First Place

Bryan-Clement Tiu:

Pilot Medical Mandarin Summer Course at UC Irvine School of Medicine

Bio:

Whitney Li, Bryan-Clement Tiu, Vicki Wang, and Yuwen Jian are 2nd year medical students at UC Irvine School of Medicine. We started the school’s first student-run flipped-classroom medical mandarin course in the summer of 2023 to cultivate a more linguistically competent physician workforce. The results of this project demonstrates a feasible approach to address language barriers in healthcare through education.

Runner Up

Amin Lim, Madeline Pan:

Comparison of Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault (DFSA) Evidence Kit Protocol Detail and Rate of DFSA Occurence in the Northeast and Southwest Regions of the United States

Bio:

Amin Lim graduated from Wellesley College with a B.A. in Neuroscience. Madeline Pan graduated from Southern Methodist University with a B.S. in Biological Sciences and a B.S. in Health & Society. We are interested in understanding different aspects regarding drug-facilitated sexual assault in the present day to provide healthcare that is better informed and equipped.

Abstract:

Drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) is a highly understudied form of sexual violence impacting nearly 15 million victims (Smith S, Zhang X, Basile K, et al.). Often, the victims of DFSA experience impaired state of consciousness (World Health Organization 2003), making it difficult for victims to advocate for themselves. Combined with the complexities (Prego-Meleiro P.) of DFSA cases, a precise DFSA Kit use by the medical staff critically impacts the quality of collected evidence. A preliminary systemic review of DFSA Kit protocols in the US was performed using a multifactorial grading scale to understand the role DFSA Kit protocol plays in effective prosecution of DFSA cases. We found that northeastern states scored significantly higher on the scale with greater details in instructions while there was a higher number of reported DFSA cases in the southwest region. A continued investigation will provide a better understanding of the current discrepancy in the protocol details across various US regions and their role in DFSA prevention and prosecution.

Third Place

Ivory Rok:

Quality Improvement: Evaluation of Stanford Mental Health for Asians Research and Treatment (SMHART) Clinic

Fourth Place

Joshua Jeyandran, Hasan Abaza:

Enhancing Referral Success for Underserved Hispanic Patients Through Follow-up calls

Bio:

Joshua Jeyandran and Hasan Abaza are third-year undergraduate students at The Ohio State University studying Medical Anthropology and Medical Laboratory Science, respectively. Their project was done in conjunction with La Clínica Latina, an OSU Hispanic free clinic, where they explored how the utilization of follow-up phone calls in Spanish detailing the referral process to patients impacted referral success within the clinic.

Abstract:

La Clínica Latina, a Student-Run Free Clinic (SRFC) aiding underserved Hispanic patients, addresses the heightened risk of healthcare system neglect and substandard medical care for this population. The vulnerable phase of the healthcare process, particularly in referrals, necessitated interventions to mitigate miscommunication and lack of follow-up. This study implemented Spanish-language follow-up calls after appointments, comparing a 7-week period before and after this intervention. Examining 167 referrals, 58 with follow-up calls and 109 without, revealed a significant improvement in success rates. Referrals with calls demonstrated a 19% success rate, while those without had 8.3%. The findings underscore the value of proactive communication, especially in overcoming language barriers, emphasizing the potential to enhance overall patient care in SRFCs. Encouraging free clinics to implement follow-up strategies and clarify referral processes could significantly elevate referral success rates, contributing to improved healthcare outcomes, particularly for populations facing linguistic and sociocultural barriers.

Fifth Place

Johnny T. Dang:

Reviewing and Discussing the Pivotal Role of Anesthesiologists on the Perioperative Care Teams of Transgender Patients Undergoing Gender Affirming Surgery

Bio:

My name is Johnny Dang, and I am a second-year medical student at the University of Texas Medical Branch John Sealy School of Medicine currently interested in Anesthesia. This past year, I had the great opportunity of serving my school’s APAMSA chapter as Diversity and Inclusion Officer while also serving on the National APAMSA LGBTQIA+ Committee as a member. My literature review abstract at this year’s national conference looked at the role of anesthesiologists on the perioperative care teams of transgender patients, specifically covering current knowledge of perioperative concerns, emerging care transgender surgical care team models, and future research collaboratives addressing the lack of literature on transgender intraoperative care standards.   

Abstract:

Gender affirming care for transgender patients spans medical therapy to psychosocial support, which all must be considered by anesthesiologists once these patients enter the perioperative care space for gender affirming surgery. What role do anesthesiologists play on the multidisciplinary care team and how well equipped are they in achieving holistic, sensitive care of transitioning patients? 17 out of 24 articles were identified relevant to this topic via PubMed search and categorized under 3 learning objectives: Current Perioperative Concerns, Current Organizational Infrastructure of Care Teams, and Anesthesia Provider Confidence with Transgender Patients. Following review and discussion, it can be concluded that future efforts should focus on conducting community based research projects to log procedural information in hopes of establishing standard fluid management protocol for nonbinary transitioning patients, adopting standard algorithms of care amongst the multidisciplinary team and within the anesthesia team itself, and increasing LGBTQ+ training and visibility within pediatric anesthesia.