Student Research

Correlation Between Central Sensitization Wind-Up and IGF-1 and VEGF Levels
-by Afifa Ahmadzai, Dr. Lynn Gerber, Dr. Jay P. Shah, Dr. Secili Stefano, Dr. Siddhartha Sikdar, Dr. Zoran Duric, Dr. James Paik, Vy Phan

Body Fat Percentage Negatively Correlates with Measures of Aerobic Fitness in NAFLD and Metabolic Syndrome
-by Afaq Barakzai, Patrick Austin, Carey Escheik, Jillian K. Price, Lynn Gerber, Zobair M. Younossi

Visual Memory in Adults with Non - Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) and/or Type II Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM)
-by Julia Hakeem, Leyla de Avila, Ali A. Weinstein PhD, Zobair M. Younossi MD, MPH

Relationship between Physical Activity and Executive Function in NAFLD and Non-NAFLD Patients
-by Myrna Namman, Gayathri Ganganaboina, Ali Weinstein, Leyla de Avila, Zobair Younossi

Implications of HFE Gene Haploinsufficiency to Fatigue and Mild Cognitive Dysfunction in Chronic Metabolic Syndrome Patients
-by Aparna Nanduru, Michael Estep, Leyla de Avila, Jillian Price, Carey Escheik, Ali Weinstein, Naomi Gerber, Zobair Younossi

Resources Utilized for Health Information by Individuals With a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Caregivers of Individuals With a TBI
-by Sarah Osman, Ali A. Weinstein, PhD, Tammie Jones, Mherat Woldemeamlake, Mary-Lou Pomeroy

Rheumatologic Autoimmune Disease Patients Associated with Metabolic Syndrome and Cardiovascular Disease
-by Timnit Sisay, Azza Karrar, Jillian Price, Patrick Austin, Carey Escheick, Lynn Gerber, Zobair Yonoussi

BMR Correlating with Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
-by Abigail Trinidad, Lynn Gerber, MD, Ali Weinstein, PhD, Jillian K. Price, PhD, Patrick Austin, MPH CEP, and Carey Escheik, BS

Getting “Old and Tired”: The Associations Between Age, Fatigue, and Sarcopenia in Patients with Hepatitis C Virus or Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
-by Natalie VanderNoot, Azza Karrar, PhD, Jillian Price, PhD, Patrick Austin, Carey Escheik, Zobair M. Younossi, MD, Ali Weinstein, PhD, & Lynn Gerber MD

Examining the Levels of Dopamine and Norepinephrine in Patients who are Centrally Sensitized and Experience Temporal Summation
-by Maanvi Vij, Jay P. Shah, MD, John Srbely, PhD, Secili DeStefano, DPT, Siddhartha Sidkar, PhD, Vy Phan, Aybike Birerdinc, PhD, Ali A . Weinstein, PhD, Naomi Lynn Gerber, MD

Process and Ease of Finding Information for Traumatic Brain Injury Patients and Caregivers
-by Mherat Woldemeamlake, Sarah Osman, Tammie M. Jones MS, Mary Louise Pomeroy, MPH, Ali A. Weinstein, PhD

Associations between Glucocorticoid Dosing, Inflammation, & Liver Steatosis/Fibrosis in Subjects with Autoimmune Diseases
-by Areej Ali, Hufsa Khan, Rati Deshpande M.D., Lynn Gerber M.D., Jillian Price Ph.D., Carey Escheik, Ramona Raya, Edward Suh M.D. & Zobair M. Younossi M.D. 

