The SOAR program is a competitive program for rising M2 students, offering an opportunity
to engage in inquiry and scholarly activity with a faculty mentor.
About SOAR
The SOAR program is a full-time eight-week summer program that enables USC SOM medical
students to work closely with faculty mentors, exploring basic science, translational,
or clinical research, or projects focused on health care quality or patient safety,
or educational research. Students and mentors apply for participation in the fall,
followed by a selection and matching process that aims to align students' interests
with mentors' expertise. This model fosters a supportive environment where students
and faculty can apply their knowledge and skills.
For More Information
To learn more about SOAR program and how students and mentors can get involved, click here. Need an immediate question answered or want to get in touch with someone in our
office? Feel free to contact us at SOAR@uscmed.sc.edu.
Student Spotlights
Second-Year Medical Students SOAR to Semifinals of the AMA Research Challenge!
Classmates Briana Pope (right) and Njasi Oji (left), second-year medical students
and SOAR program participants, qualified for the semifinals in the American Medical Association Research Challenge!
The AMA Research Challenge is the largest national, multi-specialty medical research conference for
medical students, residents and international medical graduates to showcase and present research.
Advancing to the semifinals means their abstracts were ranked in the top 3% of all
submissions.
Pope submitted her abstract “Psychosocial Predictors of Accelerated Brain Aging: A Study of Depression and Social
Engagement in Healthy Older Adults” to the AMA research challenge after her SOAR summer research internship with Dr. Sigfus Kristinsson.
"I am honored to be a semifinalist in the AMA Research Challenge,” said Pope. “Before
SOAR, I wasn’t sure if research was part of my future. With the guidance of Dr. Kristinsson
at the School of Public Health, I have discovered a new passion for research that
I hope to carry throughout my career."
Similarly, Oji participated in the SOAR program under the mentorship of Dr. Chao Cai. Her abstract is titled "Neighborhood Socioeconomic Context Mediates Racial Disparities in ADRD Diagnosis
Among Older Breast Cancer Survivors.”
“Being named an AMA Research Challenge semifinalist is a reflection of the invaluable
mentorship I received through the SOAR program from both faculty at the SOM and my
mentor Dr. Chao Cai,” said Oji.
“I'm excited to continue working on this project to better understand and improve
cognitive health outcomes for breast cancer survivors.”
Njasi Oji
Their accomplishments reflect the strength of our students’ dedication, the value
of strong mentorship, and the exciting future of research at the SOMC. Both students
will present their abstracts during a virtual symposium on October 22 to compete for
the grand prize.
Harshitha Visikamalla
Harshitha Visikamalla, a second-year medical student and SOAR program participant,
placed second in the poster competition at the 2025 South Carolina Neurological Association
Conference on September 13th for her abstract Reduced White Matter Tract Integrity
is Related to Tip-of-the-Tongue Phenomena. “Participating in SOAR this summer gave
me the opportunity to explore the research side of medicine while applying the clinical
knowledge I’ve gained in medical school," Visikamalla said. "Presenting at the SCNA
conference was an incredible honor, and I am very grateful for the mentorship and
support I received from Dr. Bonilha and the ABC lab. I am looking forward to completing
this project, sharing our findings, and continuing to pursue research opportunities
that will shape me into a more well-rounded physician.”
Emma Grice and Cecily Kaufmann
2024 SOAR participants Emma Grice and Cecily Kaufmann won outstanding medical student
poster at the Prisma Research Showcase in Greenville, S.C., in October 2024, for their
project titled New Diagnosis HIV linkage to care evaluation in Southeastern United
States: A retrospective cohort study. The team worked with mentor Dr. Sarah Battle.
Anna Baucom
2023 SOAR student Anna Baucom presented her study titled Immediate Postpartum LARC
Devices and the Choose Well Grant: Characteristics Associated with LARC Continuation
> 12 Months at the SAAOG Conference in Sea Island, Georgia in January while working
with mentor, Dr. Patricia Seal.
Lance Schacht
Second Year M.D. student, Lance Schacht was recently published in the Current Infectious
Disease Reports as the second author on a study looking at Intrapartum Infections
in expecting mothers, while being mentored by SOMC faculty member Dr. Patricia Seal.
Challenge the conventional. Create the exceptional. No Limits.
