2024

Meet the former students of the Summer Medical Student Respiratory Research Fellowship (SMURRF) and learn about their projects.

Devon Baird
Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Mentor: Kristin Hudock, MD
Project Title: "NET Driven Human Bronchial Epithelial Inflammation"

Laura Bender
Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Mentor: Paul Kingma, MD, PhD
Project Title: "Predictive factors for NAVA ventilation as a life-saving measure in infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD)"

Grace Bieghler
Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Mentor: Don Hayes, MD
Project Title: "Differential expression of fibroblasts in acute cellular rejection in pediatric lung transplants"

Samuel Carter
Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Mentor: Nathan Pajor, MD
Project Title: "Charted vital signs compared to every-1-minute data in children with chronic ventilator dependence"

Randall Combs
Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Mentor: Gurjit Hershey, MD, PhD
Project Title: "Molecular Characterization of Nocturnal Asthma Exacerbations"

Alexa DeRegnaucourt
Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Mentor: Gurjit Hershey, MD, PhD
Project Title: "The role of skin dysbiosis in the progression of pediatric atopic dermatitis to asthma"

William Durbin
Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Mentor: William Hardie, MD
Project Title: "Unexplained Dyspnea on Exertion: CPET AS A Diagnostic Tool"

Thanvi Gullapalli
Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Mentor: Raouf Amin, MD
Project Title: "Effect of Adenotonsillectomy on Circadian BP Dysregulation in Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients"

Deja Miller
Medical School: University of Kentucky College of Medicine – Northern Kentucky Campus
Mentor: Paul Kingma, MD, PhD
Project Title: "Hypothermia models for reducing tissue injury"

Megha Mohanakrishnan
Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Mentor: Jason Woods, MD, PhD
Project Title: "The Use of MRI to Evaluate Tracheomalacia Changes in Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia."

Angelica Nowack
Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Mentor: Theresa Guilbert, MD
Project Title: "Impact of Social Determinants of Health on Medication Adherence and Outcomes in Moderate to Severe Asthma in Adolescents"

Lillian Swanz
Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Mentor: Nehal Parikh, DO, MS
Project Title: "Brain Diffusion MRI Biomarkers for Predicting Neurodevelopmental Disorders in High-Risk Preterm Infants"

2023

Jackson Alexander
Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Mentor: David Smith, MD, PhD
Project Title: "Quantitative Profiling of Fecal Microbes in Mice"

Cassandra Almasri
Medical School: University of Kentucky Medical School
Mentor: Amanda Schondelmeyer, MD
Project Title: “Insurance-based differences in discharge practices of acute respiratory infections for children with neurologic impairment”

Elliot Brown
Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Mentor: William Hardie, MD
Project Title: “Comparison of exercise protocols for diagnosing dyspnea on exertion”

Shivatej Dubbaka
Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Mentor: Jason Woods, PhD
Project Title: "Using Hyperpolarized Xe MRI to Compare Lung Defects in Pediatric Cystic Fibrosis Patients of Varying Ages"

Aneesha Gala
Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Mentor: Paul Kingma, MD, PhD
Project Title: "Investigating the impact of anhydroamnios due to renal anomalies on fetal lung development using DW-MRI"

Heather Gamble
Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Mentor: Joanna Thomson, MD
Project Title: "Hospitalization Outcomes Associated with Evidence-Based Recommendations for the Management of Pneumonia in Children with High-Intensity Neurologic Impairment"

Cassidy Kershner
Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Mentor: Adam Powell, MD
Project Title: "Effects of Cardiac Rehabilitation on Pulmonary Function in Patients with Cardiac Disease"

Harsimran Makkad
Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Mentor: Cole Brokamp, PhD
Project Title: "Assessing individual- and community-level proxies of SES to improve racial fairness of pediatric asthma prediction algorithms"

Svitlana Shyrobokova
Medical School: Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
Mentor: Hitesh Deshmukh, MD, and Shelby Steinmeyer, MD, PhD
Project Title: "Using SCENIC to identify gene regulatory network involved in fetal bone marrow inflammation"

Anoosha Sri
Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Mentor: Nehal Parikh, DO, MS
Project Title: "Associations between Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia and Neural Structural Connectivity Abnormalities in Very Preterm Infants"

Kara Zehr
Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Mentor: Jeffrey Whitsett, MD
Project Title: "Immunofluorescence Imaging of TBX4 Related Acinar/Alveolar Dysplasia"