Examination of Processing Speed Performance in Participants with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
-by Chathurya Anuga, Ali Weinstein, Leyla De Avila, Zobair Younossi

Relationship between Weight Status and Eating Environment
-by Soshyana Azizi, Carey Escheik, Jillian Price, Patrick Austin, Lynn Gerber, and Zobair M. Younossi

Relationship between Nonsynonymous Mutations in Serotonin Signaling and Working Memory in Subjects with NAFLD and/or Type II Diabetes
-by Pratyusha Chaluvadi, Leyla de Avila, Michael Estep, Ali Weinstein, Naomi Gerber, Zobair Younossi

NAFLD Significantly Associated with CO2 and O2 Output Volumes
-by Saisruthi Kannan, Pooja Agarwal, Jillian K. Price, Patrick Austin, Carey Esheik, Ali A. Weinstein, Lynn Gerber, Zobair M. Younossi

The Effectiveness of a Service Dog Training Program on Pain in Service Members diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
-by Linh Nguyen, Preetha Abraham, and Patricia Deuster

Association of Fatty Liver Disease and Obesity with Emotional Eating Behaviors
-by Sahar Rizwan, Carey Escheik, Jillian Price, Ali A. Weinstein, Lynn H. Gerber, Zobair M. Younossi

Relationship between Nurses’ Experience Level and Utilization of Clinical Research in Practice 
-by Kate Vorder Bruegge, Jessica Pope, J. Mary Louise Pomeroy, Ali A. Weinstein 

Health Literacy and Chronic Illness Amongst Subsidized Housing Residents
-by Amina Benguedouar, Mary Lou Jacobsen, Dr. Ali A. Weinstein

Are ATrPs vs LTrPs More Likely to be Associated with a High Score on the Widespread Pain Index?
-by Erik Carey, Dr. Lynn Gerber, Jay Shah, Dr. Secili DeStefano, Hannah Tandon, Matthew Bird

Cortical Silent Period Duration and Cortical Motor Evoked Potential Intensity in Dominant and Non-Dominant Arms 
-by Daniel Hain, Dr. Harris-Love

Is There a Relationship Between Liver Fibrosis and the Cardiophysiological Measures Pre and Post Cardiac Rehabilitation?
-by Elena Hawksworth, Carey Escheik, Dr. Lynn H. Gerber, Jillian K. Price, Patrick Austin, Rose Shrishord, Carla Porter, Henry Tran, Marianne Sherman, Dr. Zobair M. Younossi

The Association of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease with Motor Coordination and Executive Functioning
-by Dulary Hossain, Monica Soliman, Leyla de Avila, Dr. Ali Weinstein, Dr. Naomi Gerber, Dr. Zobair Younossi

Correlation between Vaping and High Blood Pressure in Subsidized Fairfax Housing Residents
-by Young Lim, Mary Lou Jacobsen, Dr. Ali Weinstein, Dr. Naomi Gerber

Is The Beighton/Brighton Score Independent of the Number of Active Trigger Points Present in a Patient?
-by Dr. Naomi Lynn Gerber, Jay P. Shah, Dr. Siddhartha Sikdar, Dr. Ali A. Weinstein, Dr. Secili DeStefano, Hannah Tandon, Matthew Bird, and Virina Matta

Correlation Between Dietary Restrictions & Diagnosis Times With Impact on NAFLD Progression
- by Wajma Q. Naderi, Sandra Simon, Dr. Ali A. Weinstein, Carey Escheik, Dr. Lynn H. Gerber, and Dr. Zobair M. Younossi.

Relationship Between Heart Rate and Physical Exertion in Individuals with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and a Healthy Population
- by Jamesha Pope, Mary Floyd, Dr. Lynn Gerber, Dr. Zobair M.Younossi, & Patrick Austin

Examining Metabolic Equivalents (METs) in Individuals with Metabolic Syndrome Components in Chronic Liver Disease (CLD) Populations
- by Shruthi Prabhakar, Jillian K. Price, Patrick Austin, Carey Escheik, Dr. Lynn Gerber, Dr. Ali. A. Weinstein, Dr. Zobair M. Younossi

Examining the Correlation Between Quantitative Sensory (QST) and Pain Pressure Threshold
-by Alexis Forrester
Conducted in the Center for the Study of Chronic Illness and Disability at George Mason University
Mentor: Lynn Gerber, MD

Relationship Between Range of Motion and Stiffness of Trigger Points and Surrounding Tissue
-by Allison FitzGerald
Conducted in the Center for the Study of Chronic Illness and Disability at George Mason University
Mentor: Lynn Gerber, MD

