Award: Summer Research Training Program students recognized for their strong research projects

Delaney Cosma, Medicine Class of 2022, was recognized with a top award at the 2020 Canadian Association of Neuropathologists conference for research she had done as a participant in the School’s Summer Research Training Program (SRTP).

Her oral platform presentation of her work, Cortical Dysplasia: Teaching Pathology to a Machine,” earned her the Morrison Finlayson award for the top scientific paper at the conference, which took place on October 15 – 17.

The paper represents the culmination of Cosma’s work as part of the Summer Research Training Program, a two-year summer research placement for first-and second-year medical students to gain exposure to medical research, develop research interests and consider the various career paths available to them. Approximately 18-24 students enter the program each year, all working with a supervisor toward the completion of their own research project.

 The SRTP also recognizes participants’ achievements with a number of internal awards for second-year students completing this program. Four participants from last summer’s program have received an SRTP award this year.

Jacob Houpt was awarded the Dr. L. DeWitt Wilcox Award, in recognition of his initiative, drive, awareness of research and ability to persevere in completing an SRTP project. The award’s accompanying cash prize is intended to support Houpt in attending the Annual National Student Research Forum to present his research paper, “Molecular Mechanism of Ca2+ Sensing by Stromal Interaction Molecule-1 in the Regulation of Store-Operated Ca2+ Entry.”

Lisa Liu received the Dr. Cindy Hutnik Award, for demonstrable excellence and promise in research for her project, "Exploring the Process of Care for Patients Who Inject Drugs in Acute Hospital Settings.

Ziad Sabaa-Ayoun’s research project, “Determinants of Health: Association of Air Pollution with Carotid Total Plaque Area and Carotid Stenosis,” earned him the Horace and Clarice Wankel Memorial Award for Cardiovascular Research.

For her project, “Impact of Patient Knowledge of Intake Exercise Performance on Exit Performance in Cardiac Rehabilitation,” Kelsey Ambrose was the recipient of the Dr. Glen S. Wither Award for Research. This award aims to recognize a student who showed outstanding participation in the Summer Research Training Program.