Previous Resident Research Spotlights

Mahsima Shabani, MD, MPH

Resident Research Spotlight, February 2024

Name: Mahsima Shabani, MD, MPH

Year of Training: PGY2

Career Plans: Precision Cardiology

Mentor: Dr. Benjamin Shoemaker

Project Title: "Results from Genetic Evaluation of Patients Referred to an Atrial Fibrillation Precision Medicine Clinic"

Award: Eric N. Prystowsky Early Career Researcher Award from Heart Rhythm Society

"Vanderbilt's strong foundation in Precision Medicine and commitment to personalized care, exemplified by initiatives like the Atrial Fibrillation Precision Medicine Clinic has been one of the main influential factors in pursuing my residency training in this institution. I am beyond grateful to all my mentors who, upon learning of my interests, guided me to become part of this compelling initiative aligning with my aspirations.

"This award is a testament to the integral contributions of each and every member of the Early Onset Afib team, under the exceptional leadership of Dr. Ben Shoemaker. I am honored to be working with such an esteemed team and look forward to reaching further milestones together. This experience undoubtedly holds particular importance in shaping my future career in the field of precision cardiology."

Sara Treat, MD

Resident Research Spotlight, January 2024

Name: Sara Treat, MD

Year of Training: PGY 2

Career Plans: Gastroenterology

Mentor: Dr. Neeraja Peterson and Dr. Kaele Leonard

Project Title: "Breathing Through Blood: Thoracic Endometriosis as a Cause of an Unexplained Pleural Effusion"

Award: First Place Tennessee ACP Chapter National Poster Competition

"For this project, I got to work with an amazingly intelligent and supportive team on the Rogers Pulmonary service to identify and treat this rare cause of a pleural effusion. I then was able to create a case report poster with the help of Dr. Leonard and Dr. Peterson and submit it to the ACP TN Chapter in a poster competition. This project really highlighted for me all the amazing support residents have to do research at VUMC as well as the high-quality patient care that we are able to participate in."

Brittany Saldivar Murphy, MD

Resident Research Spotlight, December 2023

Name: Brittany Saldivar Murphy, MD

Career Plans: Cardiology

Mentors:  Dr. Melinda Aldrich, Dr. Andrew DeFilippis

Project Title: "The Addition of Social Determinants of Health to Coronary Heart Disease Risk Prediction"

Award/Presentation: American Heart Association Scientific Sessions Oral Presentation and Underrepresented Racial and Ethnic Groups Travel Grant Award

"The idea for this project was something I first thought of and became passionate about my intern year, but being new to the institution, I wasn't aware of all the resources and support available to carry it out. Dr. McPherson connected me with mentors in cardiology, epidemiology, and biostatistics and Dr. DeFilippis helped me create a multi-institution research team to further develop my idea and conduct my project. I felt so supported to create and conduct my own research projects and was lucky enough to receive internal and external financial support to share this work nationally at AHA. There is tremendous formal and intentional research support at Vanderbilt that allows young trainees like myself to perform meaningful and impactful research." 

Seth Richardson, MD

Resident Research Spotlight, March 2023

Name: Seth Richardson, MD

Career Plans: Gastroenterology

Mentor:  Dr. Manhal Izzy

Project Title: "Utility of Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonists as Anti-Obesity Medications in Liver Transplant Recipients"

Abstract/Paper: Planned abstract presentation at The International Liver Transplantation Society Annual Congress in 2023. Manuscript in progress.

"It has been an honor, a privilege and overall humbling experience to work alongside some of the brightest minds in medicine on this project. My journey in research has emphasized the importance of mentorship and reinforced a sense of gratitude to be in a training environment like VUMC that helps promote such relationships. The persistence and willingness to adapt to new scenarios that our team has displayed is admirable. I am excited to use the skills and relationships gained from this project to help maneuver any path that a career in medicine may take me on.” 

Rahul Shah, MD

Taylor Ashley Riggs, MD

Resident Research Spotlight, November 2022

Career Plans: Gastroenterology fellowship (with an interest in IBD)

Mentor:  Dr. Dawn Beaulieu

Project Title: “IBD Functional Medicine Clinic"

Abstract Title: Using the Tools of Functional Medicine Improves the Multi-Disciplinary Model of Care of the IBD Patient.*

*Abstract presented at ACG 2022.

"When looking to get involved in research during residency, I really wanted to get involved in a project I was passionate about. Through getting involved with the IBD functional medicine clinic, I was able to explore my passion for not only gastroenterology but the overlap with nutrition and psychiatry. It has demonstrated how effective and important multi-disciplinary models of care are for patients with chronic conditions such as IBD and how much we have yet to learn about the ways diet and lifestyle can be utilized in the treatment of patients with IBD." 

Gautam Babu, MD

Resident Research Spotlight, September 2022

Career Plans: Pulmonary and Critical Care, Space Medicine

Mentor:  Dr. Evan Brittain

Project Title: “Clinical Features do not Identify Risk of Progression from Isolated Post-Capillary Pulmonary Hypertension to Combined Pre- and Post-capillary Pulmonary Hypertension"*

*Abstract presented virtually at AHA Scientific Sessions 2021 and accepted for presentation at CHEST 2022; currently under the process of submission to Pulmonary Circulation.

