Medical Science Research Experience

Drexel University College of Medicine Medical Science program students presenting their research posters.

WHAT IS YOUR PASSION?

What sets the Master of Science in Medical Science program apart from most other post-baccalaureate programs is the research experience during Year Two of the Medical Science program. This experience is designed to be rigorous, productive, and engaging.

Just as the research experience sets the Medical Science program apart, it is a transformative experience that sets Medical Science students apart from other applicants to medical school. The research experience allows students to pursue questions and interests they are passionate about in a supportive environment.

Current Research Projects

Most Medical Science students work in cutting-edge research and make significant contributions to the research enterprise. Current projects include:

Medical Science Program

Student: Ejaaz R. Moazzam
Mentor: Joshua Jackson, PhD
Title: Motor Proteins Associated With Mitochondrial Dynamics in Astrocytes
Affiliation: Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, Drexel University College of Medicine

MD/MS Dual Degree Program

Student: Tara Lamb
Mentor(s): Daniel Cheng MD, Amir Behnam, MD
Title: Racial and Socioeconomic Differences in Postoperative Outcomes for Postmastectomy Breast Reconstruction
Affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, Reading Hospital-Tower Health; Drexel University College of Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical and Professional Studies

Student: Derek S. Mann
Mentor(s): Christorpher E. Fundakowski, MD
Title: Completion Neck Dissection After Positive Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy for Early-Stage Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Analysis of Pathologic Specimens and Risk Stratification
Co-authors: Arielle Thal, MD; Harleen K. Sethi, DO; Sruti Tekumalla; Victor O. Jegede; Leila J. Mady, MD, PhD, MPH; Christopher E. Fundakowski, MD
Affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University; Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

Student: Philip J. Maxwell
Mentor: Robert T. Sataloff, MD
Title: Assessing the Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors for Presbylarynx in the Elderly Laryngology Population
Co-authors: Parastou Azadeh Ranjbar, Vibuti Mishra, Christopher Yam, Ghiath Alnouri, Karen Lyons, Hassan Paknexhad, and Robert T. Sataloff
Affiliation: Drexel University College of Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery; Drexel University College of Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical and Professional Studies; Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery

Past Research Projects

2022

A Pilot Study on the Impact of the Philadelphia Covid-19 Stay-At-Home Order On Mothers’ Dietary Habits and Body Weight Status
Asli Durak, 2022
Growth of Gardnerella in Liquid Culture: Insights for Studies of Bacterial Vaginosis
Cameron Pauly, 2022

2021

What is the effect of prehabilitation on surgical outcomes?
Crystal Joseph, 2021
Clinical Utility of the Thyroid Imaging Reporting And Data System (TI-RADS) for Risk Stratification of Pediatric Thyroid Nodules Using Ultrasound
Bhavya Kanuga, 2021
Impact of epigenetics on addiction mechanisms
Volodar Migovich, 2021
Impact of vocal fold scar on pre-and post-operative voice quality
Swetha Vontela, 2021

2020

k-Means Clustering of Sensitivities to 25 Common Aeroallergens Identifies Novel Patterns of Allergenicity in Philadelphia Inner-City Asthmatics
Brian Pratchett, 2020
How Does Autism Spectrum Disorder Severity Affect Joint Engagement and Expressive Language Skills in Toddlers?
Jessica Meng, 2020
Eosinophilic Esophagitis-Associated Risk Variant in TSLP Contributes to Disease Progression
Joshua X. Wang, 2020
Production of Recombinant SEPT2/6/7/3 Hetero-octamers
Barry DeRose, 2020
Exploring the Role of EphB2 in Cervical Spinal Cord Injury-Induced Neuropathic Pain
Simon Galer, 2020
Assessing the Additive Values of Three-Dimensional Printing in Surgical Planning of Congenital Heart Disease
Han Ool Lim, 2020
The miR-196b/TLR8 Signaling Axis in DNMT3A-Mutant AML
Holly Gamlen, 2020

