In its inaugural year, the Dean’s Research Scholars program at the University of Louisville School of Medicine (ULSOM) will support some of the institution’s most driven and visionary students. This year, two third-year ULSOM students, Iona Palmer and Grayson Stinger, are one step closer to achieving their dreams of becoming physician-scientists. They will dedicate the upcoming year to groundbreaking research aimed at enhancing healthcare outcomes for mothers and babies.

Iona Palmer joins the Collins Lab, housed in the Center for Cardiometabolic Science, with a focus on understanding the alarming rise in maternal mortality rates in the United States over the past quarter-century, with cardiovascular disease now responsible for nearly 15% of those deaths. As a Dean’s Research Scholar, Iona is investigatinghow the female heart responds to physiological and pathological stresses, an area underexplored due to the historical exclusion of women from many clinical studies. Iona and the team in the Collins Lab are hoping to not just fill the gaps in understanding, but to prevent the growing number of cardiovascular-related deaths in pregnant and postpartum mothers.

“About half of all pregnant women experience poor sleep,” Iona explained, citing insomnia, fragmented sleep, and sleep-disordered breathing as widespread issues. “These sleep disruptions may be more than just uncomfortable; they could be deadly.” Iona hopes her research will identify modifiable risk factors that could prevent conditions like gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and peripartum cardiomyopathy.

“Even for students like me who are deeply committed to becoming a physician-scientist, the balancing act of school obligations limits the depth and productivity of research engagement,” Iona stated. “Being named a Dean’s Research Scholar has provided me with the protected time and support needed to fully immerse myself in the research, adding a valuable new dimension to my medical school training. I hope that my research will ultimately enhance my clinical practice and positively impact the care of my patients for decades.”

While Iona is working on improving health outcomes for pregnant and postpartum mothers, Grayson Stinger is committed to studying necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a serious intestinal condition that affects primarily premature babies. Because premature infants are incredibly vulnerable, research capabilities are limited. But, thanks to a human intestinal enteroid NEC model, there is promise for preclinical drug and treatment testing that will be more successful and cost-effective than current models.

Grayson will be joining Dr. Buonpane’s team to be the first to trial the use of UrolithinA, a compound used in adult digestive conditions, in a new human intestinalenteroidNEC model. Because many preventative and therapeutic options have not led to a decrease in incidence or morbidity, Grayson hopes their research will provide more clinically significant results. After all, in those who contract the illness and reach advanced stages, up to 80% die or struggle with lifelong systemic issues such as long-term nutritional deficiencies, short gut syndrome, intestinal failure, sepsis, and neurological issues.

“Being a Dean’s Research Scholar has allowed me to focus solely on research full time, rather than trying to find time during the school year to assist in the background,” Grayson reflected. “It’s also given me a platform that is recognized by colleagues that I may use to increase awareness for NEC and expand our external impact, helping to save even more premature lives.”

After medical school, there is no doubt these aspiring physician-scientists will continue to make waves in their respective fields. Iona hopes to become an obstetrician-gynecologist and ultimately specializein Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Grayson hopes to become a surgeon-scientist. Though their career paths may differ, their shared commitment to innovation and advocacy promises to improve care for some of medicine’s most vulnerable populations.

Their stories are a reminder of the power of research in the hands of passionate students and the lives that can be saved when we invest in their ideas. Join us in congratulating Iona and Grayson, and in continuing to support student research that transforms the future of healthcare.