"Doing research during residency can be challenging. From working on this project, I learned that creating a focused question and attainable goals is one of the keys to conducting research during residency and beyond as you have to balance many different responsibilities as a physician. Dr. Brittain was a great mentor and helped me create a project that did this exactly. Through this experience, I also learned more about study design, performing statistical analyses, and the nuances of clinical research. I am very thankful for the opportunity to work on this project with Dr. Brittain and will definitely use the skills I acquired going forward."

Julie Cui, MD

Resident Research Spotlight, August 2022

Career Plans: Gastroenterology/Hepatology

Mentor: Manhal Izzy, MD

Project Title: “Predictors of renal recovery in recipients of liver transplant alone who met simultaneous liver-kidney transplant criteria"*

*Abstract presented at both American Transplant Congress and International Liver Congress. - Manuscript conditionally accepted to Clinical Transplantation.

"Undertaking a research project from beginning to end as a resident can be intimidating. There will be frustrations, fears of failing, and struggles with imposter syndrome. What truly makes the difference are the individuals on your team that support you through it all. Here at Vanderbilt, I have been incredibly grateful for mentors like Dr. Izzy, the incredible clinical database, the brilliant minds of biostatisticians, and various other subspecialty physicians to collaborate with. Clinical research has been a passion of mine for several years and every project has been a special learning experience. It's been exciting to develop ideas on what I would want to continue to explore in my career and build upon my own little niche within medicine."

Jared Freitas, MD

Resident Research Spotlight, July 2022

Career Plans: Pulmonary Critical Care Fellowship

Mentor:  Dr. Erin Wilfong

Project Title: “Outcomes for patients with anti-synthetase syndrome (ARS) requiring supplemental oxygen at diagnosis"*

*This poster was presented at ATS in May 2022, with plans for submitting it as part of a manuscript in the future.

"I have been so lucky to have Dr. Wilfong as my research mentor. She really has guided me every step of the way and helped me to grow professionally and as a researcher. I think some of the best advice that she gave me at the beginning was to choose a project that I was passionate about and also one that would help me learn and develop new skills. I recommend everyone take this advice, because it led to me having such a meaningful research experience, one where I can apply what I learned to projects in the future as well."

Michael LaPelusa, MD

Resident Research Spotlight, June 2022

Career Plans: Hematology/Oncology

Mentor:  Cathy Eng, MD

Project Title: “Trends in the Incidence and Treatment of Early-Onset Pancreatic Cancer (PMID: 35053447)"

Abstract:

• Background: Early-onset pancreatic cancer (EOPC) is relatively uncommon. It is unclear if the incidence of EOPC is evolving and how these patients are treated. 
• Methods: We conducted a retrospective, population-based study using SEER 2004–2016. We evaluated annual age-adjusted incidence rate (AAIR), stage at presentation, and race/ethnicity among 7802 patients plus treatment patterns in 7307 patients (excluding neuroendocrine tumors) younger than 50. 
• Results: The AAIR was higher in males while the rate increased faster in females. The AAIR was highest in Non-Hispanic African American patients and increased for all races/ethnicities over time. The percentage of patients diagnosed with distant-stage disease decreased over time but increased for localized-stage disease. Hispanic patients made up a larger proportion of patients over time compared to other groups. For localized-stage disease, primary surgery alone was the most utilized modality of therapy. For regional-stage disease, chemotherapy with radiation was the most utilized modality from 2004–2010, whereas chemotherapy alone was the most utilized from 2011–2016. For distant-stage disease, chemotherapy alone was the most utilized and used increasingly over time. Patients with EO
• Conclusions: The AAIR of EOPC increased over time, faster so in females. Groups who experience a higher burden of pancreatic cancer, particularly African Americans, experienced a higher burden of EOPC. Treatment of localized and regional-stage disease did not follow standard treatment guidelines for pancreatic cancer. Our findings indicate that patients with EOPC received more treatment than their older counterparts.

"Identifying a mentor who advocates for you and is readily accessible is crucial to complete a research project during residency. I've been extremely fortunate to work with, and learn from, Dr. Eng in clinic and on several research projects. I highly recommend reaching out to her (or others in the gastrointestinal medical oncology group) for incoming residents or current interns interested in oncology!"

Kaitlyn Reasoner, MD

Resident Research Spotlight, May 2022

Career Plans: Infectious Diseases

Mentor:  Milner Staub, MD, MPH

Project Title: “Veterans’ Perceptions and Categorial Constructs Regarding Antibiotics for Upper Respiratory Infections (URIs)”*

     *We are submitting this research as an abstract to IDWeek with subsequent plans for manuscript submission.

"The residency research ​liaison program really makes it easy to learn more about the research opportunities in your field of interest and to then select one that will align with your personal and professional goals. My research experience has been a fantastic way to go out of my comfort zone and learn about methodology and statistical techniques to which I'd previously never been exposed. We all know that antibiotic overprescribing is a big problem, but I've been able to specifically learn about the many nuances that can impact our prescribing practices and our patients' expectations and satisfaction. My mentor Dr. Staub has been so helpful and supportive and has made it a wonderful learning experience!"