六九色堂

Research opportunities

六九色堂 students will participate in diverse, cutting-edge biomedical research under the mentorship of several faculty and utilizing a modern microbiology and molecular biology laboratory. Students can participate in research studies as part of the Medical Research Elective course or they can discuss volunteer research opportunities with the faculty.

The Medical Research Elective 

The Medical Research Elective is a two-credit course for students interested in biomedical research. Motivated students with a history of strong academic performance can enroll in this 1-2 semester course. Students will develop a research project under the mentorship of 六九色堂 faculty members. 

In the elective, students will be introduced to the fundamentals of research methodologies, data collection, analysis, and interpretations. While completing their research project, students will formulate a research hypothesis, identify and execute appropriate experiments, and analyze the data.

Completing this course will give students a solid understanding of the importance of evidence-based medical research. Their research outcomes will be presented in the form of a poster and oral presentation at the Annual 六九色堂 Research Conference.

Research laboratory 

六九色堂 has built a modern microbiology and molecular biology laboratory. It contains all the necessary equipment needed to conduct various biomedical research projects. The lab is currently operational for students鈥� research projects, including investigation of microbial communities, and genome isolation from different environments. 

Equipment in the lab includes:

• laminar flow hoods
• multiple centrifuges (including a high-speed temperature control centrifuge and microfuges)
• water baths
• microbiology incubators 
• -80 degree freezer
• shaking incubator
• balances
• pH meters
• stir plates
• spectrophotometers for single read 
• 96-well microtiter plates
• PCR machine

The following are the research projects and laboratories that 六九色堂 students can participate in and contribute to, in addition to examples of publications past and present.

Public health research

SKN Chronic Disease Evaluation and Management Research Group

The SKN Chronic Disease Evaluation and Management Research Group is a student-driven public health research project in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.

Students are being trained in the techniques of coordinating with community stakeholders, data collection and analysis, future planning, phlebotomy, and point-of-care testing to facilitate longitudinal study. Patient contact is a vital part of this project.

This is a groundbreaking opportunity to leave a lasting positive impact on the health of the population of St. Kitts and Nevis. The results of the pilot study have been submitted for publication. This project is conducted by Dr. Kenneth Alonso and Dr. Agnes Beachman.

Dr. Alonso is Board Certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, Forensic Pathology, Nuclear Medicine, and Medical Oncology and holds a Doctorate in Theology as well. He has engaged in research that translates laboratory developments to clinical practice.  Dr. Alonso has written and directed many clinical trials.

Dr. Alonso is a Fellow of the prestigious American College of Physicians. He has been associated with the Morehouse School of Medicine (Atlanta)since its founding; and has been a Visiting Professor at LECOM (Bradenton) as well as at other medical schools abroad. He serves as a Professor of Pathology and  Medicine at 六九色堂. 

As Chief Operating Officer of a wholly owned subsidiary of The Upjohn Company, he led the effort to adapt and validate the estrogen receptor assay, which enabled the test to become widely used to predict breast cancer response and to guide breast cancer therapy. 

Dr. Alonso holds worldwide patents on the creation of human-human hybridomas and their production and use to generate monoclonal antibodies directed against tumor surface antigens for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.  Dr. Alonso has published extensively on the use of cellular products and heat to alter human immunologic responses. Long-term favorable cellular changes in patients with cancer and AIDS have been shown with these approaches. This work was performed independently by Dr. Alonso at his biotechnology firm.  Much of that work continues and remains proprietary.

Selected publications:

