Author: apadilla

Status: Filled – Intern: Ifeoluwa Akisanya
Intern: Ifeoluwa Akisanya
Faculty Name: renata-jaskula-sztul-2
UAB Department: Department of Surgery
UAB School: UAB School of Medicine
Campus Address: 310H Wallace Tumor Institute, 1824 6th Avenue South
Telephone Number: (205) 975-3507
Email: sztul@uab.edu or Click to Send E-Mail
For how many summers have you served as a preceptor: 3 or more
CCC Research Area: Cancer Control and Population Science
Number of hours per week that the preceptor will personally supervise or work with the intern: 20
Other faculty, staff, or graduate students who may help to supervise the intern:
1. Jason Whitt, PhD
2. Rui Zheng-Pywell
Title of Project: 43RJ – SSTR2 expression in Hϋrthle Cell Lesions of the Thyroid
Project Description:

Somatostatin receptors (SSTR) are found in normal human cells and tumor tissue, especially neuroendocrine tumors. Tumors expressing an SSTR-subtype, SSTR2, can be treated with receptor-specific agonists such as octreotide. Additionally, the FDA recently approved 68Ga-Dotatate, a radionucleotide somatostain analog with high SSTR2 affinity, for staging patients with neuroendocrine tumors. Recent studies have shown SSTR2 expression in non-medullary thyroid cancer, papillary carcinoma and anaplastic carcinoma.
However, SSTR2 expression has not yet been studied in thyroid Hϋrthle cell neoplasms, recently considered to be a histologic variant of follicular neoplams. Additionally, differing SSTR2 expression between benign Hϋrthle adenomas and carcinomas has also not yet been explored. Finally, a subtype of papillary thyroid carcinoma has similar morphology to Hϋrthle cell lesions: papillary thyroid carcinoma- oncocytic or Hϋrthle cell variant. It is unknown whether receptor expression in these tumors are more similar to Hϋrthle cell carcinoma or conventional papillary thyroid carcinoma.
We would like to analyze SSTR expression in 90 Hϋrthle cell neoplasms (adenoma and carcinoma) and 10 cases of papillary thyroid carcinoma, Hϋrthle cell variant. Additionally, we will analyze 40 conventional papillary thyroid carcinomas, and 30 benign thyroid cases with non-neoplastic Hϋrthle cell lesions (Hϋrthle cell hyperplasia and metaplasia). Tissue originated from our department’s surgical pathology archives of formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded blocks.
The analysis will be done on already stained TMA (tissue microarray slides) and will require making the correlations between the clinical statuses of patient with TMA-SSTR2 marker positivity. Additional thyroid cancer markers (TTF1 and TSC receptor) will be available to study. Results will be tabulated and statistical analysis performed.

Project Status: Already up and running
Location of Project: Birmingham, AL (UAB)
Proposed Start Date: June 1, 2020
Proposed End Date: August 14, 2020
Expected work schedule for intern: Not very flexible, intern MUST be at work on certain days of the week and at certain times of the day (as may be necessary to interview patients, attend lab meetings, process samples, etc.) and should contribute full-time effort.
Category of Project: Clinical (Patient Care) Research
Cancer topic: Thyroid
Does this project involve human subjects: Yes
Does this project involve animal subjects: No
Duty:
1.

work with microscope and scoring

2.

analyze clinical data

3.

abstract and manuscript preparation

Preceptor will provide intern with access to the following:
Office or desk space, Computer and printer, Laboratory work bench space, Supplies needed to complete project, Equipment needed to complete project
Likelihood that intern will be included as an author on one or more publications
related to this summer research project: Very likely
Areas in which the ideal candidates will have experience:
Cancer Rates, Trends and Statistics, Clinical Oncology, Literature Review Skills, Manuscript Preparation for Submission to a Journal, Pathology, Statistics and Data Management, basic knowledge

Status: Filled – Intern: Vince Bolus
Intern: Vince Bolus
Faculty Name: bin-ren
UAB Department: Surgery
UAB School: Medicine
Campus Address: WTI 620E
Telephone Number: (205) 996-2582
Email: bren98@uab.edu or Click to Send E-Mail
For how many summers have you served as a preceptor: 1
CCC Research Area: Cancer Biology
Number of hours per week that the preceptor will personally supervise or work with the intern: 2
Other faculty, staff, or graduate students who may help to supervise the intern:
1. Dr. Akil
2. Gloria
Title of Project: 42BR – Unique Vascular Niche in Breast Cancer Progression
Project Description:

