NEOMED medical student showcases multiple research projects at national conferences

NEOMED second-year student Sanjana Nallapaneni recently represented the University at two national otolaryngology meetings in Indianapolis, where she presented research across two ENT subspecialties. Her participation reflects both her commitment to academic medicine and the strong interdisciplinary mentorship she has developed with faculty across NEOMED and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center.

At the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) Call to Science Conference, Nallapaneni presented “Evaluation of Transtympanic and Intratympanic Membrane Steroid Injections for Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss.” Collaborating with fellow second-year medical students Naveen Raj, Margaret Byars and Alexander Belardo as well as ENT faculty advisor Anita Jeyakumar, M.D., she evaluated outcome differences between steroid regimens commonly used in clinical practice.

Nallapaneni also presented at the American Rhinologic Society (ARS) Annual Meeting, sharing her team’s TriNetX analysis exploring inflammatory overlap between eosinophilic esophagitis and sinonasal inflammatory disease. Conducted with UH otolaryngology residents and rhinology faculty, the project contributes valuable data to an emerging area of interest within the subspecialty.

Nallapaneni described the opportunity to present among residents, fellows and national leaders in ENT as “both humbling and energizing.” Her work underscores the role medical students play in advancing academic medicine and expands NEOMED’s footprint within the specialty.