Student Project Showcase
Every Future Doctors fellow finishes the programme with an original piece of work — a research paper, a public health campaign, an interview series or a product. Here are 17 of them, published with student names abbreviated.
A Comparison of Radiological Diagnosis Methods for Paediatric Hydronephrosis
Six ways to scan a child's kidneys, and a clear argument for which one should come first. This project compares ultrasound, MCUG, MAG3, DMSA, MRU and CT scans for diagnosing hydronephrosis in children, judging each not only on image quality but on what the child actually experiences: radiation dose, needles, catheters, sedation, whether a parent can stay in the room, and how long it all takes. Drawing on clinical guidance from Cambridge University Hospitals, Great Ormond Street, the FDA and international nuclear medicine standards, it concludes that ultrasound is the least invasive and non-radiating option and the right first-line choice. Sparked by the author's hospital work experience in Cork, where a radiologist walked him through a real hydronephrosis case.
Awake Craniotomy
Brain surgery performed while the patient is wide awake, talking, counting and moving on command. This project explores how surgeons map the brain in real time to remove tumours without damaging speech or movement. It traces the technique from ancient skull trepanation to Wilder Penfield's Montreal procedure and its use in hospitals worldwide today, then breaks down the operation itself: how patients are selected, how tasks like naming and reading are chosen ahead of surgery, and how electrical stimulation tells a surgeon exactly when to stop cutting. The paper is built on primary research, including annotated images from theatre and an interview with a practising neurosurgeon on the split-second judgements behind every resection. It closes on the ethics of removing more tumour at the cost of a patient's speech, and on how AI and objective brain sensing could make the procedure safer.
Easy Gynecology — Health Awareness Campaign
A public-facing Instagram page built to make the female reproductive system understandable to people who have never been taught about it. The campaign starts from a real gap: most people know very little about the conditions women live with, and gynaecological illness remains under-researched within medicine itself, which makes it harder for women to be taken seriously or to understand what is happening in their own bodies. In response, the page introduces chronic gynaecological conditions in short, accessible posts, giving followers a working grasp of the anatomy first so the seriousness of the conditions lands. The tone is deliberately welcoming rather than clinical, and the core message is simple: the female body should not be ignored, it should be given importance.
Promoting Awareness of Atherosclerosis Prevention Among Thai Adults Aged 30+
A public health awareness project aimed at Thai adults over 30, built around a simple observation: atherosclerosis kills a third of people worldwide, yet most have never heard of it. The case is made with country-specific evidence rather than general statistics, drawing on Thai data showing coronary artery disease and stroke incidence rising by 24% and 41% between 2007 and 2014, and a study of 4,104 Thai volunteers comparing coronary artery calcium scores against Western and other Asian populations. It then analyses why the burden is climbing in Thailand specifically, pointing to the shift from traditional steamed cooking towards stir-fried, deep-fried and coconut-milk-heavy street food, alongside the 9.8 million Thais aged 15 and over who smoke. The second half turns to action: recognising warning signs, understanding risk factors, and practical prevention through diet, exercise, annual checkups and managing blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes.
Human Life with CADASIL
CADASIL is a rare inherited condition caused by mutations in the Notch3 gene, which produce an abnormal protein that builds up in the walls of small blood vessels, thickening them and restricting blood flow to the brain. This project explains how the disease works, how it is inherited, and why it so often goes unrecognised. It traces the identification of the condition by neurologist Marie-Germaine Bousser, who recognised it in a patient presenting with repeated strokes, and whose children were beginning to have strokes unusually early — a generational pattern that pointed to a genetic cause. The paper also looks at the role of the HTRA1 gene in vascular damage, the inheritance risk faced by children of an affected parent, and the emphasis on protecting vascular health through hydration, diet, sleep and regular exercise. Built on nine sources including the National Library of Medicine and MedLink Neurology.
Comparing Medical Specialties Involved in Child and Maternal Care
A primary research project built on interviews with two practising clinicians, a paediatrician and an OB-GYN, exploring what their working lives actually look like from the inside. Rather than relying on published overviews of each specialty, the student went directly to the source to understand the day-to-day realities of the roles, the professional challenges each doctor faces, and how they navigate difficult medical and ethical decisions in practice. Comparing the two side by side surfaced a common thread across both specialties: communication and trust sit at the centre of good care, and supporting patients and their families through hard decisions is as much a part of the work as the clinical judgement itself.
Chronic Diseases: An Interview Series on Canada's Underlying Healthcare Problem
An interview-led investigation into why Canada's healthcare system struggles to serve patients with long-term conditions, a group accounting for the majority of deaths in the country. Rather than researching from the outside, Ryan spoke to three people positioned at different points in the system: a patient, a family doctor, and a researcher. Setting those perspectives alongside each other, he identifies five compounding problems, from a system weighted towards acute rather than long-term care to staffing shortages, access barriers, an ageing population and thin mental health support. He then moves from diagnosis to proposal, setting out four responses: multidisciplinary primary care teams, a formal remote care programme, cheaper early testing, and a reallocation of funding towards chronic care. Grounded in primary interviews alongside sources including CMAJ and the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Healthcare Workers Interviews
A primary research project built around interviews with professionals working across the breadth of healthcare, from those in direct contact with patients to those based largely in laboratories. Rather than focusing on a single specialty, the student deliberately set out to cover the field widely, conducting the interviews over Zoom to gather first-hand accounts of what each job actually involves and the daily difficulties that come with it. Aimed at the general public and at students considering medicine, the project builds a picture of healthcare as an interdependent system rather than a hierarchy.
