Research

Research

Research Poster Contest 2023

The Ohio Osteopathic Association is committed to enhancing and supporting the role that research plays in the osteopathic profession. The OOA encourages participation in student research clubs and involvement with mentors in research projects. It is the hope of the OOA that involvement in and promotion of projects will result in a heightened level of interest in research, impacting medical science in general and osteopathic medicine in particular.

The Journal of Osteopathic Medicine accepts manuscripts for consideration with the understanding that they have not been published elsewhere in print or online and that they are not simultaneously under consideration by any other print or electronic publication. For submission requirements, see the website

Poster Competition

An essential aspect of any research project is dissemination of the findings arising from the study. The most common ways to make others aware of your work is by publishing the results in a journal article, or by completing a poster presentation, most often to be displayed at a regional or national meeting. 

The OOA cosponsors the Osteopathic Poster Competition & Exhibition, held annually at the Ohio Osteopathic Symposium. What started in 2003 as a small statewide contest has grown into a regional competition with entries from as many as 11 states and cash prizes of more than $3,000.

2024 Poster Winners

  • Caroline Kruithoff, OMS II (HCOM) Efinaconazole as a Potent Antifungal against Trichophyton rubrum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes
  • Kushanth Mallikarjun, MD, PGY I (Mount Carmel Health System) Ultrasound versus Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Evaluation of Axillary Lymphadenopathy in Breast Cancer
  • Daria Kuperberg, OMS II (HCOM) Exploration of Ukrainian Female Refugees’ Perceptions of Mental Health
  • Suzanne Chaar, OMS II (HCOM) Foundational Knowledge Regarding Childhood Obesity: A Review of Medical Providers
  • Jessica Chebra, OMS II (HCOM) Children's emotional and physiological responses to images associated with COVID-19
  • Kieran Gormley, OMS II (University of Pikeville Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine) Patient-Physician Communication Gaps about Chronic Disease in Rural Appalachia
  • Tillie Schumann, OMS III (Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine) SMARCA4-deficient carcinoma of the gastroesophageal junction
  • Kara Renner, DO, PGY 2 (Cleveland Clinic Family Medicine) Breaking Through Barriers: Osteopathic Treatment for Patients with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
  • Breanna Santoso, OMS II (HCOM) Insertional Achilles Tendinopathy with Gastrocnemius Recession

2023 Poster Winners

  • Jamie Sheehan, OMS II (HCOM, Dublin Campus) Retrospective analysis comparing reported outcomes in patients who underwent minimally invasive sacroiliac joint fusion with iFuse
  • Caroline Kruithoff, OMS I (HCOM, Cleveland Campus) Indole-3 acetic acid as a potential contributor to the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease
  • Keagan Lipak, OMS III (HCOM, Dublin Campus) Examining How Mentorship Experiences Influence Career Perspectives Among Osteopathic Medical Students during a Global Pandemic
  • Molly Frey, OMS II (HCOM, Dublin Campus) Risk Factors for the Mental Health of Adolescents from the Parental Perspective: Photo-Voice in Rural Communities of Ecuador
  • Nicole Dougan, OMS II (HCOM, Athens Campus) Exploring the Factors Important in Determining Breastfeeding Longevity in a Cohort of Black and White Adolescent Mother
  • Pearson Huggins, DO, PGY 2 (Mount Carmel Health System) Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis and simultaneous Legionnaires Disease in a 64 year old female
  • Megan Grant, DO, PGY 2 (Grandview Medical Center, Kettering Health Network) Excessive Dynamic Airway Collapse Mimicking Severe, Persistent Asthma
  • Katherine Westbrook, DO (Cleveland Clinic) Jejunal Adenocarcinoma Masquerading as Gastroparesis

2022 Poster Winners

Five osteopathic medical students presented their scholarly work during the Ohio Osteopathic Symposium, April 28-May 1 in Columbus. First and second place winners each received $250, honorable mentions received a $100 prize.

The top 20 abstract submissions were invited to submit a video presentation, which was peer reviewed. Each of these trainees was invited to display a poster at OOS and attend the lectures that day.