In various solid cancers, endothelial cells (ECs) promote self-renewal of tumor-initiating cells (TICs) or cancer stem cells (CSCs) by direct cell–cell contact or activation of Notch signaling. Microvascular remodeling and arterioles are critical to the progression of breast, lung and skin cancers, for which the differentiation of microvascular ECs (MVECs) is essential in the tumor microenvironment (TME). MVEC differentiation into arteriolar EC may create a unique vascular niche to enhance the self-renewal capacity of CSCs due to an increase in arterial markers, ephrin B2 and delta-like ligand 4 (DLL4, a key ligand in the Notch pathway). This proposal challenges current antiangiogenic therapy against solid tissue cancers by elucidating mechanisms of arteriolar differentiation of tumor-associated (TA) MVECs or TAECs and targeting both arteriolar remodeling and CSCs to control metastasis of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer (ER+BC).

Project Status: Already up and running
Location of Project: Birmingham, AL (UAB)
Proposed Start Date: May 4, 2020
Proposed End Date: August 28, 2020
Expected work schedule for intern: Not very flexible, intern MUST be at work on certain days of the week and at certain times of the day (as may be necessary to interview patients, attend lab meetings, process samples, etc.) and should contribute full-time effort.
Category of Project: Laboratory Research
Cancer topic: Breast, Pancreas
Does this project involve human subjects: No
Does this project involve animal subjects: Yes
Duty:
1.

Grow genetically engineered cells and do functional screening for CD36 small chemical molecule inhibitor.

2.

Write an abstract and prepare for a poster with the PI and PI’s postdoctoral fellow.

3.

Present his results in the lab meeting and UAB CaRes program.

Preceptor will provide intern with access to the following:
Office or desk space, Computer and printer, Laboratory work bench space, Supplies needed to complete project, Equipment needed to complete project
Likelihood that intern will be included as an author on one or more publications
related to this summer research project: Very likely
Areas in which the ideal candidates will have experience:
Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Laboratory Skills, basic knowledge, Literature Review Skills, Molecular Biology, Pharmacology

Status: Filled – Intern: Kevin Luque-Sanchez
Intern: Kevin Luque-Sanchez
Faculty Name: renata-jaskula-sztul
UAB Department: Surgery
UAB School: UAB School of Medicine
Campus Address: 310H Wallace Tumor Institute; 1824 6th Av South
Telephone Number: (205) 975-3507
Email: sztul@uab.edu or Click to Send E-Mail
For how many summers have you served as a preceptor: 3 or more
CCC Research Area: Cancer Biology
Number of hours per week that the preceptor will personally supervise or work with the intern: 20
Other faculty, staff, or graduate students who may help to supervise the intern:
1. Jason Whitt, PhD
2. Rachael Guenter, graduate student
Title of Project: 41RJ – Detecting the alterations in SSTR2 expression with HDAC inhibitors treatment for neuroendocrine cancer therapy
Project Description:

Neuroendocrine (NE) cancers such as carcinoids, pancreatic islet cell tumors, and medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) frequently metastasize to the liver. Despite various complex management strategies for NE liver metastases, surgery is the only treatment that offers potential for cure. There is a critical need to de¬ve¬lop new therapeutic options to reduce NE cancer progression and excessive hormone secretion.
More recently, NET imaging using PET/CT with radiolabeled somatostatin analogs that specifically target somatostatin receptor subtype 2 (SSTR2) is becoming more standard as many NETs overexpress SSTR2. Just as importantly, NET patients with low SSTR2 expression are not eligible for newly developed promising treatments which target SSTR2. We have found that an HDAC inhibitors can upregulate the expression of SSTR2 in NET cell lines. In this study we will use a non-cytotoxic dose of TDP-A, FK228 and entinostat to induce SSTR2 expression. Our hypothesis is that the HDAC inhibitors can upregulate NET SSTR2 expression in vitro and in vivo to improve SSTR2-specific targeting for tumor imaging and potential treatments.
Specific Aim: To test the ability of the HDAC inhibitors to upregulate NET SSTR2 expression in vitro and in vivo for im¬proved diagnostics and therapeutic targeting.