• Alonso, K,  Portman, E, 鈥淔etal Weights and Measurements as Determined by Post Mortem Examination and Ultrasound Determinations,鈥� Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine 1995; 119: 993-4.
• Alonso, K,  Pontiggia, P, Medenica, R, Rizzo, S, "Isolation of a 17kd Protein in Autologus Stimulated Serum with Potent Anti-HIV Properties. Description and Clinical Use," Southern Medical Journal 1996; 89:S141-2.
• Alonso, K, Pontiggia, P, Medenica, R, Rizzo, S, 鈥淐ytokine patterns in adults with AIDS,鈥�  Immunological Investigations 1997; 26:341-350.
• Alonso, K, 鈥淐ytokine levels in adult patients with solid tumors undergoing whole-body hyperthermia (WBH),鈥� International Journal of Hyperthermia  1997; 13(5):559-60 DOI:
• Alonso, K, 鈥淐ytokine levels in Healthy Women Through 26 Weeks of Pregnancy,鈥� Proc ASCO 1998; 17:88a
• Alonso, K, Page, R, Kindness, G, McClaren, J, 鈥淐oncomitant Use of Autologous Tumor Vaccine and Autologous Stimulated Immune Serum in Co-Culture in the Treatment of Refractory Solid Tumor,鈥� Proc ASCO 1999; 18:449a
• Alonso, K,  鈥淪hall We Clone a Man? Genetic Engineering and the Issues of Life, Orpheus Enterprises, Ingomar, Pennsylvania, and Allegro Press, Atlanta, Georgia (1999).
• Alonso, K, 鈥淎llocation of Resources in Oncology,鈥�  Ann Onc 2007; 18:1129-1131, e-letter January 15, 2008.
• Deibert, R, Alonso, K, 鈥淭he United States Physician as Prophet and Potential Martyr: The Healthcare Crisis and the Repression of Traditional Christian Caregiving,鈥�  13th Annual Conference of the Society of Orthodox Philosophers in America, 2014.
• Alonso, K, Bole, T, (published as Anonymous), 鈥淭he Person in Orthodox Theology and Its Implications in Genetic Engineering,鈥�  18th Annual Conference of the Society of Orthodox Philosophers in America 2018.

Microbiology and genomics research

The Extremophiles Laboratory

Dr. Rania Siam鈥檚 research interests lie in understanding the evolution of microbial communities in harsh and extreme environments. Using environmental genomics her team exploits microbial communities residing in extreme environments, identifies unique biochemical activities, and then mines for exceptional enzymes and bio-catalysts that can be used in biotechnology and/or pharmaceutics. Extreme environmental niches, remain unexplored and include hydrothermal vents, volcanoes, and deep brine pools. Such environments provide habitats to extremophiles that have adapted to harsh environments and possess biochemical properties that have the potential to produce novel metabolites with clinically useful biological activities.

Before joining 六九色堂 Dr. Siam was the group leader of the Red Sea Marine Microbiology Group. Her group was particularly interested in the "polyextremophiles" that constitute the microbial assemblage of deep and hot brine pools in the Red Sea. Her research team explores the unique microbial communities in these environments to understand the microbial evolution of such microbes that allow them to survive under harsh environments. Additionally, we exploit such unique microbial communities to discover enzymes with unique properties that can be used in biotechnology.

Over the last 10 years, Dr. Siam managed to secure over 7 million USD in external funding to support her research group. She has published over 45 original peer-reviewed science articles and has an h-index of 19 and i10-index of 29. She served as thesis supervisor to over 35 M.Sc. students and 6 Ph.D. students.

Selected publications:

• Wahbi, W, Siam, R, Kegere, J, El-Mehalmey, WA, Mamdouh, W. (2020) Novel Inulin Electrospun Composite Nanofibers: Prebiotic and Antibacterial activities. ACS Omega 2020, 5, 6, 3006-3015. 
  
  
• Malash, MN, Hussein, NA, Muawia, S, Nasr, MI and Siam, R. (2020) An optimized protocol for high yield expression and purification of an extremophilic protein. Protein expression and purification. 169, 105585.
  
  
• Ziko, L, Adel M, Malash, M, Siam, R. (2019) Insights into Red Sea brine pool specialized metabolism gene clusters encoding potential metabolites for biotechnological applications and extremophile survival. Marine Drugs. Mar. Drugs, 17(5), 273.
  
  
• Ziko, L, Saqr, AA, Ouf, A, Gimpel, M, Aziz, RK, Neubauer, P, Siam, R. (2019) Antibacterial and anticancer activities of orphan biosynthetic gene clusters from Atlantis II Red Sea brine pool. Microbial cell factories. 18:56.
  
  
• Kegere, J, Ouf, A., Siam, R., Mamdouh, W. (2019) Fabrication of Poly(vinyl alcohol)/Chitosan/Bidens pilosa Composite Electrospun Nanofibers with Enhanced Antibacterial Activities. ACS Omega 4 (5), 8778-8785 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.9b00204
  
  
• Hussein, NA, Cho, S-H, Laloux, G, Siam, R, Collet , J-F. (2018) Distinct domains of Escherichia coli IgaA connect envelope stress sensing and down-regulation of the Rcs phosphorelay across subcellular compartments. PLOS Genetics. Published: May 31, 2018.
  
