Medical Student Summer Research Program

 
The Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine sponsors a summer Medical Student Research Program every year. Through this program, students develop an appreciation of how research contributes to the knowledge and the practice of medicine. Accepted entering medical students or rising second-year medical students in the USA College of Medicine are eligible. The summer experience includes: hands-on research related to basic science and/or clinical medicine, a seminar program that focuses on various scientific and clinical topics, and student presentations at Research Day. Support for the program is provided by the Dean's Office.
 

2026 Research Day Highlights

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2026 Clyde G. Huggins Awardees

Congratulations to the winners of the 2026 Clyde G. Huggins Award for the Medical Student Summer Research Program! These outstanding students demonstrated exceptional dedication, creativity, and excellence in their research projects. Winners of the Clyde G. Huggins Award for Summer Research, all second-year medical students, each received a plaque and a $100 prize. The award honors the memory of Clyde G. “Sid” Huggins, who served as the first dean of students at the Whiddon College of Medicine.

Juanita Monteiro-Pai
Mentor: Christopher Davies, PhD
“Importance of Thr498 of PBP2 in Neisseria Gonorrhoeae Cephalosporin-Resistant Strain H041”

Madilyn Webb
Mentor: Robert Barrington, PhD
“Retraining Neutrophils”

 

Caroline Weiesenfeld
Mentor: J. Harrison Howard, MD
“Adjuvant Immunotherapy in High-Risk Stage II Cutaneous Melanoma: Projecting Recurrence Outcomes With and Without Systemic Therapy”

 

Jayne Freeman
Mentor: Jennifer Young Pierce, MD
“Evaluating the Impact of a Culinary Medicine Program on Knowledge, Attitudes, and Biometric Outcomes Among Cancer Survivors and Caregivers”

Lucy Harrison
Mentor: Wito Richter, PhD
“PDE4 as a Novel Therapeutic Target in Obesity and Metabolic Syndromes”

Daniel Wilson
Mentor: Robert Barrington, PhD
“Strain-Dependent Host Responses to HSV-1 Infection in Mouse Corneas Revealed by Single-Cell RNA Sequencing”

Matthew Streitman
Mentor: Ronald Brooks, MD
“Postoperative Outcomes Following Bilateral Reduction Mammaplasty With and Without Intraoperative Drain Use: A Single-Surgeon Retrospective Cohort Study”

Lauren Assaf
Mentor: John Soltys, MD, PhD
“MRI Features Predictive of Disability in Multiple Sclerosis”

Gavin Day
Mentor: Jose Sanchez, MD
“An Analysis of Steroid Burden and Adverse Effects in Ocular vs. Generalized Myasthenia Gravis”