UConn Health

March 30, 2022 | Chris DeFrancesco '94 (CLAS) - UConn Health

17 Students Awarded at Scholar Symposium

Ten dental students and seven medical students were recognized for their research aptitude as part of UConn Health’s 2022 Medical/Dental Research Day and Clinician Scholar Symposium.

Left photo: UConn dental students (back row, from left) Anthony Perez-Pino, Jay Dalal, Ryan Higgins, (middle row) Caroline Thomas, Katherine Peccerillo, Samantha Sheppard, (front row) Jane Conway, Nathalia Hernandez, and Mayaan Schmidt are among those recognized with awards at UConn Health’s 2022 Medical/Dental Research Day and Clinician Scholar Symposium. Dr. Aditya Tadinada (front center) mentors four of the honorees. Not pictured is Arvene Golbazi. (Photo by Lisa Ramsdell) Right photo: UConn medical students (clockwise from left) Victoria (Tia) Kozar, Calvin Park, William Martin, Jeska Guirguis, and Owen Karsmarski are among those recognized with awards at UConn Health’s 2022 Medical/Dental Research Day and Clinician Scholar Symposium. Awardees not pictured include Kaitlyn Petitpas and Bowen Anderson. (Photo by Ursula Knapik)

Ten dental students and seven medical students were recognized for their research aptitude as part of UConn Health’s 2022 Medical/Dental Research Day and Clinician Scholar Symposium.

Dr. Manisha Juthani, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health, was the keynote speaker at the Feb. 23 virtual event.

“Where all of you are at this stage, I think just having an open mind, exploring different things — some may turn out to be more productive than others, but I encourage you to keep doing that because the investigative mindset is the way that really helps you move forward with any sort of research program,” Juthani told the students.

Dental Student Awards

Dean’s Award, in recognition of an outstanding presentation demonstrating clinical application and technique relating to dentistry:

  • Jane Conway (mentor: Dr. Aditya Tadinada)
  • Maayan Schmidt (Dr. Madhur Upadhyay)

Associate Dean’s Award, in recognition of an outstanding presentation in basic, clinical or behavioral science:

  • Jay Dala (Dr. Alix Deymier)

Dentsply-Sirona Student Clinician Award, in recognition of an outstanding presentation:

  • Samantha Sheppard (Dr. Aditya Tadinada)

Connecticut Holistic Health Association Award, in recognition of excellence in research in integrative/complementary and alternative medicine:

  • Anthony Perez-Pino (Dr.Seema Kurup)

Dental Student Research Society Award, in recognition of excellence in a science presentation:

  • Katherine Peccerillo (Dr. Alix Deymier)

Omicron Kappa Upsilon – Phi Chi Chapter Awards, in recognition of outstanding research:

  • Basic Science: Ryan Higgins (Dr. Peter Setlow)
  • Clinical: Caroline Thomas (Dr. Aditya Tadinada)

Gustave Perl Award, in recognition of outstanding original research:

  • Arvene Golbazi (Dr. Eliane Dutra)

Judges Special Award:

  • Nathalia Hernandez (Dr. Aditya Tadinada)

“Research Day is much more than a series of poster presentations – today is a celebratory culmination of incredible scholarship and discovery by our students,” Dr. Steven Lepowsky, dean of the UConn School of Dental Medicine, told the students. “As health care professionals, it is incumbent upon all of us to not only be competent consumers of information, but we also need to take the lead in the advancement of science along with the dissemination of knowledge that results from that discovery.”

Medical Student Awards

Dean’s Award, in recognition of two outstanding medical student researchers and their faculty mentors:

  • Jeska Guirguis (mentor: Dr. Jane Grant-Kels)
  • Kaitlyn Petitpas (Dr. Christine Finck)

Dr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Gross Award for Excellence in Research Achievement, in recognition of student researchers who presented excellent studies, one oral presentation and one poster presentation:

  • William Martin (Dr. Benjamin Ristau)
  • Calvin Park (Drs. David Pitt and Sheng Miao)

Lawrence G. Raisz Award for Excellence in Musculoskeletal Research, in recognition of the student researcher who presented outstanding work in the field musculoskeletal research:

  • Owen Karsmarski (Dr. Augustus Mazzocca)

Connecticut Academy of Family Practice Award, in recognition of excellence in primary care research:

  • Victoria Kozar (Dr. David Steffens)

Connecticut Holistic Health Association Award, in recognition of excellence in research in integrative/complementary and alternative medicine.

  • Bowen Anderson (Douglas Casa)

“For many of our students, pursuit of scholarly work and research is a passion,” says Dr. Bruce T. Liang, dean of the UConn School of Medicine and interim UConn Health CEO and executive vice president for health affairs. “We are continuing our long history of cultivating an environment that encourages students not just to follow their academic and research aspirations, but to thrive in doing so, as we prepare future generations of health care providers and scientists.”