Three 麻豆原创 medical students, who researched better ways to help children with cleft palates and other skull deformities, recently presented their findings to international scientific experts.
They credit the College of Medicine鈥檚 required research module and their mentor, an Orlando pediatric plastic surgeon, with inspiring them to seek new knowledge that will help patients in the future.
Fourth-year medical student Hannah Brown and third-years 尝别迟颈肠颈补&苍产蝉辫;尝别苍办颈耻&苍产蝉辫;鈥�20&苍产蝉辫;and Rose Meltzer presented their research at the biennial International Society of Craniofacial Surgeons (ISCFS) in Shanghai. The society is comprised of surgical leaders from 30 countries worldwide, and it focuses on plastic and reconstructive surgeries that correct congenital malformations of the face, jaw, neck and skull.
It marks the first time 麻豆原创 students have presented at the conference, and it is rare for student researchers of any university to receive an invitation to participate at this level, says Raj Sawh-Martinez, chief of pediatric plastic surgery at AdventHealth for Children and the students鈥� mentor.
鈥淔rom a career standpoint, you’re on the ultimate stage trying to demonstrate your work,鈥� he says. 鈥淚鈥檝e known them since they started as first-year medical students, and their growth has just been astronomical.鈥�
The students鈥� research began during their Focused Inquiry and Research Experience (FIRE) module, which requires every 麻豆原创 med student to complete a two-year scientific study to advance medical knowledge. Some students continue their projects throughout all four years of medical school.
Sawh-Martinez praised 麻豆原创鈥檚 research-based curriculum and says the FIRE experience is helping train better doctors for the future.
鈥淲e’re learning about science, sure,鈥� he says of the research experience. 鈥淏ut we’re learning how to develop as leaders and how to accomplish a goal as a team.鈥�
The three students worked with collaborators at the College of Medicine and AdventHealth for Children.
A 鈥淧assion Project鈥� To Help Children
Brown has spent the last four years studying whether robotic surgery can be a more efficient and effective way to repair a child鈥檚 cleft lip and palate.
After connecting with Sawh-Martinez, Brown learned that while robotic surgery is excelling in other areas of medicine, it wasn鈥檛 used for plastic and reconstructive surgery.
鈥淩obotic surgery has just been introduced for microsurgery and delicate tissues in the U.S., and so I wanted to see how it could do with cleft surgery,鈥� she says.
鈥淚鈥檓 really glad to have had the space to grow, and that 麻豆原创 offers FIRE to engage students in research.鈥� 鈥� Hannah Brown, 麻豆原创 med student
She concluded that these microsurgical robots lack the physical strength to do some portions of the cleft surgery and took longer than procedures done by a doctor鈥檚 hands alone. But robotic surgery also offered benefits, including improved precision, visualization, ergonomics and better surgery site handling during the delicate portions of the surgery. Brown鈥檚 findings provide a foundation for further research on how to make robotics clinically relevant for cleft surgeries.
鈥淵ou put in so many hours into something that might not even work, and you鈥檙e just taking a leap of faith to test a hypothesis,鈥� Brown says. 鈥淚鈥檓 really glad to have had the space to grow, and that 麻豆原创 offers FIRE to engage students in research.鈥�
High-Tech Imaging to Improve Pediatric Surgery
Lenkiu鈥檚 projects also examined emerging technologies to enhance pediatric care.
She and her collaborators studied using interoperative MRI (iMRI), 3D modeling and augmented reality to improve a surgeon鈥檚 ability to visualize and plan specialized cleft palate surgery. The iMRI creates real-time images during surgery and is used frequently in brain surgery to help guide doctors as they remove tumors and surgically treat epilepsy.
The iMRI is already used in older cleft patients, but Lenkiu鈥檚 project scaled the technology for use in infants and proved it could be a viable resource, Sawh-Martinez says.
鈥淭his is really the first time we鈥檝e objectively analyzed cleft palate anatomy immediately before and after surgery this thoroughly,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e looked at the tiny muscles before and after the repairs, and we saw that we could adjust our approaches as we got to understand the anatomy much better. [Lenkiu鈥檚] research got some of the biggest applause because I think this was the first time we鈥檙e seeing those objective outcomes in babies at the time of their cleft repairs.鈥�
A Better Surgical Approach for Cranial Compression
Meltzer鈥檚 research project focused on surgery for craniosynostosis, a birth defect where a baby鈥檚 skull bones fuse too early, before the brain stops growing. This condition can cause the child鈥檚 head to be abnormally shaped and place increased pressure on the brain. Children with the condition usually require surgery 鈥� either directly into the skull or a less invasive endoscopic procedure.
Meltzer鈥檚 hypothesis: What if combining the two surgeries would better help the infant鈥檚 brain and skull develop correctly?
鈥淲e were looking at starting with the early endoscopic surgery and then following up with an open approach that slowly expands the skull,鈥� Meltzer says. 鈥淭he hope is that this will result in better outcomes for these patients with very severe cases of restriction, where many of the skull growth plates are stuck together.鈥�
Their analysis found that the two-part surgery was feasible and safe, but they recommend further research for long-term outcomes.
鈥淭his has been an ongoing debate on how to approach these kinds of surgeries,鈥� Sawh-Martinez says. 鈥淚t has always been one or the other, but we thought that those children with severe cases would benefit from a more comprehensive approach.鈥�
Brown, Lenkiu and Sawh-Martinez attended the conference. Sawh-Martinez presented Meltzer鈥檚 work.
鈥淚t took a lot to feel comfortable going on stage and sharing your work with people who know it better than anyone,鈥� Lenkiu says. 鈥淚t greatly impacted my confidence, not just as a student and future doctor, but also as someone who is actively contributing to the broader science. It鈥檚 such a specialized conference, and to be included in the conversation is humbling.鈥�
