Second-Year Medical Students SOAR to Semifinals of the AMA Research Challenge

Classmates Briana Pope and Njasi Oji, second-year medical students and SOAR program participants, qualified for the semifinals in the American Medical Association Research Challenge!

The AMA Research Challenge is the largest national, multi-specialty medical research conference for medical students, residents and international medical graduates to showcase and present research. Advancing to the semifinals means their abstracts were ranked in the top three percent of all submissions.

Pope submitted her abstract “Psychosocial Predictors of Accelerated Brain Aging: A Study of Depression and Social Engagement in Healthy Older Adults” to the AMA research challenge after her SOAR summer research internship with Dr. Sigfus Kristinsson.

"I am honored to be a semifinalist in the AMA Research Challenge,” said Pope. “Before SOAR, I wasn’t sure if research was part of my future. With the guidance of Dr. Kristinsson at the School of Public Health, I have discovered a new passion for research that I hope to carry throughout my career."

Similarly, Oji participated in the SOAR program under the mentorship of Dr. Chao Cai. Her abstract is titled "Neighborhood Socioeconomic Context Mediates Racial Disparities in ADRD Diagnosis Among Older Breast Cancer Survivors.” 

“Being named an AMA Research Challenge semifinalist is a reflection of the invaluable mentorship I received through the SOAR program from both faculty at the SOM and my mentor Dr. Chao Cai,” said Oji. “I'm excited to continue working on this project to better understand and improve cognitive health outcomes for breast cancer survivors.”

Their accomplishments reflect the strength of our students’ dedication, the value of strong mentorship, and the exciting future of research at the SOMC. Both students will present their abstracts during a virtual symposium on October 22 to compete for the grand prize.