Medical Student Research Fellowship for Summer 2005

Mentor: Sunita Stewart
Department: Psychiatry
Room number: American General Suite 1100 A
Mail Code: 8589
Phone number: 8-4304
E-mail: sunita.stewart@utsouthwestern.edu
Project title: Depression in diabetes

Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): 1101-561

Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable):

Project Type (patient-based research, animal-based research, or basic research; this characterization is only to permit a general classification for grouping similar types of projects) patient-based research

Brief Description of Project: We currently have a research program investigating the linkages between Type 1 diabetes (T1DM) and depression. Depression is much more common in T1DM patients (25% have at least 1 episode of depression by age 20) than in the general population. This summer we expect to be involved in two projects where a medical student could be involved. We will be gathering data in the Pediatric Endocrinology clinic to assess the frequency of MDD. Students may be involved in observing the procedures involved in screening and diagnosis of depression. We will also be writing up some of the longitudinal data that we have been gathering over the last few years to examine persistence of depressive symptoms and the relationship between these symptoms and disease progression. Students will familiarize themselves with the literature, learn basic data analysis and aid in the preparation of a poster and/or publication.

Previous Research Activities or Publications with Medical Students:
I have not had any medical students working with me for research. I have had one pre-med student in the summer of 2002. He was involved in data analysis and poster submission of a study just completed, which was accepted as a poster:

Stewart, S.M., Lewis, C., Ng, M., Lam, T.H., & Emslie, G. Atypical sexuality and depressive symptoms among Hong Kong adolescents. Presented at the Annual meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Miami, October 2003.

And in a manuscript submission:

Kennard, B.D., Stewart, S.M., Olvera, R., Bawdon, R.E., O hAilin, A., Lewis, C.P., & Winick, N.J. (2004). Nonadherence in adolescent oncology patients: Preliminary data on psychological risk factors and relationships to outcome. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 11, 31-39.

I have had numerous undergraduate students and those who are in between undergraduate years and graduate school and graduate students early in their training, and they have been involved in over 15 poster presentations and manuscripts in the last 4 years.

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