Research and Scholarly Activity Opportunities with OHIO Faculty

OHIO Faculty:

If you would like our office to share your research opportunities with medical students, please complete this form to indicate your availability to mentor student research. Opportunities will remain on the webpage until you request edits or removal.

HCOM Students:

The list is updated periodically and may not include all available opportunities. Students should contact faculty directly to express interest. To find specific topics or mentors, use the keyword search box below.

Last updated 9/23/2026

Faculty Information	College and Institute	Research Area	Student Level	Time Commitment/Duration	Remote/In-Person Status	Funding Availability	Research/Scholarly Activity Information
Maryam Ahmed, PhD Profile of Dr. Ahmed	Arts and Sciences ITDI	Basic Science	Any HCOM Student	Variable during summer	In-person	Possible	Project title: Modulation of the tumor microenvironment by oncolytic vesicular stomatitis virus Oncolytic viruses are an emerging form of cancer therapy with the ability to selectively lyse and kill tumor cells. My research program seeks to investigate the mechanisms by which a negative-sense RNA virus, vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), manipulates immune components of the tumor microenvironment. I am particularly interested in dissecting the multifaceted role of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in breast cancer development and progression and the potential of VSV strains to modulate TAM populations to promote tumor immunosurveillance. My research also extends to the identification of plants and their derivatives with anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties for the development of combination therapeutic approaches. The work in my laboratory makes use of molecular, biochemical, and cell biology tools and techniques to gain mechanistic insights on how VSV therapies may lead to improved outcomes in aggressive forms of cancers.
Cory Baumann, PhD The Baumann Lab	Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine OMNI	Biomedical/Basic science	Any HCOM Student		In-Person		Our research delves into the neuromuscular system's response to stressors in diseased and frail mice, emphasizing skeletal muscle function as a key indicator of stress resistance, resilience, and adaptability. Our aim is to pinpoint the locations and mechanisms that bolster the neuromuscular system's capacity to mitigate stress, thereby enhancing the health span of vulnerable populations.
Ilana Chertok, PhD Profile of Dr. Chertok	Health Sciences and Professions Diabetes Institute	Human-based clinical research					Dr. Chertok and her team study maternal-infant health. Our current specific focus is the influence of gestational diabetes on breastfeeding and human milk.
Cory Cronin, PhD Profil,e of Dr. Cronin	Health Sciences and Professions ADVANCE	Public Health	Any HCOM Student	Less then 5 hours per week Multi-Year during Academic Year	Fully Remote	No	Project Title: Health care organizations and community engagement My research examines how health care organizations influence their surrounding communities. This effort frequently centers on community benefit activities and vulnerable populations, such as rural health care organizations.
Jen-Tzer Gau, MD Profile of Dr. Gau	Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine OMNI	Human-Based Clinical Research	Any HCOM Student	Summer	Hybrid		I am a geriatrician and internist. My research interests include micronutrient deficiency, gastro-intestinal issues, sarcopenia, and osteoporosis in older adults. My research focuses on the case studies, case series, and risk factor association study based on patients encountered in daily clinics.
Mario Grijalva, PhD Profile of Dr. Grijalva	Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine ITDI	Community-based investigation					Transmission and control of Chagas disease in Ecuador (international experience)
Dustin Grooms, PhD Profile of Dr. Grooms	Health Sciences and Professions OMNI	Human-based clinical research	Any HCOM Student	10 hours per week; Full year			Neuroplastic and neuromuscular changes associated with orthopedic injury, rehabilitation and prevention
Angela Hillman, PhD Profile of Dr. Hillman	Health Sciences and Professions Diabetes Institute	Human-based clinical research		2-5 hours per week during the full year	In-Person with Possible Remote		Investigating dietary intake, body composition and metabolism in those using GLP-1 medications for weight loss
John Kopchick, PhD Profile of Dr. Kopchick	Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine IMMA	Biomedical/Basic Science Research	Any HCOM or DO/PhD Student	Summer Full-Time	In-Person		John J. Kopchick is an internationally recognized leader in the growth hormone field. Since 1987 he has been the Goll-Ohio Eminent Scholar and Distinguished Professor at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Dr. Kopchick attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) where he received his B.S. and M.S. degrees. His PhD was awarded in 1980 by the University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at The M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. He then performed postdoctoral studies in molecular virology at the Roche Institute of Molecular Biology, Nutley, N.J. Following that, he was a group leader in molecular medicine at Merck & Co., Rahway, N.J. Dr. Kopchick and his group were the first to discover and characterize GH receptor antagonists. With his friend and colleague, Rick Hawkins, they founded a company, Sensus, which applied his research to the development of an FDA approved drug called Somavert (Pegvisomant for injection) which is marketed for patients with acromegaly. Patients world-wide are benefitting by the safe and efficacious treatment with the drug. Royalties from the sales of Somavert has led to a Translational Medicine Doctoral Program at Ohio University. Dr. Kopchick has published more than 500 scientific articles and patents and serves on several Editorial Boards. He is Past-President of the Growth Hormone Research Society and has received many awards including the British Endocrine Society Transatlantic Award, the Endocrine Society Laureate Award for Outstanding Innovations, several honoraria degrees, and the title of Ohio University Distinguished Professor. He has advised over 400 PhD and undergraduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and visiting professors in molecular aspects of growth, diabetes, cancer, and aging. Finally, he has a dinosaur named after him, Yuxisaurus kopchicki 😊