Our in vitro preliminary studies have shown an upregulation of SSTR2 at the protein level following treatment by HDACi’s. We have measured the basal protein expression level of SSTR2 in human different NET cell lines. Interestingly, the pulmonary carcinoid cell line H727 has the lowest basal expression of SSTR2 among all NET cells. In this proposed study, we will continue experiments using NET cell lines H727, UMC11, BON, QGP, TT and MZ. To further investigate the effects of HDACi on SSTR2, we will test SSTR2 gene expression through RT-PCR and Western blot before and after treatment with this HDACi. We have begun evaluating the effect of TDP-A on SSTR2-based imaging by performing both an image stream and flow cytometry analysis on NE carcinoid cells pre-treated with TDP-A and followed by detecting the specific binding of octreotide fluorescently labeled with Cy5 (OCT-Cy5). OCT is a somatostatin analog with high targeting affinity to SSTR2 that we labeled with Cy5, a fluorophore for visualization. After treating NET cells with TDP-A, we observed improved binding of this analog. The flow cytometry analysis con¬firmed a 2-fold increase in the uptake of OCT-Cy5 after the TDP-A pre-treatment. This SSTR2 upregulation technique is extremely novel and has the potential to allow for a new method of imaging and potential targeted treatments for NET patients.

More information can be found in the recently published papers:
1. Guenter R, Aweda T, Carmona Matos DM, Whitt J, Chang AW, Cheng E, Liu MX, Chen H, Lapi SE, Jaskula-Sztul R. Pulmonary carcinoid surface receptor modulation using histone deacetylase inhibitors. Cancers, 2019 Jun 3; 11(6). PMCID:PMC6627607
2. Guenter R, Aweda T, Whitt J, Chang A, Liu XM, Chen H, Lapi SE, Jaskula-Sztul R. Overexpression of somatostatin receptor type 2 (SSTR2) in neuroendocrine tumors for improved [68Ga]DOTATATE imaging and treatment. Surgery, 2020 Jan;167(1):189-196. PMID:31629542

Project Status: Already up and running
Location of Project: Birmingham, AL (UAB)
Proposed Start Date: June 1, 2020
Proposed End Date: August 14, 2020
Expected work schedule for intern: Not very flexible, intern MUST be at work on certain days of the week and at certain times of the day (as may be necessary to interview patients, attend lab meetings, process samples, etc.) and should contribute full-time effort.
Category of Project: Laboratory Research
Cancer topic: Lung and Bronchus, Pancreas, Thyroid
Does this project involve human subjects: No
Does this project involve animal subjects: Yes
Duty:
1.

NET cell culturing and treatment

2.

performing RT-PCR, Western blots, flow cytometry

3.

analyze data

Preceptor will provide intern with access to the following:
Office or desk space, Computer and printer, Laboratory work bench space, Supplies needed to complete project, Equipment needed to complete project
Likelihood that intern will be included as an author on one or more publications
related to this summer research project: Very likely
Areas in which the ideal candidates will have experience:
Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Laboratory Skills, basic knowledge, Pharmacology

Status: Filled – Intern: Monica Sai Pasala
Intern: Monica Sai Pasala
Faculty Name: steve-aller-2
UAB Department: Pharmacology & Toxicology
UAB School: Medicine
Campus Address: 1025 18th Street South
Telephone Number: (205) 975-5010
Email: sgaller@uab.edu or Click to Send E-Mail
For how many summers have you served as a preceptor: 0
CCC Research Area: Experimental Therapeutics
Number of hours per week that the preceptor will personally supervise or work with the intern: 10
Other faculty, staff, or graduate students who may help to supervise the intern:
1. Mr. Cole Martin (graduate student)
2. Dr. David Chester
Title of Project: 40SA – Protein-based scaffolds for targeting cancer cell surface epitopes
Project Description:

During our characterization of the structure of a novel bacterial toxin, we have determined that the toxin architecture is comprised of a highly redundant antibody-like (IgG-like) domains for recognizing and binding to cell surface targets. The targeting mechanism of the wildtype toxin is highly specific because it targets insects but is not harmful to mammalian cells. We propose that the endogenous IgG-like domains can be replaced, and other modifications can be made, that will allow us to switch the targeting of the toxin to membrane proteins that are upregulated and/or overexpressed at the surface of human cancer cells. If successful, our engineering of the toxin will allow a novel cell delivery, targeting and killing agent – all in one protein that is inexpensive to produce, and may have advantages over current immunotherapies such as monoclonal antibodies or CAR-T therapies. This project entails structural- and functional exploration of this concept, and includes techniques such as basic biochemistry, cell culture, cell binding assays, standard molecular biology, protein purification and cryo-electron microscopy.

