Research Day

The Department of Surgery Research Day is our annual celebration of the scientific advancements achieved by our surgeons, scientists, residents, and students. Over the past several years, our Research Day has become much more than a mere celebration; it has become an opportunity for the faculty and residents to strengthen existing partnerships and establish new collaborations across the clinical and academic realm.

6:45–7:45 a.m.: Grand Rounds Lecture

8–9 a.m.: Poster Session & Breakfast

9:05–10:45 a.m.: Oral Presentations (Session 1)

10:45–11 a.m.: Break

11 a.m.–12:40 p.m.: Oral Presentations (Session 2)

12:45–2 p.m.: Luncheon & Awards

The poster orientation should be landscape (horizontal), not portrait (vertical). You must use the poster template with the UB logo attached. The poster must be 36 height x 48 width. We will take care of printing costs.

In order to keep efficient timing for this special event, we request the following strict guidelines for your presentation:

• Oral presentations will be a maximum of 8 minutes in length with an additional 4 minutes for audience questions and your answers, for a total of 12 minutes. 
• If you are the first-time presenter, the following link provides you important instruction on how to give an oral presentation.
  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1857815/

• Medical students, residents or fellows are requested to present the study.

Please submit PowerPoints to mnbirzon@buffalo.edu no later than May 2, 2025.

Prizes will be awarded for each category.

First Place:

Quantifying The Effect of the Medicaid Expansion on Colon Cancer– A Measurable Difference?
Geoffrey Hobika, MD. Bryan Palis, MA. Kelley Chan, MD. MS. Joseph Cotler, PhD., Clifford Ko MD. MS. MSHS. FACS

Second Place:

“Defining “Expertise” on Oral, Case-Based Examinations Using Functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy”
Joseph C L’Huillier, MD, MS-HPEd, John Woodward, MD (Resident), Garrett Skinner, MD, Gabriel Gazetta, MS; Taylor Quinn, MS; Lora Cavuoto, PhD, Steven D. Schwaitzberg, MD, FACS

Third Place:

“Evaluation Of Large Language Models (LLM) For Trauma Triage: A Performance Comparison Of LLM And Human Decision Making At A Level 1 Trauma Center”

Ascharya K Balaji BS, Brendan Fox BS, Brian Quaranto MD, Gene Yang MD, Andrew Nordin MD, P. Benson Ham III MD, MS, FACS, Fabiano Tiffany MPH, Carroll M. Harmon MD PhD, Steven Schwaitzberg MD and Peter Kim MD PhD FACS FRCSC.

“Medical Students' Perspectives on Informed Consent in Surgical Practice: Ethical Considerations and Educational Implications”
Cara Jones, Theofano Zoumpou, John M. Woodward, Michael Shapiro, Steven D. Schwaitzberg, Daniel B. Jones

Group 1 Winner:

“Minimally Invasive Surgical Techniques in the Treatment of Complex Pediatric Surgical Disease Over Time and Associated Outcomes”
John M. Woodward, Patricia Corujo Avila, Melanie Tacher Otero, Lindsey Caines, Krystle Bittner, Katherine Foote, Rhys Mendel, Michael LaRock, Walker Black, Owen Cordaro, Andrew B. Nordin, Carroll M. Harmon, P. Benson Ham III

Group 2 Winner:

“Utility of Nodify Blood-based Biomarker for Reclassification of Lung Nodule Malignancy Risk”
Kaity H. Tung, MD, Alyssa Tutunjian, MD, Sujay Sreenivasan, MD, Muhammad Awan, MD, Brian Quaranto, MD, Yaron Perry, MD, FACS

Group 3 Winner:

“Predicting Morbidity and Mortality in Geriatric Trauma”
Authors: Danil Chernov MA1 , Madelyn Hoffman BS1 , Marcy Bubar Jordan, PhD2 ,Jeffrey Jordan MD, PhD1, 2

Group 4 Winner:

“Development of a Novel Computer Vision Model for Signal Optimization Using Visible and Near-Infrared Fluorescence (NIRF) Imaging in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy”
Brian R. Quaranto MD, Kaity Tung MD, Ascharya Balaji,  Emily Hannah,  Gabriela Miletsky, Joshua Marek, Brendan Fox, Garrett Skinner MD, Gene Yang MD, Shinil K. Shah DO, Carroll M. Harmon MD PhD, P. Ben Ham MD MS, Steven D. Schwaitzberg MD, Peter C.W. Kim MD PhD

First Place: 

On the Journey to Measure Expertise – What Can Functional Imaging Tell Us?