Mitigating Medical Provider Burnout
-by Alzahra Hamidaddin
Conducted in Consortium for Health and Military Performance at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Mentor: CPT Stephen Krauss, PhD

Accuracy of Perceived Weight Status and Fruit and Vegetable Consumption of Young Adults
-by Andrew Tran
Conducted in the Nutrition and Food Studies Laboratory at George Mason University
Mentor: Margaret Slavin, PhD, RD, LD

Investigating the Cause of Elevated Alanine Aminotransferase Levels in Patients Treated for HBV
-by Jena Chalmers
Conducted in Liver Disease Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institute of Health
Mentor: Daniel Suarez, BS

Results from Pilot Testing a Food Behaviors Questionnaire for a Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Population
-by Jordan Owan
Conducted in Betty and Guy Beatty Center for Integrated Research at Inova Fairfax Hospital
Mentor: Lynn Gerber, MD

Scoping Review of U.S. and Global Sugar Sweetened Beverage (SSB) Tax Research Literature Indicates Increase in Untaxed SSB Consumption
-by Julianna Kinsolving
Conducted in Betty and Guy Beatty Center for Integrated Research at Inova Fairfax Hospital
Mentor: Haley Bush

Examining Exercise Performance in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), Hepatitis C (HCV), and non-Chronic Liver Disease (CLD) Populations
-by Zeba Ejaz and Katherine Thomas
Conducted in Betty and Guy Beatty Center for Integrated Research at Inova Fairfax Hospital
Mentor: Jillian Price

Morbid Obesity in those with Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease as a Predictor of Significant Coronary Artery Disease
-by Mai Hasan
Conducted in the Center for Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, Inova Fairfax Hospital
Mentor: Brian Lam, PA-C

Analysis of Errors from Predictions Based on Electromyography Data
-by Tyler Moore
Conducted in the Laboratory for the Study of Simulation of Human Movement
Mentor: Gene Shuman and Zoran Duric

Perceived Rate of Exertion (RPE) in Chronic Liver Disease Patients (CLD) at Anaerobic Threshold (AT)
-by Megan Gooding
Conducted in Betty and Guy Beatty Center for Integrated Research at Inova Fairfax Hospital
Mentor: Patrick Austin, MPH

A Scoping Review of Food Behaviors Questionnaires for a Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Population
- by Nadia Busekrus
Conducted in Betty and Guy Beatty Center for Integrated Research at Inova Fairfax Hospital
Mentor: Lynn Gerber, MD

Examining the Correlation between Qualitative Severity Scores in Focus Groups and Quantitative Severity Scores from Self-Reported Surveys
- by Erin Kimmelman
Conducted in Center for Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, Inova Fairfax Hospital
Mentor: Sophie Afdhal, BS

Grip Strength in those affected by Chronic Liver Disease Negatively Changes after One Year of Follow-up
- by Matthew N. Eiman
Conducted in Center for Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, Inova Fairfax Hospital
Mentor: Patrick Austin, MPH

The Relationship between Cytokines and Fatigue in Breast Cancer Survivors
- by Anam Asif (BS Biology ‘16)
Conducted in the Center for the Study of Chronic Illness and Disability at George Mason University
Mentor: Ali A. Weinstein, PhD

Relationship between TGF-β1 and Self-Reported Fatigue in Breast Cancer Survivors
- by Lauren Bryan (BS Nursing ‘17)
Conducted in the Center for the Study of Chronic Illness and Disability at George Mason University
Mentor: Ali A. Weinstein, PhD

Do Patients Who Have Achieved SVR, Report Improvement in Mood, Sleep, and Social Functioning?
- by Kazi Ahmed (BS Biology ‘17)
Conducted in the Betty and Guy Beatty Center for Integrated Research at Inova Fairfax Hospital
Mentor: Carey Escheik, BS

