Research

Research and scholarly activity are important components of the educational experience at WCUCOM. Medical students in good academic standing are encouraged to become involved in research throughout their medical education to strengthen their research skills, collaborate with faculty and other investigators, explore areas of professional interest, and contribute to the advancement of medical knowledge. These experiences may also lead to opportunities for presentations, publications, and other scholarly accomplishments that support students as they prepare for residency.

Scholarly activity at WCUCOM encompasses a broad range of disciplines, including biomedical, clinical, population health, and medical education research. Students may join faculty-led projects, collaborate with clinical preceptors and other investigators, or develop their own research questions and projects individually or as part of a student team. Scholarly activity may also extend beyond traditional research projects and include clinical case reports, quality improvement initiatives, and other forms of clinical and academic scholarship.

The WCUCOM Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) supports students throughout the research process—from identifying research opportunities and connecting students with mentors, to developing research questions, navigating study design, data collection, data analysis, and preparing scholarly work for dissemination. Students who make meaningful progress on a project are encouraged to work with their faculty mentors to identify appropriate opportunities to share their work through poster or oral presentations, conference proceedings, and peer-reviewed publications. Local, state, regional, and national venues all provide valuable opportunities for students to develop their skills and contribute to the scholarly community.

Research opportunities are integrated throughout the four-year medical school experience, with different opportunities available as students progress from the foundational sciences into their clinical years. Students are encouraged to explore the ORSP website to learn more about research during each stage of the WCUCOM curriculum.

Students must remain in good academic standing to participate in WCUCOM-related research activities. Funding for student research and scholarly dissemination may be available depending on the project and funding source. Students should work with the WCUCOM ORSP and their faculty research mentor to determine available support and any institutional approvals required for research-related presentations or travel.

Students interested in research opportunities or seeking research guidance should contact the appropriate member of the WCUCOM ORSP Team:

• OMS-I and OMS-II students: Kelsey Keel, PhD, Director of Student Research (KKeel@wmcarey.edu)

• OMS-III and OMS-IV students: Danielle Fastring, PhD, Associate Dean of Research (DFastring@wmcarey.edu)

Students can find all policies and procedures at the link below:

https://sites.google.com/view/wcucom-orsp/student-scholarship

Most of the COM teaching facilities double as research facilities, particularly for medical education research. This includes the Osteopathic Principles and Practices teaching laboratory; the Innovative Learning Center (ILC) utilized for research related to clinical practice, telehealth, and clinical simulation; and the Ross Anatomy Laboratory utilized for anatomical and radiological sciences research.

WCU does not maintain general site licenses for all research-related software. However, individual licenses for IBM SPSS Statistics are provided to WCUCOM students during the OMS-I year as part of the BSPH course. Students who need assistance accessing or using SPSS in subsequent years should contact Dr. Fastring, Associate Dean of Research, or Dr. Keel, Director of Student Research.

Limited support may also be available on a case-by-case basis when an approved student research project requires access to specialized software, databases (e.g., HCUP, BRFSS, NHIS, etc.), or other research resources. Students are encouraged to discuss their project needs with the WCUCOM Research Team.

Many faculty have statistical expertise. The Associate Dean of Research is an epidemiologist and provides study methodology and biostatistical support for both student and faculty research projects.

The WCU library maintains both hardbound and electronic subscriptions supporting the practice of evidence-based medicine as well as health-related research of the College of Osteopathic Medicine, the School of Nursing, the School of Physical Therapy, and the School of Pharmacy. The WCU library also maintains a webpage dedicated to Osteopathic Medicine: Medicine Resources. In addition, the University of Southern Mississippi is a 10-minute drive from the WCU campus and the USM library resources can be accessed on site.

Reference management software can make it easier to organize literature, insert citations while writing, and format references according to journal requirements. Students are strongly encouraged to begin using a reference manager early in the writing process rather than manually managing citations and references.

Zotero – Free reference management software that integrates with common word-processing platforms, including Microsoft Word and Google Docs.

WCUCOM is able to provide seed funding for faculty-initiated pilot projects through the internal budget of the Associate Dean of Research, who is advised by the Research Committee for substantial requests. Requests for other types of support such as journal publication charges, data sets, outside consultant requests, etc. should be made to the Associate Dean of Research well in advance of need.

