Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine hosted a joint poster session in early November for second-year medical students and students in the Master of Public Health program. The event brought together a total of 120 MD and MPH students who presented projects spanning public health, clinical medicine, basic science and health equity—showcasing a wide range of scholarly accomplishments.
The Area of Scholarly Concentration (AOSC) poster session highlighted longitudinal research from second-year medical students. A hallmark of Feinberg’s MD curriculum, the AOSC provides dedicated time for students to pursue independent, hypothesis-driven research under faculty mentorship, culminating in a research thesis or first-author manuscript submission.
“Research has become an increasingly more important component of medical training, both as an avenue for career development and to showcase ground-breaking insights,” said Kelly Bachta, MD, PhD, associate director of Feinberg student research, director of AOSC and assistant professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases. “This poster session is designed to mirror real-world experiences, allowing students to practice research dissemination skills in front of a local and friendly audience. This experience prepares students exceptionally well to present their work at the national level.”
Bachta noted the diversity of research topics represented among the posters, emphasizing that the variety reflects the collaborative nature of science and the strength of the mentor-mentee relationships fostered through AOSC.
For second-year medical student Catherine Kinkopf, an interest in public health and health equity shaped her project, which examines disparities in ABRYSVO RSV vaccine uptake among pregnant individuals beyond 32 weeks’ gestation.
“Through this project, I have been able to learn from incredible mentors who have empowered me to ask important questions, challenge interpretations, and write several abstracts and present at several poster sessions,” she said. “These experiences have given me invaluable networking and professional development opportunities that I hope to continue to pursue as I think about future directions of this study.”
Second-year medical student Mark John Siringan received a first place AOSC award for his project, Engineering Smart DNA Nanodevice for Lung Cancer Diagnostics in Liquid Biopsy, which aims to create a modular biosensor capable of rapidly distinguishing cancer genotypes for more personalized management.
“Our project is focused on using a nanomaterial called DNA origami to screen patients with just a blood draw,” said Siringan. “We shapeshifted DNA in the form of closed tweezers that will mix with proteins and nucleic acids in your blood. If lung cancer is present, the tweezers will open and release a certain wavelength of light that we’ll be able to measure. If not, the tweezers will remain closed and release a different wavelength of light.”
MD/MPH student Serena Musungu earned the top poster award in the MPH session for her project, Beyond Awareness: Developing Skill-Building Programs for Youth Mental Health Literacy with Erika’s Lighthouse.
“Talking with educators and psychiatrists during the poster session helped shape new research questions and highlight multidimensional approaches that emerge in truly multidisciplinary settings,” she said. “Public health research serves as a critical bridge between medical science and patient outcomes and is essential to both clinical excellence and population wellness.”
Poster Session Winners
1st place: Mark John Siringan
Engineering Smart DNA Nanodevice for Lung Cancer Diagnostics in Liquid Biopsy
Mentor: Christine Wang, PhD
2nd place: Clarissa Gomez
Disrupting Skin-specific Serine Palmitoyltransferase Subunits Reduces Filaggrin Expression and Epidermal Differentiation
Mentor: Amy Paller, MD
3rd place: Aidan Smires
Clinical Utility of 4D High-Resolution Impedance Manometry in Evaluating EGJ Outflow Obstruction
Mentor: Dustin Carlson, MD
MPH APeX Winner: Serena Musungu
Beyond Awareness: Developing Skill-Building Programs for Youth Mental Health Literacy with Erika’s Lighthouse