  
• Elbehery AH, Aziz RK, Siam R. (2017) Insertion sequences enrichment in extreme Red Sea brine pool vent. Mar;21(2):271-282.
  
  
• Elbehery AH, Leak DJ, Siam R. (2017) Novel thermostable antibiotic resistance enzymes from the Atlantis II Deep Red Sea brine pool. 2017 Jan;10(1):189-202.
  
  
• Adel M, Elbehery AHA, Aziz SK, Aziz RK, Grossart H-P, Siam R. (2016) Viruses-to-mobile genetic elements skew in the deep Atlantis II brine pool sediments. Scientific Reports. 6:32704. doi: 10.1038/srep32704.
  
  
• Sonbol SA, Ferreira AJ, Siam R. (2016) Red Sea Atlantis II brine pool Nitrilase with unique thermostability profile and heavy metal tolerance. BMC Biotechnology, 16(1):14. doi: 10.1186/s12896-016-0244-2.

Anatomy and histology research

Morphological Parameter of Clinical Importance

Dr. Anand Kulkarni, a medical graduate with a Master's in Surgery (Human Anatomy), has extensive experience in translational research. He was a postdoctoral fellow in Anatomy and Neurobiology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), Memphis, TN, USA. Dr Kulkarni was the Director of the Tumor Bank (Tissue Service Core) at UTHSC for more than 10 years. He established, and successfully managed the tumor bank. During that period he collaborated with the Director of TSC at UTHSC, Dr. Kulkarni worked on multiple research projects, and was part of multiple grants. His primary area of research interest is carcinoma of uncertain origin. He has multiple publications in prestigious journals such as Clinical Cancer Research, American Journal of Surgical Pathology, Diagnostic Pathology, Anticancer Research, Oncology Letters, and Journal of Neuroscience. Currently, he is working on morphological parameters of clinical importance. 

Selected publications:

• Parikh JG, Kulkarni A, Johns C. 伪-smooth muscle actin-positive fibroblasts correlate with poor survival in hepatocellular carcinoma. Oncol Lett. 2014 Feb;7(2):573-575.

• Yepuru M, Wu Z, Kulkarni A, Yin F, Barrett CM, Kim J, Steiner MS, Miller DD, Dalton JT, Narayanan R. Steroidogenic enzyme AKR1C3 is a novel androgen receptor-selective coactivator that promotes prostate cancer growth. Clin Cancer Res. 2013 Oct 15;19(20):5613-25.

• Handorf CR, Kulkarni A, Grenert JP, Weiss LM, Rogers WM, Kim OS, Monzon FA, Halks-Miller M, Anderson GG, Walker MG, Pillai R, Henner WD. A multicenter study directly comparing the diagnostic accuracy of gene expression profiling and immunohistochemistry for primary site identification in metastatic tumors. Am J Surg Pathol. 2013 Jul;37(7):1067-75.

• , , , , . Comparison of histopathology to gene expression profiling for the diagnosis of metastatic cancer. 2012 Aug 21;7(1):110.

• Wang J, Slominski A, Tuckey RC, Janjetovic Z, Kulkarni A, Chen J, Postlethwaite AE, Miller D, Li W. 20-hydroxyvitamin D鈧� inhibits proliferation of cancer cells with high efficacy while being non-toxic. Anticancer Res. 2012 Mar;32(3):739-46.

• Seecharan DJ, Kulkarni AL, Lu L, Rosen GD, Williams RW, Genetic control of interconnected neuronal populations in the mouse primary visual system, J. Neurosci 23(35):11178-88, Dec 2003. 

Anatomy/Stem Cells and Cardiovascular Regeneration

Dr. Fakoya is currently the Chair of Research at the University of Medicine and Health Sciences. He joined 六九色堂 in September 2018. 

He was appointed in 2019 as a consultant for the National Justice for All Program of the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS (PANCAP) and the Ministry of Health, St. Kitts and Nevis. With a grant from Global funds through the PANCAP, he conducted the 鈥淏aseline HIV Stigma Index study for St. Kitts and Nevis''. Since joining 六九色堂, he has published nine papers and one book chapter, all indexed in PubMed. 

