On May 9, as part of its plan for the 2022-2023 academic year, the DTU College of Medicine & Pharmacy (CMP) held a Student Scientific Research Conference, to promote the development of student research activities and improve the standard of their projects.
Confident CMP students impress the jury
CMP Provost and Chairperson of the organizing committee, Professor Dr. Tran Huu Dang said “Research enables students to effectively apply the knowledge and skills they acquired in the classroom to solve practical real-life problems. While working on their projects, they learn a multi-pronged approach to solving problems; how to search for and select the latest information from books, papers and the internet; how to experiment with different methods and solutions to determine the best approach for their problems; and so on.
“In addition, research enables students to develop and practice independence, creative thinking, teamwork and presentation skills, and how to confidently defend their theses. It’s a unique and interesting activity that not everyone can experience in their lives. However, research is vital in preparing graduates for the future, boosting their self-confidence and expanding career opportunities.”
Professor Dr. Tran Huu Dang (far left) awards First Prize
Forty-four research projects were submitted at the conference by College of Medicine & Pharmacy students. The committee was divided into two juries, from the Medicine, Odonto-Stomatology and Nursing faculty; and from the faculty of Pharmacy and the Center for Molecular Biology. Presenters were allowed to speak for ten minutes and then had five minutes to answer questions. Most of the presentations were well received, identified practical problems and provided feasible solutions, using the latest research techniques, and demonstrated students’ creativity and grasp of the current problems faced.
CMP lecturers and students
The judges recognized the students’ fluent presentation skills, confidence, and solutions, a testimony to their talent, spirit and exhaustive knowledge of the main issues and related ones. Certificates were awarded to all participants, including the most outstanding projects:
First prize:
- Research into and the manufacture of suture models for oral and maxillofacial surgery
Three second prizes:
- Serum microRNA as potential non-invasive biomarkers for liver cancer
- Clinical & paraclinical characteristics and results of anal Soave surgery to treat congenital megacolon
- Survey on the use of antihypertensive drugs in patients at the Phu Yen General Hospital in 2022
Five third prizes:
- Pre-diabetes survey in overweight and obese patients with hypertension
- Research on clinical & paraclinical characteristics and insulin use in elderly diabetic patients
- Research on coating of Baeckea frutescens essential oil by Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cells used to control mosquito larvae that transmit dengue fever
- Application of ITS molecular markers to identify pathogenic fungi on Cordyceps militaris
- The use of antibiotics to treat community-acquired pneumonia in Internal Medicine Department inpatients at the Cam Le district Medical Center, Danang, in 2021 and 2022.
The organizers also award another 15 consolation prizes.
Le Thi Thuy Duong, a member of the research team presenting the “Research into and manufacture of suture models for oral and maxillofacial surgery“ project said: “Our idea comes from our practice of oral and maxillofacial surgery applied to pieces of skin,” and she was excited by her team’s first prize at the conference.
“We realize the current model has some limitations. We’ve been working on the project for four months now and have received great support from the lecturers at the Medical Simulation Center and the Odonto-Stomatology faculty. During our analysis of the model characteristics, they provided us with a place to work where we were able to produce skin tissue, and introduced us to specialists for consultation. In addition, the DTU STEM & FAB Lab helped us design, print, and cut our molds using the latest equipment, including SolidWorks software, a Dremel 3D45 printer utilizing PLA plastic, and a FLUX beam desktop laser cutter.”
“We love our work and are dedicated to continuing our research. When we heard we’d won first prize, we were alI really happy, and thankful for the guidance of our lecturers. The award will motivate us to enhance our inquisitiveness and creativity, and meanwhile improve the level of education of Odonto-Stomatology students and other majors in the Health Sciences.”
(Media Center)