Pathology residents participate in research forum
Pathology residents participated in the second annual Allan Tucker Pathology Resident Research Forum, which commemorates the late J. Allan Tucker Jr., M.D., who served as professor and chair of the pathology department from 2003 to 2015.
The USA Department of Pathology recently hosted the second annual Allan Tucker Pathology Resident Research Forum. All 13 pathology residents participated in the forum, which commemorates the late J. Allan Tucker Jr., M.D., who served as professor and chair of the pathology department from 2003 to 2015.
Farhana Akther, pathology residency program coordinator, said residents chose faculty mentors and projects they were interested in at the beginning of the academic year. They maintained their research projects throughout the year and presented their findings during the forum.
Vindhya Bellamkonda M.D., a second-year resident, won first place in the forum for investigating the effect of the loss of MYB expression on mitochondria structure and functions in pancreatic cancer cells. Ajay Singh, Ph.D., professor of pathology, director of research, and head of the tumor microenvironment laboratory; and Santanu Dasgupta, Ph.D., assistant professor of pathology and head of the mitochondria research laboratory, served as faculty mentors.
“Previous research in Dr. Singh’s lab identified MYB as a novel tumor-associated protein in pancreatic cancer that promoted the growth and metastasis of pancreatic cancer cells,” Bellamkonda said. “I wanted to study its role in mitochondrial function since cancer cells have different metabolic and energy needs as compared to normal cells to sustain their faster growth. My research provided initial evidence for an essential role of MYB in the maintenance of mitochondrial health in pancreatic cancer cells.”
Winning first prize in the forum “motivates me to further explore research avenues and provides me a deeper understanding of the work that I do as a resident physician,” she added.
Bellamkonda expressed her gratitude to Guillermo Herrera, M.D., professor and chair of pathology, for providing the residents support and motivation for research.
First prize was a book allowance of up to $400, second prize was a book allowance of up to $300, and third prize was a book allowance of up to $200.
Judges were Carlos A. Galliani, M.D., professor of pathology; Elizabeth Ann Manci, M.D., professor of pathology; and Gary Carnahan, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of pathology.
The winners were:
The winners were:
First place
Vindhya Bellamkonda M.D., PGY II resident
“MYB overexpression is necessary for mitochondrial health in pancreatic cancer cells”
Second place
Zan Ahmed, M.D., PGY II resident
“A retrospective review of resource allocation and loss of blood components”
Third place
Saadia Haleema, M.D., PGY IV resident
“Role of electron microscopy and C4d immunostain in the diagnosis of inflammatory myositis”
Jordan Lowery, M.D., PGY III resident
“Elucidation of the mechanism of light chain-induced phenotype transformation of mesangial cells: the role of the light chain physicochemical properties”