Vitamin D Supplementation Beliefs and Practices of Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) Clinic Participants
- by Julia Pfeiffer (BS Nursing ‘17)
Conducted in the Nutrition and Food Studies Laboratory at George Mason University
Mentor: Lynn Gerber, MD

Comparison of Oxygen Kinetics in the Upper Trapezius in Patients with Chronic Neck Pain and Myofascial Trigger Points before and after Treatment
- by Abdelrahman Gouda (BS BIOE ‘17) and Armita Kabirpour (BS Chemistry ‘16)
Conducted in the Biomedical Imaging Laboratory at Mason
Mentor: Siddhartha Sikdar, PhD

Use of Ultrasound Analysis to Determine the Presence and Severity of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
-by Ameeta Kumar (BS Biology ‘17)
Conducted in the Biomedical Imaging Laboratory at Mason
Mentor: Siddhartha Sikdar, PhD

The Relationship between Psychological Distress and Physical Performance for Patient with or without Metabolic Syndrome and Chronic Liver Disease
- by Patricia Tran (BS Nursing ‘17)
Conducted in the Betty and Guy Beatty Center for Integrated Research at Inova Fairfax Hospital
Mentor: Lynn Gerber, MD

Do Serotonin Levels Predict Fatigue in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease?
- by Emma Powers (BS Biology ‘17)
Conducted in the Betty and Guy Beatty Center for Integrated Research at Inova Fairfax Hospital
Mentor: Lynn Gerber, MD

Factors Contributing to Word Forming and Tiles Moved in Normal and Traumatic Brain Injury Subjects
- by Alicia Suchicital (BS BIOE ‘17), Mohamed Salih (BS Neuroscience ‘17)
Conducted in the Laboratory for the Study and Simulation of Human Movement at Mason
Mentor: Zoran Duric, PhD

Exertional Rhabdomyolysis: Commonalities between Horses and Humans
- by Erika Pashai (BS Biology ‘17)
Conducted in the Human Performance Laboratory at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Mentor: Patricia Deuster, PhD

Analyzing Success of a Virtual Environment Word Forming Exercise as a Potential Tool to Assess the Motor and Cognitive Differences between Participants with and without Traumatic Brain Injury
– by Adriana Pacheco (BS Bioengineering '15)
Conducted in the Laboratory for the Study and Simulation of Human Movement at Mason
Mentor: Zoran Duric, PhD

The Association Between Comorbid Conditions and Length of Stay in Hip Fractures: A Retrospective Review, 2012-2013
– by Anna Rantanacharoensiri (BS Nursing '14)
Conducted in the Inova Fairfax Hospital Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery Department
Mentor: Lolita Ramsey

The Impact of Sleep Quality on Physical Fitness and General Health Functioning
– by Daniel Suarez (BS Neuroscience '15)
Conducted in the Human Performance Laboratory at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Mentor: Patricia Deuster, PhD

Ultrasonic Characterization of the Tibialis Anterior Muscle in Children with Cerebral Palsy and Foot Drop
– by April Aralar (BS Bioengineering '16)
Conducted in the Biomedical Imaging Laboratory at Mason
Mentor: Siddhartha Sikdar, PhD

Intervention of Silymarin/Phosphotidylcholine Complex of Male Wistar Rats with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis
– by Drew Venuto (BS Chemistry/Biochemistry '16)
Conducted in the Betty and Guy Beatty Center for Integrated Research at Inova Fairfax Hospital
Mentor: Fatema Nader

Effect of Grape Pomace Extract on In Vitro CGRP Secretion as a Proxy for Migraine
– by Kyle Jackson (BS Economics '16)
Conducted in the Nutrition and Food Studies at George Mason University
Mentor: Margaret Slavin, PhD

Relationship between Breast Cancer Treatments and Physical and Mental Outcomes
– by Heather Hobbs (BS Biology '16)
Conducted in the Center for the Study of Chronic Illness and Disability at George Mason University
Mentor: Ali A. Weinstein, PhD

The Effect of Dietary Supplements on the Rate of Calcium Influx in PC-12 Cells
– by Julia Bourguigon (BS Biology '15)
Conducted in Department of Nutrition and Food Studies
Mentor: Margaret Slavin, PhD

