SMHS celebrates annual Frank Low Research Day, announces 2025 awards

In late April, the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences (SMHS) hosted its 45^th annual Frank Low Research Day (FLRD). Named in honor of the former SMHS anatomy professor who came to UND in the 1960s and pioneered a series of new techniques for the electron microscope, Frank Low Research Day is the culminating event of the academic year for many area researchers working in the biomedical and health sciences.

Featuring a keynote presentation Adana A. M. Llanos, Ph.D., M.P.H., associate professor of epidemiology at Columbia University, this year’s FLRD featured oral and/or poster presentations in-person and online by nearly 200 faculty members, postdoctoral fellows, medical residents, and students on a wide range of biomedical, health sciences, translational, and clinical topics.

Event organizers also presented awards to a number of participants whose posters or presentations caught the attention of a panel of judges organized by Dr. Masfique Mehedi, assistant professor in the SMHS Department of Biomedical Sciences.

Poster winners included the following:

Clinical Science Research

Best Poster Awards

• Mikayla Montgomery: Mikayla Montgomery, M.D., Audrey Marjamaa, MS3, Levi Coon, MS3, Kevin Feltz, M.D., Tyler Sang, Ph.D., Michael White, M.D., and Anthony Brown, M.D., for “Orthopedic Trauma Surgery Variables and Outcomes as it Relates to Distance from Level 1 Trauma Center”
• Josie Benzie: Josie Benzie, PA-S, and Julie Solberg, MPAS, PA-C, for “Angiotensin Receptor/Neprilysin Inhibitors as First-Line Medication to Increase Lifespan in Patients with Preserved Ejection Fraction Heart Failure”
• Benjamin S. Hinkle: Benjamin S. Hinkle, PA-S, and Russell Kauffman, MPAS, PA-C, for “Impact of Altering Gut Microbiota with Multinutrient Supplementation on Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder”
• Hannah M. Rathgeber: Hannah M. Rathgeber, MSII, Jessica N. Keller, B.S., Kelly Reishus, MSIII, Asenath X. A. Huether, Ph.D, and Jau-Shin Lou M.D., Ph.D., for “Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) Improves Cognitive Function in Parkinson’s Disease”
• Dillon Boen: Dillon Boen, PA-S, and Jay Metzger, Ph.D., PA-C, for “Efficacy of Low-dose Naltrexone Compared to Gabapentinoids in Fibromyalgia”
• Kajsa Anderson, Emilee Ohman: Kajsa Anderson, B.S., Emilee Ohman, B.S., Abe E. Sahmoun, Ph.D., and James R. Beal, Ph.D., for “Association Between Sex and Time to Admission for Acute Gallbladder Disease”
• James M. Wagner: James M. Wagner, Sandi Zukanovic, Anthony J. Duncan, M.D., and Mentor Ahmeti, M.D., for “Intubation Method in Thoracic Surgery: The Balance of Speed versus Safety”
• Joyce Jimenez Zambrano: Joyce Jimenez Zambrano, M.D., Jakob Plagenz, M.D., Cody Boyle, Ph.D., and Scott Belliston, D.O., for “A Case of Primary Central Nervous System B-cell Lymphoma Resembling Autoimmune Encephalitis”

Population Health /Public Health Research

Best Poster Awards

• Sarala Pandey: Sarala Pandey, and S. Cristina Oancea, Ph.D., for “Who will screen for cancer? The effect-modifying role of smoking and marital status on the association between chronic health conditions and cancer screening: insights from a 2016-2022 U.S. National Study”
• Phillip Hoffarth: Phillip Hoffarth, Chloe Bakkum, Nicholas Mathias, James R. Beal, Ph.D., and Abe E. Sahmoun, Ph.D., for “Association between Sex and HPV Vaccination Status among Children in the United States”
• Claire Diede, Bailey Engesether: Claire Diede, B.S., Bailey Engesether, B.S., Abe E. Sahmoun, Ph.D., and James R. Beal, Ph.D., for “Discrepancy in Primary Care Physician Skin Exam Rates for Rural-Urban Patients: Misconception or Reality”
• Klayton Johnson: Klayton Johnson and Kristen Carr for “Safety and Efficacy of Combined Glucosamine and Chondroitin Supplementation in Osteoarthritis”
• Megan Lorenz: Megan Lorenz, B.A., Paxten Wahlund, B.S., Henry Elsenpeter, B.A., Abe E. Sahmoun, Ph.D., and James R. Beal, Ph.D., for “Association Between Rural-Urban Clinics and the Management of Adult Rheumatoid Arthritis in the United States”
• Rachel Guyer: Rachel Guyer, Regan Lawrence, Natalie Zinn, James R. Beal, Ph.D., and Abe E. Sahmoun, Ph.D., for “Association Between Having a Personal Doctor and Adherence to Colorectal Cancer Screening Recommendations”
• Odele Rajpathy: Odele Rajpathy and S. Cristina Oancea, Ph.D., for “Are Individuals Diagnosed with Asthma More Likely to Undergo Cancer Screening? Results from a US National Level 2016-2022 Study”

