skip to main content

Medical Scholar Explorers Class of 2024

Medical Scholar Explorers, Class of 2024

bui-ian.jpg       
        Ian Bui




Campus:
Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas TX
Research Area: Expanding access to dermatological care using a telemedicine platform
Mentor: Lia E. Gracey M.D., Ph.D.

Campus: CHI-St Joseph Health Regional Hospital, Bryan, TX
Research Area: Bone Loss after Spinal Cord Injury
Mentor: Cedric Geoffroy, PhD and Michelle Hook, PhD 

Kayla Callaway is an M1 student at Texas A&M College of Medicine who is conducting research in the topic of how aging affects bone loss following spinal cord injuries (SCI) under Cédric Geoffroy, PhD and Michelle Hook, PhD, both in the Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics. There are currently no studies on the effect of aging on bone loss following a SCI yet the age of those who obtain SCI is increasing. As a result, these individuals are likely to be diagnosed with osteoporosis or osteopenia and are much more likely to have a bone fracture. In addition, over half of such cases result in complications, such as respiratory and urinary tract infections, venous thromboembolic events, fracture non-unions and depression. As stated, there are a multitude of unmet health needs for this specific population of patients and research has the potential to provide treatment options, such as load and maintenance incorporated into physical therapy to maintain bone mass. We hypothesize that an SCI-induced reduction in weight bearing regarding the hind limbs will further worsen age-induced bone degeneration. This may be able to provide a preventative measure for many of the added complications prevalent post-SCI.


Campus: Houston - Willowbrook
Research Area: Antibiotic Prescribing for Pediatric Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP)
Mentor: Maheswari Ekambaram, MD

Sabik Chowdhury, an M2 student at Texas A&M College of Medicine, is conducting a clinical research project under the guidance of Maheswari Ekambaram, MD, a pediatric hospitalist at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Round Rock. Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) is one of the most common severe bacterial infections in the pediatric population, with more than 3 million cases per year in the United States. In 2011, the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society (PIDS) and the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) published the first set of evidence-based guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of CAP. Unfortunately, guideline discordant practices continue to persist nationwide. We will assess the variability in antibiotic prescribing for CAP across several Baylor Scott & White emergency departments in Central Texas and attempt to understand the factors that contribute to this. Our study hypothesis is that there will be a significant degree of variability in guideline adherence and that there are non-clinical patient and physician characteristics that are associated with this. The information collected in our MSE project is anticipated to provide recommendations for best practices to improve pediatric patients’ long-term CAP outcomes.


Campus: CHI-St Joseph Health Regional Hospital, Bryan, TX
Research Area: The Effect of a Medical Student on Preceptor Productivity
Mentor: Gabriel Neal, MD

Jess Hatfield, an M1 student at Texas A&M College of Medicine, is conducting a research project investigating the effect of medical students on physician productivity, under the guidance of Gabriel Neal, MD a Texas A&M COM Clinical Associate Professor and family medicine physician at Texas A&M Health Family Care Clinic. There is currently a lack of published data on the effect of medical students on physician productivity in an outpatient primary care setting; this data is helpful in negotiations between medical schools and affiliated clinical sites. Our study seeks to first analyze data from CHI St. Joseph’s comparing the productivity of 12 primary care physicians with and without medical students, measured in the number of patients seen. Next a qualtrics survey will be sent to the participating physicians to assess how they believe medical students affect their productivity. The conclusions from this study will be important for negotiations on payment for student preceptorships between clinical sites and medical schools.


Campus: Baylor Scott and White, Temple, TX
Research Area: Super Refractory Status Epilepticus Treatment Options
Mentor: Batool Kirmani, MD, FAAN, FAES

Marita John is an M1 student at the College of Medicine who is co-writing a review on Super Refractory Status Epilepticus (SRSE) under the guidance of Batool Kirmani, MD, FAAN, FAES, Affiliated Clinical Professor at Texas A&M University College of Medicine and Director of the CHI St. Joseph Health Epilepsy and Functional Neurosurgery Program. Super Refractory Status Epilepticus patients have seizures-like activities that persist after 24 hours of use of anesthetic agents or relapse when trying to withdraw from this treatment. SRSE is a serious condition with a mortality rate between 30 and 50%. Furthermore, these patients are at risk for neuronal injury as a result of failure of medications to terminate seizures. Their review focuses on current therapeutic approaches for SRSE, the outstanding challenges, and the prognosis with a final discussion of future directions of SRSE such as having a comprehensive meta-analysis of prognostic factors and having trials comparing newer therapies to treat this condition.