Currently, Dr. Fakoya is involved in a research project (with students) on the Sonographic landmarking of the vulnerable Spinal accessory nerve. He is also collaborating as a coPrincipal investigator with Dr. Anand Kulkarni (六九色堂 faculty) on two original projects. Also, as a Principal investigator collaborating with another Institution.

Dr. Fakoya is looking at the 鈥淓ffects of Persea Americana (Avocado) Methanol pulp extract on the Reproductive System of Male Wistar rats''. He has also completed two Literature review manuscripts currently being reviewed on the 鈥淒iagnostic Challenges associated with Type 2 Myocardial Infarction鈥�, and the 鈥淓thics, A hurdle for Stem Cells clinical application鈥�. 

Dr. Fakoya with over forty students as co-authors has completed reports on Unique anatomical variations on the Palmaris longus, Levator Scapula, Levator Glandula Thyroidea, Superior Thyroid Artery, Sternalis Muscle, Soleus Muscle, Pectoralis nerves, hyperostosis frontalis, and a cadaver with multiple vascular variations. 

Along with the Professor of Immunology, Dr. Craig Ayre, Dr.Fakoya is studying the Clinical relevance of the CD4 CTLs immunological cell line. 

He is currently contributing to the 鈥淜hawaja Husnain Haider'' Book series on Stem cells from Hype to Hope published by De Gruyter. 

Dr. Fakoya has broad experience in the field of clinical and laboratory medicine. With postgraduate training in the field of Stem Cells and Regeneration at the University of Bristol, United Kingdom; fellowships in Nanotechnology, and CRISPR- Cas-9 gene editing technique from the University of Verona, Italy. 

He has published several papers in diverse fields of medicine and currently reviews for 13 Journals and serves as an Editor for two journals. His research interest lies mainly in Stem cells and Cardiovascular regeneration. Recently, his paper on 鈥淭en Years of Progress and Promise of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells: historical origins, characteristics, mechanism, limitations, and Potential Applications鈥� was awarded the top cited paper of the year in 2019 in PeerJ in the field of Biochemistry, Biophysics, Molecular Biology. ()

Dr. Fakoya's publications with affiliation to 六九色堂 

Anatomical case reports with medical students at 六九色堂:

• Fakoya AOJ, Barnes E, Laureano-Torres F, Felciano Muniz A, Morales Monsanto E, Loubriel D, Afolabi AG, McCracken T. Fenestrated Vertebral Artery in A Routine Cadaveric Dissection. Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences. 2019;7.

• Fakoya AOJ, Aguinaldo E, Velasco-Nieves N, Barnes E, Vandeveer Z, Morales-Marietti N, Afolabi AG, McCracken T. A Unique Communicating Arterial Branch between the Celiac Trunk and the Superior Mesenteric Artery: A Case Report. Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences. 2019;7.

• Fakoya AOJ, Aguinaldo E, Velasco-Nieves N, Vandeveer Z, Morales-Marrietti N, Matthew S, Afolabi AG, McCracken T. Unusual Splitting of Medial Cord of the Right Brachial Plexus and Its Relation to the Axillary Artery and Subscapular Artery: A Case Report. Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences. 2019;7.

Dr. Fakoya's other publications affiliated to 六九色堂:

• Monday I, Anthony P, Olunu E, Otohinoyi D, Abiodun S, Owolabi A, Mobolaji B, Fakoya AOJ. Prevalence and Correlation between Diet and Dysmenorrhea among High School and College Students in Saint Vincent and Grenadines. Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences. 2019;7(6):920-924.

• Idachaba S, Dada O, Abimbola O, Olayinka O, Uma A, Olunu E, Fakoya AOJ. A Review of Pancreatic Cancer: Epidemiology, Genetics, Screening, and Management. Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences. 2019;7(4):663-671.

• Ramesh B, Cherian K, Fakoya AOJ. Fabrication and Electrospinning of 3D Biodegradable Poly-l-Lactic Acid (PLLA) Nanofibers for Clinical Application. Methods in Molecular Biology. 2019;. doi: 10.1007/7651_2019_213 (Book Chapter)

• Mantakaki A, Fakoya AOJ, Sharifpanah F. Recent advances and challenges on the application of tissue engineering for the treatment of congenital heart disease. PeerJ. 2018;6:e5805.

