Enthusiasm for Graduate Research Day reflects AU’s commitment to research

The 40th annual Augusta University Graduate Research Day was one for the books.

A record 195 graduate and postdoctoral students participated, including 183 poster presentations with 12 postdocs selected to give oral presentations on Thursday, March 13. Ten of AU’s 11 colleges and schools were represented among the numerous rows of abstract posters on display in the Robert B. Greenblatt, M.D. Library on March 14.

“Enrollment growth plays a role in the success of a day like Graduate Research Day. Seeing so many trainees from our different schools working toward that Top 60 by 30 research mission, the type of work that they’re doing and the impact of the work they’re doing, this is always a highlight,” said Interim Provost and Dean of The Graduate School Jennifer Sullivan, PhD. “We are blessed as an institution to be one of the few in the University System of Georgia that has had consistent and progressive increases in our enrollment. A lot of that happens to be in our graduate space, and a lot of our graduate programs have a significant research component. We are a research-intensive university, and it’s reflected in the work that our students are doing.”

Wendy Bollag, PhD, a physiology professor, has been part of Graduate Research Day nearly since its inception.

“It has just grown phenomenally. I remember originally we basically had it in a hallway of the Carl Sanders Research and Education Building, and that was sufficient space to accommodate all the people who were presenting,” Bollag recalled. “Now, we have to be in the library and practically take over the whole library. It’s just phenomenal, and I think it’s a testament to the research that’s going on here, but also to The Graduate School, the dean and President Keen, who’s been promoting research, as well.”  

From a research building hallway to an entire floor at the library, postdoctoral fellow Desmond Moronge, a physiology trainee originally from Kenya, was proud to be among the dozens sharing their work. His poster display explained his abstract, “Aged Female Rats with a History of AKI Exhibit Greater Renal Injury, Fibrosis, and Inflammation than Aged Sham Controls,” focused on kidney injury in females and how it affects them as they age.

“My project focuses on an understudied area in women’s health, specifically acute kidney injury. While AKI affects more men than women, women still represent about 40% of AKI cases; however, most research on AKI has focused on men,” Moronge said. “Our project aims to address this gap by studying the long-term effects of AKI in female rats. We induce AKI, allow recovery and then age the rats to observe how their kidneys and overall health change over time.

“We found that two years post-AKI, both the kidneys and heart of the aged female rats are larger compared to their healthy counterparts,” he continued. “Additionally, markers of inflammation and organ damage are elevated in the aged AKI group. These findings suggest that even years after the injury, AKI still contributes to ongoing health issues, highlighting the need to include women in AKI research as they are not protected from its long-term effects.”  

Moronge explained that simple things like ibuprofen, dehydration and excessive vomiting can lead to acute kidney injury, making his research so relevant and vital.

Isabel Wright, a second-year student in AU’s Medical Illustration program, had a hands-on component of her display.

“I wanted to do a sculpture and a simulation because it’s so fun to have that to hold in your hands afterward. To be here showing people and letting them feel it and interact with it has been really special,” Wright explained as she held the 3D-printed abdomen model she created.

Wright designed the model for medical students to be able to practice their skills prior to performing cesarean sections.

“I’m working with a couple of content advisers like Dr. Morganne Manuel, Dr. Shannon Barwick, Dr. Leah Lowe and my professor Dr. Amanda Behr, and we’re working with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Medical College of Georgia to offer this as part of an elective course that fourth-year medical students will be able to take,” Wright said. “This model will be a way for them to interact with a C-section procedure before actually going into residency and being in the operating room, doing the surgery for the first time.”

Wright hopes that practice will help future doctors build confidence.

“We plan to conduct user testing and research – see how it helps the students identify the layers, understand the layers, and also get the feel for suturing them up at the end of the procedure,” she said.

After a busy morning session at Greenblatt, keynote speaker Donna K. Arnett, PhD, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of South Carolina, offered a presentation on genetics and hypertension at the J. Harold Harrison, M.D. Education Commons. Arnett is an internationally recognized epidemiologist.

Next month, a research day awards luncheon is planned at the Douglas Barnard Amphitheater on the Summerville Campus. Winners in several categories will be announced at that time.