The program strongly encourages each resident to participate in research projects under the supervision of a faculty mentor. Each spring the department sponsors a poster abstract presentation of current projects. A panel of senior faculty members judges the abstracts for scientific merit and clarity - the winners are awarded a trip to a scientific meeting of their choice. In the spring of 2006 there were more than 30 abstracts presented, many will also be presented at national meetings and published in leading journals. The majority of residents who participate in research activities have the opportunity to travel to regional and national meetings to present their work. The titles of the 2006 research symposium are appended.

Posters Presented

Is proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy a risk factor for C. difficile infection?
            Rohinee Beri MD, PGY2
            Colin Howden MD, mentor

Winner, Clinical Research:  Tuberculosis in HIV-positive patients in Lagos, Nigeria:  presentation, diagnosis, and treatment.
            Omobolaji Campbell MD, PGY2
            Sarah Sutton MD, mentor

JNK is required for airborne particulate matter induced airway epithelial cell apoptosis.
            Luke Carlstrom, MD, PGY3
            Scott Budinger MD and David Kamp MD, mentors

Egr-1 is a novel mediator of TGF-beta responses and plays a key role in fibrosis in scleroderma.
            Flavia Castelino, MD, PGY2
            John Varga MD, mentor

Effects of chloroquine and dapsone on mast cells.
            Sofia Chaudhry MD, PGY2
            Marianna Kulka PhD, mentor

Investigating the genetics of the effects of IL-13 on airway epithelial cells.
            Michael Chou MD, PGY2
            Douglas Kuperman PhD, mentor

Stenotrophomonas respiratory infections in the ICU.
            Michael Darin MD, PGY2
            Richard Wunderink MD, mentor

Antifibrotic activity of the histone deacetylase inhibitor Trichostatin A.
            Elizabeth Dowling MD, PGY2
            Ashish Ghosh PhD and John Varga MD, mentors

Elimination of the increased risks of mortality and morbidity in patients with Type 2 diabetes with a combined intravenous (IV) and subcutaneous (SQ) insulin glucose management strategy.
            Joseph Henske MD, PGY2
            Anthony DeSantis MD, Mark Molitch MD, Lowell Schmeltz MD, mentors

Pseudomonas aeruginosa Type III secretion and antibiotic susceptibility change inversely with resident time in lung.
            Michelle Hinsch MD, PGY2
            Alan Hauser MD and Manu Jain MD, mentors

Infection due to community-acquired MRSA in a hospitalized population.
            Michael Hoffman MD, PGY2
            Maureen Bolon MD, mentor

Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in selected patients with underlying coronary artery disease is safe and has excellent 1-year graft and patient survival:  results of a case-control study.
            Kabir Julka MD, PGY2
            Steven Flamm MD, mentor

Errors on discharge from an acute medical hospitalization.
            Reena Kadkade MD, PGY2
            Lee Lindquist MD, mentor

High-dose methadone-associated Torsades de Pointes presenting as recurrent syncope.
            Benjamin Kim MD, PGY3, and John P. Norvell MD, PGY2
            Alfred Baker MD and Pablo Denes MD, mentors

A novel geriatrics curriculum for first year medical students.
            Jane Kim MD, PGY3
            Lee Lindquist MD, mentor

Role of the metabolic syndrome in risk assessment for coronary heart disease.
            Priya Kohli MD, PGY2
            Philip Greenland MD, mentor

A prospective evaluation of hospital-acquired pulmonary infiltrates treated as hospital-acquired pneumonia on the general medical service.
            Meredith Korneffel MD, PGY3
            Maureen Bolon MD, mentor

Circulating factors alter podocyte gene expression in collapsing glomerulpathy.
            Albert Lam MD, PGY2
            Sumant Chugh MD, mentor

Winner, Basic Science Research:  Insulin up-regulation of the Na,K-ATPase and its effect on lung edema clearance.
            Joyce Lee MD, PGY3
            Laura Dada PhD and J. Iasha Sznajder MD, mentors

Diagnosis and complications of pneumonia in ICU patients taking outpatient ACE inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, and statins.
            Jessica Montalvo MD, PGY2
            Richard Wunderink MD, mentor

Use of GI prophylaxis in patients discharged from hospital on ulcerogenic medicines.
            John P. Norvell MD and John Rice MD, PGY2
            Colin Howden MD, mentor

Granulocyte colony stimulating factor (GF) is not necessary in Hodgkins Disease treated with ABVD:  analysis of the Northwestern University experience.
            Taylor Ortiz MD and Mrinal Gounder MD, PGY2
            Andrew Evens DO and Leo Gordon MD, mentors

Local production of innate immunity.
            Michael Radtke MD, PGY3
            Robert Schleimer PhD, mentor

Effect of IL-13 on airway epithelial gene expression in five inbred mouse strains:  an asthma genetic study.
            Shiva Rahmanian MD, PGY3
            Douglas Kuperman PhD, mentor

Risk of development of liver disease in HCV/HIV coinfected patients.
            Courtney Ramirez MD, PGY2
            Frank Palella MD, mentor

Qualifying EGJ characteristics.
            Michael Roth MD, PGY2
            John Pandolfino MD, mentor

Endogenous activation of B-catenin/TCF signaling in rat alveolar Type II epithelial cells:  implications of AT2 progenitor maintenance and differentiation.
            Susan Russell MD, PGY2
            Cara Gottardi PhD, mentor

Obesity,  a challenge to esophagogastric junction integrity.
            Nimeesh Shah MD, PGY2
            John Pandolfino MD, mentor

Clinical characteristics and influence of immunosuppression in patients with chronic transplant glomerulopathy.
            Siddharth Shah MD, PGY2
            John Friedewald MD, mentor

Differential effects of SERMs on prolactin gene expression and secretion.
            Joy Shen MD and Liana Katz MD, PGY2
            Violeta Popii, Mary Gillam, Eun Jig Lee, Peter Kopp, and Mark Molitch, mentors

Genetics of PCOS:  fibrillin 3 variants.
            Galina Smushkin MD, PGY2
            Margrit Urbanek PhD, mentor

Preemptive versus non-preemptive kidney transplantation:  is there a survival benefit based on dialysis vintage?
            Shyam Uttamchandani MD, PGY2
            Shubhada Ahya MD, mentor

Increased use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in patients admitted with gastrointestinal hemorrhage:  a multicenter retrospective analysis.
            Sarah Wessinger MD, PGY3
            Michael Jones MD, mentor

Physician perspective regarding the implementation of electronic medical record at a tertiary medical center.
            Thomas Westfall MD, PGY3
            David Liebovitz MD, mentor

Patterns of sequential infections in the ICU, a pilot study.
            John Wilkins MD, PGY2
            Richard Wunderink MD, mentor

Assessing the validity of national quality measures for coronary artery disease using an electronic health record.
            Jennifer Wright MD, PGY2
            Stephen Persell MD, mentor