Campus: CHI-St Joseph Health Regional Hospital, Bryan, TX
Research Area: The effect of spinal cord injury on depression and cognitive decline in a transgenic rat model of Alzheimer’s Disease
Mentor: Michelle Hook, PhD

Jessica Madry is an M1 student at the Texas A&M College of Medicine. She is conducting research, under the guidance of Michelle Hook, PhD Associate Professor in the Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, focusing on depression and cognitive decline after spinal cord injury (SCI) in a transgenic rat model of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). The diagnosis of depression is three times more prevalent in people with SCI compared with the able-bodied population. Underscoring the impact of this affective disorder, suicide attempts are also three times more prevalent in people with SCI. SCI also impairs quality of life and provides many physical and psychological challenges post injury for both patients and their caretaker(s). Patients with SCI are also two times more likely to develop AD and related dementias. Even mild AD robs them of memory and cognitive abilities, further impacting daily functioning and quality of life, and highlighting the importance of addressing the unmet health needs of this population. Indeed, the risk of cognitive impairment is up to 13 times higher in people with SCI. As a result, up to 60% of people living with SCI develop chronic challenges with learning and memory, executive function, attention, and processing speed. However, relatively little is known about the neurophysiological signaling pathways that may contribute to these specific symptoms. To address this, we will use a transgenic rat model (TgF344-AD rats) of AD to look at how SCI might influence the brain. We hypothesize that the molecular changes inherent to SCI interact with genetic or epigenetic factors to increase susceptibility to depression, cognitive decline, and the development of neuropathological hallmarks of AD. Initial studies will determine whether SCI does, in fact, accelerate the expression of AD symptoms. If so, we will use this powerful model system to interrogate molecular changes induced by SCI and identify the causal factor(s). In doing so we hope to contribute to the understanding of depression, cognitive dysfunction, and neuropathology after SCI and to improve quality of life for people living with this injury.


Campus: Baylor Scott and White Hospital, Temple, TX
Research Area: Pathogenic epigenetic mechanisms of plasma cell myeloma
Mentor: Carlos Tirado, M.D.

Lynnsey McLain, an M2 student at Texas A&M College of Medicine, is writing a review article focusing on the epigenetic mechanism underlying plasma cell myeloma under the guidance of Carlos Tirado, M.D., Section chief, cytogenetics at Baylor Scott and White in Temple, Texas. The pathogenesis of plasma cell myeloma (formerly called multiple myeloma) can be attributed to chromosomal abnormalities, disruptions in the bone marrow microenvironment and numerous epigenetic mechanisms. Specifically, the epigenetic events behind this malignancy drive disease progression, from an asymptomatic, precancerous state (MGUS) to plasma cell myeloma and eventually plasma cell leukemia, a particularly aggressive disease. Beyond the tumorigenesis, epigenetic events also facilitate drug resistance of plasma cell myeloma as well as mechanisms of immune evasion. These epigenetic events can be sorted into three classes of mechanisms, including DNA methylation events, histone modifications and noncoding RNA activity (particularly miRNAs and lncRNAs.) This project aims to analyze these specific epigenetic mechanisms and their potential to be targeted with new therapeutics to improve understanding and future management of plasma cell myeloma.


Campus: Baylor Scott and White Health, Temple TX
Research Area: Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity
Mentor: Michael P. Hofkamp, M.D.

Kacie Mitchell, an M2 student at Texas A&M College of Medicine, is conducting a research project investigating local anesthetic toxicity under the mentorship of Michael Hofkamp, M.D., Director of Obstetric Anesthesia at Baylor Scott and White Medical Center in Temple. This retrospective study seeks to determine the incidence of toxicity in patients who receive peri-articular injections during hip or knee arthroplasty procedures. It is common for patients to receive high-dose injections of local anesthetics such as ropivacaine to decrease the amount of post-operative pain. Although the primary symptoms of local anesthetic toxicity are quite apparent (cardiac arrest or seizures), subclinical symptoms may present as altered mental status, rigidity, or cardiac ischemia. Our work and further research will give anesthesiologists and orthopedic surgeons involved in these procedures a better understanding of the efficacy and safety of these injections.


