Four-year research projects by OUWB Class of 2026 published online - Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine

Research conducted by OUWB’s Class of 2026 through a program that helps define the school as an institution is now available online.

The OUWB 2026 Embark Colloquium can be found here.

Embark is a four-year longitudinal curriculum at OUWB. The program consists of structured coursework in research design and implementation, compliance training, research communication, and scholarly presentation. There’s also protected time to develop mentored projects in a wide-range of community and health-related settings.

Dwayne Baxa, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies, serves as Embark co-director.

“This year’s Embark projects from the Class of 2026 highlight the continued scholarly maturity of our students,” he said. “They explored an impressive range of topics from improving clinical care and addressing health inequities to advancing medical education and contributing to foundational science.”

“Many projects reflected interdisciplinary collaboration and meaningful community engagement,” he added.

Work done by the OUWB Class of 2026 has resulted in 93 conference presentations and 12 awards. Further, 20 projects have been published in journals.

M4 Amy Lin’s project is one that’s been published.

Her Embark project was called, “Association Between Celiac Disease and Uncontrolled Hemoglobin A1c Levels in Type 1 Diabetes Pediatric Patients.” It was published in Pediatric Diabetes.

Lin led a team of researchers who examined thousands of medical records and identified a high-risk group of children who have both celiac disease (CD) and type-1 diabetes (T1D). They also point out the associated health issues, and the need for physicians and clinicians to develop specific treatment plans for such patients.

The research was “truly a remarkable project,” says Ramin Homayouni, Ph.D., professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies and founding director, Population Health Informatics, OUWB.

Homayouni was a co-author along with Michelle Jankowski, biostatistician, OUWB; Virginia Uhley, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies; Shirley Qu, former senior engineer, Data Analytics, Corewell Health; and Michael Brennan, D.O., endocrinologist and assistant professor, Department of Internal Medicine.

“(The project) highlights not only Amy's hard work and dedication to the research project, but also the value of the longitudinal Embark program that sets OUWB apart from other medical schools,” says Homayouni. (Read the full story about Lin’s work here.)

Lin’s “depth of inquiry and ownership” in her work exemplifies Embark, said Baxa.

“What distinguishes Embark is not just that research is required, but how it is structured,” he said. “Students are supported in pursuing a wide spectrum of scholarly work, from clinical and basic science research to medical education, community engagement, and the humanities. This flexibility allows students to align their projects with their evolving interests and career goals.”

Kara Sawarynski, Ph.D., assistant dean, Accreditation and Continuous Quality Improvement, and co-director, Embark, said “equally important is the emphasis on sustained, personalized mentorship, drawing on faculty across OUWB, Oakland University, and Corewell Health.”

“This creates a rich, collaborative environment where students are guided not only in completing a project, but in developing as scholars and professionals,” she said.

Overall, she added, “Embark cultivates critical thinking, operationalization, communication and time management, which are skills that are essential for physicians.”

“By integrating these elements into a cohesive, longitudinal experience, Embark helps define OUWB as an institution committed to developing thoughtful, inquiry-driven clinicians.”