UPIKE Newsroom

The University of Pikeville recently hosted its annual Research Day to highlight student research activity at the institution. The Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine (KYCOM) and Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) at UPIKE organized the event.  

Students’ research covered various medical and optometric topics including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, black lung disease, diabetes, pancreatic cancer, astigmatism, virtual reality and concussion research. Research Day kicked off with a poster session featuring the work of KYCOM and KYCO students and concluded with KYCO students presenting their ongoing projects.

Dr. Larry Thibos, professor emeritus at the Indiana School of Optometry and an accomplished scientist in the field of visual optics, served as featured speaker for the event and informed students on current optometric research.

“Research is a vital part of our curriculum because it teaches us how to develop critical thinking and apply it to patient care,” said Nitya Murthy, KYCO second-year student and KYCO Journal Club president. “As future doctors, we need to be in the habit of staying up-to-date with ongoing research as well as new technologies and treatment options so that we are always equipped to best serve our patients.”

Josh Watson, Research Committee chair and assistant professor of physiology, said, “We wanted to give the campus community an opportunity to see how hard our students have worked this past year exploring a variety of projects and expose everyone to the opportunities here at UPIKE. Every physician needs to be a life-long learner to adapt to novel therapies or techniques, and we feel that these research opportunities, as well as being exposed to variety of unfamiliar topics, is vital in instilling that desire.”