To What Extent Is the High Mortality Rate of Pancreatic Cancer Due to Limitations in Early Detection?
A research deep dive that weighs two competing explanations for why pancreatic cancer remains one of the deadliest cancers, with a five-year survival rate stalled at around 13%. The paper examines the disease from its risk factors and notoriously vague early symptoms through to the molecular biology of its two main subtypes: PDACs, which account for roughly 90% of cases and are driven by KRAS mutations in over 90% of tumours alongside the loss of TP53, CDKN2A and SMAD4, and the slower-progressing PNETs linked to MEN1, DAXX, ATRX and mTOR pathway dysregulation. It then assesses current detection technology, showing why CT, MRI and EUS struggle to distinguish small early tumours from chronic pancreatitis and why the CA19-9 biomarker lacks the sensitivity and specificity needed for population-wide screening. Anchored by SEER data showing 51% of cases are diagnosed only after metastasis.
CRISPR-Cas9: Between a Cure for Sickle Cell Anaemia and the Temptation of Eugenics
This project takes on one of the sharpest ethical questions in modern genetics: the same tool that can cure can also be used to design. It examines CRISPR-Cas9 from two opposing angles. On the therapeutic side, it explains how deactivating the BCL11A gene reactivates fetal haemoglobin production to treat sickle cell anaemia, relieving pain and restoring normal function for patients living with a debilitating inherited condition. On the other side, it confronts the eugenic possibility the same technology opens up, where gene editing shifts from healing disease to selecting for traits such as intelligence, eye colour or physical strength. Rather than settling for a simple verdict, the project holds both applications in view and draws a clear line between them.
Patient Voices: Understanding Varicose Vein Treatment Through Patient Experience
A primary research project that approaches a common medical procedure from a perspective clinical literature often overlooks: the patient's own. Through interviews with three people undergoing varicose vein treatment, the student explored what the experience actually felt like from the inside, capturing their concerns going in, their expectations of treatment, and how they were supported along the way. The analysis focuses on the human side of clinical care, examining how communication, trust and emotional support shape a patient's experience of treatment.
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia: Targeted Therapy vs Chemotherapy
A research project examining one of the most significant shifts in modern cancer care: the move from traditional chemotherapy to targeted therapies in treating Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia. The student builds the case step by step, first explaining the disease and the limitations of chemotherapy, which damages healthy cells alongside cancerous ones, before turning to how targeted therapies such as BTK inhibitors, PI3K inhibitors and Venetoclax work by attacking the specific proteins and pathways that keep CLL cells alive. The argument is grounded in survival data showing five-year survival rising from 67.2% to 78.7% between 2000 and 2021, with the largest gains following the introduction of targeted therapies in 2013. What strengthens the work is its balance: it openly acknowledges drug resistance, relapse, and the fact that CLL remains incurable.
The Gut-Brain Axis in Individuals Diagnosed with ASD
A research project exploring one of the most intriguing frontiers in neuroscience: the gut-brain axis and its role in individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The student examines the two-way relationship between the brain and the gut, looking at how ASD-related behaviours can influence gut health and, in turn, how the gut microbiome may shape symptoms associated with the condition. The project goes beyond simply describing this connection, engaging with an area of active scientific investigation: the possibility that microbiota-targeted interventions could help ease some symptoms of ASD.
Prostate Cancer in African Men: Late Diagnosis and the Future of Early Detection
A research project that tackles a pressing and often under-discussed health inequity: the disproportionately high prevalence and mortality of prostate cancer among African men. The student approaches the issue from multiple angles, examining the biological basis of the disease, the genetic and environmental factors that elevate risk, and the barriers of limited awareness and unequal healthcare access that so often delay diagnosis. The central argument is both clear and compelling: late detection is a major driver of poor outcomes, and lives can be saved through increased awareness, regular screening and more equitable access to care.
NutriByte — AI Meal Planning App
A project that turns a universal everyday challenge into a practical digital solution: NutriByte, an app designed to help people plan healthy meals no matter how busy their lives are. The student identified a real gap — many people want to eat well but lack the time or knowledge to plan nutritious meals consistently — and built an answer around it. The app uses AI-powered meal planning to offer healthy options across the full day, from breakfast through dinner to snacks, with each suggestion displaying its nutritional value so users can see exactly what they are eating and why it benefits them.
Emerging Technologies in the Treatment of Sickle Cell Disease
A research project examining one of the most exciting turning points in genetic medicine: the emergence of new technologies for treating sickle cell disease. The student builds a strong scientific foundation, explaining how mutations in the HBB gene lead to abnormal haemoglobin, red blood cell sickling and the painful vaso-occlusive complications that define the condition, before evaluating the treatment landscape from both ends. The project covers current options such as hydroxyurea and blood transfusions, then turns to the frontier: gene therapy and genome editing. What distinguishes the work is its critical eye, weighing the promise of these emerging treatments against the real-world challenges of cost, long-term safety and global availability.
Survey on Possible Ehlers-Danlos Signs in Respondents
A piece of original data collection rather than literature review: a survey run across family and school contacts to screen for possible signs of hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. The study uses the Beighton score, the standard clinical measure of joint hypermobility, as its assessment framework, giving the results a recognised clinical grounding rather than relying on self-report alone. What makes the findings interesting is how the respondents reacted: most had never heard of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and many were surprised to discover they could perform movements they had simply never tried before.