Medical students win awards at MASA conference

Jing Khoo won first place for her poster presentation.

Two students at the USA College of Medicine won first and second place for research presentations at the Medical Association of the State of Alabama conference held April 9-10 in Montgomery.

Jing Khoo and Kasey Andrews, members of the Class of 2023, won first and second place respectively.

The MASA conferences are held annually for Alabama physicians or students in medical school to connect with others in their chosen field, gain continuing medical education credits and conduct business with the association.

"It is an honor to be selected to present at a professional meeting, and to then be recognized by the organization for the quality of your work is a real achievement," said T.J. Hundley, M.D., associate dean for medical education at the USA College of Medicine. "We are incredibly proud of our students for their success in their presentations. I would also like to congratulate the faculty who supported them in this endeavor.”

Kasey Andrews won second place at the

conference.

Khoo won first place for her presentation about a rare occurrence of fetal intestinal volvulus, an abnormal twisting of the large or small intestine, in a patient with cystic fibrosis. The report discussed the ultrasound findings, surgical interventions and continued care of the infant.

“I felt honored to help care for this infant during my pediatric and surgical rotations. This case demonstrates the efficient infant support provided by care centers with multidisciplinary teams,” she said. “I also hope to raise awareness that fetal intestinal volvulus should be considered when suspecting cystic fibrosis, particularly with abnormal ultrasound signs.”

Khoo is pursuing a career in pediatrics and plans to specialize in critical care. She hopes to contribute to pediatric research and be an engaged community member, empowering children and their families in and out of the hospital.

Andrews won second place for her presentation about how a patient with multiple sclerosis was impacted by health insurance policies. The patient suffered a relapse after her insurer denied coverage for her medication.

“The goal of my report was to give a direct example of how certain policies negatively impact patients as well as provide suggestions for how the medical community can advocate for policy change regarding this,” she said.

Andrews is pursuing a career in pediatrics and plans to specialize in pediatric cardiology. She also is interested in patient advocacy and mental health, and hopes to be able to incorporate these interests into her future training and practice.

Bauer to present on extracellular vesicle signaling

Natalie Bauer, Ph.D.

Natalie Bauer, Ph.D., associate professor of pharmacology at the USA College of Medicine, is the upcoming speaker for the Department of Pathology's Research Seminar Series.  

She will present "Extracellular Vesicle Signaling" at noon on Thursday, June 16, in the Strada Patient Care Center conference room. Because of current COVID safety protocols, lunch will not be served. 

Bauer, who also is a faculty member in the USA Center for Lung Biology, focuses her research on extracellular vesicle generation and signaling in pulmonary vasculature in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

For more information, contact Patrick Carlisle at 251-471-7753 or pcarlisle@health.southalabama.edu.

Medical students begin summer research

The USA College of Medicine kicked off the Summer Research Program with orientation on Wednesday, June 1. The program will culminate on Friday, July 22, with the 49th annual Medical Student Research Day.

The program matches incoming first-year medical students and rising second-year medical students with College of Medicine basic science and clinical faculty researchers. The summer experience includes hands-on research, a seminar program that focuses on various scientific and clinical topics, and student presentations. This year, 57 medical students, 12 of whom are incoming first-years, are participating in the program.

Casey Daniel, Ph.D., M.P.H., associate professor of family medicine at the USA College of Medicine and a cancer researcher at the Mitchell Cancer Institute, is chair of the summer research committee. 

For more information, contact Marcina Lang at marcinalang@southalabama.edu. 

Meet a Med Student: Anna Shunnarah

Anna Shunnarah

Age: 22

Class of: 2025

Hometown: Madison, Alabama

Undergrad institution: University of South Alabama

Degree earned: Bachelor of Science in biomedical sciences

Interests, hobbies: Cooking and baking, forensics, traveling and spin classes

Something unique about me: I’m half Palestinian!

Three of my favorite things: Playing with puppies, dancing and trips to see my family in Tennessee

What I enjoy most about being a student at the USA College of Medicine: It’s easy to talk with anyone here. The faculty is approachable, and all the students work together so well. There’s lots of opportunities for exploration and hands-on work, and the faculty really love to teach.