  • Jonathan Major, OMS-III, (OUHCOM, Athens) Targets for Intervention: A Glance at the Risk Factors Contributing to Rising Hypertensive Disease Burden in Lima, Peru
  • Nathan Gregg, OMS-II, (OUHCOM, Athens) Understanding the Viability of the Novel Material OnyxTM for use in Total Knee Arthroplasty Instrumentation Sets 
  • Marija Rowane, OMS-IV (OUHCOM, Athens) Predictors of intravenous immunoglobulin influence on fractional exhaled nitric oxide levels in common variable immunodeficiency
  • Joseph Miller, OMS-II (OUHCOM Dublin) Pediatric Lateral Humeral Condyle Fractures: Reliability of a Modified Jakob Classification System and Its Impact on Treatment Planning With or Without Arthrography
  • Nathaniel Starcher, OMS-II (OU-HCOM Dublin) Correlation of Lisfranc Injuries with Regional Bone Density

2021 Poster Winners

A Virtual Research Competition was held in conjunction with the 2021 Ohio Osteopathic Symposium. A total of 46 biomedical or clinical research abstracts were accepted and peer reviewed. The authors of the 20 top scoring abstracts were invited to submit a three-minute thesis video of their research for peer-review. The three top-scoring videos were selected to be presented at the Ohio Osteopathic Symposium virtual conference. Participating osteopathic and allopathic medical students, residents and fellows represented four medical schools and five states.

  • Eden Taddese, OMS II (OUHCOM, Dublin) - Association between receipt of nutritional counseling during antenatal care visits and anemia among Ethiopian Women
  • Katelyn Lotz, OMS II (OUHCOM, Dublin) - Challenges and Opportunities in Virtual Care for Veterans
  • Corrin Pelini, OMS III (OUHCOM, Athens) - A Retrospective Analysis of Health Determinants Associated with Opioid Prescribing Rates

2020

The Ohio Osteopathic Symposium and the Poster Competition were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2019 Poster Winners

The 2019 event, held April 27 at the Columbus Hilton at Easton, drew entries from three medical schools and four states. The competition, open to osteopathic and allopathic students, interns, residents, and fellows, awarded $5,750 in prizes.

Totaled, there were 147 abstracts: 81 biomedical/clinical; 62 case reports; and three exhibition. Read the abstracts.

New this year, the Columbus Osteopathic Association offered a $500 cash prize for osteopathically-focused research that studies the efficacy and outcomes of osteopathic manipulative medicine and/or impact of osteopathic principles in practice.

  • Brent Whitehead, OMS II (OU-HCOM, Dublin) - Effect of Legislation on Opioid Use in Foot and Ankle Surgery
  • William Swindell, OMS IV, MS, PhD (OU-HCOM, Athens) - ALS Blood Expression Profiling Identities New Biomarkers, Patient Subgroups, and Evidence for Neutrophilia and Hypoxia
  • Samantha Nandyal, OMS II (OU-HCOM, Athens) - Examining Osteopathic Medical Students’ Perception of Support
  • Jessica Ball, DO, MPH (PGY2, OhioHealth Doctors Hospital, Columbus) - Tongue Abscess Mistaken for Angioedema: Report of a Rate Entity and Review of the Literature
  • Timothy Wolff, DO (Fellow, OhioHealth Grant Medical Center and OhioHealth Doctors Hospital, Columbus) - Idiopathic Internal Jugular Venous Pseudoaneurysm in a Patient with a Traumatic Lumbar Fracture
  • Trent Milligan, DO (PGY4, University of Toledo Medical Center) - A rare location of radial nerve compression
  • Devon Myers, DO (PGY1, OhioHealth Doctors Hospital, Columbus) - Anterior Capsular Reconstruction using a Dermal Allograft for an Irreparable Subscapularis Tear after Shoulder Arthoplasty
  • Jordan Luli, DO (PGY1, OhioHealth Doctors Hospital, Columbus) - Atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome from Head to Toe – A Difficult Diagnosis
  • Ohio ACOFP Poster Award: Nina Passen Oberschmitdt, DO (PGY1, OhioHealth Dublin Methodist) - Development and Implementation of a Three-Year Longitudinal Osteopathic Curriculum for Residents in an ACGME Accredited Residency Program
  • Columbus Osteopathic Association Award: Marija Rowane, OMS I (OU-HCOM, Athens) The Role of Osteopathic Medicine in Postconcussion Syndrome

2018 Poster Winners

The 2018 competition, open to DO and MD fellows, residents, interns and medical students, brought posters from five states and six colleges of osteopathic medicine. A total of 147 abstracts were submitted--the largest to date (74 biomedical/clinical, 65 case reports and 8 exhibition).

