UMSOM’s Office of Student Research Hosts Annual Student Research Forum in Recognition of Student Research & Faculty Mentors

Forum Brings Together Participating Students from Various Internal and Pipeline Research Programs

The University of Maryland School of Medicine’s (UMSOM) annual Student Research Forum was held Wednesday, July 26 and Thursday, July 27, 2023 at the SMC Campus Center. Proudly sponsored by the Office of Student Research (OSR) in the Dean's Office, the two-day event provides an opportunity for undergraduate pipeline and medical students to present discoveries from their summer research projects to an audience of fellow peers, faculty mentors, staff, post-docs, research fellows, and other members of research teams. Several visitors from the American Cancer Society were also in attendance this year.

A combined total of more than 90 students from several internal (PRISM, Radiation Oncology, MPower, UM Scholars) and national pipeline ( NSIP, DICR, CURE, STAR-PREP) research programs participated this year, delivering a total of 34 oral and 60 poster presentations. The current multi-program format has been in existence since 2013; however, OSR-related research forums date back to more than 40 years ago.

Gregory B. Carey, PhD, Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology and Assistant Dean for Student Research and Education at UMSOM, served as the host of the event alongside Miriam K. Laufer, MD, MPH, Professor of Pediatrics, Associate Dean for Student Research and Education, and Director of the Office of Student Research at UMSOM.

This year’s forum had renewed importance due to the recent Supreme Court ruling which eliminated the use of affirmative action in [academic] admissions. However, the strong investment from UMSOM and its pipeline program partnerships offers undergraduate students early exposure to accelerated learning and research opportunities. Students gain the necessary technical skills to access and be successful in higher education, which support UMSOM’s outreach and inclusion strategies.

On the first day of the forum, Joseph L. Wright, MD, MPH, Vice President and Chief Health Equity Officer at the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), Professor of Pediatrics at UMSOM, and Professor of Health Policy & Management at the University of Maryland School of Public Health (UMSPH), delivered an inspiring keynote address on “Health Equity: At the Nexus of Science and Social Justice”. In addressing the health inequities embedded in current-day medical practices, Dr. Wright stressed the importance of abandoning race-based medicine.

“We must apply integrity to the science,” he said. “What I mean by that is peeling back and rigorously sorting the social drivers of health with integrity. It is a core component of the necessary transformative and race-conscious discovery to which we must be accountable.”

The event concluded with a brief acknowledgement of the extraordinary effort and dedication demonstrated by the students and their mentors. Throughout the summer, nearly 120 students, including those who presented at the forum, were mentored by more than 100 dedicated faculty research mentors.

“The OSR is delighted to provide leadership and intentional research-focused summer programming that translates to rich opportunities for research engagement, learning and networking for medical and undergraduate pipeline students across multiple programs,” said Dr. Carey. “These talented students are mentored by outstanding faculty who are excited about developing the next generations of passionate researchers. At the end of summer, the scholars reported on their growth and the excitement of both sharing their research findings and learning from their peers.”

The OSR inspires the scientific curiosity of students by providing research education and research programming for UMSOM medical students, as well as by promoting student research productivity, providing individualized research advising, and overseeing the MD/Masters dual-degree programs. For more information on OSR events, including our upcoming Medical Student Research Day, and to learn how you can engage in OSR activities, please complete the OSR Engagement Interest Form.

Student Research Forum Photo Gallery:

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