Four medical students from Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine were recognized for poster presentations during the recent annual meeting of the American College of Physicians’ Michigan chapter.
ACP is a national organization of internists, the largest medical-specialty organization, and the second-largest physician group in the U.S. Its 161,000 members include internists, internal medicine subspecialists, medical students, residents, and fellows. The group acts locally through its chapters.
The Michigan chapter held its annual scientific meeting Oct. 14-17. The event featured networking opportunities and guest speakers, along with abstract competitions for residents and medical students. A total of 51 posters were presented by medical students via pre-recorded videos.
OUWB students Hassan Akram, M4, Faris Alkhouri, M2, Ryan Ko, M2, and Tiffany Loh, M2, were among the more than 50 medical students to present posters. The four presenters from OUWB each earned at least one award, with Loh getting two.
“It feels really good and surprising,” said Loh. “(Participants) have to be accepted to even enter the competition…I was just glad to be accepted.”
Loh was awarded first place in the clinical vignette category for medical students, as well as Best Medical Student Abstract. Her poster was titled “Granulomatous Polyangiitis Presenting with Minimal Physical Symptoms.” Co-author was Arati Kelekar, M.D., assistant professor, Department of Internal Medicine.
Loh said the case she presented came from a rheumatology rotation that was part of an internal medicine internship she had this past summer at Beaumont Hospital.
She said it was particularly interesting due to the extreme rarity of the disorder, and the fact that the patient wasn’t presenting any symptoms, such as inflammation of blood vessels in the nose, throat, lungs, etc. It was only discovered via kidney biopsy, said Loh, and when the patient revealed he had been coughing up small amounts of blood.
“(The patient) was sent to the ER and he expressed feeling great,” said Loh. “His nephrologist was alarmed because he noticed (the patient’s) kidney function had decreased about 50 percent within a couple of months.”
Loh said she thought it would make for a good case study. Primarily, she said, to demonstrate the importance of lab testing and thorough history-taking.
Alkhouri came in second place behind Loh. His presentation was titled “Prurigo Pigmentosa Following Keto Diet and Bariatric Surgery.” Co-authors were Samaa Alkhouri, Omar Afify, and Geoffrey Potts, M.D.
“It feels great,” he said. “I was not expecting to win this but it’s awesome to know that the work I’m putting in is helpful and useful.
Alkhouri said his case came from his experience shadowing a dermatologist. Prurigo Pigmentosa of Nagashima (PP) is a rare condition typically of adolescent girls and young women with idiopathic etiology. It presents as symmetric, reticulated red papules or vesicles on the neck and trunk with frequent recurrence.
“I wanted others to know what it is and be able to tell the signs and symptoms of it because it’s probably more common, but it’s going undiagnosed,” he said.
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Akram was named overall winner in the category of quality improvement. His presentation was titled “Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Vaccination Uptake in HIV Patients: Challenges During COVID-19 Pandemic in Michigan, USA.” Co-authors were Paul Johnson, M.D., assistant professor, Department of Internal Medicine, and Trini Mathew, M.D., professor, Department of Internal Medicine. The goal of the project was to evaluate the uptake of HPV vaccination and challenges in HIV patients at Beaumont Hospital.
He said the recognition was “truly an honor.”
“By presenting the work, we can raise awareness in the provider to discuss vaccinations and their benefits with their patients,” said Akram.
Ko was awarded third place in the research category for medical students. The title of his presentation was “Feasibility of a Medical-Student-Led COVID-19 Education Campaign to Improve Vaccine Acceptance in Low-Income Communities.” Co-authors were Brandon Prentice, M2, Mallory Evans, M3, Jean Szura, Ph.D., director of Service Learning, and Nelia Afonso, M.D., assistant dean for Community Integration & Outreach, and professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies.
The presentation centered on the efforts of the group to lead a COVID-19 vaccine campaign when the shots were first available.
“This was a really pleasant surprise,” he said. “After a whole year of work, it was really exciting to have received this recognition.”
For more information, contact Andrew Dietderich, marketing writer, OUWB, at [email protected].
To request an interview, visit the OUWB Communications & Marketing webpage.
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