College of Medicine M.D. with Research Honors Program

• The student should identify a faculty sponsor and department in which to work during their sophomore year if possible. The faculty sponsor must have an appointment in the Whiddon College of Medicine.
• The research project proposal (as defined in the Application) must be submitted to the Chair of the M.D. with Research Honors Committee by the end of the first semester of the junior year. Early submission is strongly recommended. Within 4 weeks of submission of the proposal, the applicant will make a short presentation to the committee describing the proposal and the timeline for its completion.
• The student must submit a progress report, co-signed by the mentor, to the committee prior to January 15 of the senior year of medical school.
• The student must prepare a manuscript ready for submission for publication prior to March 15 of the senior year and make an oral presentation summarizing the project to the members of the Research Honors Committee, interested students, and faculty members. The committee must approve the completed work as fulfilling the requirements for the program.

There are no restrictions on the type of project that may be undertaken. The only requirement is that each project contains an element of originality. In those cases where a student participates in an ongoing project, he/she must assume responsibility for that portion in which they are involved. The project can be pursued during the summer months and during senior elective time. Work during the summer may be supported by a stipend but work for which elective credit is received are generally not supported by a stipend. Students are encouraged, however, to seek extramural, research fellowships, if applicable.

By January 15 of the senior year of medical school, the program participants should provide the committee with a short report reiterating the specific aims of the project and the progress made on each. The report should be cosigned by the mentor. Prior to March 15 of the senior year, the student must provide the committee with the copy of the prepared manuscript and make an oral presentation to the committee, interested students, and faculty members. The preparation of the manuscript and presentation of the work must be completed prior to certification to the Dean that the student has completed requirements for graduation with Research Honors.

A proposal describing the research project to be conducted must be written by the student with the aid of faculty mentor and submitted to the M.D. with Research Honors Committee by the end of the first semester of the junior year. The proposal should clearly define a topic for study which can be completed during medical school. Within four weeks of submission of the proposal, the applicant should make a short presentation to the program committee describing the proposal and the timeline to completion. Project approval is based primarily on the scientific merit of the proposal.

Restrict the prospectus to ONE PAGE, single spaced - to include:

• TITLE
• BACKGROUND AND SIGNIFICANCE
• OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS
• SPECIFIC AIMS AND METHODOLOGY TO COMPLETE

Students should also submit a cover page [PDF] with mentor signature indicating that all training and committee approvals have been secured.

Students will present their project in full at the meeting and we will see preliminary data and have the opportunity to ask any questions.  

Current and Past Participants

Students who are currently in the program or recently have completed the program are shown below.

Class of 2026

Nathaniel Olliff
Advisor: Dr. Glen Borchert
Department: Pharmacology
Project: "Human YRNA 4 (HY4) plasma levels are a prognostic indicator of, and are potentially directly involved with, SARS-CoV-2 infection clinical severity"

Emily Hartsell
Advisor: Dr. Ray Langley
Department: Pharmacology
Project: "Differential Transcript Usage in Influenza A Infected Human Lung Organoids"

Class of 2025

Rachael Motamed
Advisor: Dr. Robert Barrington
Department: Microbiology & Immunology
Project: "FPR-mediated wound healing in hyper-IgE syndrome"

Hanna Bobinger
Advisor: Dr. Amy Nelson
Department: Physiology and Cell Biology
Project: "Aβ1-42 oligomers induce pericyte dysfunction via p75 neurotrophin receptor"

Ryleigh Randall
Advisor: Dr. Amy Nelson
Department: Physiology and Cell Biology
Project: "Brain pericyte dysfunction in normal aging"

Chandler Hinson
Advisors: Kimberly Donnellan, M.D., F.A.C.S. & Andrew C. Bright, D.O.
Department: Surgery
Project: "Ablative CO 2 fractionated laser for functional and cosmetic improvement of hypertrophic scarring in burn patients"

Parker Norman
Advisor: Dr. Meghan Hermance
Department: Microbiology & Immunology
Project: "Investigating co-feeding transmission of Heartland Virus between the North American tick, Amblyomma americanum, and the invasive East Asian tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis"

Cade Smelley
Advisor: Dr. Tyler McDonald
Department: Orthopaedic Surgery
Project: "Do Patient-Answered Versus Parent-Answered Patient Reported Outcomes (PROs) Differ in Pediatric Fracture Care?"