  • Jordan Teitelbaum, DO (PGY 4), OhioHealth/Doctors Hospital, Columbus, Ohio - Gender as a Factor in Donor Site Morbidity after Free Tissue Reconstruction
  • Elizabeth Jensen, OMS III, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine - Absence of Growth Hormone Action Alters Microbial Abundance and Diversity in Growth Hormone Deficient Mice
  • Maureen Cheung, DO (PGY 4), Western Reserve Hospital, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio - Genetically Identical Homologous Skin Grafting in a Pediatric Burn Patient
  • Christopher Kieliszak, DO (PGY 5), OhioHealth/Doctors Hospital, Columbus, Ohio - Novel Case Examples of the Submental Island Flap in Pediatric Head and Neck Reconstruction
  • Ohio ACOFP Poster Award: Lindsay Salchli, DO (PGY 2), Cleveland Clinic/Fairview Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio - A Musculoskeletal Mimic of Renal Colic

2017 Poster Winners

The 2017 competition, open to DO and MD fellows, residents, interns and medical students, brought posters from six states and six colleges of osteopathic medicine. A total of 134 abstracts were submitted--the largest to date (71 biomedical/clinical, 58 case reports and 5 exhibition).

  • Grace Brantingham, OMS V, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Athens, Ohio - Osteopathic Recognition: Perceptions of DO and MD Students
  • Michael Messina, OMS II, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dublin, Ohio - Reversal of Antiplatelet Therapy in Traumatic Intracranial Hemorrhage: Does Timing Matter?
  • Jacob Triplet, DO (PGY 1), OhioHealth/Doctors Hospital, Columbus, Ohio - Cerebral Desaturation Events in the Beach Chair Position: Correlation of Noninvasive Blood Pressure and Estimated Temporal Mean Arterial Pressure
  • Bryan VanDyke, DO (PGY 5), OhioHealth/Doctors Hospital, Columbus, Ohio - Effect of Blocking Screws on Union of Infraisthmal Femur Fractures Stabilized with a Retrograde Intramedullary Nail
  • Amber McDermott, OMS II, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Athens, Ohio - Effects of Streptozotocin (STZ) Treatment on STAT5 Knockout and Wild Type Mice
  • Robert Malinak, OMS III, University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine, Pikeville, Kentucky - Untimely Diagnosis of Pylephlebitis Due to Severe Diverticulitis Masquerading as Cancer
  • David Johnson, DO (PGY 1), Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio - Compartment Syndrome Following a Minimally Angulated Radial Neck Fracture in a Pediatric Patient
  • Ohio ACOFP Poster Award: Austin Tutt, DO (PGY 2), Cleveland Clinic/Fairview Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio - A Life-Threatening Complication of Excoriation Disorder

2016 Poster Winners

The 2016 competition, open to DO and MD fellows, residents, interns and medical students, brought posters from six states and seven colleges of osteopathic medicine. A total of 120 abstracts were submitted (53 biomedical/clinical, 54 case reports and 13 exhibition). For the second year, all DO Family Medicine residents in an Ohio FM residency, ACGME or AOA, were eligible to compete for the Ohio ACOFP Award, which carried a $750 prize.

  • Nicole George, OMS IV, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Athens, Ohio - A Prospective, Randomized Trial Comparing EXPAREL® (Bupivacaine Liposome Injectable Suspension) Versus Fascia Iliaca Compartment Block for Postoperative Pain Control in Total Hip Arthroplasty
  • Kruti Patel, DO (PGY 1), OhioHealth/Doctors Hospital, Columbus, Ohio - Implementing Cadaver-Based Lab into Pre-Clinical Curriculum to Improve Procedural Techniques - A Pilot Study
  • Hoda Ilias, DO (PGY 1), Fairfield Medical Center, Lancaster, Ohio - Dual External Direct Cardioversions Using Two Synchronized 360J Shocks for Morbidly Obese Patients in Atrial Fibrillation
  • Obianuju Eziolisa, OMS I, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Athens, Ohio - Channelopathy Contributes to Proprioceptive Deficits Following Chemotherapy
  • Olutayo Sogunro, DO (PGY 4), Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center, Toledo, Ohio - Sepsis Precipitating Propofol Infusion Syndrome in a 19-Year Old Male: A Case Report
  • Anastasia Bessas, DO (PGY 2), Fairfield Medical Center, Lancaster, Ohio - A Rare Cause of Acute, Idiopathic, Fulminant Respiratory Failure
  • Maureen Cheung, DO (PGY 2), Western Reserve Hospital, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio - The Knife Averted: A Case of Intestinal Angioedema
  • Ben Ahrens, DO (PGY 2), OhioHealth/Riverside Methodist Hospital Family Medicine, Columbus, Ohio - Kicker with a Shoulder Problem [Ohio ACOFP Award]