• Fakoya AOJ, Otohinoyi D, Omole A, Oladele C, Kalejaiye A, Onuegbu A, et al. Correlating possible predisposing demographics and systemic conditions with the aortic root. Annals of African Medicine. 2018;17(3):133.

• Fakoya AOJ, Williams D, Otohinoyi D. Ampanozi G, Krinke E, Laberke P, Schweitzer W, Thali M, Ebert L. Comparing fist size to heart size is not a viable technique to assess cardiomegaly. Cardiovascular Pathology. 2018; 36:1-5. Cardiovascular Pathology. 2019;39:67.

• Fakoya AOJ, Olunu E, Oluwasanmi O, Mckenzie D, Adewole I, Aluka C, Iyasse J. Postpolio syndrome: A review of lived experiences of patients. International Journal of Applied and Basic Medical Research. 2019;9(3):129.

Grant manuscript in review:

• Fakoya AOJ, Otohinoyi DA, Matos Lugo AM, Celestine A. Baseline HIV Stigma Index for St. Kitts and Nevis. AIDS Care-Psychology, Health and Medicine, 2020

Literature review manuscripts under review:

• Abe T, Idachaba S, Eferoro E, Anyangwa O, Monday IT, Olunu EO, Fakoya AOJ*. The diagnostic challenges associated with type 2 myocardial infarction. International Journal of Applied Basic Medical Research (Wolters and Kluwer), 2020.

• Omole AE, Fakoya AOJ*, Agboola A. The Ethics of  Human Induced Pluripotent stem cells. PeerJ, 2020.

Students case reports supervised by Dr. Fakoya, currently being reviewed in Journals:

• Jordan D鈥橲ouza, Andrea Mary Thomas Kallumadyil, Tess McClenahan, Allyson Talaroc, Ananya Vungarala. Clinical Significance of a Duplicated Palmaris Longus Muscle with One Reversed Muscle: A Case Report. Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences, 2020.

• De Filippis, S.M. , D鈥橲ouza, A. , Arizmendi-V茅lez, G.E. , Rucker, A. J. , Satyadev, N. , Ravikumar, N.K. A Unique Anatomical Variant of the Levator Scapulae Muscle. Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences, 2020.

• Jessica Heymans, Amanda McCrary, Omar Rodriguez, Abdiel Cardona. Hyperostosis Frontalis Interna. Journal of Health Sciences, 2020.

• Natalia M. Velasco-Nieves , Shannon Mathew, Wirda Zafar, Mahrukh Zafar, Kevin Milla, Sushanth Yerra. Anatomical Variation of the Thyroid Gland - Levator Glandulae Thyroideae: A Case Report. Journal of Health Sciences, 2020.

• Neha Subedi, Jennifer Beniquez Martir, Byron Chique Carreras. Anomalous Origin of the Superior Thyroid Artery from the Internal Carotid Artery. Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences, 2020.

• Jessica Flint, Maria C. Garcia Gonzalez, J. Bowman Williams. The Double Belly Soleus Muscle. Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences, 2020.

• Jessica Heymans, Lennis N. Col贸n Rivera, Brian Acevedo Fuentes. A Comparative Analysis of Rare Sternalis Muscles. Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences, 2020.

• Michelanthony Lee Rosado-Velazquez, Kirthana Sugunathevan, Kai Anika Prophete, Surpreet Kaur Khunkhun, Emilio Aguinaldo. The Rare Five Finger Patterned Pectoralis Nerves. Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences, 2020.

• Xiomara Marty-Ram铆rez, Derek Mizael Rodr铆guez-Pi帽ero, Luis Eduardo Rentas-Figueroa, Mariana Ndrio, Luis Manuel P茅rez-Portocarrero, Nahu Gulelat Dimitri, Juan Manuel Collazo-Rom谩n, Graham Robert Demsey-Corbett, Yulia Kungurova.. Multiple Gastro-intestinal Vascular Variations in a male Cadaver: Case report, and a Literature review, Embryonic and Genetic Implications of Pathogenicity. Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences, 2020.

Pathology research

Under the guidance of Dr. Alfred Roy, students can engage in pathology and cytopathology research.