All proposals for external grant funding must follow university procedures. WCUCOM encourages collaborative and Interdisciplinary/Interprofessional projects.

Hattiesburg is the home of two hospitals, Forrest General (FGH) and Merit Health Wesley (MHW). The former houses a family medicine residency program while the latter houses emergency medicine, internal medicine, and rotating internship residency programs. WCUCOM students on clinical rotations in Hattiesburg and other Mississippi residency sites interact extensively with the residents and participate in research projects in resident-student teams.

Dr. Abouzaid’s research interests focus primarily on dissection-based anatomical research, anatomical variation, and the application of emerging technologies to anatomical education. His research uses human cadaveric dissection to document clinically relevant anatomical variations and unusual anatomical findings, with a particular interest in cardiovascular anatomy and cardiac anomalies, including variations of the coronary arteries, myocardial bridging, and other structural relationships of clinical significance. His work emphasizes careful anatomical documentation and correlation with potential clinical implications.

A second area of interest is the integration of Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and other digital technologies into medical anatomical education. His future research will investigate the effectiveness of AR and VR methods in enhancing first-year medical students’ understanding of human anatomy in both the lecture hall and dissection laboratory. This work will explore whether immersive and interactive technologies can improve spatial understanding, anatomical relationships, clinical application, and student engagement. Additional research interests include the application of laparoscopic visualization techniques to enhance the understanding of the organization of body cavities.

Overall, Dr. Abouzaid’s research program seeks to bridge traditional human dissection, anatomical variation, clinical anatomy, medical imaging, and emerging educational technologies to advance both anatomical knowledge and the teaching of anatomy to future healthcare professionals.

Dr. Calderone is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Public Health & General Preventive Medicine. He serves as the Assistant Dean of Graduate Medical Education at WCUCOM and Director of the Office of Mississippi Physician Workforce with the MS State Department of Health.

His research and scholarly interests focus on physician workforce development and pipeline modeling, graduate medical education support and expansion, and rural health policy. Through his work, Dr. Calderone evaluates retention pathways and training models aimed at addressing physician shortages and maldistribution to improve care access across Mississippi. 

Dr. David Dolbow has over 33 years of experience working in rehabilitation medicine with the United States Veterans Affairs Medical System as a Clinical Kinesiologist, Exercise Physiologist, Physical Therapist, and Physical Therapist Research Specialist. Dr. Dolbow has treated individuals with a wide variety of physical conditions and has a Certification in Neurologic Clinic Practice. Over the past decade, Dr. Dolbow has been investigating the effects of spinal cord injuries on functional mobility, body composition, and the risk of secondary comorbidities. Dr. Dolbow’s research interests include improving the quality of life in those with spinal cord injuries and other paralytic conditions by improving functional mobility and decreasing secondary morbidities such as obesity and cardiometabolic diseases. Primary investigative modes of treatment include various activities induced by electrical stimulation, arm ergometry, and manual manipulation therapies. Dr. Dolbow has published over 80 research articles in peer-reviewed journals, 3 book chapters, and a textbook "Evidence-Based Practice for Rehabilitation Professionals". Dr. Dolbow is also a featured speaker nationally and internationally at rehabilitation and research conferences each year.

Benjamin F. Dribus, Ph.D., is a Medical Research Associate at the William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine. He also serves as Chair of Mathematics and Director of Artificial Intelligence at WCU. His research focuses on applications of machine learning and artificial intelligence to medical data, with particular emphasis on developing and evaluating novel neural network architectures for biomedical evaluation and prediction. He holds two granted patents on novel neural network architectures. 

His work has included an American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology study applying ensembles of patented neural networks to the problem of individualized preterm labor risk prediction. This study featured multiple student co-authors from the WCUCOM. Several other publications and projects directed by Dr. Dribus have included WCU faculty and students, both on the academic and medical sides. He currently serves as principal investigator on an NIH-funded MSINBRE project applying patented AI methods to medical research, with aims spanning important problems in women’s health, behavioral psychology, and oncology. 