Project Status: Already up and running
Location of Project: Birmingham, AL (UAB)
Proposed Start Date: May 4, 2020
Proposed End Date: July 27, 2020
Expected work schedule for intern: Not very flexible, intern MUST be at work on certain days of the week and at certain times of the day (as may be necessary to interview patients, attend lab meetings, process samples, etc.) and should contribute full-time effort.
Category of Project: Laboratory Research
Cancer topic: Breast, Pancreas, Prostate, Multiple Cancer Sites
Does this project involve human subjects: No
Does this project involve animal subjects: No
Duty:
1.

Basic laboratory research, including basic biochemistry, cell culture, cell binding assays, standard molecular biology, protein purification and cryo-electron microscopy.

2.

The CaRES student will work closely with a graduate student on the project, and the project already has good momentum.

3.

Participate in regular lab meetings, and summarize results

Preceptor will provide intern with access to the following:
Office or desk space, Computer and printer, Laboratory work bench space, Supplies needed to complete project, Equipment needed to complete project
Likelihood that intern will be included as an author on one or more publications
related to this summer research project: Possible
Areas in which the ideal candidates will have experience:
Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Computer Programming, Molecular Biology, protein purification

Status: Filled – Intern: Lita Araysi
Intern: Lita Araysi
Faculty Name: rebecca-arend
UAB Department: Obstetrics & Gynecology
UAB School: School of Medicine
Campus Address: WTI 430 J, 1824 6th Ave South
Telephone Number: (205) 934-7789
Email: rarend@uabmc.edu or Click to Send E-Mail
For how many summers have you served as a preceptor: 3 or more
CCC Research Area: Cancer Biology
Number of hours per week that the preceptor will personally supervise or work with the intern: 1
Other faculty, staff, or graduate students who may help to supervise the intern:
1. Angelina Londono
2. Carly Bess Williams
Title of Project: 39RA – Personalized Medicin Initiative in Gynecologic Oncology
Project Description:

Molecular profiling can play an important role in making treatment decisions and is becoming a critical component in optimizing personalized medicine cancer care. The GYN ONC UAB personalized medicine initiative (PMI) started in September 2015 and continues to play a vital role in patient care. The student will learn to manage and maintain the database that captures all the clinical information for each patient that is part of the study. We are in the process of completing a manuscript that the student might be able to help with.

Project Status: Will begin on or before the CaRES student’s start date
Location of Project: Birmingham, AL (UAB)
Proposed Start Date: May 4, 2020
Proposed End Date: August 28, 2020
Expected work schedule for intern: Flexible, intern can largely set his or her own schedule (as for students who are instructed how to proceed and are permitted to work independently with weekly guidance) and should contribute full-time effort.
Category of Project: Clinical (Patient Care) Research
Cancer topic: Cervix, Genetics, Ovary, Treatment, Uterus
Does this project involve human subjects: Yes
Does this project involve animal subjects: No
Duty:
1.

Look up clinical information for the patients that are part of the study

2.

Help generate graphs and tables that summarize the results

3.

Present results at weekly meetings and prepare a poster or talk by the end of 12 weeks

Preceptor will provide intern with access to the following:
Office or desk space, Computer and printer
Likelihood that intern will be included as an author on one or more publications
related to this summer research project: Possible
Areas in which the ideal candidates will have experience:
NONE OF THE ABOVE (just the willingness to learn)

Status: Available
Intern:
Faculty Name: tiffany-carson
UAB Department: Medicine
UAB School: Medicine
Campus Address: Medical Towers 639
Telephone Number: (205) 934-1443
Email: tiffanycarson@Uabmc.edu or Click to Send E-Mail
For how many summers have you served as a preceptor: 3 or more
CCC Research Area: Cancer Control and Population Science
Number of hours per week that the preceptor will personally supervise or work with the intern: 2
Other faculty, staff, or graduate students who may help to supervise the intern:
1. Janice Philips
2. Rebecca Little
Title of Project: FEED ME: Feeding study to Evaluate the Effects of the DASH diet of the Microbial Environment
Project Description:

