Newsroom

By Jan Jarvis

 
Alissa Mirochnitchenko anticipated that her poster on survival sex, drug use and reproductive autonomy might get noticed by a few people at Research Appreciation Day.

But the medical science student underestimated its appeal.

“I feel like I’ve been talking all day,” she said. “I guess the title was really enticing to faculty, students, every one walking by.”

Mirochnitchenko was among about 248 people presenting posters at Research Appreciation Day, or RAD, an annual celebration of the outstanding quality and range of research conducted at UNT Health Science Center.

It’s also an opportunity for students, faculty and staff to share research efforts with the campus community and the public.

The event buzzed with energy as faculty, students and other visitors browsed through the rows of posters on display in the Gibson Library, a fact not lost on keynote speaker Dr. Patricia Flatley Brennan, Director of the National Library of Medicine.

“I have never been in a room with so much excitement, energy and noise,” she said. “And we were in a library.”

UNT System Chancellor Lesa Roe echoed the enthusiasm surrounding RAD.

“This is such a great model, and I think all of the universities should be coming here to see this great display of research,” she said. “I’m so amazed with how incredibly bright everyone is, and I’m so impressed with their ability to present their work.”

Nicolet Finger, a second-year student at Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, was surprised by all the interest in her poster about a patient who was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer at seven months and now is 19.

“There’s a lot more people walking by and asking questions than I expected,” she said. “I figured the only people who would be interested would be the judges.”

Judges were out in force looking at every poster, something that Jordan Lydia Torres, a fourth-year TCOM student, found a little unnerving.

Doing the research and then creating her poster on the Reoccurrence of Neurotoxicity in Teenagers Undergoing Chemotherapy, was the fun part, she said. Answering so many questions was more challenging, but rewarding nonetheless.

“This is a really good opportunity especially if you a plan to do an academic

residency,” she said. “This experience has been very beneficial.”

The fervor carried over to the MET, where Dr.  Brennan spoke on Data Powered Health and the Many Roles of Biomedical Scientists, Librarians and People.

Dr. Brennan addressed the crowd about the importance of engaging everyone regarding health. The National Library of Medicine is trying to give people new tools to help them explore health in the future, she said.

“We’re thinking of new ways to open up science so the participant becomes the beneficiary and not just the contributor,” Dr. Brennan said.

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