Residents, fellows, nurses and faculty submitted 95 abstracts representing their research projects—up from 82 submitted in 2010— for Research Week held from May 17-20 2011. About 95% of the submissions were posters, and the remainder were electronic abstracts that were displayed on a computer in the Health Sciences Library. (Download the 2011 Research Week abstract booklet - 326k pdf.)

Keynote Addresses

Attendees were privileged to hear 2 thought-provoking keynote speakers from Yale University School of Medicine, Dr. Lisa Sanders whose topic was "A 22 Year-Old Woman With Fever and Jaundice: A Case of Diagnostic Error," and Dr. Gerald Shulman who spoke about "Cellular Mechanisms of Insulin Resistance: Implications for Type 2 Diabetes, Obesity and Lipodystrophy."

Research Week Awards

The Research Week Award committee reviewed 15 abstracts for the prizes of Innovation & Significance in Research, and 22 abstracts for the prizes of Excellence in Qualitative and Quantitative Clinical Education Research. The committee, chaired by Dr. Howard Smithline, included Drs. Daniel Skiest, Neil Connelly, Holley Allen, Tara Lagu, James Mueller, Timothy Mader, and John Romanelli.

The Research Week awards were presented by Dr. Kevin Hinchey, acting DIO. (For a complete description of each award and past recipients, visit the Research Week website.)

Award for Outstanding Achievements in Clinical Research

This award recognizes the outstanding contribution of a research staff member to either the conduct of clinical research within Baystate Health (systems contribution) or to the field (regional or national recognition).

• Barbara Burkott, RN, BSN, CCRP, Manager, Surgical Research

Award for Significance in Research

Autonomy and Parental Support Associated With Better A1Cs for Teens

• Thomas Wadzinski, MD, Resident, Department of Pediatrics
• Adam Kasper, MS
• Jane Garb, MS, Biostatistician, Epidemiology & Biostatistics
• Paul Visintainer, PhD, Director, Epidemiology & Biostatistics
• Holley Allen, MD, Program Director, Pediatric Endocrinology Fellowship

This poster presentation was made at the Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, May 2011.

Award for Innovation in Research

Stomal Expression of YKL-40 Correlates With Disease Free Survival in Colorectal Cancer

• Christopher Chapman, MD, Resident, Department of Pathology
• Hannah Swayze-Quinn, MD, Resident, Department of Pathology
• Michael Kuperman, MD, Resident, Department of Pathology
• Frida Rosenblum, MD, Resident, Department of Pathology
• Sabha Ganai, MD, PhD, Resident, Department of Surgery
• Richard Arenas, MD, Chief, Surgical Oncology Division
• Rong Shao, PhD, Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute
• Q. Jackie Cao, MD, PhD, Associate Program Director, Cytopathology Fellowship

This poster presentation was made at the United States & Canadian Academy of Pathology Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX, March 2011.

Excellence in Quantitative Clinical Education Research Award

Are Employees Ready for Simulation? The Development of a Readiness for Simulation Scale

• Rebecca Blanchard, PhD, Assistant Professor, Education Development & Research
• Whitney Wilshire, PhD
• John Darby, MD
• Robert Bing-You, MD, Maine Medical Center
• Cindy Tack, LCSW

This poster was presented at the Northeast Group on Educational Affairs Annual Conference, Washington, DC, March 2011.

Excellence in Qualitative Clinical Education Research Award

Gender Differences in New Residents' Perceptions of Their Preparation to Teach

• Elisabeth Bennett PhD, Director, Education Development & Research
• Rebecca Blanchard PhD, Assistant Professor, Education Development & Research
• Brendan Kelly MD, Associate Program Director, Medicine-Pediatrics Residency

This poster was presented at the Northeast Group on Educational Affairs Annual Conference, Washington, DC, March 2011.

This article was published in the June 2011 Academics@Baystate newsletter.