FEED ME is a study of a generally healthy sample of 14 black and 14 white females with obesity to participate in a 28-day pilot, feasibility randomized controlled feeding study. Participants will be randomized to receive either a calorie-restricted DASH diet or a calorie-restricted standard American diet. All meals will be provided by the study. We are using 2 different calorie-restricted diets to allow for further investigation of the association between a specific dietary pattern and metabolic products of the gut microbiota across diverse racial groups. The DASH diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy, is commonly recommended for heart health and has been shown to lower blood pressure and produce weight loss. However, to our knowledge, the effect of the DASH diet on the gut microbiota has not been studied. Because the DASH diet provides substantial fiber, we hypothesize that consumption of the DASH diet will lead to improvements in the gut microbiota of black and white females. Fecal samples will be collected at multiple time points before, during, and after the dietary intervention and will be analyzed using PCR to amplify the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene and to sequence bases using the MiSeq platform. Sequenced data will then be analyzed using QIIME. We hypothesize that characteristics of the gut microbiota will mediate the response to calorie restriction. We will also evaluate functional-level markers including bile acid and short chain fatty acid (SCFA) production and inflammatory markers. If our hypothesis is supported, we expect to see reduced production of secondary bile acids (e.g., deoxycholic acid), greater SCFA production (e.g, butyrate), and reduction in gut and systemic inflammation (e.g, calprotectin, IL-6) among participants receiving the calorie-restricted DASH diet compared to the standard American diet. Our findings will provide preliminary evidence for the gut microbiota as a potential point of intervention to improve weight loss outcomes as well as evidence for DASH diet as an approach for cultivating a healthier gut microbiota across racially diverse populations. These findings can impact clinical, translational, and population-level approaches for modification of the gut microbiota to reduce the prevalence of obesity and related disparities.

Project Status: Already up and running
Location of Project: Birmingham, AL (UAB)
Proposed Start Date: May 4, 2020
Proposed End Date: August 28, 2020
Expected work schedule for intern: Not very flexible, intern MUST be at work on certain days of the week and at certain times of the day (as may be necessary to interview patients, attend lab meetings, process samples, etc.) and should contribute full-time effort.
Category of Project: Community-Based or Field Research
Cancer topic: Colon and rectum, Diet and Nutrition, Obesity
Does this project involve human subjects: Yes
Does this project involve animal subjects: No
Duty:
1.

data collection

2.

data entry

3.

facilitate participant feeding visits

Preceptor will provide intern with access to the following:
Office or desk space, Computer and printer, Supplies needed to complete project, Equipment needed to complete project
Likelihood that intern will be included as an author on one or more publications
related to this summer research project: Possible
Areas in which the ideal candidates will have experience:
Literature Review Skills, Manuscript Preparation for Submission to a Journal, Obesity and Diet

Status: Filled – Intern: David Hall
Intern: David Hall
Faculty Name: mary-kathryn-sewell-loftin
UAB Department: Biomedical Engineering
UAB School: Medicine
Campus Address: 630A WTI
Telephone Number: (205) 908-3999
Email: mksewellloftin@uab.edu or Click to Send E-Mail
For how many summers have you served as a preceptor: 0
CCC Research Area: Cancer Biology
Number of hours per week that the preceptor will personally supervise or work with the intern: 40
Other faculty, staff, or graduate students who may help to supervise the intern:
1. Dr. Ralph Sanderson
2. N/A
Title of Project: 37MS – Investigating angiogenesis in the tumor microenvironment
Project Description:

Our lab focuses on how biomechanical factors affect tumor progression and angiogenesis. We utilize a microfluidic device made from poly(dimethylsiloxane), a clear polymer, that allows us to create small tissue mimics that contain multiple human cell lines including fibroblasts and endothelial cells (ECs). The ECs will organize into vascular networks, allowing us to interrogate how different biomechanical parameters (ECM composition, stiffness, etc.) affect blood vessel growth. Previously, our work has shown that cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) promote increased angiogenesis through mechanical activity independently of soluble growth factors. This project will specifically investigate how angiogenesis is regulated when the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 (VEGFR2) is inhibited with shRNA in the presence of mechanical stimulation from CAFs.

Project Status: Will begin on or before the CaRES student’s start date
Location of Project: Birmingham, AL (UAB)
Proposed Start Date: June 1, 2020
Proposed End Date: August 28, 2020
Expected work schedule for intern: Not very flexible, intern MUST be at work on certain days of the week and at certain times of the day (as may be necessary to interview patients, attend lab meetings, process samples, etc.) and should contribute full-time effort.
Category of Project: Laboratory Research
Cancer topic: Breast
Does this project involve human subjects: No
Does this project involve animal subjects: No
Duty:
1.