Naden Kreitz
Advisor: Dr. David Williams
Department: Institutional and Academic Success
Project: "Opioid Education and Prevention from a Medical Student Perspective"

Class of 2024

Kiley Brady
Advisor: Dr. Casey Daniel
Department: Family Medicine and MCI
Project: "HPV vaccination rates and perceptions following release of COVID-19 vaccinations"

Daniel Irelan
Advisor: Dr. Wito Richter
Department: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Project: "Phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) as a therapeutic target in obesity and metabolic syndrome"

Class of 2023

Sarah Fillingim
Advisor: Dr. Casey Daniel
Department: Family Medicine and MCI
Project: "Characteristics of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 among patients in a South Alabama health system and associated risk factors"
Residency: University of Mississippi Medical Center | Dermatology | Jackson, MS

Class of 2022

Ryan Heslin
Advisor: Dr. Leander Grimm, Jr.
Department: Surgery
Project: "Association of surgical volume on rectal cancer outcomes: a longitudinal single-institution study"
Residency: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center | General Surgery | Dallas, TX

Elise Mann
Advisor: Dr. Natalie Gassman
Department: Physiology and Cell Biology
Project: "The impact of DNA damage on PD-L1 upregulation in ovarian tumor samples"
Residency: Methodist Hospital | Obstetrics‐Gynecology | Houston, TX

William McDonough
Advisor: Dr. Wito Richter
Department: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Project: "PAN-selective inhibition of cAMP-phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) induces gastroparesis in mice"
Residency: William Beaumont Army Medical Center | General Surgery | El Paso, TX

Class of 2021

Stuart McFarland
Advisors: Drs. David Weber and Mark Taylor
Department: Physiology and Cell Biology
Project: "Endothelial Trpv4 Channels are crucial mediators of Ca2+ signaling during endothelium dependent vasodilation"
Residency: University of Mississippi Medical Center | Ophthalmology | Jackson, MS

Lane McLendon
Advisor: Dr. Casey Daniel
Department: Family Medicine and MCI
Project: "HPV and HPV vaccine knowledge and attitudes among young adults in Alabama"
Residency: University of Florida | Pediatrics | Gainesville, FL

Erin Schmale
Advisor: Dr. Jonathan Rayner
Department: Microbiology and Immunology
Project: "Towards the development of a high-throughput immunological assay to evaluate neutralizing antibodies against Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus"
Residency: St. Vincent's East | Family Medicine | Birmingham, AL

Macy Vickers
Advisor: Dr. Casey Daniel
Department: Family Medicine and MCI
Project: "Examining factors associated with HPV vaccination uptake in Alabama and the impact of providing an alternative vaccination setting"
Residency: University of South Alabama | Obstetrics and Gynecology | Mobile, AL

Class of 2020

Dylan Adams
Advisor: Dr. Sarah Sayner
Department: Physiology and Cell Biology and Center for Lung Biology
Project Title: “Regulation of pulmonary endothelial cell intracellular pH by sodium proton exchangers (NHEs)”
Residency: University of Vermont | Neurological Surgery | Burlington, VT

Michael Marfice
Advisor: Dr. Natalie Bauer
Department: Pharmacology
Project Title: “Determination and characterization of extracellular vesicle populations as biomarkers of the severity of pulmonary arterial hypertension”
Residency: South Baldwin Regional Medical Center | Family Medicine | Foley, AL

Class of 2017

Carmen Lopez
Advisors: Drs. Silas Leavesley and Thomas Rich
Departments: Chemical Engineering and Pharmacology
Project: "Hyperspectral imaging approaches for endoscopic colon cancer detection"
Residency: Tulane University | Internal Medicine | New Orleans, LA

Megan Zak
Advisor: Dr. Mark Taylor
Department: Physiology and Cell Biology
Project: "Influence of oxytocin-induced release of intracellular calcium stores on KCa2.3 channels in uterine smooth muscle"
Residency: University of Utah | General Surgery | Salt Lake City, UT

Class of 2015

Hayden Hundley
Advisor: Dr. Hanes Swingle
Department: Pediatrics
Project: "Acquisition of toilet training skills in typical and atypical children"
Residency: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center | Anesthesiology | Pittsburgh, PA

Class of 2013

Russell Terry
Advisor: Dr. Petra Rocic
Department: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Project: "Impaired vascular smooth muscle cell apoptosis and excessive proliferation in coronary collateral growth in the metabolic syndrome"
Residency: University of Florida | Urology | Gainesville, FL

William Gannon
Advisor: Dr. Hanes Swingle
Department: Pediatrics
Project: "Craniofacial dysmorphism and developmental disorders among children with chromosomal microdeletions and duplications of unknown significance"
Residency: UAB | Ophthalmology | Birmingham, AL

Class of 2012

Luke Wiggins
Advisor: Dr. Petra Rocic
Department: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Project: "Role of matrix metalloproteinases in coronary collateral growth"
Residency: University of Southern California | Thoracic Surgery | Los Angeles, CA

Andrew Vincent
Advisor: Dr. Lalita Shevde-Samant
Department: USA Mitchell Cancer Institute
Project: "Understanding the diametric role of NUPR1 in human breast cancer"
Residency: University of Tennessee | Radiology | Knoxville, TN

Class of 2010

Aaron Mates
Advisors: Drs. Val Grishko and Albert Pearsall
Department: Orthopedics
Project: "Role of hyaluronic acid in mitochondrial function and mitochondrial-driven apoptosis following oxidative stress in human osteoarthritic chrondrocytes”
Residency: University of South Alabama | Orthopaedic Surgery | Mobile, AL