2016 Poster Winners

2015 Poster Exhibition Winners

Nine states and 10 colleges of osteopathic medicine were represented at the 2015 competition. A total of 74 abstracts were submitted (28 biomedical/clinical, 34 case reports, 12 exhibition). New this year, all DO Family Medicine residents in an Ohio FM residency, whether ACGME or AOA, were eligible to compete for the Ohio ACOFP Poster Award, which carries a $750 prize.

  • Dharmpal Vansadia, DO (OGME 5), Grandview Medical Center, Dayton, first place,Risk Stratification and Complication Rate of 2-Team Simultaneous Bilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Retrospective Analysis
  • Andrew Vogel, OMS IV, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, first place,Single Nucleotide Variants Associated with Chronic Clinical Isolates of Haemophilus influenzae
  • Olutayo Sogunro, DO (OGME 3), Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center, Toledo, second place, Improving the Educational Quality of the Medical Student Rotation in General Surgery: A Quality Improvement Work in Progress
  • Olutayo Sogunro, DO (OGME 3), Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center, Toledo, second place, Detecting Accurate Tumor Size across Imaging Modalities in Breast Cancer
  • Christopher Kieliszak, DO (OGME 2), OhioHealth Doctors Hospital, Columbus, first place, Submandibular Ductal Fistula: An Obstacle to Sialendoscopy
  • Maureen Cheung, DO (OGME 1), Western Reserve Hospital, Cuyahoga Falls, second place, When Holding Your Breath Won’t Cut It: A Surgical Approach to Intractable Hiccups
  • Benjamin Bring, DO (OGME 3), OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital, Columbus, Ohio ACOFP Award, Functional Movement Screening and Injury Rates in Division III Cross Country Runners: A Prospective Observational Study

2014 Poster Exhibition Winners

A total of 104 abstracts were submitted (63 biomedical/clinical, 28 case reports and 13 exhibition) with 11 states represented.

  • Ravi Raithatha, OMS II, University of Pikeville Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine, first place, Colorectal Cancer Cell Liver Metastasis is Promoted by c-Met Activation and Upregulation of CD44 Expression
  • Krista Lemley, DO, Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center, Toledo, OH, second place biomedical/clinical, Screening for Intimate Partner Violence in an Urban Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program Clinic – Identifying Challenges
  • Chris Haydanek, OMS I, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, second place biomedical/clinical, The Synergistic Effect of Essential Plant Oils and β-Lactam Antibiotics against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
  • Carrie Watson, DO, Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center, Toledo, first place, Abdominal Wall Metastatic Adenocarcinoma from Primary Colon Cancer
  • Freddie Persinger, DO, OhioHealth Doctors Hospital and Nationwide Childrens Hospital, Columbus, second place, Posterior Pilon Ankle Fracture in the Pediatric Patient

2013 Poster Exhibition Winners

The exhibition and competition grew 13 percent from the previous year, and featured entries from five states, including Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Washington, and West Virginia. In all, 92 abstracts were submitted. Of the poster abstracts accepted for the competition, 38 posters presented case reports and 43 posters presented the findings of biomedical/clinical research. Eleven additional posters were exhibited by faculty, osteopathic physicians and other medical education, but were not entered into competition.

  • Molly McGraw, DO, second-year resident from Grandview Medical Center, Dayton, first place, Biomechanical Evaluation of the Docking Plus Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction Technique compared to the Docking Technique
  • Erich Heine, OMS II, OU-HCOM, first place, Increased Macrophage Infiltration and NFκB Activity in Diabetic SKO Mouse Kidneys
  • John Idoine, DO, fifth-year resident from OhioHealth/Doctors Hospital, Columbus, Proximal Biceps Tenodesis:  A Cadaveric Study of Open and Arthroscopic Surgical Techniques
  • Chance Spalding, DO, third-year resident from OhioHealth/Doctors Hospital/Grant Medical Center, in Columbus, Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Decision Making in the Trauma Bay
  • Christopher Kieliszak, DO, a traditional rotating intern, Adena Regional Medical Center, Chillicothe, first place, In-Office Balloon Dilation of Frontal Recess via Trephination
  • Ross Brubaker, OMS III, West Virginia School of Medicine, second place, Treating OSSN with Topical Methotrexate: A Novel Approach.

