Check out highlights from Discover USC 2023

Posted on: April 28, 2023; Updated on: April 28, 2023

Discover USC 2023 was our biggest event yet. The annual showcase event welcomed more than 1,000 presentations and 2,400 total attendees, including hundreds of reviewers, mentors and visitors, and dozens of volunteers. Discover USC organizers wish to thank every participant for dedicating the time and energy needed to make the event such a fresh, vibrant showcase of USC’s high-quality research, scholarship, creativity and leadership. Thank you all for your contributions.

Read on to check out photos and award listings from the Discover USC 2023. And don’t forget to save the date for Discover USC 2024, scheduled for Friday, April 19, 2024, at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.

Undergraduate Student Awards

There were 89 reviewed poster presentation sections for undergraduate student presenters at Discover USC 2023. Download the Undergraduate awardees list (pdf) to view the award recipients from all these competitive groups. Congratulations to all 2023 undergraduate awardees.

Graduate Student Awards

For graduate students, there were 21 poster sections at Discover USC 2023. Congratulations to all 2023 graduate student award recipients.

Poster award winners
Poster Session	Winner
A	Jillian Chamberlain, Criminology and Criminal Justice
B	Erin Looney, Health Promotion, Education & Behavior
C	Kimanh Le, Health Promotion, Education & Behavior
D	Kausik Lakkaraju, Computer Science
E	Tricia Simon, Biological Sciences
F	Claire Fisher, Chemistry
G	Paul Ernst, Marine Science
H	Alexis Orth, Biomedical Science
I	Ryan Houston-Dial, Psychology
J	Brittany Pope, Exercise Science
K	Garrett Hainline, Exercise Science
L	Nana Ama Boateng, Psychology
M	Lance Tully, Geological Sciences
N	Gene Yang, Mechanical Engineering
O	Daniel Heidtke, Jr., Physical Activity and Public Health
P	Candice Cheung, Biomedical Engineering
Q	Shanieka Staley, Biomedical Science
R	Nisha Pandya, Genetic Counseling
S	Cheng Xiao, Linguistics
T	Kim Tuyen Huynh Dam, Pharmaceutical Sciences
U	Sarah Jackson, Geography

Medical Scholar Awards

There were 190 medical scholar presentations at Discover USC 2023. Congratulations to all 2023 medical scholar award recipients.

Basic Medical Sciences
First Place	Hayden Shuster, Medical Student, USC School of Medicine Greenville Avery Funkhouser, Medical Student, USC School of Medicine Greenville Serum Galectin-7 is uniquely increased in Squamous Cell Lung Cancer
Second Place	Angelica Balcarcel, PharmD Student, USC College of Pharmacy Developing a Drug Discovery System using the Baker’s Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Third Place	Andrew Hendrix, Medical Student, USC School of Medicine Columbia Investigating the involvement and mechanism of UCHL1-containing exosomes in stressed cardiomyocytes

Case Reports/Small Series/Learning Innovation
First Place	Cayla Ivey, Medical Student, USC School of Medicine Columbia Ashley Snyder, Medical Student, USC School of Medicine Columbia LEGO® Serious Play® (LSP): An Innovative Approach to Medical Education
Second Place	Annabelle Lunt, Medical Student, USC School of Medicine Columbia Madeline (Elise) Becker, Medical Student, USC School of Medicine Columbia Janu Patel, Medical Student, USC School of Medicine Columbia A Retrospective Study of Severe Right-sided Post-Tonsillectomy Hemorrhages and Investigation of Etiology related to Vascular Anomalies
Third Place	Zachary Holley, DO, Surgery Resident, Prisma Health–Midlands Michael Tichenor, MD, Surgery Resident, Prisma Health–Midlands Paul McQuillen, Medical Student, USC School of Medicine Columbia The Effects of Obesity on Trauma Outcomes After Abdominal Firearm Injury

Populations Outcomes/Quality
First Place	Tyler Mandel, Medical Student, USC School of Medicine Columbia Janu Patel, Medical Student, USC School of Medicine Columbia Time to Huddle Up!
Second Place	Parmida Parsa, Medical Student, USC School of Medicine Columbia Hannah Castles, Medical Student, USC School of Medicine Columbia Impact of an Antimicrobial Stewardship Intervention on Ambulatory Antibiotic Prescriptions for Sinusitis
Third Place	Hannah Puckett, MD, Ob/Gyn Resident, Prisma Health–Midlands Prospective Utilization of Composite Score to Predict Adnexal Torsion in Prisma Health Midlands Pediatric Population

Therapeutic Effectiveness/Efficiency
First Place	Kelsey Hamlin, PharmD, Pharmacy Resident, Prisma Health–Midlands Evaluating the safety and effectiveness of long-term antibiotic suppression in patients with left ventricular assist devices
Second Place	DeVon Suber, PharmD, Pharmacy Resident, Prisma Health–Midlands Comparison of time to shock reversal in patients with septic shock initiated on differing hydrocortisone dosing regimens
Third Place	Michael Shaw, PharmD, Pharmacy Resident, Prisma Health–Midlands Evaluating Dalbavancin Suppression Therapy in Patients at High Risk for Recurrent Infections

Postdoctoral Scholar Awards

For postdocs, there were two poster presentation competition sections at Discover USC 2023. Congratulations to all 2023 postdoctoral scholar award recipients.

Poster Presentation Award Winners
Postdoctoral Scholars Poster Session A
First Place	Dr. Cora Smiley, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neuroscience Neuroimmune Signaling in the Locus Coeruleus Mediates the Hypervigilant Response to Social Stress in Females
Second Place	Dr. Archana Saxena, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology I3C Alleviate Ulcerative Colitis by Improving Intestinal Epithelial Barrier Function via AhR/IL-22 Pathway in Colonic Epithelial Cells
Postdoctoral Scholars Poster Session B
First Place	Dr. Snezana Milosavljevic, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neuroscience Parental Kynurenine 3-Monooxygenase Genotype in Mice Directs Sex-Specific Behavioral Outcomes in Offspring
Second Place	Dr. Jie Xing, Department of Physics and Astronomy Magnetic Properties of Layered CsNdSe2 with Triangular Lattice

28 April 2023

Discover USC