Fifth-year medical student Gaurav Anand took part in the student research poster competition at the National American College of Physicians’ Internal Medicine Meeting. The three-day conference took place in San Diego at the end of March.
In addition to presenting his research poster, Anand attended lectures on topics ranging from radiology to ophthalmology, as well as participating in suturing and arthrocentesis workshops.
Anand called the experience both humbling and enlightening.
“Being invited to attend and present my research at this National ACP meeting was an enriching experience, not only by attending the lectures and workshops, but also from learning about the groundbreaking research happening across the country,” he said.
Anand presented his poster, Pharmacological control of oxidative stress-mediated effects on endocannabinoid signaling pathways. He conducted his research at the Vision Research Center with Peter Koulen, Ph.D., director of basic research and Felix and Carmen Sabates Missouri Endowed Chair in Vision Research; and Christa Montgomery, Ph.D., research scientist at the Vision Research Center.
Anand earned a spot in the national poster competition last September when he won the student poster competition at the annual meeting of the Missouri chapter of the American College of Physicians.
After winning the Missouri competition, Anand continued his research prior to the national meeting. He said he is gathering data from the most recent experiments and had not made any major alterations to his poster or abstract.
Anand said he plans to continue his research efforts throughout medical school and his residency training.
“Research is the foundation on which new discoveries are made,” he said.