Dr. Dribus has ongoing collaborations with researchers at external institutions including the University of Toronto, St. John’s Episcopal Hospital, and Mayo Clinic. His long-term research goal is to continue to develop and apply novel AI methods to provide more accurate, customizable, efficient, and interpretable tools for science and medicine.

Dr. Danielle Fastring is the Associate Dean of Research and Professor of Preclinical Sciences at WCUCOM. An epidemiologist with more than 20 years of research experience, she has extensive expertise in quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research, including advanced biostatistical methods, complex study design, program evaluation, and population health research. Her methodological experience includes observational and clinical research, multivariable modeling, survey research, qualitative data collection and analysis, and the design and evaluation of community and health-system interventions.

Dr. Fastring’s research focuses on addressing health disparities and improving population health throughout Mississippi and the Gulf South, with particular emphasis on rural and underserved communities. Her work examines the influence of social determinants of health on health outcomes and uses community-engaged and collaborative approaches to strengthen academic, healthcare, and community partnerships. She has led and collaborated on research addressing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, maternal and child health, infectious disease, healthcare access, rural health, and health equity.

In her role as Associate Dean of Research, Dr. Fastring works extensively with medical students, residents, faculty investigators, healthcare organizations, and community partners to develop research questions, design rigorous studies, conduct complex quantitative and qualitative analyses, and translate findings into peer-reviewed publications and scientific presentations. A central component of her work is building research capacity and mentoring emerging investigators in the development and completion of high-quality scholarly activity.

Dr. Fastring also serves as President of the Mississippi Public Health Association, a statewide professional organization dedicated to promoting health and equity through public health leadership, advocacy, and education. Her broader professional work reflects a longstanding commitment to strengthening research infrastructure, supporting evidence-based public health practice, and expanding the capacity for high-quality clinical, epidemiologic, and population health research throughout Mississippi. 

Dr. Hall serves as Assistant Dean of Population Health at William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine (WCUCOM). Among his various duties, he is responsible for the Center for Public Health Innovation and Strategy (CPHIS), which has as its primary purpose to rethink how we do public health, in an effort to depoliticize public health and focus on the science driving theory in the field. Over the course of his career, he has gained valuable insight and experience in qualitative and quantitative research methods, implementation science, and health data analytics and systems management for performance improvement. His primary research interests center on historical epidemiology (a relatively new interdisciplinary sub-discipline that crosses between the fields of history and public health policy), concerned with how specific efforts to prevent and control disease (including policies related to educating healthcare practitioners) affect health outcomes over time. Dr. Hall is an experienced administrator, researcher, educator, and healthcare provider (paramedic). Previously, he served as Mississippi’s State EMS Director and Director of Acute Care Systems. Dr. Hall has significant experience in program building, program re-design, and program accreditation.

Dr. Imam’s research interests focus on exploring anatomical variations through various imaging modalities, including multislice CT, MRI, and X-rays. He is also dedicated to supporting OMS students in writing case reports on the anatomical variations they encounter during cadaveric dissections, fostering student engagement in anatomical research and scholarly activity. Beyond anatomical variations, Dr. Imam is deeply engaged in neuroanatomy research, particularly examining the impact of heavy metals on structures of the forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain. He is also investigating the potential therapeutic roles of different pharmacological agents in mitigating or reversing the effects of heavy-metal exposure. Additionally, Dr. Imam is studying the role of iron dyshomeostasis in sepsis-induced encephalopathy.

Dr. Imam has also been involved in collaborative research initiatives focused on the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine, including the use of AI to improve disease prediction, enhance the accuracy and efficiency of medical investigations, and facilitate earlier detection of disease. Recently, he has participated in a collaborative research project exploring the use of AI for the early detection of dementia through blood-based biosamples.

Looking forward to the future, Dr. Imam, in collaboration with the Anatomy Department, plans to investigate the application of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies in anatomical education. This initiative aims to explore innovative, immersive approaches to teaching anatomy and to enhance students’ understanding of complex anatomical structures and spatial relationships. Through these multidisciplinary and technology-driven research efforts, Dr. Imam seeks to bridge traditional anatomical education and research with emerging imaging, computational, and immersive technologies.

