LUCOM Research Day features wide-ranging work conducted by medical students in the past year

Students and professors in the Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM) gathered on Friday afternoon in the Center for Medical and Health Sciences to share their ongoing research endeavors through oral and poster presentations as part of LUCOM’s fifth annual Research Day.

Joined by healthcare professionals from regional academic institutions and practice sites, the LUCOM community was able to explain studies in fields such as osteopathic manipulation, infectious diseases, physiology, and psychology. In addition to celebrating their work, the event also allowed students to gain experience in presenting their work and fostering collaborations in the medical field.

Research Day began in 2019 and has continued to grow, with this year’s 33 presentations — 10 oral presentations and 23 posters — marking the most in the event’s history. The majority of the participants were second-year (OMS-II) LUCOM students who started their research last summer in LUCOM’s summer research elective and continued through the Fall 2023 semester.

Other institutions that presented at the event were Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (Blacksburg, Va.), Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine ( Lillington, N,C.), and LewisGale Medical Center (Salem, Va.).

Other schools and healthcare systems involved in the research projects — usually with LUCOM students working with outside faculty — included University of Maryland School of Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Columbia University, Baylor College of Medicine, Immune Deficiency Foundation, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare, and Caza Health.

“The goal is to give them a forum in which they can present their work and interact with their colleagues, not just here at LUCOM, but around the state and region,” said Dr. Michael Price, LUCOM Professor of Microbiology and Research Day Committee Chair. “This is definitely a LUCOM-focused event, but we love the opportunity to be cross-pollinating with other medical schools and foster collaborations.”

Topics covered in the oral presentations included the harmfulness of a certain fungus in relation to a specific gene, a rare artery found in carpal tunnels, fighting colon cancer cells, the benefits of early diagnoses, and the effects of diet and sugar on behavioral patterns, among others.

Price said the event showcases to students just how vast and varied fields of research can be, and it also opens their eyes to career options that they can add onto their future medical practices.

“It benefits our students by giving them a better appreciation for what all is out there,” he said. “Our faculty do research, but that doesn’t encompass all of the different areas of research that is available. Many students that we have come through LUCOM aren’t initially aware of their options when it comes to implementing research into their practice of medicine; they can see patients, but they can also conduct research, teach students, and pursue other opportunities.”

At the end of each presentation, if time allowed, those in attendance could ask the presenter(s) questions.

Sabrina Bustos (OMS-II) presented on outcome factors of traumatic cervical spinal cord injuries. She conducted her research through the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

“It was nice to work with people outside of LUCOM, which was a way of strengthening a connection between Liberty and the other schools, and then bring that information back to share with my peers,” she said. “It’s sort of crazy to see how far we’ve come because I was working on it when it was in its early stages, back when it was just spreadsheets of data, and now we’ve got it written and at a point where I got to share it with everyone here.”

After the oral presentations concluded, attendees were invited to walk around the first and second floors of the building to view the 23 posters, with the students who made them nearby to explain the work and answer questions.

The afternoon proved to be a time of support, conversation, and joint growth as each student elaborated on months of work.

“Everyone is so excited for their own projects, which is nice to see, and everyone has been working on such different things,” Bustos said. “We’ve been able to share all of our hard work and our findings, and those are things that we need to know for the future. We’ll need to know the latest results, and we get to hear some of that while we’re still in medical school.”

Read the abstracts of all 33 presentations on the Research Day website.