Students Shine at Summer Research Program Forum

December 2, 2025

First-year medical students at McGovern Medical School have the opportunity to complete 10 weeks of mentored research from late May through early August. Students are supported by stipends from their faculty mentors, with several also receiving matching funds from the Office of Educational Programs.

In addition to conducting their research, Summer Research Program (SRP) students attend weekly lectures and present their work at the annual SRP Research Forum, held this year on Nov. 4. Multiple students conducted projects with faculty from the Departments of Surgery and Pediatric Surgery, contributing to research across the full translational spectrum.

This year’s forum also featured a strong presence from the Center for Translational Injury Research (CeTIR), with several students completing trauma-focused projects through the Trauma Scholarly Concentration and under the guidance of CeTIR mentors. Their research addressed critical questions in trauma care, resuscitation, and surgical outcomes.

Congratulations to all of the students and their mentors for their hard work and outstanding presentations.

  • Nidia Aranjo* — Mentor: David Meyer, MD, MS, FACS (Surgery). From Scene to Scalpel: Forecasting the Need for Emergency Hemorrhage-Control Surgery; Prospective Validation of Two Prehospital Scoring Systems to Identify the Need for Immediate Surgical Intervention in Severe Trauma
  • Gabriela Barrios — Mentor: Michael Wandling, MD, MS, FACS (Surgery). Effect of Hemoglobin Level on Functional Status in Isolated Lower-Extremity Trauma
  • Amanda Bean — Mentor: Yanna Cao, MD, MS (Surgery)
  • Brandon Blair — Mentor: Jonah Stulberg, MD, PhD, MPH, FACS (Surgery). Evaluating Surgical Performance Through Intraoperative Video: A Pilot Study in Robotic Cholecystectomy
  • Alexandra Dunker — Mentor: Mary Austin, MD (Pediatric Surgery). Determining Optimal Surveillance Practices for Pediatric and Young Adult Germ Cell Tumors
  • Stephanie Faucher — Mentor: Akemi Kawaguchi, MD, MS (Pediatric Surgery). Bridging the Gap: Patient Perspectives on Transition of Care in Hirschsprung Disease
  • Owen Ferriola — Mentor: Farzaneh Banki, MD (Surgery). The Outcomes of Hybrid Repair of Diaphragmatic Hernia with Herniated Liver
  • Ananya Hari — Mentor: Jonah Stulberg, MD, PhD, MPH, FACS (Surgery). Rectus Abdominis Muscle Changes Following Retrorectus Ventral Hernia Repair
  • Srisha Jayakumar — Mentor: Dayla Ferguson, MD, MS (Surgery)
  • Mackenzie Joe — Mentor: Dayla Ferguson, MD, MS (Surgery). Local Adherence with Society Guidelines and Postoperative Outcomes in Perforated Appendicitis
  • Hanuk Kwon* — Mentor: Brijesh Gill, MD, FACS (Surgery & Pediatric Surgery). Acceleration of Coagulation Kinetics for Clot Burst Pressure Assessment; Investigation of Clot Strength Profiles to Explore Resuscitation Strategies
  • Khang Le — Mentor: Jeffrey Trost, MD (Surgery). Too Many Hands on Deck: Assessing the Appropriateness of Hand Surgery Transfers to the Texas Medical Center
  • Rene Leal* — Mentor: HuiMahn Choi, MD, MS (Neurosurgery). Quantifying Subdural Hematoma Expansion Risk in Antiplatelet Medication Users Across Demographics, Interventions, and Outcomes
  • Dustin McHalffey* — Mentor: Matthew Greives, MD, MS, FACS (Surgery). Motor Vehicle Collision Versus Other Blunt Trauma: Comparative Review of Pediatric Patients With Facial Fractures at a Level One Trauma Center
  • Poorna Menon — Mentor: KuoJen Tsao, MD (Pediatric Surgery). Complex Care: Impact of Congenital Malformations and Caregiver Health Literacy on Perceived Outcomes
  • Amelie Perrier — Mentor: Mary Austin, MD (Pediatric Surgery). Primary Breast Sarcoma in Pediatric, Adolescent, and Young Adult Patients: A Single-Institution Retrospective Review
  • Ben Roberts* — Mentor: Stephen Warner, MD, PhD (Orthopedic Surgery). Stabilization of Unstable Pelvic Ring Injuries: Trends and Outcomes
  • Emily Saweris* — Mentor: Charles S. Cox, Jr., MD (Pediatric Surgery). Associations Between TRPM4 Gene Variants and Intracranial Pressure Dynamics Following Traumatic Brain Injury; Influence of SUR-1 TRPM4 on Contusion Expansion in Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Jerome Scott — Mentor: Lillian Kao, MD, MS, FACS (Surgery). Understanding Patient-Reported Outcome Measures and Perceptions in Trauma
  • Avery Sinnathamby — Mentor: KuoJen Tsao, MD (Pediatric Surgery). Routine but Rarely Needed: Blood Type and Antibody Screen Testing in Pediatric Surgical Patients
  • David Sun* — Mentors: Bryan Cotton, MD, MPH, FACS, and Scott Olson, PhD (Surgery & Pediatric Surgery) / Charles S. Cox, Jr., MD (Pediatric Surgery). The Hemostatic Properties of Green Plasma; Elucidating the Connection Between Traumatic Brain Injuries and Dementia
  • Taylor Sweeney — Mentor: KuoJen Tsao, MD (Pediatric Surgery). Operating Room Waste Reduction in Watts and Water: Savings Beyond the Shift to Reusable Textiles
  • Tia Taylor — Mentor: David Hopkins, MD (Surgery). The Cost of Helping Hand: Lost Revenue on Overnight Hand Call
  • Marissa Thibodeaux — Mentor: Lillian Kao, MD, MS, FACS (Surgery). Understanding Patient Comprehension of Discharge Materials
  • Tony Tran — Mentor: Farzaneh Banki, MD (Surgery). The Outcomes of Laparoscopic Morgagni Hernia with Postoperative Pulmonary Emboli
  • Jasie Williams-Roberts — Mentor: Jonah Stulberg, MD, PhD, MPH, FACS (Surgery). Leveraging Sports Analytics and Intraoperative Video to Improve Surgical Quality and Outcomes
  • Weston Wilber* — Mentor: Stephen Warner, MD, PhD (Orthopedic Surgery). Incidence and Risk Factors for Heterotopic Ossification After Surgical Treatment of Acetabular Fractures
  • Cameron Wyatt — Mentor: Julie Holihan, MD, FACS (Surgery). The Incidence of Occult Inguinal Hernia During Laparoscopic Contralateral Repair: A Prospective Study

*Students marked with an asterisk participated in the Trauma Scholarly Concentration and/or completed trauma-focused research under CeTIR mentorship.

 

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