Congratulations to Carolyn L. Kuckein Student Research Fellowship Recipient, Aiman Altaf, M3
Congratulations to Aiman Altaf, one of the 2026 recipients of the 2026 Carolyn L. Kuckein Student Research Fellowship! Her project, mentored by Dr. Charlene Ong, aims to evaluate the association between quantitative eye movements and neurologic outcomes in patients who experience coma after cardiac arrest. The goal is to establish a biomarker that can enhance the ability to predict neurologic outcomes, helping families and clinicians make more informed decisions about patient care.
Before medical school, Aiman spent several years doing wet lab research in neurology, but wanted to pursue research that was more directly applicable in a clinical setting. After attending a talk by Dr. Ong about a previous medical student’s project which developed the machine learning algorithm that uses EOG to quantify eye movements, Aiman was struck by the novelty and clinical relevance of this work. Cardiac arrest often results in prolonged coma, and existing prognostic frameworks are limited in their ability to distinguish between patients who will recover and those who will not. This uncertainty makes decision-making challenging for clinicians and families. By demonstrating that EOG-derived eye movements are associated with outcomes, and that they can enhance existing prognostic frameworks, this work has the potential to establish a practical biomarker for early prediction of neurologic recovery. When Aiman reached out to Dr. Ong hoping to get involved, her current project became an opportunity to contribute to more objective, data-driven approaches to neuroprognostication.
Through her research experience, Aiman has learned that not having a formal background in a particular field should not be a barrier to getting involved in that work. She was initially worried that her lack of experience in data science would limit her ability to contribute to the team, but being curious and persistent helped me find meaningful ways to drive progress. This experience pushed me to step outside her comfort zone and learn new skills that will be helpful in future work too.
This year, Aiman presenter a co-authored (Anika Reza) poster at the Kase BU Neurology Research Symposium in March 2026, and she presented a poster at the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting in Chicago in April 2026.