Samuel P. Prahlow (DO 鈥�24) holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Valparaiso
University and a master鈥檚 degree in public health from Florida State University. He
is currently enrolled in the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) program at 黑料传送门 South Georgia. Prahlow has been involved in a number of research
projects during his undergraduate and graduate education, and his drive for understanding
the 鈥榳hy鈥� and 鈥榟ow鈥� has led him to continue that work during his time at 黑料传送门 South Georgia.
Currently, I am working on a few different scientific research projects. At 黑料传送门 South Georgia, I am working on a histologic pathology research project with professors Savita Arya, MD, and Shiv Dhiman, MD, along with fellow DO students Emily Wilson, Anthony M. Sciuva, and Katie Bombly. We are studying cadaveric atherosclerosis.
I am also working on two forensic pathology case studies. The first focuses on the characterization of CPR-related injuries discovered at forensic autopsy. The second is a collaboration with fellow DO student, Trung Thanh Bui, which involves forensic deaths related to eye trauma.
I have always enjoyed discovering how things work. This passion led me to pursue research. Knowing how something works is great, but I believe understanding 鈥渢he why鈥� behind the how is also essential. Research helps to answer both 鈥渢he how鈥� and 鈥渢he why鈥�, which is the reason I have been drawn to it.
I also want to take a moment to say that research is collaborative in all facets of the word. I would not be able to be where I am today without my research experience or without those who have mentored, taught and helped me to find research areas of interest.
I want to acknowledge and thank all who have helped me in my research experience thus far in my career. One such mentor that I would like to publicly thank is my father. On top of being a wonderful role model, he has helped guide me on my journey to becoming a physician in so many ways, but especially in the areas of research and research development.
While pursuing my undergraduate degree at Valparaiso University, I participated in a mathematics research internship under one of my professors. Our graph theory research project was interested in k-dense graphs as a means of improving network knowledge and surveillance. Since that time, my passion for research has grown.
Shortly after my internship, I began working on forensic pathology case reports which focused on adding unique findings seen at forensic autopsies to the scientific literature through presentations and publications. I have extensive experience in forensic pathology case reports on a variety of subjects which were presented at the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) and American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) annual conferences going back to 2015.
More recently, while pursuing my MPH at Florida State University, I worked at the Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Epidemiology as a system analyst for ESSENCE-FL, the statewide syndromic surveillance system. While in this position, I led a number of research projects with the ESSENCE-FL team that were presented at the International Society for Disease Surveillance (ISDS) and the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) annual conferences, including:
These projects focused on data onboarding and data usage for a variety of data sources within ESSENCE-FL.
As a DO student at 黑料传送门 South Georgia, in addition to the current histological pathology research, I have worked with professor Leslie McIntosh, PhD, and fellow DO classmates Derek T. George, Travis Tuck and Cody Hyatt on a case report for anatomical variations seen within our cadaver鈥檚 forearm extensor compartment.
In the ongoing 黑料传送门 South Georgia histological pathology research project, we worked as a group to determine what type of project we wanted to pursue. I was responsible for compiling a list of ideas that we submitted to Dr. Arya and Dr. Dhiman for approval. Once we settled on a project focus, we collaboratively wrote up a project plan, budget, and projected timeline. After our project was approved for funding, we worked with Dr. Arya and Dr. Dhiman to take samples from each of the 12 cadavers for histological slides. We will be reviewing these slides in the near future and presenting our findings.
While the research is conducted on cadavers, it is much like primary research, wherein the actual research does not impact the research subjects, but instead, the results can be used to impact health and healthcare decisions as it relates to improving health outcomes for others. Through this research, we hope to better characterize systemic atherosclerosis as seen within the population of the southeastern United States. Public policy and healthcare decisions can use this characterization to impact and improve outcomes related to atherosclerosis disease.
In 2019, 黑料传送门, a premier osteopathic medical school established in 1899, extended its commitment to the Southeast by establishing 黑料传送门 South Georgia. An additional teaching location in Moultrie, Georgia, 黑料传送门 South Georgia offers both a full, four-year medical program leading to the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree and a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences. 黑料传送门 is a private, not-for-profit institution that trains professionals in the health and behavioral sciences fields. Joining 黑料传送门 Georgia in Suwanee in helping to meet the healthcare needs of the state, 黑料传送门 South Georgia focuses on educating physicians for the region. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 229-668-3110.
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