2019

Hepatitis B Virus X-interacting Protein (HBXIP) Mediated Inhibition of HBV Replication Through mTORC1
Student: John Allsop, MMS 2019
PI: Michael Bouchard
Site: Drexel University College of Medicine
Exercise Effects on Repetitive Mild Traumatic Brain Injured (r-mTBI) Male Mice
Student: Dominic Campion, MMS 2019
PI: Ramesh Raghupathi
Site: Drexel University College of Medicine
Characterization of the Dorsal Horn in a Spinal Cord Injury Model of Neuropathic Pain
Student: Michael Demarco, MMS 2019
PI: Angelo Lepore
Site: Jefferson Medical College
Targeting CARs to the TET2 Locus with CRISPR/Cas9-based Genome Editing
Student: Steven Feins, MMS 2019
PI: Joseph A. Fraietta
Site: University of Pennsylvania
Infant Medical Attributes on Parental Psychosocial Functioning After Leaving the NICU
Student: Austin LaRocca, MMS 2019
PI: Pam Geller
Site: Drexel College of Arts and Sciences
Plasticity of Rhythmic and Modulatory Respiratory Axons Drives Diaphragm Recovery After Focal BDNF Upregulation in Rats
Student: Katherine Locke, MMS 2019
PI: Angelo Lepore
Site: Jefferson Medical College
Interplay of AMPK Signaling and Autophagy in Hepatitis B Virus Replication
Student: Dara Tolchin, MMS 2019
PI: Michael Bouchard
Site: Drexel University College of Medicine
Effects of Pulsed Magnetic Field on Macrophage Marker Expression and Protein Secretion
Student: Hieu Vo, MMS 2019
PI: Boris Polyak
Site: Department of Surgery, Drexel University College of Medicine

2018

Hepatitis B Virus X-Interacting Protein in the Context of Hepatitis B Virus Replication
Student: Ahsun Bajwa, MMS 2018
PI: Michael Bouchard, PhD
Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Drexel University College of Medicine
Focal BDNF Overexpression Promotes Recovery of Respiratory Function After Cervical Spinal Cord Injury in Adult Rats
Student: Michael A. Brinton, MMS 2018
PI: Angelo LePore, PhD
Department of Neuroscience, Jefferson University Medical College
Development of a Novel Microfabricated 3D Liver Model
Student: Eric Haljasmaa, MMS 2018
PI: Michael Bouchard, PhD
Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Drexel University College of Medicine
Effect of Exercise on Behavioral Impairments in Female C57BL/6J Mice Following Repetitive mild-Traumatic Brain Injury
Student: Mohibur Rahman, MMS 2018
PI: Ramesh Raghupathi, PhD
Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine
Investigation of the Possibility of Septin Hexamer & Octamer Co-polymerization
Student: Robert Kelley, MMS 2018
PI: Shae Padrick, PhD
Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Drexel University
An Investigation of the Mechanism of Exercise Modulated Chloride Homeostasis and Dendritic Plasticity after SCI in Rattus Norvegicus.
Student: V.Vigneswaran, MMS 2018
PI: Marie-Pascale Côté, PhD
Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine
Define the Role of the Bone Stroma and Tumor Heterogeneity in the Prostate Cancer Metastatic Niche
Student: Marissa Matto, MMS 2018
PI: Alessandro Fatatis, MD, PhD
Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, Drexel University College of Medicine
Positive Allosteric Modulation of Glutamate Transporter EAAT2 for Stroke: In Vitro Studies on Primary Neuronal Cultures
Student: Srawasti Sarker, MMS 2018
PI: Andreia C. K. Mortensen, PhD
Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, Drexel University College of Medicine

2017

Designing a multicolor flow panel for the analysis of inhibitory receptor expression on Human T-cells
Brenndan Crumley, 2017
The Impact of PTEN Antagonist Peptides on rVRG Axonal Regeneration and Restoration of Diaphragm Function Following Spinal Cord Injury
Cole Block 2017
HBx-mediated calcium signaling and its effect on Akt and the development of HBV-associated HCC
Conor O’Meara, 2017
Juvenile mGluR2/3 agonist LY379268 treatment prevents adult behavioral deficits in a developmental rat model of schizophrenia
Genie Han, 2017
Differential prevalence of CYP2R1 mutations across populations reveals an adaptive mechanism and pathway selection to maintain serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D
Ilana Caplan, 2017
Targeting Spinal Dopaminergic Regulation to Improve Micturition Recovery After Spinal Cord Injury in Rats
Jemin Ahn, 2017
Impact of parental report of infant health severity on parental stress levels
Jennifer Morris, 2017
Using 3D Printing to Identify Residual Transverse Arch obstruction in Aortic Coarctation Correction
Kevin Gralewski, 2017
Effect of Exercise on Depression-like Behavior and Facial Allodynia Following Repetitive Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Melanie Zemel, 2017
Effects on Spatial Learning and Anxiety-like Behavior in C57BL/6J Mice after Repetitive Mild-Traumatic Brain Injuries
Michael Branham, 2017
Cortical expression of diacylglycerol lipase-α increases in DSP-4 treated rats
Michael Nitikman, 2017
Reconstitution Of GAP43 on Synthetic Bilayer Membranes
Olufela Koleoso, 2017
Neuroprotective effects of novel positive allosteric modulators of glutamate transport
Rebisi Owhonda, 2017

