The 47th Annual Midwest Student Biomedical Research Forum (MSBRF) was held March 5. The student activity has been co-sponsored by UNMC and Creighton University Medical Center (CUMC) since 1987.
The MSBRF provides an opportunity for students from UNMC, CUMC and the Midwest region to prepare abstracts of their original research and present their work to faculty and peers in a collegial, low-stress learning environment. Students not only present their data and have it evaluated by outside experts who give positive feedback, but also network with peers having similar interests in research.
Presentation formats include oral and poster presentations, each competing for cash awards.
The forum was a tremendous success, drawing 128 students (90 graduate students/residents and 38 medical/professional students). In addition to UNMC and CUMC participants, other students came from Chicago Medical School and the Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science.
Another important component of the forum is the judging. Each abstract is reviewed by three judges, and then three additional judges review the oral or poster presentation on the day of the forum.
The forum provides eight awards for medical/professional students and eight awards for graduate students/residents (four for poster presentations and four for oral presentations). The winners were:
Poster presentation, medical student
- First: Haley Hansen, UNMC
- Second: Manuel Urra, CUMC
- Third: Gage Rensch, UNMC
- Fourth: Grant Saltzgaber, UNMC
Poster presentation, graduate student
- First: Barbara Wehde Swenson, UNMC
- Second: Garima Kaushik, UNMC
- Third: Travis McCumber, CUMC
- Fourth: Ekta Agarwal, UNMC
Oral presentation, medical student
- First: Rachelle Randall, Rosalind Franklin University
- Second: Elizabeth Litoff, William Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine
- Third: Benjamin Nelson, CUMC
- Fourth: Chunbo He, UNMC
Oral presentation, graduate student
- First: Michael Price, UNMC
- Second: Erin Wuebben, UNMC
- Third: Lucas Harrison, CUMC
- Fourth: Michael Ebeid, CUMC
In addition to the forum awards, UNMC departmental awards were given. Winners were:
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, oral presentation
- First: Seema Chugh
- Second: Shuwei Xie
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, poster presentation
- Garima Kaushik
Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology
- Michael Price
Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center
- Barbara Wehde
Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy
- Krishna Sarma
Graduate College
- Michael Price
Department of Pathology and Microbiology
- Navatha Shree Polavaram
Congratulations to all the award winners! The quality of the student presentations is always very high, and I learn quite a bit every year.