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Bryan Ma has completed two years of his undergraduate degree in the Faculty of Science and this summer, he is immersed in his third research experience. Ma’s Markin Undergraduate Student Research Project (USRP) in Health and Wellness Faculty Mentor is Dr. Matthew James, MD, PhD, a nephrologist and an associate professor at the Cumming School of Medicine. This particular studentship includes a rich mix of learning opportunities and experiences.

Scientific writing, literature searches, and clinical learning are all part of Ma’s summer as a member of James’s research team. James’s “explanations, instructions, and feedback are always provided in a very patient and understandable manner, making it easy and enjoyable to work in his laboratory,” says Ma.

In addition to his mentorship with James, Ma is enjoying the teaching and support he receives from all members of James’s lab. Ma is finding the weekly team meetings invaluable learning opportunities. In addition, he appreciates that members of the team are available outside of these meetings to answer his questions.

Above, Bryan Ma collaborates with members of his lab and the cardiac catheterization unit to evaluate the performance of the Contrast RISK program. Clockwise from left: Bryan Ma, project co-ordinator for Contrast RISK Project Pantea Javaheri, principal investigator Matthew James, CV technologist Marco Daoud, and cardiac catheterization lab manager Tanya Federico. 

Under James’s mentorship, Ma is focused on minimizing the incidence of contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) during heart procedures. CI-AKI is a common and expensive complication often associated with an increased risk of re-hospitalization, dialysis, and even death. Ma says he was keen to be involved in this research “because it is a blend of both knowledge translation and precision medicine, two areas of research that I am very interested in.”

Ma’s project builds upon a systematic review he previously completed that characterized existing risk prediction models. He is collaborating with the  to compare the predictive ability of different CI-AKI risk prediction models. This work will culminate in a peer reviewed journal manuscript submission at the end of Ma’s studentship.

Linking research to practice is central to Ma’s USRP experience. “If our quality improvement initiative can achieve a reduction in the incidence of CI-AKI to just four per cent (as achieved by other CI-AKI care improvement projects in the United States), the Alberta health care system could save $1.4 million annually in associated CI-AKI health-care costs, and hundreds of patients will see substantial improvements in their quality of life,” Ma says.

Becoming a clinician-scientist is Ma’s long-term aim. He believes his research experiences are developing a hands-on understanding of how treatment and study mutually enrich health-care experiences.  Ma recounts the most rewarding part of his Markin USRP studentship as seeing the laboratory research translate into positive changes for patients in our province.

Learn more about the Markin USRP in Health and Wellness and all that it offers.

Matthew James is a nephrologist and an associate professor in the departments of  and Community Health Sciences and member of both the  and the  at the Cumming School of Medicine.