Department of Physiology students deliver strong showing at society’s state conference

From left are quiz team members Gwendolyn Adoteye, Patrick Mueller, David Abdelnour, Russell Elkus, Mia Biernat, Ada Squires, Alexander Jakubiec, Isaac Baiden, Olivia Camp and Afoluso Olayonwa.

Several graduate and undergraduate students representing the Wayne State University School of Medicine’s Department of Physiology were honored with first and second place finishes for their poster and oral presentations at the 11th annual Michigan Physiological Society Conference, held June 24-25 at Oakland University in Rochester, Mich.

Students and faculty from Michigan colleges attended the meeting, with research presentations by students from WSU, OU, Michigan State University, Michigan Technology University and the University of Michigan.

Established in 2013, the Michigan Physiological Society is a chapter of the American Physiological Society. The mission of the Michigan Physiological Society is to promote an increase of integrative physiological knowledge, its dissemination and its utilization in the state.

“When our students receive awards along with those participants from U of M, MSU and smaller programs with substantial research programs, it’s a nice yardstick to which to compare ourselves,” said Associate Professor of Physiology Patrick Mueller, Ph.D. “In reality, the awards reflect the hard work and dedication of the individual WSU trainees, mentors and laboratory support personnel to the discipline of Physiology and their loyalty to the MPS by their participation. The time and preparation spent putting together a good talk or poster is not insignificant, and for some students can help them in the next stages of their careers, whether it be graduate school, medical school or some other important health-related profession.”

Additionally, the WSU’s Undergraduate Physiology Quiz Team was again named state champs at the conference’s Quiz Bowl Competition, having won first place in 2023 as well.

“I like to think of myself as the general manager who has a remarkably generous team of graduate student coaches, who eagerly volunteer their time to prepare the undergraduate students for the Quiz each year,” Dr. Mueller added. “By volunteering their time and expertise, the graduate students reinforce their own knowledge, gain some valuable teaching experience and build relationships with the undergraduate students, who see them as possibilities for themselves one day,”

The undergraduate team consisting of David Abdelnour, Russel Elkus, Mia Biernat, Alexander Jakubiec and Ada Squires beat teams from Alma College, Michigan State University and Oakland University. This year marked the seventh year of the competition. WSU teams also captured first place in 2017 and 2018, and second in 2019.

Postdoctoral fellow Jessica Granados Pineda, who is mentored by Henry Ford Health’s Pablo Ortiz, Ph.D., an adjunct faculty member, was selected to give the trainee keynote at the conference, presenting “Inhibiting Renal Traf2 and NCK Interacting Kinase (TNIK) Decreases NKKC2 Phosphorylation and Blunts Salt-Sensitive Hypertension.”

Wayne State University winners from the conference include:

Undergraduate Poster Awards

Freya Nath receives her award from Michigan Physiological Society President Brianna Harfmann of Alma College.

First place: Freya Nath (Mentor: Dr. Patrick Mueller), for “Sex-Based Differences in the Histological Area of the Brainstem and Rostral Ventrolateral Medulla in Sprague-Dawley Rats”

Graduate Poster Awards

First place: Andrew Butcko (Mentor: Dr. Emilio Mottillo), for “Hepatic Expression of Human PNPLA3-I148M Protects Against Diet Induced Cardiac Alterations in Mice”

Second place: Dylan Kissane (Mentor: Dr. Jason Mateika), for “Repeated Daily Exposure to Mild Intermittent Hypoxia Leads to an Eight-Week Reduction in Blood Pressure and Improvement in Microvascular Function in OSA Patients with Hypertension”

Third place: Amber Jackson (Mentor: Dr. Patrick Mueller), for “Enhancing Future Aspirations: The Impact of Early Exposure Programs on Detroit Youth Motivation to Pursue Higher Education and Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math”

Niella Amore, at right, is presented with her award from Brianna Harfmann.

Undergraduate Oral Presentation Awards

First place: Niella Amore (Mentor: Dr. Patrick Mueller), for “Chemical Stimulation of the Nasopharyngeal Reflex in Female Rats May Reveal Potential Cardioprotective Roles of the Female Reproductive Cycle and a Physically Active Lifestyle”

Graduate Oral Presentation Awards

First place: David Abdelnour (Mentor: Dr. Tamara Hew-Butler), for “Relative Handgrip Strength as an Indicator of Health and Performance in Young Adults”

David Abdelnour, at left, is now a first-year medical student with the WSU School of Medicine.

Second place: Olivia Camp (Mentor: Dr. Husam Abu-Soud), for “The Presence of an Endometrioma Adversely Impacts Cortical and Peri-Follicular Blood Flow in Ipsilateral Ovary Potentially Contributing to Poor Oocyte Quality”

Learn more about the WSU Department of Physiology at https://physiology.med.wayne.edu/