2016

"Exploring the Impact of GSK-3β Ablation on Cognitive Function and Structural Plasticity of the PFC"
Rita Akumo, 2016
"Does Central Venous Pressure Correlate With Physician Implementation of Fluid Resuscitation in Hypotensive Patients?"
Todd Belok, 2016
"Effects of Radiation on Cell Functions in Glioma Cancer Stem Cells"
Puneet Butter, 2016
"Effects of Pre-Injury Exercise on Behavioral Outcomes in Single Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Adolescent Mice"
Archana Chandrashekar, 2016
"Novel Dopamine Transporter Modulator in a Behavioral Model of Addiction in Planarians"
Annie Chang, 2016
"Identifying Predictors of Retention and Abstinence Among Women in Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment"
W. Chase Hamilton, 2016
"Imaging and Appendicitis: Limiting Radiation Exposure in Children with Abdominal Pain. Do we really need another CT scan?"
Mack Hardaker, 2016
"Supraphysiological O-GlcNAcylation Increases Differentiated ARPE-19 Cell Permeability"
Jennifer Huang, 2016
"Modulation of Dopamine Transporter Using Novel Compounds to Decrease Its Affinity for Cocaine"
Poojitha Kakulavaram, 2016
"A New Genetic Mouse Model for Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia 4 Expressing Mutant Human SPAST"
Evan Kolesnick, 2016
"NICU Infant Health Severity and Family Functioning"
Catherine M. Madden, 2016
"Investigating Cytoprotective Mechanisms Against Alcohol Exposure in Human Esophageal Cells"
Alec Maggi, 2016
"Investigation of Motivation Interviewing and Prevention Consults to Achieve Cardiovascular Targets (IMPACT) Study"
Farah Noorani, 2016
"Transport Domain-Unlocking Results in Augmented Uptake Rate in EAAT2 Glutamate Transporter"
Avkash Patel, 2016
"Norepinephrine Transporter: A Receptor Wherein Expression Is Affected by the Molecular Chaperone Hsc70"
Eugene Pok, 2016
"Cell-Specific Viral Vector Induced Regeneration of Respiratory Circuitry Following Cervical Spinal Cord Injury"
Laura Strojny, 2016
"Role of BPIFB1 on Hepatitis B Virus Replication"
Sowmya Swamy, 2016
"The Relationship Between Depression, Infertility Related Distress, and Religiosity in Infertile Muslim Women Living in the West"
Mirzya Syed, 2016
"Investigating the Role of ALDH2 in Response to Alcohol Exposure"
Nhi Tran, 2016

Research Mentors

We are honored to have truly gifted scientists serving as Medical Science research mentors. Past and current research mentors include:

Drexel University College of Medicine

Jane Azizkhan-Clifford, PhD
Professor and Chair, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; Associate Dean for Medical Student Research

Marie-Pascale Côté, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy

Alessandro Fatatis, MD, PhD
Professor, Department of Pharmacology & Physiology

Wen-Jun Gao, PhD
Professor, Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy

Olimpia Meucci, MD, PhD
Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacology & Physiology

Andréia C.K. Mortensen, PhD
Research Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology & Physiology

Ole Mortensen, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology & Physiology

Eishi Noguchi, PhD
Professor, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; Director, Graduate Program in Molecular & Cellular Biology & Genetics

Shae Padrick, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Ramesh Raghupathi, PhD
Professor, Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy

Barbara Schindler, MD
Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics; Vice Dean Emerita, Educational & Academic Affairs

Brian Wigdahl, PhD
Professor and Chair, Department of Microbiology & Immunology; Director, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease

*Current or former Research Oversight Committee member

Joseph A. Fraietta, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology; Director, Solid Tumor Immunotherapy Laboratory, Center for Advanced Cellular Therapeutics

Reynold A. Panettieri Jr., MD
Robert L. Mayock and David A. Cooper Professor of Medicine; Director, Airways Biology Initiative

College of Medicine