UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine medical students Thanushri Srikantha, Neil Chaudhary, and Alison Levine were awarded among the best projects of the 2025 UAB Medical Student Research Day (MSRD).
All three students completed summer research in the UAB Department of Surgery as a part of the Short-Term Research Experiences Advancing Medical Students (STREAMS) program and were recognized for their research with poster awards in the MSRD.
The MSRD allows medical students to showcase their projects from the previous academic year and encourages them to learn more about drafting abstracts, creating scientific posters, and practicing conference presentations.
About the awardees
Thanushri Srikantha was chosen as the first-place winner of MSRD and was mentored by Demario Overstreet, Ph.D. Her project is titled “Psychosocial Risk Factors for High-Impact Chronic Low Back Pain in Non-Hispanic Black Adults & Potential Implications for Back Surgery Outcomes.”Overstreet is an assistant professor in the UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery and studies factors that can positively or negatively impact the experience of acute or chronic pain in patients who have undergone surgical procedures. Thanushri's project has also been selected for a quickshot oral presentation at the Academic Surgical Congress, one of the most popular scientific meetings for medical students.
Neil Chaudhary was awarded second place in the MSRD and was mentored by Robert Hollis, M.D., MSPH. His project is titled “Health literacy, Stoma Self-efficacy, and Quality of Life after Ostomy Construction.” Hollis is an assistant professor in the UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery and a colorectal surgeon whose research centers on hereditary syndromes that increase the risk of colorectal cancer, health disparities within the field, and transitions of care for patients with ostomies.
Alison Levine was also selected for a second place award in the MSRD and was mentored by Robert Cannon, M.D. Her project is titled “Predicting Immediate Postoperative Extubation in Liver Transplantation.”Cannon is an associate professor at the UAB Division of Transplantation, who focuses on surgical outcomes research for patients needing liver and kidney transplants.
“The STREAMS program provides medical students with early research exposure, encouraging them to gain skills in producing their own evidence and empowering them to become physicians who can readily inform their clinical practice with the latest medical research,” says UAB Department of Surgery Associate Vice Chair of Basic Research Karin Hardiman, M.D., Ph.D.
About the STREAMS program
The Short-Term Research Experiences Advancing Medical Students (STREAMS) program gives selected medical students an outlet to pursue individualized research projects through facilitated summer mentorship opportunities. The UAB Department of Surgery assists students in locating mentors with shared research interests and covers a range of research areas, including basic science, translational, clinical, outcomes, and education research. The program accepts up to eight medical students each summer for 8-12-week periods and is funded by a National Institutes of Health training grant. The STREAM program is led by associate professor Jillian Richter, Ph.D., and assistant professor Robert Hollis, M.D., MSPH.