DO Students Take Top-Two Spots in CCMS Research Project Competition
Touro University Nevada was well-represented during the annual Clark County Medical Society (CCMS) Research Symposium as two students from the College of Osteopathic Medicine took the top two spots in the research project competition.
Second-year students Terilyn Viray and Ryan Becker won first and second place respectively in the research contest that featured presentations from medical students across the Las Vegas Valley.
Viray, along with classmates Paul Gentle and Nicole Guzolek worked with Drs. Cheryl Vanier and Amina Sadik on the first-place project called, “Medical and Allied Health Students Perspectives of Preparedness to Treat Diverse Populations.”
“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an underscore of the disproportionate effects of disease in minority groups. Across the country, medical and health professional schools are increasingly implementing cultural competency courses within their curriculum to better prepare their students to serve these groups,” Viray said.
Becker placed second in the competition for his project, “Delayed Care for Cardiac and Stroke Patients During the Pandemic” which focused on how the pandemic affected the time it took for patients to present to the emergency department (ED) for stroke and heart attack symptoms.
“I chose to study this because it was a topic that many people would be interested in knowing about,” he said. “Placing in the symposium was great. I really thought of it as a bonus because the experience of the symposium was fantastic. It was great to connect with colleagues from Touro, UNLV, and other programs. I even got to reconnect with colleagues from my alma mater who were also presenting at the symposium, which was one of the best parts for me.”
Viray agreed that the research symposium was filled with several important research projects to help keep the Southern Nevada community informed.
“Everyone at the symposium presented such captivating and impressive work,” she said. “We were pleasantly surprised and pleased to receive this recognition. We want to thank the Clark County Medical Society for their recognition of the importance of cultural competence in medical education.”
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