Research program at Windsor campus marks 10 years of turning students into clinical researchers

Windsor Campus Anatomy


By Cathy Mombourquette, special to Schulich Medicine & Dentistry Communications

The Schulich-UWindsor Opportunities for Research Excellence Program (SWORP) is marking its 10th anniversary with grants to 15 medical school students. 

The students are pursuing 10 research projects, each under the supervision of a UWindsor professor. Each project is awarded $5,000, funded jointly by UWindsor and Western University.

“My positive experience with this program has inspired me to continue to integrate research into my professional journey, and in turn, hopefully make meaningful contributions to the evolving landscape of medicine.”
--Mihir Modi, Second-year student, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry’s Windsor campus

“As a medical student, SWORP has provided a valuable opportunity to explore research within my community,” said Mihir Modi, a second-year student at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry’s Windsor Campus.

“Under the guidance of my research supervisor, I acquired essential skills for conducting clinical research, while also establishing connections and honing my expertise through conferences and presentations. Clinical research is a long and lengthy process, but the program has provided me the support to make significant progress with my current project. My positive experience with this program has inspired me to continue to integrate research into my professional journey, and in turn, hopefully make meaningful contributions to the evolving landscape of medicine.”

Seven medical school students were the inaugural recipients of grants at the launch of the SWORP program in 2014. The program provides funding for first- and second-year students to undertake projects in any area of biomedical, medical or health-related research. After 10 successful years, the program has awarded 70 grants totaling $350,000.

WE-SPARK Health Institute serves as the collaborative research hub for the SWORP program, which involves coordinating the adjudication process and supporting the medical student research projects.

Kinesiology professor Paula van Wyk, a SWORP supervisor, said the program is important to students, researchers, and the wider society.

“SWORP is an important avenue for providing opportunities to enrich the understanding of knowledge and the development of skills through research for medical students,” Dr. van Wyk said. “Being involved with this unique program enables my capacity to help facilitate the research journey of a student. When the appreciation for and the proficiency with the research process are fostered during the academic years, it enables the pathways for medical students to incorporate research activities into their future careers, and ultimately, positively impact the lives of Canadians.”

This year’s SWORP recipients are:

  • Francesco Vito, Rufina Ning, and Allyson Ripley, “Retrospective analysis of the impact of prognostic and mortality scores in post-induction mortality in acute Leukemia Patients treated at Windsor Regional Hospital,” with supervisor Dr. Sahar Khan, Clinical Professor, Biomedical Sciences.
  • Kim Nguyen and Temitope Esther Olayemi Akintola, “Exploring Emergency Department Utilization Trends Amongst Housed and Underhoused Individuals in Windsor, Ontario”, with supervisor Dr. Jennifer Bondy, Clinical Professor, Biomedical Sciences.
  • Pedrom Farid and Marco Herrera Quaijano, “A Review of Quality Care Metrics for Patients with Sickle Cell Disease Presenting to Hospital: A Multi-Centre 10-Year Experience,” with supervisor Dr. Andrea Cervi Clinical Professor, Biomedical Sciences.
  • Arani Sivakumar, “Clinical Perspectives of Prescribing and Deprescribing Benzodiazepine Receptor Agonists in Older Adults across Southwestern Ontario,” with supervisor Dr. Paula M. van Wyk, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Human Kinetics.
  • Chrystal Huynh and Emily Doucet, “Retrospective Chart Review of Sickle Cell Crises Management in Pediatric Patients at WRH, ESHC, and CKHA,” with supervisor Dr. Mohammad Jarrar, Clinical Professor, Biomedical Sciences.
  • Alexander Mung, “Identification of Patient Characteristics Affecting Outcomes in Mono-Immunotherapy Versus Combination Chemotherapy-Immunotherapy Treatment in Stage IV NSCLC Patients: A Prospective Cohort Study,” with supervisor Dr. Swati Kulkarni, Clinical Professor, Biomedical Sciences.
  • Janelle Bykowski, “Evaluating the Prevalence of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) Among Varsity Athletes at the University of Windsor,” with supervisor Chad Sutherland, Learning Specialist, Faculty of Human Kinetics.
  • Biren Dave, “Identifying therapeutically targetable tumour-immune cell interactions in small cell lung cancer,” with supervisor Dr. Luis Rueda, Professor, School of Computer Science.
  • Jiil Chung, “Investigating the effects pre-, during and post- the COVID-19 lockdown on cancer patient self-reported symptoms intensity in a Southwestern Ontario Cancer Centre,” with supervisor Dr. Laurie Freeman, Associate Professor, Faculty of Nursing.
  • Allison Souter, “The Effect of Aberrant Clock Gene Expression of Human Colorectal Cancer Disease Morphology,” with supervisor Dr. Phillip Karpowicz, Associate Professor, Biomedical Sciences.