15 Schulich medical students receive research grants (2024)

The Schulich-Univeristy of Windsor Opportunities for Research Excellence Program (SWORP) is marking its 10th anniversary with grants to 15 medical school students doing research on 10 research projects.

Each project is awarded $5,000 and many have local themes. The funding is provided jointly by the University of Windsor and Western University.

“As a medical student, SWORP has provided a valuable opportunity to explore research within my community,” said Mihir Modi, a second-year student at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry’s Windsor campus.

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“Under the guidance of my research supervisor, I acquired essential skills for conducting clinical research, while also establishing connections and honing my expertise through conferences and presentations.

“Clinical research is a long and lengthy process, but the program has provided me the support to make significant progress with my current project. My positive experience with this program has inspired me to continue to integrate research into my professional journey, and in turn, hopefully make meaningful contributions to the evolving landscape of medicine.”

SWORP was launched in 2014 with seven students receiving grants.

The program provides funding for first and second-year students to undertake projects in any area of biomedical, medical or health-related research.

To date, the program has awarded 70 grants totaling $350,000.

WE-SPARK Health Institute serves as the collaborative research hub for the SWORP program.

Kinesiology professor Paula van Wyk, a SWORP supervisor, said the program is important to students, researchers, and the wider society.

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“SWORP is an important avenue for providing opportunities to enrich the understanding of knowledge and the development of skills through research for medical students,” Dr. van Wyk said.

“When the appreciation for and the proficiency with the research process are fostered during the academic years, it enables the pathways for medical students to incorporate research activities into their future careers and ultimately, positively impact the lives of Canadians.”

This year’s SWORP recipients with their projects in brackets are:

Francesco Vito, Rufina Ning, and Allyson Ripley (Retrospective analysis of the impact of prognostic and mortality scores in post-induction mortality in acute Leukemia Patients treated at Windsor Regional Hospital)

Kim Nguyen and Temitope Esther Olayemi Akintola (Exploring Emergency Department Utilization Trends Amongst Housed and Underhoused Individuals in Windsor, Ontario)

Pedrom Farid and Marco Herrera Quaijano (A Review of Quality Care Metrics for Patients with Sickle Cell Disease Presenting to Hospital: A Multi-Centre 10-Year Experience)

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Arani Sivakumar (Clinical Perspectives of Prescribing and Deprescribing Benzodiazepine Receptor Agonists in Older Adults across Southwestern Ontario)

Chrystal Huynh and Emily Doucet (Retrospective Chart Review of Sickle Cell Crises Management in Pediatric Patients at WRH, ESHC, and CKHA)

Alexander Mung (Identification of Patient Characteristics Affecting Outcomes in Mono-Immunotherapy Versus Combination Chemotherapy-Immunotherapy Treatment in Stage IV NSCLC Patients: A Prospective Cohort Study)

Janelle Bykowski (Evaluating the Prevalence of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) Among Varsity Athletes at the University of Windsor)

Biren Dave (Identifying therapeutically targetable tumour-immune cell interactions in small cell lung cancer)

Jiil Chung (Investigating the effects pre-, during and post- the COVID-19 lockdown on cancer patient self-reported symptoms intensity in a Southwestern Ontario Cancer Centre)

Allison Souter (The Effect of Aberrant Clock Gene Expression of Human Colorectal Cancer Disease Morphology)

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