Students, Faculty Members Recognized at Research Forum

Seven UW students and two faculty members were recognized for outstanding research abstracts and presentations at the Western Student Medical Research Forum (WSMRF) and Resident's Forum in Carmel, Calif., Feb. 3-5.

The WSMRF and Resident's Forum are held in conjunction with the inter-society meetings of the Western American Federation for Medical Research (WAFMR), the Western Association of Physicians, the Western Society for Clinical Investigation (WSCI), the Western Society for Pediatric Research, and the California Thoracic Society.

The UW School of Medicine had 58 student abstracts and presentations. Among the 20 who received WAFMR/WSCI Subspecialty Awards for top student abstracts were UW students Maegan Ashworth for her work on HIV-1 exposed but uninfected infants; John Houghland for his work on outcomes of laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery; Jared Lee for his work on the identification of twist, a BHLH transcription factor; Gretchen Smith for her work on mosaicism in osteogenesis imperfecta; and Stephen Wiest for his work on adjustments in screening for dementia.

Two other students also received recognition for outstanding oral presentations: Anna Kirby won the Claude Lardinois Award and Amanda Bruegl received an honorable mention.

William Bremner, professor and chair of medicine, received the 2005 Mayo Soley Award from the Western Society for Clinical Investigation in recognition of lifetime achievement in scientific endeavors and for his concern for junior faculty. Steven Kahn, professor of medicine in the Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology, and Nutrition, received the Williams-Rachmiel Levine Award from the Western Metabolism Club in honor of outstanding academic achievement and training of young investigators.