Ke Li, PhD Profile of Dr. Li	Arts and Sciences ADVANCE	Social Science	Any HCOM or DO/PhD Student	Full Year	Hybrid		Examining social isolation and loneliness among older adults across different countries using cross-national comparative approaches. Examining the biopsychosocial pathways linking life-course trauma and stressors to cognitive functioning in later life.
Chunmin Lo, PhD Profile of Dr. Lo	Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine Diabetes Institute	Biomedical/Basic science					Roles of apolipoproteins and neuropeptides in the control of energy homeostasis, lipid and glucose metabolism, and pathogenesis of obesity and diabetes diseases.
Yuangie Mao, MD, PhD Profile of Dr. Mao	Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine Diabetes Institute	Human-based clinical research			Hybrid		Our studies are conceived from practical questions raised from clinical care and address the gap between basic science and clinical medicine. The current focus is insulin resistance in obesity and diabetes and chronic complications from diabetes.
Zac Martin, PhD Profile of Dr. Martin	Health Sciences and Professions ADVANCE and Diabetes Institute	Clinical Research; Public Health; Translational Research	Any HCOM Student	Flexible	Hybrid	Potentially	Project Title: Cardiovascular Health Disparities and Integrative Physiology The research examines how psychosocial stress, behavioral factors, and physiological mechanisms contribute to cardiovascular disease risk and health disparities. Students may engage in human subjects research, secondary data analysis, literature reviews, statistical analysis, and scientific writing related to cardiovascular health and disease prevention.
Molly Morris, PhD Profile of Dr. Morris	Arts and Sciences Diabetes Institute	Biomedical/Basic science					Examination of fat deposition in swordtail fish to understand the side effects of obesity and weight gain, which could lead to diabetes.
Graciela Muniz-Terrera, PhD Profile of Dr. Muniz-Terrera	Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine ADVANCE, ITDI, OMNI	Data Science/Bioinformatics	Any HCOM Student	5-10 hours/week during Academic Year	Hybrid	No	Project title: Investigation of the aging process in a rural population in rural Ecuador We have data on a cohort of over 200 individuals who completed questionnaires about various aspects of their lives. We are interested in the analysis of the data to answer a series of pending questions about this population and write manuscripts based on findings.
Craig Nunemaker, PhD Profile of Dr. Nunemaker	Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine Diabetes Institute	Biomedical/Basic science					Our lab is studying a dual-action therapeutic to treat diabetes by protecting insulin-producing cells from death-inducing stressors and enhancing their ability to secrete insulin.
Thomas Rosol, DVM, PhD, MBA Profile of Dr. Rosol	Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine OMNI	Biomedical/Basic science					Pathogenesis and treatment of bone metastasis using molecular biology, cell culture, tissue culture, mouse models of metastasis, and in vivo bioluminescent imaging.
Jeff Russell, PhD, AT Profile of Dr. Russell	Health Sciences and Professions	Community-Based Investigation		Fall or Spring Semesters with Possible Summer Work	Hybrid		Performing arts medicine, including concussions in film/TV stunt performers and dancers, injuries in adolescent dancers, injuries in dance team, and injuries in professional circus.
Janet Simon, PhD Neuromuscular Biomechanics and Health Assessment Lab (NMBHAL)	Health Sciences and Professions OMNI	Human-based clinical research					Dr. Simon specializes in measuring the outcomes of various rehabilitation interventions as well as evaluating health-related quality of life of high school and college athletes who suffer sport-related injury, and the use and development of patient-based outcomes instruments for the purpose of outcomes assessment and measuring the end result of health care services.
Daniel Skinner, PhD Profile of Dr. Skinner	Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine	Health Policy	Any HCOM Student	Less then 5 hours per week	Fully Remote	Flexible; Multi-year, Adademic Year; Summer	Project title: Physicians and Health Policy Advocacy I have an ongoing book project focused on the history of physicians and other health professionals in advocating for policy change, both in the U.S. and internationally. Within this project, there are a number of opportunities for students to contribute to pieces of this larger book project as well as publishing articles related to project-adjacent research threads. I am also happy to support students in developing policy-relevant research projects of their own.
Shaohua Wang, PhD Profile of Dr. Wang	Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine Diabetes Institute OMNI	Biomedical/Basic Science Research			In-Person		Our lab investigates bacterial infectious diseases, with a particular focus on host–microbiome interactions and Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) and recurrent CDI (rCDI). Our research aims to identify microbial, metabolic, and host-directed strategies that strengthen resistance to infection, develop bacteriophage-based approaches for precise targeting of bacterial pathogens, and develop strategies to protect high-risk hosts, including those with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and aging-associated susceptibility, from CDI and rCDI.
Cai Xu, PhD Profile of Dr. Xu	Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine ADVANCE	Public Health;Data Science/Bioinformatics	Any HCOM Student	Variable and Flexible	Hybrid	No	My research focuses on social determinants of health and aging outcomes in older adults. Broad topics include frailty, intrinsic capacity, lifestyle behaviors, sleep health, sedentary behavior, cognitive health (including dementia), and functional status (ADL/IADL), as well as other factors influencing quality of life in later life. I also conduct advanced psychometric analyses and computer adaptive testing based on item response theory, with a focus on instrument development and validation to improve the efficient assessment of self-reported health outcomes. In addition, I apply machine learning methods to these data to better understand and predict health outcomes of interest.
Shouan Zhu, PhD Profile of Dr. Zhu	Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine OMNI	Biomedical/Basic science					Effects of how different risk factors such as aging and obesity interact to cause joint dysfunction that ultimately leads to osteoarthritis development using both in vivo genetic modified mice models and in vitro primary chondrocytes.

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