Congratulations to Payton Sparks ‘26, a third-year osteopathic medical student, on his recent collaborative work and publishing accomplishments. He had two articles published and was chosen to give an oral presentation on a third article. His work titled, "Parathyroid hormone-related peptide induced hypercalcemia of pregnancy due to mammary hyperplasia" was published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.
This work discusses the discovery of a rare hormone imbalance in pregnant women that negatively impacts the transfer of calcium needed for fetal skeleton formation. Sparks also had another work, "Novel Utilization of the Regenerative Peripheral Nerve Interface Technique after Unsuccessful Nerve Release for Bilateral Frontal Migraines," which was published in the scientific journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery- Global Open.
Sparks mentioned, “This project introduces a new way of using a surgical technique to treat severe headaches caused by nerve pain in the forehead area, which hasn’t responded to other treatments.” The technique tested addressed nerve issues post-amputation or injury to a nerve. In addition, Sparks was selected to give an oral presentation of his abstract titled “The Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) Inhibitor Gefitinib Enhances In Vitro and In Vivo Sensory Neuron Regeneration Following Transection in a Mouse Median Nerve Injury Modal” at the American Society of Peripheral Nerve (ASPN) 2025 Meeting in Waikoloa, Hawaii in January 2025. Marian University is proud to have such a transformational leader emerging into the medical field.