Campus: Clinical Regional Campus, Round Rock, TX
Research Area: Effect of SARS-CoV-2 viral infection on Stroke | Fetal brain development
Mentor: Batool Kirmani, MD, FAAN, FAES | Rajesh C. Miranda, PhD

Sarah Momin is an M1 student at Texas A&M College of Medicine who is co-authoring an abstract and case report investigating the neurological seizure complications of Sars-CoV-2 under the mentorship of Batool F. Kirmani, MD, FAAN, FAES Clinical Professor, Affiliate faculty at Texas A&M College of Medicine, and Director Epilepsy and Functional Neurosurgery Program, CHI- St. Joseph Health. As the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic continues to be on the rise globally with new strains emerging, clusters of symptoms across organ systems are still being described. In addition to respiratory symptoms, neurological effects of the virus contribute significantly to morbidity and mortality. Early landmark studies from Wuhan, China have indicated upwards of 36% of hospitalized patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 also experienced neurological symptoms, including but not limited to, acute cerebrovascular accidents, impaired consciousness, and muscular injury. Further studies have shown that patients may also experience loss of smell and taste, seizures, confusion, enhanced reflexes, and other neurological signs. Our report focuses on a SARS-CoV-2 positive patient who presented with right sided stiffness and encephalopathy. With a full clinically extensive workup coming back negative and with paraneoplastic syndromes and secondary causes being ruled out, our patient’s neurological manifestations were attributed to rare new onset parasagittal seizures in the presence of SARS-CoV-2 based on semiology, EEG findings, and complete symptom resolution with anticonvulsants. Further studies are needed to understand the multifaceted manifestations of COVID-19 and the neurological signs that may present to better diagnose and treat such patients.

Sarah Momin second research project is co-authoring a systematic review article investigating the effects of ethanol on fetal vascular development under the mentorship of Rajesh C. Miranda, Professor, at Texas A&M College of Medicine, Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics and Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is the most severe disease in the spectrum of conditions related to alcohol teratogenicity with risk factors that include increased alcohol exposure in utero, smoking, genetic factors, and lower socioeconomic status. Children with FAS have unmet nutritional needs and have mothers who abuse alcohol or other teratogens. There are currently no approved drugs for treatment of FAS, which warrants more investigation into the mechanism of FAS to move towards the goal of gene targeted therapies. FAS often presents with three cardinal features of craniofacial dysmorphology including a smooth philtrum, short palpebral fissures, and a thin upper lip vermilion. Other findings include intellectual disability, neurological deficits, and neuropathological anomalies. Diagnosis requires a team of physicians and a geneticist with expertise in malformation syndromes, who look for the cardinal signs, perform neuropsychological and neurodevelopmental assessments, and perform genetic testing. Treatment is currently limited to avoidance of maternal use of alcohol during pregnancy and usage of nutritional supplements such as choline or antioxidants. Stem cell therapy is becoming a more explored method to regenerate damaged neurons, however there is still a need for a drug targeted therapy to alleviate the symptoms and deficits of the children suffering from FAS. Our systematic review focuses on the mechanisms by which alcohol and other teratogens affect fetal blood vessel growth and development, which will contribute to a better understanding of how FAS develops, and which areas drugs may be able to target for treatment.


Campus: Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX
Research Area: Lymphatic liver tumor metastasis
Mentor: Sanjukta Chakraborty, PhD

Chanyanuch Nakapakorn, an M1 student in the College of Medicine, is conducting a translational research project investigating liver tumor metabolism and metastasis under the guidance of Sanjukta Chakraborty, PhD Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Physiology at the Texas A&M College of Medicine. The aggressivity of cancer metastasis is closely tied to patient’s prognosis. Research shows that alterations in bioenergetics and mitochondrial gene expressions in cancer patients may promote tumor metastasis into lymph nodes. However, molecular mechanism of cancer metastasis remains poorly understood. Our project aims to evaluate clinical case reports and utilize various molecular tools, such as PCR, immunofluorescence and cell culture, to identify genetic alterations present in cancer patients to establish possible links to factors responsible for tumor cells invasion into lymphatic endothelial cells.


