ҹɫ����

The ҹɫ����-Louisiana campus hosted its 3rd Annual Via Research Recognition Day on Feb. 28, 2025, bringing together health professionals, scientists, and students to celebrate and advance medical research. This annual event underscores ҹɫ����’s commitment to preparing globally minded, community-focused physicians while fostering research that improves health outcomes, particularly for underserved populations. 

Via Research Recognition Day provided a dynamic forum for researchers from academic institutions, teaching hospitals, and clinical practice sites to present groundbreaking work. Through keynote presentations and interactive sessions, attendees explored the latest findings in osteopathic manipulative therapy, emerging trends in physician-based research networks, and strategies for developing high-impact research projects. The event also featured a robust poster session, offering insight into biomedical, clinical, and education-simulation research conducted at ҹɫ����-Louisiana and its partner institutions.

A key milestone this year was the division of the biomedical research category into two sections—one showcasing research from ҹɫ����-affiliated presenters and another dedicated to contributions from partner institutions. This expansion underscored the event’s growing impact and the increasing enthusiasm for collaborative research within the ҹɫ���� community. Michalak elaborated, “We are excited to introduce a new category for residents, including some of our graduates returning to participate. The students are energized, and it has been great to see!” 

The event featured a keynote speaker, a plenary speaker, and a poster competition. The keynote address came from James Weger-Lucarelli, PhD, assistant professor at Virginia Tech. His presentation on “Host Metabolic Status as a Key Determinant of Viral Disease Progression and Transmission” illuminated his lab’s finding that identified a causal link between metabolic disease and more severe disease outcomes upon viral infection. 

P. Gunnar Brolinson, DO, vice provost for research at ҹɫ����, gave his plenary address on “The State of Research at ҹɫ����” where he shared insight into current research projects across the four campuses and future research initiatives. One aspect Dr. Brolinson shared is the success of our Research Eureka Accelerator Program (REAP), which is an internal seed grant initiative established by ҹɫ���� in 2016. Its primary objective is to foster synergy within specific research focus areas by providing substantial internal funding. REAP and other research seed funding programs encourage the development of multi-investigator teams, which may include collaborations across ҹɫ���� campuses and with external partners. The programs support both basic and translational research across various disciplines.

Beyond securing external funding, the seed funding opportunities also enhance student involvement in research. “This type of intramural funding allows our faculty to engage students in their projects,” Dr. Brolinson noted. Reflecting on his journey, Dr. Brolinson emphasized how research opportunities have expanded at ҹɫ����. “When I was a first-year osteopathic medical student, I didn’t see physician-scientist careers as a real possibility. Students at all ҹɫ���� campuses can envision that path because they see it firsthand.” He also highlighted the long-term impact of ҹɫ����’s research initiatives, particularly at the founding and longest-established Virginia campus. “We’ve had alumni return to Research Day as physician-scientists, presenting their work as former ҹɫ���� students.” 

In 2024, approximately $1.5 million in REAP grant funding was distributed across ҹɫ����’s four campuses, fueling innovative research and student-driven projects. This year, ҹɫ����-Louisiana was also proud to welcome back several of its graduates—now residents—who returned to participate in Research Recognition Day, showcasing the lasting influence of ҹɫ����’s research culture on their medical careers. 

Two prestigious research awards were presented. The Faculty Researcher of the Year award honors a faculty member actively engaged in an externally funded research program that involves student training, has led to significant publications, and has earned national recognition. The 2025 Faculty Researcher of the Year award recipient was Stephen DiGiuseppe, PhD, assistant professor for immunology and microbiology. 

The Student Researcher of the Year award recognizes a ҹɫ����-Louisiana student who demonstrates a strong commitment to research, contributes to published work during their time at ҹɫ����, participates in the DO with Research Distinction program, and presents their research at conferences. Tanya Kumar, Class of 2025, was the 2025 Student Researcher of the Year award recipient.  

Reflecting on the event’s impact, Dr. Brolinson highlighted its remarkable growth, attributing it to the dedication of ҹɫ����-Louisiana’s faculty and their commitment to student mentorship. “The explosive growth of Research Recognition Day speaks to the quality of our faculty and the mentoring they provide to students—because at ҹɫ����, we are all about students. The number of students engaging in research here is incredible! Even if they don’t pursue careers as physician-scientists, participating in research during medical school lays the foundation for critical thinking that will serve them throughout their medical careers, no matter the specialty.” 

With each passing year, Via Research Recognition Day further cements its role as a cornerstone of ҹɫ����-Louisiana’s research mission, fostering a culture of discovery and academic excellence.