For the second straight year, a record number of medical students participated in the UNMC College of Medicine’s 2026 Medical Student Summer Research Program, with 109 students taking part.
The paid, eight-week research opportunity is open to rising M2s who are interested in exploring a research project.
“At the conclusion of the MSSRP, medical students submit an abstract showcasing their work,” said Kari Nelson, PhD, director of undergraduate medical education-research and enhanced medical education tracks for the college. “We had some exemplary projects by members of our most recent cohort. I’d like to congratulate our participants, the students who submitted the top five abstracts and thank our dedicated faculty mentors.”
The top five abstracts were determined by the Extracurricular Program Oversight Committee. The top five students, their faculty advisers and the titles of their abstracts are:
- Ben Stangl, Skye Kusler, mentor Shaheed Merani, MD, PhD: “The effect of donor age on post-transplant graft outcomes in donation after circulatory death liver transplantation when using normothermic regional perfusion.” See abstract.
- Noah L. Shackelford, mentors Austin Wheeler, MD, and Ted Mikuls, MD: “Serum proteomics of Methotrexate response in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.” See abstract.
- Kyle Dittmer, Natalie Holding, mentors Keely Buesing, MD, and Kevin Kemp, MD: “Association of prehospital whole blood transfusion with EMS run times in Omaha.” See abstract.
- Sam Fitzpatrick, mentors Maureen Kubat, Sara Bares, MD: “Patient knowledge and perceptions of weight gain associated with antiretroviral therapy.” See abstract.
- Natalie Holding, mentors Reynold Henry, MD, Christopher Barrett, MD, Emily Cantrell, MD: “Direct hospital costs associated with prehospital whole blood transfusion in adult trauma patients: A matched cohort study.” See abstract.