Dr. Alfred Roy completed his MD Pathology from KMC Manipal, India in 1993. He has been a faculty in KMC Manipal as an Anatomic Pathologist, and Cytopathologist. Dr. Roy was in charge of Dermatopathology and conducted weekly reporting and clinicopathological conferences with the Department of Dermatology.

Dr. Roy also was involved with teaching students in the University of West Indies program, a Problem-Based Learning curriculum (Maastricht). Dr. Roy was posted as Registrar of Pathology at Princess Margaret Hospital, Nassau, Bahamas from 2000 to 2002. Here he underwent CAP training for Cytopathology. While in the Bahamas, he was part of the Cancer Society and participated in all cancer detection programs.

Dr. Roy was appointed as Pathology examiner for undergraduate students and Pathology residents.

Dr. Roy conducted workshops in medical education and Dermatopathology. He was a part of the ECFMG program, which conducted CPC for Medical students.

Selected Publications:

• Alfred Roy, Fatima Ajaj Matos (2019) Mistaken Identity: Cytopathology Of Cells In Postmenopausal Pap Smears. Poster presented at 14th ACACPMT Congress, St. Kitts 11th to 13th July 2019

• Alfred Roy, Elizabeth Armitage, Johnathan Cotto Davila (2020). Formative Assessment: Improving Pathology Learning. EBMA (European Board of Medical Assessors) Conference, Glasgow, Scotland. 5th to 6th September 2020.

• Alfred Roy, Nabeel Khan, Brian Acevedo Fuentes (2020) Learning Through Problem-Solving: How Case-Based Learning Can Foster Pathology Education. Paper sent to 2nd IAC (International Academic Conference on Education), Madrid, Spain. 5th to 7th June 2020.

• Roy Alfred, Del Valle Vega Saybell, Cooper Arve, Sanchez Genesis (2020). Pandemics: What We Need To Learn From The Past. Paper sent to ICCVM Conference, St. Kitts. 4th to 7th June 2020.

Narrative and descriptive research

Dr. Esparza is currently involved in narrative and descriptive research. Dr. Esparza holds a Doctorate in Bilingual Education. She has published in the prestigious Journal of Latino Studies, Vivencias on the topic of Labor History. Her publication on The Eagle Bus Strike of 1980 has been cited multiple times. In 2009, she worked as a clinical research assistant under Dr. Susan Fisher-Hoch, a British infectious disease specialist, at the Hispanic Health Research Center at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Brownsville, Texas.  Recently, she published a one-of-a-kind five-year longitudinal study on the retention and attrition of Bilingual Education teachers in Texas. She serves on several editorial boards and has served as one of a few select educational consultants to evaluate Bilingual Programs throughout the United States and in Europe. She was selected by the U.S. Department of State and Georgetown University to serve as an English Language Specialist to train American and Spanish Fulbright scholars in Spain. She presented on the education and support of bilingual medical doctors in the United States at the National Association of Bilingual Education Conference on February 28, 2020, in Nevada. She has served as a curriculum writer and adjunct faculty for Colorado State University Global Campus for eleven years.

Selected Publications:

• Esparza E., Matos AM, Gonzalez Y, Sugunathevan K, Satyadev, N. Because We Care Doctors: Being Bilingual Beyond K-12. (In Press July 2020 in National Association of Bilingual Education (NABE) Perspectives)

• Sarmiento, M. & Esparza-Young, E. (2020). Olivia N. Saracho: Adding Diversity to the World of Play and Early Childhood. In V. Geneser (Ed.). Scholarly Snapshots: The Importance of A Child鈥檚 Right to Play.  Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. (In Press).

• Esparza-Young E., Matos AM, Gonzalez Y, Sugunathevan K. Making Waves: Preparing the Generation of Bilingual Medical Doctors. International Journal of Cognitive and Language Sciences. 2019;13(7). 

• Esparza E., Sarmiento M., Geneser, V., Harris S. In Support of Home-Grown Teachers: An Examination of Factors that Supported the Success of Pre-Service Teachers in a Bilingual Education Program from 2012-2017. Education Quarterly Reviews. 2019; 2(4):811-821.

