Under the direction of professors Shiv Dhiman, MD, and Savita Arya, MD, students are working on various research projects in the PCOM South Georgiaanatomy lab. These projects involve discovering and learning about diseases in cadavers such as Pick’s disease, atherosclerosis, bladder diverticulum, leukemia and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) interventions.

Disease processes affect tissues in distinctive ways, depending on the type of tissue, the disease itself, and how it has progressed. Students participating in the research projects have the opportunity to explore not only the gross pathological findings in the cadavers but also examine microscopic glass slides demonstrating normal histology, pathologic processes, and a variety of diseases under the microscope.

Each research group consists of a small number of students who conduct research that is overseen by Drs. Dhiman and Arya. Mohammad Malik (DO ‘24) is part of a group that is researching CABG interventions. He said, “Research is an excellent way to contribute to the field of medicine. As a medical student it allows you to learn about a topic in a different and more engaging manner. We are very grateful for the mentorship of Drs. Arya and Dhiman along with funding from PCOM South Georgia which has helped our research project possible.”

The Anatomical Histopathology Research projects at PCOM South Georgia are conducted in collaboration with the Colquitt Regional Hospital Laboratory, where the histological slides are prepared and stained.

“We aim to implement an integrated learning approach by using cadavers to teach students both normal and morbid anatomy to enhance their knowledge and skills in gross tissue identification and handling tissue specimens,” said Dr. Arya. “Our goals are to educate students and advance understanding of the causes, mechanisms of development, morphologic and functional effects, and outcomes of disease states.”

The ongoing student research at PCOM South Georgia supports the College’s research mission, which is to promote health through basic, translational, clinical, behavioral, education and community research. Mentoring students in investigative methods and information retrieval, appraisal and dissemination is part of this mission.

While completing research during medical school is not mandatory, it can increase preparedness and competitiveness for post-graduate residency. The correlation between Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO)students and research publications is significant for competitive residencies.