Occupational Therapy / Physical Therapy / Health Research

Best Poster Awards

• Ainsley Ahrndt: Ainsley Ahrndt, OTDS, and Anne Haskins, Ph.D., OTR/L, for “Psychosocial Perspectives to Client Care in Orthopedic Settings – The Role of Occupational Therapy”
• Allie Reiffenberger: Allie Reiffenberger, OTDS, and Nicole C. Harris, Ed.D., OTR/L, for “Occupational Participation Through Harm Reduction”
• Angelina Caron: Angelina Caron, OTDS, Christina Haugen, OTR/L, and Anne Haskins, Ph.D., OTR/L, for “A Guide to Occupational Therapy Intervention Planning for Individuals with Migraines in Rural Communities”
• Collin Brown: Collin Brown, OTDS, Sclinda Janssen, Ph.D., OTR/L, CLA, FAOTA, and Janine Walker, OTR/L, for “Unlock Upper Extremity Rehabilitation: Interprofessional Collaboration between OT Hand Therapy and Surgical Teams”
• Kyara Crowley: Kyara Crowley, OTDS, Breann Lamborn, Ed.D., M.P.A., and Danielle Prince Schilling, O.T.D., OTR/L, CNT, for “The Impacts of SSRIs In-Utero and NICU Occupational Therapy Interventions”
• Mary Redlin: Mary Redlin, OTDS, and Kelly Dornbier, O.T.D., OTR/L, for “Creating a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Evidence-Based Evaluation Protocol”
• Jocelyn Kirk: Jocelyn Kirk, OTDS, for “Acquired Brain Injury and the Impact on Functional Cognition”
• Madalyn England: Madalyn England, OTDS, and Julie Grabanski, Ph.D., OTR/L, for “Occupational Therapy’s Role with Caregivers of Stroke Survivors”
• Payton Schilke: Payton Schilke, OTDS, and Kelly Dornbier, O.T.D., OTR/L, for “Parent Education in Early Intervention”
• Angela Mossman: Angela Mossman, OTDS, Kelly Dornbier, O.T.D., OTR/L, and Paige Fisher, for “Nature-based Practices in Early Childhood through an Occupational Therapy Lens”

Rural Health Research / Indigenous Health Research

Best Poster Awards

• Elena Linster: Elena Linster, Megan Levos, Kim Rasmussen, Samuel Milanovich, M.D., for “Comparison of Short- vs Long-acting Prophylactic Treatment Regimens In a Rural Hemophilia Treatment Center”
• Alyssa Thielges: Alyssa Thielges, Blair Stewig, Abe E. Sahmoun, Ph.D., and James R. Beal, Ph.D., for “Association between Rural-Urban Residence and Comprehensive Sex Education among Young Women in the United States”
• Elizabeth Driscoll: Elizabeth Driscoll, Nicole Virgin, Abe E. Sahmoun, Ph.D., and James R Beal, Ph.D., for “Association between Rural-Urban Emergency Departments and Utilization among Nursing Home Residents”
• Riley Huffman: Riley Huffman, Kelly Reishus, James R. Beal, Ph.D., and Abe E. Sahmoun, Ph.D., for “Comparison of Rural-Urban Residence and Access to Health Care in Cancer Survivors with Chronic Pain”

Basic Science

Best Poster Awards

• Aerica Nagornyuk: Aerica Nagornyuk, Jill Goodman, Mika Saotome, Ph.D., and Motoki Takaku, Ph.D., for “GATA3 Missense Mutations Near Zinc Finger 1 Domain Alter Cellular Reprogramming and Enhance Cell Invasiveness in Breast Cancer Cells”
• Chidiebele S. Oraegbuna: Chidiebele S. Oraegbuna and Saobo Lei, Ph.D., for “Activation of the Dopamine D1 Receptors Excites the Dentate Gyrus Granule Cells via a Protein Kinase A-dependent Mechanism”
• Justice Paintsil: Justice Paintsil, Atreyi Ghatak, Ph.D., Pukana Jayaraman, Ph.D., and Susan Eliazer, Ph.D., for “Impact of Histone Acetylation in Aged Skeletal Muscle Stem Cells”
• Jason Fuhrer: Jason Fuhrer, Chen Cheng, Ph.D., Takako Takaku, Ph.D., and Colin Combs, Ph.D., for “Immunohistochemical Analysis of Lung Immune Cell Markers in the App^NL-G-F Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease”
• Jenna Grindeland: Jenna Grindeland, Ashraf Al-Goraee, Ali Alshami, Ph.D., and Archana Dhasarathy, Ph.D., for “Characterization of a Novel Hydrogel Matrix for 3D Cell Culture”
• Behnaz Karimi: Behnaz Karimi, Aussie Suzuki, Junguk Hur, Ph.D., and Motoki Takaku, Ph.D., for “Dynamics of Gene Transcription and Chromatin Accessibility Across the Cell Cycle”
• Sathiya Priya Chandrasekaran: Sathiya Priya Chandrasekaran, Angela M. Floden, Ph.D., and Colin K Combs, Ph.D., for “Characterization of neuronal markers and neurotransmitter changes in the colons of middle-aged AppNL-G-F mice”

Contact Dr. Motoki Takaku (motoki.takaku@UND.edu) or Dr. Masfique Mehedi (masfique.mehedi@UND.edu) with questions or concerns.