, MS I who will conduct research that has been requested by the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) as part of their Task Force on the Elderly. Dr. John Saltzman, director of the endoscopy at the Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) in Boston, MA will be Daniel's research mentor.
Columbia University Medical School
Deepali Maheshwari, MS I, has been awarded a Research Stipend from Columbia University's Center for Psycho-Social Health and Illness. She will be conducting qualitative research with Dr. Helen-Maria Lekas and assisting in writing a paper related to a data set about end of life cancer patients focusing on dyadic data with the individual and their caretaker.
UNECOM Dean's Research Fellowship
Amy Riviere, MS I, will be conducting research at the Stone Clinic in San Francisco, CA with Kevin Stone, MD, Director and Orthopedic Surgeon at the Clinic. She will be participating in a prospective, longitudinal study of a patient population that has undergone the paste graft surgical repair developed by Dr. Stone.
National Institute of Health, Clinical Research Training Program (CRTP)
Stephanie Bissonette, MS IV, is the second UNECOM Student to be awarded a position in this training program at the National Institute of Health. Amy Davidoff, Ph,D. & Marilyn Gugliucci, Ph.D sponsored Student Physician Bissonette.
National Institute of Health PGY 4 Fellowship
Gioia Guerrieri, DO, UNECOM 2008, is the first UNECOM Graduate to be awarded this NIH 4th year fellowship that includes an additional 2 years on the NIH research team. Dr Guerrieri's specialty is geriatric psychiatry. Christopher Sola, MD, Yonas Geda, MD (both of the Mayo Clinic) & Marilyn Gugliucci, Ph.D. sponsored Dr Guerrieri.
Unfunded Research
Brian Carroll, MS I, will be mentored by Dr. Roger A. Fielding, Department of Geriatrics at Boston Medical School, an internationally known senior researcher. Brian will conduct research for 8 weeks, working on a project focusing on exercise intervention that addresses older adult frailty.
Michelle Sansky, MS I, will be conducting research on physical rehabilitation for older adults at the University of North Carolina Medical School Chapel Hill, Department of Geriatrics. Her mentor will be Vicki Mercer, Ph.D.
Marilyn R. Gugliucci, Ph.D., Director of Geriatrics Education and Research is the home site research sponsor and/or mentor for these students except where noted.
UNECOM Learning by Living Research
Eight (8) students have been chosen to participate as lead researchers in this unique ethnographic/biographic study that requires them to live the life of an elder nursing home resident for at least 10 days, complete with medical diagnoses and standard procedures of care.. Seven students are UNECOM first year medical students, one student is in the UMO Masters of Social Work Program and the first social work student to be admitted into a nursing home. Students' names, nursing home site and dates of admission/discharge are as follows:
Emilynne Buchanan, MS I, Life Care Center at Nashoba Valley, Littleton, MA May 24-June 3; Rebecca Dyer, MS I, Durgin Pines, Kittery, ME, May 26-June 6; Katie Clouthier, Gray Birch Nursing Home, Augusta, ME, June 8-June 16; Michael Light, MS I, Maine Veterans Home, Scarborough, ME, June 22-July 1; Giana Petrone, MS I, Monarch Center, Saco, ME, June 27-July 7; Devin Eckstein, MS I, Village Crossing at Cape Elizabeth, ME, July 8-July 19; Kara F. Janes, UMO, MSW Student, Lakewood Continuing Care Community, Waterville, ME, July 18-July 27; Brian Guzzati, MS I, Maine Veteran's Home, Augusta, ME, July 18-July 27th.
Marilyn R. Gugliucci, Ph.D. is the Principle Investigator for this project and assumes the role of the "adult daughter" for each student that she admits into the nursing home.