Cell Culture – The intern will be performing routine cell culture, including propagation/passaging and transfection with lentiviral reagents for delivery of shRNA.

2.

Protein Analysis – The intern will be performing Western Blots on various cell lines for characterization purposes and to validate any shRNA experiments.

3.

3D Cell Culture models – The intern will be trained in the generation and use of 3D tissue culture methods involving co-culture of various cell types in fibrin-based matrices. Immunofluorescence will be used to analyze the systems.

Preceptor will provide intern with access to the following:
Office or desk space, Computer and printer, Laboratory work bench space, Supplies needed to complete project, Equipment needed to complete project
Likelihood that intern will be included as an author on one or more publications
related to this summer research project: Very likely
Areas in which the ideal candidates will have experience:
Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Laboratory Skills, basic knowledge, Molecular Biology, Statistics and Data Management, basic knowledge

Status: Filled – Intern: Sheila Mallenahalli
Intern: Sheila Mallenahalli
Faculty Name: gregory-pavela
UAB Department: Health Behavior
UAB School: Public Health
Campus Address: 227K
Telephone Number: (205) 934-6032
Email: pavela@uab.edu or Click to Send E-Mail
For how many summers have you served as a preceptor: 0
CCC Research Area: Cancer Control and Population Science
Number of hours per week that the preceptor will personally supervise or work with the intern: 4
Other faculty, staff, or graduate students who may help to supervise the intern:
1. Ms. Julie Brown
2. Kathryn Kaiser
Title of Project: 36GP – Physical Activity as Effect Modifier of the Association between Obesity and Cancer
Project Description:

Increased body fatness is associated with an increased risk of many cancers whereas physical activity is associated with a reduced risk of many cancers. While some of the association between physical activity and a reduced risk of cancer may be due to physically active individuals being leaner, on average, than sedentary individuals, physical activity likely exerts benefits beyond its effects on weight. The protective benefits of physical activity may be greater for obese individuals as some of the hypothesized mechanisms linking obesity to cancer, including adipokines and insulin resistance, are affected by physical activity. This project will thus determine whether the association between obesity and cancer is modified by physical activity, with the hypothesis that the cancer-protective benefits of physical activity will be greater in obese individuals. We will test this hypothesis using data from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative panel study of US adults aged 51 and older.

Project Status: Will begin on or before the CaRES student’s start date
Location of Project: Birmingham, AL (UAB)
Proposed Start Date: May 4, 2020
Proposed End Date: July 24, 2020
Expected work schedule for intern: Flexible, intern can largely set his or her own schedule (as for students who are instructed how to proceed and are permitted to work independently with weekly guidance) and should contribute full-time effort.
Category of Project: Analytical/Statistical Research
Cancer topic: Multiple Cancer Sites
Does this project involve human subjects: No
Does this project involve animal subjects: No
Duty:
1.

Download and clean data (create and rename variables, identify missing data). Data will come from the RAND Longitudinal Data File, which is already a fairly clean and easy-to-use dataset. As part of downloading and cleaning data, you will be expected to create and manage the folders necessary to organize the project’s activity, with guidance from the preceptor.

2.

Using the cleaned dataset, produce summary statistics to identify potential issues with the data and conduct bivariate analyses to understand associations between variables.

3.

Create a poster summarizing the results produced in Duty 2, in addition to results from regression analyses conducted by the Preceptor (and by the intern in close collaboration with the Preceptor).

Preceptor will provide intern with access to the following:
Office or desk space, Computer and printer
Likelihood that intern will be included as an author on one or more publications
related to this summer research project: Very likely
Areas in which the ideal candidates will have experience:
Obesity and Diet, SAS Programming, Statistics and Data Management advanced

Status: Filled – Intern: Russell Petersen
Intern: Russell Petersen
Faculty Name: kristen-triebel
UAB Department: Neurology
UAB School: School of Medicine
Campus Address: 1720 7th Ave S Birmingham, AL 35294
Telephone Number: (205) 996-9366
Email: meredithgammon@uabmc.edu or Click to Send E-Mail
For how many summers have you served as a preceptor: 1
CCC Research Area: Cancer Control and Population Science
Number of hours per week that the preceptor will personally supervise or work with the intern: 20
Other faculty, staff, or graduate students who may help to supervise the intern:
1. Meredith Gammon
2. Victor DelBene
Title of Project: 35KT – Medical Decision Making Capacity in Patients with Advanced Cancer
Project Description:

