Participants in the UAB Department of Surgery Pre-College Research Internship for Scholarship and Mentoring (PRISM) and Future Surgeons and Scientists Investigating Oncology (FUSSION) programs came together to present their completed research to peers, mentors, and family members. The event took place at the Margaret Cameron Spain Auditorium on July 25, 2025.

The PRISM program, aimed at high school students, and the FUSSION program, designed for undergraduate students, both offer hands-on research experiences, seminars, and workshops that enhance students’ interest in pursuing careers in surgery and biomedical research. These programs are an integral part of UAB Surgery’s commitment to providing mentorship to future healthcare leaders. make it better 

“The future of biomedical research depends on programs like PRISM and FUSSION,” said Aurelio Galli, Ph.D., D.Sc., vice chair of basic research in the Department of Surgery. “These scholars represent the pipeline of discovery.”

PRISM Program Participants

PRISM provides high school students who are interested in careers in healthcare and medicine with hands-on research experiences under the mentorship of surgeons and their peers. Annually, five students are selected through a highly competitive process from a pool of applicants across the Birmingham metropolitan area for this eight-week experience. Students complete a mentored research project, often involving a team. The program goal is to give high school students an understanding and appreciation of the research process and how discoveries lead to improved patient care and patient outcomes.

“Programs like PRISM are vital because they give students the opportunity to see themselves as future scientists and surgeons at an early stage,” said Andrea Gillis, M.D., MSPH, director of endocrine surgery research in the Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery and one of the co-directors of PRISM. “By pairing them with dedicated mentors, we help spark a passion for discovery that can guide their careers for years to come.”

• Student Name: Ahda Syed
  • Mentor: Anabelle Fonseca, M.D., MSH
  • Research Project: Improving Informed Consent in Pancreatic Cancer

• Student Name: Ashton Clyde Hudson
  • Mentor: Andrea Gillis, M.D., MSPH
  • Research Project: Assessing Patient-Reported Outcomes in patients undergoing surgery for primary hyperparathyroidism

• Student Name: Quade Davis
  • Mentor: Kristen Wong, M.D.
  • Research Project: Understanding and Improving Comfortability with Robot-Assisted Surgery of Gastrointestinal Surgery Patients

• Student Name: Jaiden Lee
  • Mentor: Margaux Mustian, M.D., MSPH
  • Research Project: Patient Activation Measure (PAM) and Perceptions of Bariatric Surgery

• Student Name: Jose Bracamontes
  • Mentor: Jillian Ritcher, Ph.D.
  • Research Project: Role of Fresh Frozen Plasma Resuscitation on Glycocalyx Integrity Following Trauma

• Student Name: Lanie Richardson 
  • Mentor: Laura Stafman, M.D., Ph.D.
  • Research Project: PIM Kinases Affect Lipid Metabolism in Neuroblastoma

FUSSION Program Participants

FUSSION provides undergraduate students who are interested in a biomedical career with research experience and knowledge that increases their understanding of cancer, increases their competitiveness for admission to medical and/or graduate school, and encourages them to consider careers in academic medicine. Up to five undergraduate students are selected for a 2-year mentored research experience, complemented by a core curriculum in foundational cancer knowledge and exposure to the role that research plays in improving outcomes for cancer patients. Students are exposed to the multi-disciplinary nature of cancer care and cancer research, actively participate in mentored cancer research projects, present research results at a variety of venues, and will participate in community outreach tied to their research.

Students learn the rewards of combining research with clinical practice and gain an understanding of the importance of basic, translational, and clinical research discoveries to improving patient care and outcomes.

“FUSSION gives undergraduates the unique chance to contribute to real cancer research,” said Karin Hardiman, M.D., Ph.D., associate vice chair of basic research in the department and associate program director of FUSSION. “These students are not only building technical skills but also gaining the confidence to ask important questions and imagine themselves as leaders in the operating room and the lab.”

• Student Name: Hannah Henson
  • Mentor: Anna G. Sorace, Ph.D.
  • Research Project: PD-L1 is Modulated in Tumor and Lymphoid Tissue After Anti-PD1 and Radiation in a mouse Model of Triple Negative Breast Cancer

• Student Name: Javier Villasenor
  • Mentor: Warner Huh, M.D., MSHA
  • Research Project: An Analysis of Current Guidelines Regarding Expedited Treatment with LEEP Procedures

• Student Name: Nori McWhorter
  • Mentor: Daniel Chu, M.D., MSPH, FASCRS
  • Research Project: Exploring Knowledge of Enhanced Recovery Programs Across Healthcare Professional Roles

• Student Name: Punarvi Mandadapu
  • Mentor: Laura Stafman, M.D., Ph.D.
  • Research Project: ST6Gal2 Enhances Neuroblastoma Viability, Proliferation, and migration

• Student Name: Rany Tarakji
  • Mentors: Rachael Guenter, Ph.D. and J. Bart Rose, M.D., MAS
  • Research Project: Induction of surface calreticulin in urothelial bladder cancer cell lines