Depressive Symptoms and Physical Activity of Subjects with Chronic Liver Disease
– by Areeg Elayan (BS Biology & Neuroscience '15)
Conducted in the Betty and Guy Beatty Center for Integrated Research at Inova Fairfax Hospital
Mentor: Lynn Gerber, MD

The Relationship between 2D Ultrasound and Blood Flow Velocity
– by Ashlee Ong (BS Chemistry '14)
Conducted in the Biomedical Imaging Laboratory at Mason
Mentor: Siddhartha Sikdar, PhD

Correlating Head Movement with Haptic Navigation in a Virtual Environment
– by Stephanie Howe (BS Computer Science '15)
Conducted in the Laboratory for the Study and Simulation of Human Movement at Mason
Mentor: Zoran Duric, PhD

Measured Recovery Time Constant, as Measured by Near Infrared Spectroscopy in the Upper Trapezius of Normal Subject, is Affected by Weight Lifted
– by Meghan Neary (BS Neuroscience '14)
Conducted in the Biomedical Imaging Laboratory at Mason
Mentor: Siddhartha Sikdar, PhD

Prediction of Maximal Oxygen Consumption (VO2max) in Healthy Adults
– by Kurt Fedors (BS Athletic Training '15)
Conducted in the Human Performance Laboratory at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Mentor: Patricia Deuster, PhD

The Relationship between Life Stress and Performance
– by Rachel Taylor (BS Nursing '15)
Conducted in the Center for the Study of Chronic Illness and Disability at Mason
Mentor: Ali A. Weinstein, PhD

Electrode Assessment via Cyclic Voltammetry and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy
– by Hamza Ijaz (BS Neuroscience '15)
Conducted in the Neural Engineering Laboratory at Mason
Mentor: Nathalia Peixoto, PhD

New Treadmill Walking, an Effective Tool for Gait Training?
- by Hinduja Nallamala (BS Biology & Neuroscience '15)
Conducted in the Functional and Applied Biomechanics Laboratory at NIH
Mentor: Hyung-Soon Park, PhD

Can an Isometric Exercise Demonstrate the Dynamics of Oxygen and Blood Flow in the Upper Trapezius Muscle Using Near-infrared Spectroscopy?
– by Maryam Zaazhoa (BS Biology '14)
Conducted in the Biomedical Imaging Laboratory at Mason
Mentor: Siddhartha Sikdar, PhD

Validating the Accuracy of Microsoft Kinect Depth Information
– by Sam Gelman (BS Computer Science '14)
Conducted in the Laboratory for the Study and Simulation of Human Movement at Mason
Mentor: Zoran Duric, PhD

The Impact of Marital Status on Adverse Psychological Effects in Patients Undergoing Treatment for Chronic Hepatitis C (HCV)
– by Lauren Rover (BS Neuroscience '13)
Conducted in the Betty and Guy Beatty Center for Integrated Research at Inova Fairfax Hospital
Mentor: Lynn Gerber, MD

Associations Between Supplement Intake and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) Severity
– by Mandy Cho (BS Biology '14)
Conducted in the Center for the Study of Genomic Liver Disease at Inova Fairfax/Mason
Mentor: Ancha Baranova, PhD

Perception of Exertion in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease (CLD)
– by Anthony Loria (BS Biology '12)
Conducted in the Betty and Guy Beatty Center for Integrated Research at Inova Fairfax Hospital
Mentor: Lynn Gerber, MD

Exercise Self-Efficacy and Pulmonary Hypertension
– by Audrey Ferguson (BS Nursing '12)
Conducted in the Rehabilitation Medicine Department at NIH Clinical Center
Mentor: Randall Keyser, PhD

Objective Measures of Pitch-Matching in a Multi-Sensory Environment
– by Giannina Garcia (BS Applied Computer Science '12)
Conducted in the Laboratory for the Study and Simulation of Human Movement at Mason
Mentor: Zoran Duric, PhD