The absence of research on metastatic brain cancer represents a critical gap in the empirical literature investigating capacity to make medical decisions in patients with advanced cancer. Individuals with metastatic cancer must make ongoing treatment decisions in the course of protracted illnesses that steadily erode cognitive capacity. Due to cognitive impairment, emotional distress, and other changes occurring as a result of their severe illness, individuals with metastatic cancer frequently have reduced capacity to make well-informed decisions about their medical treatment. Surprisingly though, decisional capacity is not routinely assessed in this patient population prior to patients’ consenting to treatment.

Project Status: Already up and running
Location of Project: Birmingham, AL (UAB)
Proposed Start Date: May 4, 2020
Proposed End Date: August 28, 2020
Expected work schedule for intern: Flexible, intern can largely set his or her own schedule (as for students who are instructed how to proceed and are permitted to work independently with weekly guidance) and should contribute full-time effort.
Category of Project: Clinical (Patient Care) Research
Cancer topic: Brain, Radiation, Treatment, Multiple Cancer Sites
Does this project involve human subjects: Yes
Does this project involve animal subjects: No
Duty:
1.

Manuscript preparation

2.

Analyze data

3.

Poster presentation

Preceptor will provide intern with access to the following:
Office or desk space, Computer and printer, Laboratory work bench space, Supplies needed to complete project, Equipment needed to complete project
Likelihood that intern will be included as an author on one or more publications
related to this summer research project: Very likely
Areas in which the ideal candidates will have experience:
Literature Review Skills, Manuscript Preparation for Submission to a Journal, Patient Care

Status: Filled – Intern: Dario Marotta
Intern: Dario Marotta
Faculty Name: kristen-triebel-2
UAB Department: Neurology
UAB School: School of Medicine
Campus Address: 650 Sparks Center
Telephone Number: (205) 996-9366
Email: meredithgammon@uabmc.edu or Click to Send E-Mail
For how many summers have you served as a preceptor: 1
CCC Research Area: Other/Unsure/None of the Above
Number of hours per week that the preceptor will personally supervise or work with the intern: 20
Other faculty, staff, or graduate students who may help to supervise the intern:
1. Meredith Gammon
2. Adam Gerstenecker
Title of Project: 34KT – Cosmetically Appealing Hair Removal Strategies During Transcranial Neurosurgical Procedures
Project Description:

Many cancer patients undergo craniotomy each year with varying cosmetic outcomes. Cosmetic outcomes, particularly the removal or disturbance of hair, have significant effects on self-esteem and mood which negatively impact a patient’s overall quality of life. Despite several studies showing that completely preserving hair is not significantly associated with postoperative infection or adverse outcomes, some surgeons and patients remain hesitant and elect to shave incision sites. To our knowledge, a comprehensive guide for concealing scalp incisions with cosmetically appealing hair removal strategies during transcranial neurosurgical procedures has yet to be developed. This project aims to develop such a guide to be used in future studies with an overarching goal of reducing impacts of cosmetic disturbances following neurosurgical procedures while improving self-esteem and overall quality of life.

Project Status: Will begin on or before the CaRES student’s start date
Location of Project: Huntsville, AL (HudsonAlpha)
Proposed Start Date: May 5, 2020
Proposed End Date: August 28, 2020
Expected work schedule for intern: Flexible, intern can largely set his or her own schedule (as for students who are instructed how to proceed and are permitted to work independently with weekly guidance) and should contribute full-time effort.
Category of Project: Clinical (Patient Care) Research
Cancer topic: Brain, Survivorship, Treatment
Does this project involve human subjects: Yes
Does this project involve animal subjects: No
Duty:
1.

Develop a manual for this surgical procedure.

2.

Develop a study protocol

3.

Initiate the project and collect data.

Preceptor will provide intern with access to the following:
Office or desk space, Computer and printer, Laboratory work bench space, Supplies needed to complete project, Equipment needed to complete project
Likelihood that intern will be included as an author on one or more publications
related to this summer research project: Very likely
Areas in which the ideal candidates will have experience:
Literature Review Skills, Manuscript Preparation for Submission to a Journal, Willingness to learn