Frank Low Research Day
The premier biomedical research event held annually at the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences.
Named in honor of the former SMHS anatomy professor who came to UND in the 1960s and
pioneered a series of new techniques for the electron microscope, Frank Low Research
Day is the culminating event of the academic year for many area researchers working
in the biomedical and health sciences.
Every year, more than 150 faculty members, postdoctoral fellows, and students present oral and/or poster presentations on a wide range of basic biomedical, health sciences, translational, and clinical topics. Poster presentations remain on display in the West Atrium on the first floor of the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences.
Learn more about Frank Low in this 1999 article published in The Anatomical Record (No. 257: 48-49).
Frank Low Research Day 2022
The 42nd Annual Frank Low Research Day was held virtually on Thursday, April 21, 2022. Please contact Heather Jensen at heather.jensen@und.edu or 701.777.2516 with any questions.
Frank Low 2022 Presenters/AbstractsView 2022 Frank Low PresenTations Here
Keynote Speaker: Jon R. Lorsch
The event's keynote speaker was Jon R. Lorsch, Ph.D., director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), who will give a presentation entitled “NIGMS Programs and Priorities.”
As NIGMS Director, Lorsch oversees the Institute's $3.0 billion budget, which supports basic research that increases understanding of biological processes and lays the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
A leader in RNA biology, Lorsch studies the initiation of translation, a major step in controlling how genes are expressed. When this process goes awry, viral infection, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer can result. To dissect the mechanics of translation initiation, Lorsch and collaborators developed a yeast-based system and a wide variety of biochemical and biophysical methods. The work also has led to efforts to control translation initiation through chemical reagents, such as drugs. Lorsch continues this research as a tenured investigator in the NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Lorsch is the author of more than 80 peer-reviewed research articles, book chapters, and other papers. He has also been the editor of six volumes of Methods in Enzymology and has been a reviewer for numerous scientific journals. He is the author on two awarded U.S. patents. His honors include six teaching awards from Johns Hopkins University.
Frank Low 2022 Award Winners
Thanks, again, to each of the student, faculty, and staff participants of last week's virtual 42nd Frank Low Research Day. A number of poster awards have announced for projects displayed at the event. Congratulations to the following winners:
Basic Sciences – Graduate Students
- Best Poster - Danielle Germundson (Clinical and Translational Science) - Danielle L. Germundson*and Kumi Nagamoto-Combs. “Involvement of histamine in depression-like behavior in a mouse model of non-anaphylactic cow’s milk allergy.”
- Honorable Mention - Dilini Ekanayake (Biomedical Sciences) - Dilini Ekanayake*, Suba Nookala, Kumi Nagamoto-Combs. “Food allergy increases a specific subset of B cells in mouse brain.”
Basic Sciences – Post-Docs
- Best Poster - Sarmad Al-Marsoummi (Pathology) - Sarmad Al-Marsoummi*, Seema Somji, Scott H. Garrett, Marc D. Basson, Donald A. Sens. “Schlafen 12 induces luminal differentiation of Arsenite (As3+) transformed UROtsa cells.”
- Honorable Mention - Afrina Brishti (Biomedical Sciences) - Afrina Brishti*, Danielle L. Germundson, Angela E. Kearny, Kumi Nagamoto-Combs. “Continuous allergen consumption sustains neuroinflammation and alters behavior in a mouse model of food allergy.”
Undergraduate
- Best Poster - Odele K. Rajpathy (Biomedical Sciences) – Odele K. Rajpathy, Emilie E. Vomhof-DeKrey, Elizabeth Pressler, and Marc D. Basson. “Vil-Cre specific Slfn3KO mice exhibit sex-specific differences in lung, stomach, cecum, and proximal colon differentiation markers and Slfn family members expression levels.”
- Honorable Mention - Ronak Kumar (Biomedical Sciences) – Ronak Kumar, Afrina Brishti, Angela E. Kearny, Kumi Nagamoto-Combs. “Investigating food-allergy-induced chronic intestinal inflammation for its etiologic potential in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease.”
