The Detroit Medical Center/Wayne State University Radiology Residency held its annual Research Night on April 3 in the Margherio Family Conference Center at the Wayne State University School of Medicine.
Several radiology residents presented their research projects at the event.
The grand prize winner was year three resident Yan Cao, M.D., who presented “A Systematic Review of 639 Patients with Biopsy-Confirmed Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF).” The study is under revision for publication in the high-impact factor journal Radiology.
Dr. Cao’s work demonstrated that risk factors for NSF include high-risk gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCA), high-dose GBCA, long interval between GBCA exposure and dialysis, pro-inflammatory conditions, acidosis, hyperphosphatemia, epoetin and beta blockade. She found that only three NSF cases related to GBCA have been reported since guideline and practice changes were instituted in 2008.
The second place winner was year four resident Ali Rastegarpour, M.D., who presented “Names as a Measure of Cultural Diversity in Radiology Residents.” His work examined the utilization of first names as a measure of cultural diversity, and described the frequency and distribution of women and international medical graduates in Radiology residencies.
Year three resident Adam Sucher, M.D., was recognized for his work, “Response Outcomes After Transarterial Radioembolization with Y90 in Patients with Colorectal Cancer Metastases to the Liver Measured by RECIST, mRECIST and WHO Criteria.” Through his retrospective evaluation, Dr. Sucher concluded that tumor response utilizing the RECIST and mRECIST criteria correlates positively with local tumor progression free survival and likely overall survival following palliative Y90 therapy in patients with hepatic metastasis from colorectal cancer.
The department also announced its Radiological Society of North America Roentgen Research Award nominee, Ajay Kumar, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of Radiology, of Pediatrics and of Neurology.
Dr. Kumar has a long track of research and publications (more than 250, including review articles, case reports and abstracts). He has recently been extensively involved in the use of positron emission tomography and evaluation of brain white matter with diffusion tensor imaging, including tractography, in children with various neurological disorders. He has been a co-investigator in multiple National Institutes of Health R01 grants and co-principal investigator in two investigator-initiated study grants.
Dr. Kumar recently submitted an R01 NIH grant regarding molecular mechanisms and imaging markers of infantile spasms. He has received several awards from various professional bodies, including the Radiological Society of North America, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Society of Nuclear Medicine.