Medical Student Research Program
Each year, the Center for Pediatric Trauma Research (CPTR) seeks medical students interested in conducting research related to pediatric trauma. This program, in conjunction with physicians at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, aims to provide medical students with firsthand research experience in the field of pediatric trauma.
Under the supervision of CPTR principal investigators, participating students will have the opportunity to conduct their own pediatric trauma-related research in collaboration with CPTR researchers and physicians at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Throughout the summer, each student is expected to:
- Choose a research topic related to pediatric trauma
- Conduct a literature review
- Develop a research hypothesis
- Analyze data from an existing national dataset to evaluate the topic and test the hypothesis
- Interpret and summarize findings in a manuscript which he/she writes as first author
- Submit the manuscript to a peer-reviewed scientific journal for publication
Principal investigators at CPTR will work together with each student to develop a research protocol and will help students seek funding to support their research projects.
Testimonials From Summer Students
"My research experience with the Center for Pediatric Trauma Research has been incredible. Working with Dr. Xiang and the other authors on this paper has enabled me to strengthen many skills related to conducting and disseminating clinical research. As a new researcher, I am thankful to have worked with a team that supported and encouraged me throughout the process."
- Eurella Vest
Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
| Publications |
| Lu A, Armstrong M, Alexander R, Vest E, Chang J, et al. (2024) Trends in pediatric prescription-opioid overdoses in U.S. emergency departments from 2008–2020: An epidemiologic study of pediatric opioid overdose ED visits. PLOS ONE 19(4): e0299163. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0299163 |
| Vest, E., Armstrong, M., Olbrecht, V. A., Thakkar, R. K., Fabia, R. B., Groner, J. I., Noffsinger, D., Tram, N. K., & Xiang, H. (2022). Association of Pre-procedural Anxiety with Procedure-related Pain During Outpatient Pediatric Burn Care: A Pilot Study. Journal of burn care & research : official publication of the American Burn Association, irac108. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/jbcr/irac108 |
"I had a wonderful experience working with Dr. Xiang and Megan! They supported me every step of the way when writing my paper and kept themselves available for questions throughout. I learned a lot about the intricacies of conveying research, and it will help me with any future research I pursue."
- Kate Jones
Northeast Ohio Medical University
"My summer research experience with the Center for Pediatric Trauma Research has been my most productive research experience yet! Dr. Xiang and his team provided me with great resources, mentorship, and an opportunity to write a manuscript on an emerging field–Virtual Reality. Dr. Xiang was always available to answer questions and provide iterative feedback, which enabled me to strengthen my scientific writing skills."
- Soumil Jain
The Ohio State University College of Medicine
| Publication |
|
Jain S, Armstrong M, Luna J, Thakkar RK, Fabia R, Groner JI, et al. (2024) Features of virtual reality impact effectiveness of VR pain alleviation therapeutics in pediatric burn patients: A randomized clinical trial. PLOS Digit Health 3(1): e0000440. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0000440 |
Congratulations to Soumil for his 1st place poster at the 2023 Nationwide Children's Hospital Research Retreat!
"I worked in Dr. Xiang's lab to analyze mortality rates of injury in the United States compared to other top causes of death from 1900-2020, such as cancer, heart disease, and influenza/pneumonia. We sought to better understand what influences these mortality trends, such as advancements, legislation, and funding opportunities."
- Nicholas Shneker
Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine - Dublin Campus
"My summer experience with the Center for Pediatric Trauma Research was great! After helping me acquire the necessary data and formulate a hypothesis, Dr. Xiang gave me full autonomy over the direction of the projection. Dr. Xiang and his team were very supportive throughout the process, and I was able to successfully publish a manuscript at the end of the summer."
- Penelope Dring
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
| Publication |
| Dring, P., Armstrong, M., Alexander, R., & Xiang, H. (2022). Emergency Department Visits for Heat-Related Emergency Conditions in the United States from 2008-2020. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(22), 14781. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192214781 |
"During my summer internship, I had the honor of working with Dr. Henry Xiang's team where I gained valuable skills and knowledge that I can apply to my future career endeavors. Dr. Xiang and his team possessed extensive knowledge on the subject matter and demonstrated immense patience in guiding me through the literature review, research ideas, project progress, and manuscript preparation. The experience was incredibly valuable as it opened the door to the field of medical research and inspired my interest in it."
- Audrey Lu
Columbus Academy
| Publication |
| Lu A, Armstrong M, Alexander R, Vest E, Chang J, et al. (2024) Trends in pediatric prescription-opioid overdoses in U.S. emergency departments from 2008–2020: An epidemiologic study of pediatric opioid overdose ED visits. PLOS ONE 19(4): e0299163. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0299163 |
|
Journal Article Title: Trends and Patterns of Prescription Opioid Overdose among Adolescents and Children (under review) Authors: Audrey Lu, Megan Armstrong, MPH, Robin Alexander, MS; Eurella Vest, BS; Motao Zhu, MD, MPH, Ph.D, Henry Xiang, MD, MPH, Ph.D., MBA |
"The best part of my summer research experience was the mentorship and flexibility throughout my project. I had the opportunity to perform the work that goes into a research project from start to finish; and I gained skills in collecting and analyzing data, as well as reviewing literature and writing a manuscript."
- Lindsay Young
University of Cincinnati Medical School
| Publication |
| Young, L. J., & Xiang, H. (2022). US racial and sex-based disparities in firearm-related death trends from 1981-2020. PloS one, 17(12), e0278304. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278304 |
"Conducting and publishing research under Dr. Xiang’s guidance taught me so much about how to design and investigate my own research question. I was able to formulate conclusions that contained implications for surgical research. In all, this experience allowed me to grow as a researcher and was an eye-opening experience in my aspirations of becoming a future physician."
- Allen Wang
Northwestern University
| Publication |
|
Wang, A., & Xiang, H. (2023). U.S. Leading Causes of Death and Years of Potential Life Lost, 1981-2019: Implications for Surgical Research. The Journal of surgical research, 281, 338–344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2022.06.071 |
"Under the direct supervision of Dr. Xiang and with support of CPTR team, I was able to experience the breadth of clinical research, from formulating a research question and implementing an intervention, to gathering data and submitting a manuscript. As a medical student applying to Pediatrics next year, my experience at the CPTR provided me with tools and experience that have already been helpful as I work towards my future career."
- Jonathan Lun
The Ohio State University College of Medicine
| Publication |
| Armstrong, M., Lun, J., Groner, J. I., Thakkar, R. K., Fabia, R., Noffsinger, D., Ni, A., Keesari, R., & Xiang, H. (2022). Mobile phone virtual reality game for pediatric home burn dressing pain management: a randomized feasibility clinical trial. Pilot and feasibility studies, 8(1), 186. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-022-01150-9 |