SOMA Poster Forum¹ 

The 15th Annual National SOMA Research Symposium and Student Poster Competition were part of the annual AOA Research Conference and were supported by the AOA and SOMAboth of which, as previously stated, are committed to increasing student involvement in research. Moreover, both bodies recognize the important and critical role that research in clinical studies and basic science plays in bridging the gap between the laboratory and the bedside.

The theme of the 2011 research conference was The Science Supporting the Impact of OMT [Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment] on the Human Condition: The Structure-Function Relationship and Mechanisms of Action for Self-Regulatory and Healing Processes. Improving the scientific understanding of how OMT impacts health and disease exemplifies this concept. In particular, osteopathic medical students are uniquely trained to further research in osteopathic manipulative medicine and thus promote the progression of osteopathic principles and practice.

This year's SOMA abstracts were organized into the following 5 categories:

• osteopathic manipulative medicine/osteopathic principles and practice

• clinical studies

• basic science

• health policy

• research

A total of 86 student abstracts were accepted and presented at OMED. On October 31, 2011, judges met with student presenters and identified 3 first-place winners and 6 second-place winners, who were as follows:

1st Place

• Allison L. Macke, OMS II, et al, for their work entitled, Social, Societal, and Economic Burden of Mal de Debarquement Syndrome

• Timothy Gauntner, OMS IV, et al, for their work entitled, Evaluation of CCR1 Antagonists in Multiple Myeloma and Osteolytic Bone Disease

• Youssef A. Kousa, OMS VI, and Brian C. Schutte, PhD, for their work entitled, Intra-amniotic Gene Delivery of Irf6 to the Periderm Using an Adenoviral Vector

2nd Place

• Bryden Considine, OMS II, et al, for their work entitled, Role of Cathepsin Proteases and Niemann-Pick C1 Protein in Ebola Virus Infection

• Tova Appleson, OMS III, and Robert V. Hill, PhD, for their work entitled, Optimal Vascular Conduits for Multiple Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

• Christopher R. Engdahl, OMS I, et al, for their work entitled, Increase in Paraoxonase I Activity After Hemodialysis Is Not Caused by Changes in High-Density Lipoprotein Subclasses²

• Izabela B. Robel, OMS II, et al, for their work entitled, Salivary C-Reactive Protein and Adiponectin in Metabolic Syndrome

• Joseph J. Kosmach, OMS III, and Sean M. Lynch, PhD, for their work entitled, Thiocyanate Prevents Myeloperoxidase-Mediated Loss of Paraoxonase Activity From Human High-Density Lipoprotein³

• Semah B. Zavareh, OMS III, et al, for their work entitled, Autoantibodies Are Abundant in Human Sera and Are Useful for Disease Diagnostics⁴