Belissa and Jessica Scherer Fernandez, final-year medical students, presented their research in Cardiology at Oxford Personalized Medicine Society 2025 (OUPM) on February 22nd.
The Oxford Personalized Medicine Society (OUPM) provides a platform for over 1,000 students and faculty from various colleges to explore their interests in personalized medicine through education and discussion. It examines both the advantages and challenges of personalized medicine in contemporary healthcare and promotes interdisciplinary research. The society organizes workshops, mentorship programs, talks, and an annual symposium, where faculty members and students gather to discuss and debate topics related to personalized medicine. Ultimately, personalized medicine shifts away from traditional “one-size-fits-all” treatments, focusing instead on tailored, targeted therapies through advanced diagnostics and analysis.
Jessica and Belissa Scherer Fernandez presented their project “Personalized Risk Stratification Model for Hypertension Treatment and Cardiac Outcomes”. The research was conducted under the supervision of Dr. Roksolana Bodnar, a renowned cardiologist at the internal medicine department in Ternopil National Medical University.
The study presents a personalized risk stratification model for hypertension management, integrating clinical data, biomarkers, and cardiovascular assessments to improve cardiac outcomes. Using Logistic Regression and Classification and Regression Trees (CART), the model identifies patients at high risk for complications such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, and stroke. Key predictors include ejection fraction, arrhythmias, and clinical symptoms, while NT-proBNP, lipid profiles, and ACE inhibitors showed limited predictive value. Ejection fraction was significantly associated with hypertension, while creatinine levels showed a marginal but non-significant link to heart failure. These findings highlight the importance of combining biomarkers and patient-specific factors for effective risk assessment.
Let’s congratulate Belissa and Jessica on their outstanding work in the research area! TNMU is proud of them.
