SPRINTER Program Students Represent Department of Surgery

By Department of Surgery | Jul 14, 2023

Undergraduate students Gozienna Okeke and Mahrukh Sana represented the Department of Surgery with their poster on firearm injury-related (FRI) inpatient costs and insurance payer type at the Summer Program in Translational Disparities and Community Engaged Research (SPRINTER) symposium. Their study reported on the increasing incidence of FRIs among patients covered by Medicaid with a corresponding increase in inpatient costs– findings with significant implications for funding allocations in hospitals serving higher proportions of these patients.

Gozienna is majoring in Biology at the SUNY Binghamton University. With a background as an EMT and a special interest in anatomy, he aspires to become a physician, specializing in either emergency medicine or surgery. Mahrukh is also majoring in Biology at the CUNY Brooklyn College. Her focus for a future career is anchored in health care with the specific objective of becoming a nurse practitioner. 

The SPRINTER program is funded by the Translational Program of Health Disparities Research (TRANSPORT) grant and led by Megan Folks, an alumnus of the program. The program presents an invaluable, high-quality avenue by which undergraduate students are introduced and guided into the world of research. 

Tags: Research