2012 OOA-CORE Poster Exhibition Winners

  • Kevin Swiatek, OMS II, OU-HCOM, Exploring the Molecular Mechanism of How C-10 Reverses Insulin Resistance in a Mouse Model of Obesity-Induced Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus; Andrew Vogel, OMS I, OU-HCOM, SapF-Medicated Heme Iron Utilization Enhances Persistence and Coordinates Biofilm Architecture of Haemophilus:
  • Chase Scarbrough, OMS IV, OU-HCOM, Transdermal Metformin: A Case Series Review of a Novel Application of Metformin: and
  • Dharmpal Vansadia, D, second year orthopedic resident at Grandview Medical Center, Dayton, Release of Post-Traumatic Wrist and Metacarpal-Phalangeal Joint Contractures.

2011 OOA-CORE Poster Exhibition Winners

  • Chase Scarbrough, OMS III, and Joseph Kuhn, OMS II, Transdermal Metformin for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes: A Case Series
  • Azeem Vasi, DO, third-year resident, Grandview Hospital, Single-State Reconstruction of a Large Full-Thickness Scalp Defect with Anterior and Posterior Bipedicled Scalp Rotational Flaps: A Case Report and Review of Literature
  • Firoza Faruqui, DO, resident, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Sleep Disorders in Children: A National Assessment of Pediatricians’ Practices and Perceptions
  • Emilie Prot, OMS I, Medicinal Plant Use and Traditional Medicinal Practices in Rural Mexico: A Case Study in Tamaula, Guanajuato, Mexico
  • John Idoine III, DO, third-year resident, Doctors Hospital Columbus, Plating of Acute Humeral Diaphyseal Fractures via an Anterior Approach in Multiple Trauma Patients

2010 OOA-CORE Poster Exhibition Winners

  • Craig Chappell, DO, O’Bleness Memorial Hospital, Assessment of Dynamic Palpatory Skills in Osteopathic Medical Students and Physicians
  • Tara Edwards, OMS II, OUCOM, The Effect of Phenylmethimazole on Insulitis and Islet Content of the Pancreas of Coxsackie Virus B4-Infected Non-obese Diabetic Mice
  •  Jamie Moenster, DO, South Pointe Hospital, Infarcted Small Intestine in a 30-year old Female: A Rare Case of a Right Mesocolic Hernia
  • Meghan Lynch, OMS III, OUCOM, Respiratory Distress Syndrome in a Term Newborn

2009 OOA-CORE Poster Exhibition Winners

  • Rachel Holt, Stiff Person Syndrome Followed by Latent Autoimmune Dibetes of Adulthood
  • Jamie Moenster, DO, Fourth Pouch Disease: A Case Study of Hyperparathyroidism
  • Kevin Baxter, OMS II, Panretinal Acute Mulifocal Placoid Pigment Epitheliopathy
  • John Iodine, DO, Plating of Acute Humeral Diaphyseal Fractures via an Anterior Lateral Approach in Multiple Trauma Patients
  • Tamara Blair, DO, Age and Hormone Receptor Status of Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS)
  • Allison Petznick, DO, and Sara Snyder, DO, Glucose Management in a Community Hospital

2008 OOA-CORE Poster Exhibition Winners

  • Safi Faruqui - Two Cases of Unusual Coronal Lunate Fractures
  • Jaime Rehmann - A Cause of Recurrent Pulmonary Infections in a 12-Year-Old
  • Tim Heckman - Do African American and Whites Respond Equally Well to Headache Treatments? Findings from a Longitudinal, Naturalistic Study
  • Daniel Miller - Nuchal Cord and Neonatal Outcome.

2007 OOA-CORE Poster Exhibition Winners

  • Rachel Holt - Diabetes Care in Extended Care Facilities: Appropriate Intensity of Care?
  • Bryan Hooks, DO - Cyclic Right Shoulder Pain in a Reproductive Age Female Caused by Infiltrative Endometriosis: A Case Report
  • Joseph M. Novi, DO - Sexual Function in Women Following Rectocele Repair with Acellular Porcine Dermis Graft versus Site-specific Rectovaginal Fascia Repair
  • Nathanael S. Brady, DO - A Case of Congenital Torticollis and Plagiocephaly Treated with Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine