Showcase

In this research we gather 24 various healthcare apps across the world to see if they are still available to be downloaded and used. During the research we gathered 24 articles about the healthcare apps and created an excel sheet where we put in our ... data. Next we searched the internet, app store, and google store to see if it was still available or not. After we gather the information, we put all that information into an excel sheet. We are currently writing a research paper about our findings and hope that others will figure out a way to keep healthcare apps still available. Read more

Working with the only comprehensive Sickle Cell clinic in the state of Indiana has been a rewarding experience. My work focused on data collection, where I would be given forms visiting clients had filled out and digitally copy them into our many dat ... abases that we use to receiving further funding to benefit the many children and families who experience Sickle Cell Disease. Read more

The Social Determinants of Health team at Eskenazi Health aims to diminish disparities in factors such as food insecurity, diaper need, transportation, etc. Pediatric diaper need is a nationally underfunded resource for parents. Through a partnership ... with Indiana Diaper Bank, Eskenazi Health aims to become a healthcare system offering pediatric diaper resources to the community. Over the course of my internship, I have surveyed parents at Eskenazi Health Center Pecar on their children’s diaper needs, as well as their experiences on receiving diapers through community resources. This research also helps in determining the impact coping mechanisms of parents who have diaper need. Over 200 surveys in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole at several Eskenazi Health clinics have been conducted. Read more

Kids HealthCast is a pediatric focused podcast recorded by pediatric residents at the IU School of Medicine. This podcast is made for parents and the public to educate on how to support children’s development, mental and physical needs, and even addr ... esses various concerns and questions people may have regarding pediatric health. With this podcast, we hope to keep parents updated, aware, and educated on ways they can keep their children safe and raise them in a fulfilling environment that will help them to thrive. The podcast consists of parenting tips, current news that is relevant to children's health, informative main topics, and answers to several questions parents may have! My fellow intern, Cynthia, and I record the residents, edit the podcasts, create social media posts, and instruct the residents when recording. A new episode is available monthly on Spotify, apple music, and their website. Read more

The escalating prevalence of opioid use among pregnant women has raised concerns regarding the neurodevelopmental outcomes in their infants. The overall goal is to evaluate fetal brain volume differences on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) between pr ... egnant women using opioids and healthy controls, with the goal of early detection of opioid-associated developmental changes. Gathering high-resolution whole brain volumes for fetuses in-vivo on fetal MRI is challenging due to fetal movement. In this study, 2-dimensional (2D) MR images of the fetal brain were acquired using a Half-Fourier Single-shot Turbo spin-Echo (HASTE) sequence in the axial, coronal, and sagittal planes. These images were acquired in 3 -5 mm thick slices. My role in this project was to help convert the thick slice MRI into high-resolution isotropic images. We had 52 participating pregnant women – 25 with opioid use and 27 controls. I manually segmented the fetal brain MRI using ITK-SNAP software. The brain masks that I generated were then combined with the original fetal brain HASTE MRI to generate high-resolution 3D images using an automated 3D reconstruction pipeline. These postprocessed images were checked for accuracy and then oriented to the correct plane. Future steps include analysis of segmented fetal brain volumes. Read more

I am working with Dr. Marc Mendonca and his team to investigate how different doses of radiation affect U87 Glioblastoma (GBM) cells with genetic alterations in MDM-2 and MDM-X genes. We hope to eventually find a breakthrough in cancer research by ta ... rgeting pathways regulated by these genes, which can be utilized to improve the response of GBM tumors to radiation. Read more

The purpose of research on the comparative function of the ape and monkey fossil records in paleo biology is to examine the evolutionary paths of these primates, revealing interesting insights into their shared and distinct characteristics throughout ... history. Learn about our innovative projects! We’re applying 3D scanning to craft a K-5 online module, ‘Growing Up Monkey’, exploring Baboon cranial facial development. We’re also completing data sets and analysis specific to comparative function morphology of the skull and mandible of primates. Research on the skull and mandible contribute valuable information to paleoanthropology by shedding light on evolutionary relationships, reconstructing behaviors, identifying adaptations, and advancing our understanding of human evolution! Read more

Kacena Lab has multiple ongoing research projects focusing on fracture healing in different disease states (Diabetes mellitus and Alzheimer’s disease) and aging. In Kacena Lab, students and interns are given the opportunity for to learn various techn ... iques such as x ray imaging, microCT analysis, genotyping mouse strains, and mouse handling skills including but not limited to learning to prepare mice for surgery, label things properly for tissue collection, and injecting treatments in mice as a part of ongoing studies. The lab skills learnt throughout the internship term are applicable to many lab settings for other research and science labs used in a classroom especially mouse handling and genotyping. These skills and techniques not only help the interns with scientific knowledge and understanding but also allows us to grow in confidence for careers in medicine and science in the future. Interns also get to work closely with research faculty, lab manager, lab techs, and other students. This helps us interns in making informed career choices. The endless opportunities and consistent support of the research team paves the pathway for success and gives us the tools to move forward. Read more

Breast cancer is common and affects 1 in 8 women. One third of patients who undergo axillary lymph node removal as part of the treatment of breast cancer experience lymphedema. It is estimated that lymphedema affects 5 million Americans. Lymphedema i ... s characterized by progressive arm swelling that hinders quality of life, reduces mobility, and increases risk for infections. There is no cure for lymphedema and current treatments are variably effective. Therefore, the goal of this laboratory is to study novel prevention and management strategies for lymphedema. The current study is to evaluate the effect of dermal lymphatic preservation in the development of lymphedema. Read more

Pancreatic cancer has been researched more rigorously in the past 25 years than ever before. Cancer cachexia is a syndrome that affects many organs and is diagnosed when a cancer patient has lost 5% more of their body weight over 6 months. Pancreatic ... cancer is very common and is known to have high rates of cachexia, which can significantly compromise a patient’s quality of live and increase mortality rates. This year I began in Dr. Doles’ lab where they research cancer cachexia. Specifically, Dr. Doles’ lab researches different interventions that can be taken to offset the muscle degradation that occurs during cancer, in addition to researching about the effects of chronic stress on cancer cachexia. My personal job has been to identify and quantify the changes in the sizes of muscle in in vitro and in vivo experiments through the use of immunofluorescent staining. I primarily work with frozen muscle that has been preserved from various models and experiments. Read more