Medical Students
- Best Posters - 1) Marcus Osman – Marcus Osman, Christy Jesme, Zachary McMiller, Abhishek Matta, Rajesh Kunadharaju, Erika M. Johnson, Danielle Matta, Rehka Kallamadi, and Dinesh Bande. “Clinical Presentation and Outcomes of Myocarditis Post mRNA Vaccination: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review.” 2) Chase Gauthier and Luke Teigen – Chase Gauthier, MS3, and Luke Teigen, MS3, James R. Beal, Ph.D., and Abe E. Sahmoun, Ph.D. “Association Between Wait-Time for TAVR Procedure and Post-Operative FEV1%.”
- Honorable Mentions - 1) KC A. Braaten and Wyatt L. Limke – KC A. Braaten, Wyatt L. Limke, James R. Beal, Ph.D., Abe E. Sahmoun, Ph.D. – “Association between Bullying and Sexual Assault and Risky Sexual Behavior in Adolescents.” 2) Collin G. Asheim – Collin Asheim, Diva R. Salomao, Cheryl Hann, Kathy Wabner, Jenn Schmit, Amir A. Naqwi, Timothy W. Olsen. “Aerosolized Methotrexate reduces PVR: Aerosolized, Gas-Phase Methotrexate in a Porcine model of Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy.”
Medical Residents
- Best Posters - Kasey E. Johnson (Psychiatry and Behavioral Science). “Transforming the Medical Education Pipeline: Widening Access Students, Historical Contexts, and Criteria and Culture within Medical Education.”
- Honorable Mention - Ryan Beard (Surgery) – Ryan Beard, Mentor Ahmeti, and Hilla Sang. “The Effect of Chronic Anticoagulation Therapy on COVID-19 patients: An unexpected result.”
Occupational Therapy Students
- Best Posters - 1) Dina Nickoson (OT) - Dina M. Nickoson, and Anne Haskins. “Yoga as Occupational Therapy Intervention for Individuals with Upper Extremity Injuries.” 2) Kaitlynn Stearns (OT) - Kaitlynn Stearns and Julie Grabanski. “The Sensory Friendly Classroom.”
- Honorable Mentions - 1) Mackenzie Brokaw (OT) - Mackenzie Brokaw and Cherie Graves. “Aquatic Therapy: An Interprofessional Resource Focusing on Children with Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities.” 2) Hallie Longtin (OT) - Hallie N. Longtin and Julie Grabanski. “Trauma-informed guide for educators within a school setting used to support adolescents effected by adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).”
Public Heath Students
- Best Posters - Jessica Passini (Public Health) - Jessica N. Passini and Cristina Oancea. “Examining the association between history of heart attack and experiencing frequent mental distress among United States veterans and adult civilians: a 2019 national level study.”
- Honorable Mention - Kathryn Wise (Public Health) - Kathryn R. Wise, Melanie Nadeau, Revathi Sabella, and Devon Olson. “Comparing Risk and Protective Factors for Substance Use in American Indian and White Youth.”
First Annual Indigenous Trauma & Resilience Research Center Symposium
The Indigenous Trauma & Resilience Research Center hosted its First Annual Symposium in conjunction with FLRD on Friday, April 22.
Featured speakers included:
David R. Wilson, PhD, Navajo, Director of the National Institutes of Health’s Tribal Health Research Office
Donald Warne, MD, MPH, Oglala Lakota, Program Director for the Indigenous Trauma & Resilience Research Center
Ursula Running Bear, PhD, MS, Sicangu Lakota, Assistant Professor in the Public Health Program at UND SMHS
Andrew Williams, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor in the Public Health Program at UND SMHS
Nicole Redvers, ND, MPH, Deninu K'ue, Assistant Professor in the Departments of Indigenous Health and Family & Community Medicine at UND SMHS
This virtual event is free but requires registration to receive the event link.