Authors: Joseph C. L’Huillier, MD (Resident); Yaoyu Fu, PhD; Cara B. Jones, BA; Ajay A. Myneni, MBBS, PhD, MPH; Suvranu De, ScD; Lora Cavuoto, PhD; Anirban Dutta, PhD; Clairice A. Cooper, MD, MHPE, FACS; Steven D. Schwaitzberg, MD, FACS 
Presenter: Joseph C. L’Huillier, MD

Second Place:

Peribiliary Gland Injury by Floxuridine may be an Early Mechanistic Insult En-Route to Biliary Sclerosis

Authors: Carrie E. Ryan, MD; Stephanie N. Gregory, MD; Martha Teke, MD; Leila Sarvestani, MD; Kirsten Remmert, PhD; Yuri Lin, BS; Jacob T. Lambdin, MD; Emily C. Smith, PhD; Ashley Rainey, BS; Sarfraz R. Akmal, BS; Stephie Lux, BS; Tracey Pu, MD; Kenneth Luberice, MD, MS; David E. Kleiner, MD, PhD; Jonathan M. Hernandez, MD 
Presenter: Carrie E. Ryan, MD

Third Place:

Association of Age and Frailty with Clinical Outcomes in Geriatric Patients with Rib Fractures 

Authors: Kevin Todd, MD (Resident); Joseph C. L’Huillier, MD (Resident); Kabir Jalal, PhD; Heather Logghe, MD (Resident); Jeffrey Jordan, MD, PhD; William Flynn, MD; W Alan Guo MD, PhD
Presenter: Heather Logghe, MD

First Place:

Differences Across the Pond: Mechanisms of Injury and Outcomes of Traumatic Brain Injury in Portugal and the United States

Authors: Eduarda Sá-Marta; Kabir Jalal; João Vasco Santos; Alberto Freitas; José Luís Alves; Weidun Alan Guo 
Presenter: Eduarda Sa-Marta, MD

Group 1 Winner:

Competition Based Learning: Inspiring Interest in Surgical Skills Development 

Authors: Nicco Ruggiero, BS (Medical Student); Joseph C. L’Huillier, MD (Resident); Nigel Marine BS (Medical Student); Owen Burns; Farrah Mawani, BS (Medical Student); Muavé Sanders, BS; Adam Abbas, BS (Medical Student); Timothy M. Adams, MD; Byron F. Santos, MD; Yana R. Wirengard, MD; James “Butch” Rosser, MD, FACS

Group 2 Winner:

Specific Stressors, Sleep Patterns, Self-Efficacy, and Burnout Rates Among Physicians at a Single Center 

Authors: Helen A. Potter MD; Monica S. O’Brien-Irr MS RN; Matthew W. Henninger EdM; Catherine Flanagan-Priore PhD; Peter Winkelstein MD MBA; Linda M. Harris MD

Group 3 Winner:

Inspiring Inspiration: Creation of a Smart Incentive Spirometer 

Authors: Kai Kumero; Samantha Zavala; Storiya Iqbal; Tasbeeh Malik; William Kelly MD, MS; Brian Quaranto, MD, MS; Gene Yang, MD

Nichols High School Students:

The Effects of Antibiotics on Long-Term Survival and Recurrence Free Survival in NSCLC Lobectomy Patients 

Authors: Rebecca Korsh; Matthew Carlson; Long Hao Li; Trisha Jupudy; Gabriella Radford; Cole Schoenborn; Johnson Schwede; Rene Bouchard; Sai Yendamuri, MD