U of A College of Medicine Student Wins Rheumatology Poster Award

The University of Arizona Arthritis Center congratulates Yi-Jen Yang, medical student in the 7-Year Accelerated Pathway to Medical Education, for earning 1st Place in the Clinical Research category at the American College of Physicians Arizona Chapter Annual Scientific Meeting held Nov. 14-16 in Mesa, Arizona.

Yang’s poster was selected from 260 submissions across five award categories in the medical student competition. Her project, conducted under the mentorship of U of A Professor Emeritus C. Kent Kwoh, MD, MACR, analyzed 20-meter gait speed trajectories using data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative to identify predictors of mobility decline in patients with knee osteoarthritis. The work originated from her 8-week summer research preceptorship at the UA Arthritis Center, supported by a $3,000 Rheumatology Research Foundation stipend, and is part of an in-progress manuscript.

Yang has also completed more than 60 hours of outpatient rheumatology clinic shadowing, gaining meaningful exposure to chronic disease management and interdisciplinary care.

The UA Arthritis Center is proud to recognize Yi-Jen’s achievement and his continued contributions to clinical research in rheumatology.