Vote for SBU in the March STAT Madness Competition

Two published research projects involving Stony Brook Medicine faculty have been named as finalists in the annual STAT Madness Competition, which is designed like March Madness basketball. Each study will go up against another study in an individual bracket.
In Round 1, Stony Brook’s “Unraveling Bacterial Structure,” a study by David Thanassi, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, is up against NYU’s “Repurposing a Hepatitis Drug,” and “COVID Orphans,” research by Rachel Kidman, Family, Population and Preventive Medicine and Program in Public Health, is up against University of Pennsylvania’s “Housing Repairs as a Health Intervention.” 
Whichever study receives the most votes in the head-to-head competition moves to the next round. A total of 64 studies have been selected by STAT Madness to be part of the competition brackets.
Vote now to help Stony Brook win: STAT Madness Voting Bracket
Voting is continual for about five days for each round. You can vote once a day or more from your computer, phone or other device. It is possible to vote a couple of times per day from different devices. 
About the Research
Thanassi’s research with colleagues successfully unraveled the structural basis for assembly of P pili on the bacterial surface, something that has alluded scientists for decades. This is an important discovery as P pili are an active part of the infection process of the urinary tract. Understanding its structure will help to target or disrupt P pili in kidney infections and help clinicians combat antibiotic resistance. His paper was published in Nature Communications.
Kidman’s work with a team of public health experts was the first study to highlight the large number of children who lost a parent, with some orphaned, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The research revealed approximately 40,000 children had lost a parent due to the pandemic as of February 2021, a finding that makes it clear that parentally bereaved children will need targeted support in the years ahead. This work was highlighted in a research letter in JAMA Pediatrics.