Former projects conducted by 六九色堂 students and faculty

First 六九色堂 Research Symposium - read more

• Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase Resistance Patterns in Bacteria Isolated from Imported and Domestically Produced Meat Products have expanded from 2016 research activities to examine the relative prevalence of Klebsiella species and isolates that harbor Extended-Spectrum of Beta-Lactamase (ESBL), aka 鈥淪uper Bugs鈥�, work conducted by 六九色堂 students Crisanta Simon, Esther Galant, Gerald Lebron, Francesca Licandro and Fabiola Rodriguez.

• Methicillin-resistant Staph aureus (MRSA) in a simulated clinical setting is a continuing bacteriology project including exploration of surface contamination before and after a class session in the ICM lab. MRSA isolates were cultured and tested for the antimicrobial effects of indigenous plants Neem and Moringa against MRSA, by student researchers Juan Cruz and Fernando Velez.

• Development of Public Health Digital Database Exploring public health issues in human health, the Medical Research Elective students Paola Rodriguez and Mario Candamo have been working with the St Kitts Ministry of Health and students administering the community health fairs to develop a digital reporting system, to examine the relative risk factors associated with diabetes and hypertension in St Kitts. The project is ongoing as we continued to collect data at health fairs in 2018.

• Post-hurricane Infectious Outbreaks, 六九色堂 student Nadya Perez Bautista has been conducting a literature search on post-hurricane outbreaks and epidemics in response to the effects of Hurricane Irma and Maria in the Caribbean. As of late October 2017, Puerto Rico has reported an estimated 76 cases of Leptospirosis due to contact with contaminated water. Nadya and Dr. Harrington presented their findings at the One Health Symposium at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. 

Second 六九色堂 Research Symposium - read more

Oral Presentations:

• Austin Gardenhire and Steven Cook, presented an oral talk summarizing their review article, The Anatomical Architecture of the Junction between the Great Cerebral Vein and the Straight Sinus in Correlation to the Physiological and Biochemical Impact on Multiple Sclerosis Subtypes and Disease Progression. As a result of their literature review meta-analysis, they conclude that anatomical variations are strongly associated with the more progressive forms of MS. 

• The 鈥淔ood Team鈥� (Christina Varela, Ellen Lorenzen, Beani Forst, Jandrely Lopez, Nick Mills, Idalis Sanchez, Andrea Ferrer, and Luis Acevedo) worked collaboratively on the project titled Prevalence and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Bacterial Contaminates Isolated from Imported and Domestic Retail Chicken and Pork in St Kitts. Over the course of the year, students collected 105 meat products from various grocery stores and isolated over 130 bacteria. Our findings report that imported chicken had the highest rate (11.6%) of Salmonella contamination and that imported pork (52.2%) had the highest rate of strains that harbored multiple drug resistance. 

Poster presentations:

• Alex Schultz Testing L-Type Calcium Channel Effects on Brain Stimulation Reward in the Sublenticular Central Extended Amygdala

• Everlyn Santana Aponte Photovoice for the Prevention of Alcohol Consumption Among Adolescents: Documented and Divulged Experiences

• James Thomas Efficacy of Cleaning Agent Consume Eco-LyzerTM in Biomedical Surgery Suites

• Lyanne Santana and Patricia Rivera Correlations between the anatomical variations in the Posterior Communicating Artery and the risk of neurodegenerative diseases

• Adrianna Thibault Stability of Midface Fracture Repair Using Absorbable Plate and Screw System Pilot Holes Drilled and Pin Placement at Angles Other Than 90 Degrees. 

Third 六九色堂 Research Symposium - read more

Poster Presentations:

• Juan Cruz-Echevarri虂a: Antimicrobial and Anti-Biofilm Properties of Indigenous Plants Extracts against Staph aureus.

• Fabiola A. Rodriguez Gonzalez: Antimicrobial Resistance against Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase of Bacteria Isolated from Chicken and Pork in St. Kitts.

• Adithi Srinivasiah: A Comparative Analysis of Remission Rates and Length of Stay of Patients with De-Novo AML and Patients with AML with Underlying MDS in a Community Hospital Setting.

• Jeannie Autry: A Brief Intervention Reduces Perceived Stress among College Students.

• Venita Uzowulu: Examining the Threshold of Gastrointestinal Microbiota under Chronic Disease to Determine How Dysbiosis Affects the Enteric Nervous System.

• Fatima Issa: The Role of Microbiota and Its Influence on the Gut-Brain Axis. Johanna Enelus: Addressing the Childhood Obesity Epidemic through Early Preventive Measures