Dr. Kelsey Keel serves as the Director of Student Research and an Assistant Professor of Preclinical Sciences at William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She holds a PhD in Social, Behavioral, and Population Sciences and an MPH in Epidemiology from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.

Dr. Keel’s research interests include obesity prevention, nutrition and physical activity, community-engaged research, health behavior, health disparities, the use of data and digital tools to support health promotion, and the social and environmental factors that influence health outcomes. Her doctoral research examined fruit and vegetable intake among preschool-aged children, including the impact of nutrition interventions in Head Start settings, the influence of interventions on children and parents within the home environment, and the role of family factors in the success of school-based dietary interventions. Drawing on more than a decade of experience developing and implementing community-based public health initiatives along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Dr. Keel is particularly interested in research that connects academic inquiry with community priorities and produces meaningful, actionable improvements in health.

In her role as Director of Student Research, Dr. Keel works closely with medical students and faculty mentors to support student involvement in research and scholarly activity. She assists students in identifying research opportunities, developing research questions, navigating the research process, and advancing projects toward scientific presentations and peer-reviewed publications. A central focus of her role is fostering student interest in research, connecting students with appropriate faculty and research opportunities, and providing mentorship and resources that help students develop the skills necessary to successfully participate in scholarly activity.

Dr. Labib’s research interests are experimental, cadaveric, radio-anatomic, and evidence synthesis. Her experimental research involves investigating the therapeutic role of drugs in organs’ diseases in animal models with experience in analysis of Flow Cytometric, Histopathological, Biochemical, Immunohistochemical, Light and Electron Microscopic, Real-Time PCR gene expression, and Histomorphometric results. Dr. Labib has special interest in the topic of regulation of gene expression by microRNAs (miRNAs). Dr. Labib cadaveric research is focused on dissection of structures for which cadaveric images are rare in literature such as the Otic Ganglion, as well as on cadaveric variations, with emphasis on variations of blood vessels and neuroanatomical structures. Dr. Labib’s radio-anatomic research includes analysis of CT scans and MRIs and their statistical data. She also works in evidence synthesis research such as Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis. She is a member of the Clinical Anatomical Terminology Committee of the American association of Clinical Anatomists (AACA), with experience in research related to anatomical terminology and classifications.. Dr. Labib is the award winner of the Clinical Anatomy Translational Research Award at the American Association of Clinical Anatomists (AACA) 41st annual meeting, NY in 2024 for her research titled "A Cadaveric Study of Variations of the Posterior Cerebral Artery".

Dr. Amanda Parker’s medical education research interests focus on integrating nutrition and lifestyle medicine into the preclinical curriculum to better train future physicians in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. Recognizing the significant burden of conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease in the Gulf South, Dr. Parker emphasizes the importance of lifestyle medicine as foundational to patient care. Her research aims to explore how personal nutrition and lifestyle choices impact medical students’ well-being and their ability to counsel patients effectively. Additionally, she seeks to evaluate the long-term impact of integrating lifestyle medicine-focused coursework into medical education, particularly through experiential learning approaches such as teaching kitchens and physical activity modules. Dr. Parker is also interested in assessing how early exposure to lifestyle medicine influences future physicians’ practice patterns and their likelihood of incorporating preventive strategies in clinical care. She is committed to engaging with community partners to study the effectiveness of student-led lifestyle medicine initiatives in underserved populations, helping bridge the gap between medical education and real-world patient outcomes. 

Dr. Carissa Rosten serves as an Adjunct Professor at William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine and is board-certified in Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine. Her research interests focus on the use and effectiveness of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT), particularly its potential to improve musculoskeletal function, enhance athletic performance, and reduce injury risk.

Her recent research examined the effects of OMT on collegiate baseball pitchers, including pitch performance, shoulder and hip range of motion, and overuse injuries. Published in the Journal of Osteopathic Medicine, the feasibility study identified promising improvements in range of motion and a potential reduction in overuse injury risk, supporting the need for further investigation with larger samples. Her research team includes the OMM Scholars, a select group of advanced OMS-III  students that staff the WCU OMM clinic, act as teaching assistants in the OMM laboratories, and perform OMM-related research projects. 

https://sites.google.com/view/wcucom-orsp/faculty-scholarship/faculty-research-interests?authuser=0