Campus: Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital, Houston TX
Research Area: Clinical Management of Pediatric Acute Seizures and Status Epilepticus
Mentor: D. Samba Reddy Ph.D., RPh

Tran Nguyen an M2 student in the College of Medicine, is writing a literature review on pediatric anti-seizure medications under the mentorship of D. Samba Reddy, PhD, RPh, a Professor of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics at the Texas A&M College of Medicine. An estimated 400,000 children are afflicted with epilepsy in the United States. Symptoms during a seizure vary depending on the type and cause temporary abnormalities in behaviors, sensations, muscle tone or movements (twitching, stiffness or limpness), or states of awareness. Febrile seizures and genetic disorders associated seizures are common in children. Status epilepticus, a prolonged seizure or multiple seizures lasting more than 5 minutes, is a common neurological emergency in children. Given the vulnerabilities of physiologic and obvious anatomical differences in children compared to adults, anticonvulsant treatments should be properly tailored for the pediatric population. The main goal is to systematically review current clinical management of epilepsy, acute seizures, and status epilepticus in the pediatric population. It also covers childhood epilepsies, including Dravet Syndrome, Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, Fragile X-Syndrome, CDKL5 and other neurodevelopmental disorders associated with seizures.


Campus: Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX
Research Area: Antibiotic Prescribing for Pediatric Community-Acquired Pneumonia
Mentor: Maheswari Ekambaram, MD

Kaci Orr, an M1 student at Texas A&M College of Medicine, is conducting a clinical research project under the guidance of Maheswari Ekambaram, MD, a pediatric hospitalist at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Round Rock. In 2011, the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society (PIDS) and the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) published the first set of evidence-based guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in infants and children. Despite this, guideline-discordant prescribing that increases the risk of antibiotic-associated adverse events and antibiotic resistance is still a significant problem nationwide. We will analyze the variability in antibiotic prescribing for the management of CAP in pediatric patients across several Baylor Scott & White Health emergency departments in Central Texas and explore possible factors associated with this variability. Based on similar studies performed in inpatient and outpatient settings, we hypothesize that there will be a significant degree of variability in antibiotic prescribing for this condition and that non-clinical patient and clinician characteristics will be associated with this variability.


Campus: Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX
Research Area: Role of miR-17 expression in preeclampsia risk
Mentor: Kayla Bayless, PhD

Kelbi Padilla, an M1 student in the College of Medicine, is conducting research under the guidance of Kayla Bayless, PhD Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine at Texas A&M College of Medicine. They are investigating the role of miRNA, specifically miR-17, in the development of preeclampsia (PE), a prevalent condition characterized by hypertension and proteinuria during pregnancy. The etiology of PE is related to a loss of placental surface area for maternal-fetal nutrient exchange due to failure of fetal trophoblasts to invade the decidua. Subsequently, vascular growth and development are reduced. An ongoing collaboration between Drs. Choudhury and Bayless discovered microRNA-17a (miR17a) was upregulated in the first trimester of pregnant women that went on to develop preeclampsia. Thus, the aim of this project is to determine if miR-17 alters epigenetic regulation and cytoskeletal destabilization in developing blood vessels to determine if miR-17 is not only responsible for decreased vascularization in PE but might also accurately predict the onset of PE.


Campus: CHI-St Joseph Health Regional Hospital, Bryan, TX
Research Area: Urinary incontinence after spinal cord injury | Microglial Polarization into M1 and M2 Phenotypes: A New Mechanistic Target for Post-Traumatic Epilepsy Treatment
Mentor: Jonathan Friedman, MD | Samba Reddy, PhD

Elias Perli, an M1 student in the College of Medicine, is conducting a clinical research project investigating whether sildenafil may improve urinary leakage in patients with spinal cord injuries (SCI) under the guidance of Jonathan A. Friedman, MD, a neurosurgeon at The Texas Brain and Spine Institute (TBSI). Sildenafil is a phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitor that stimulates vasodilation and is thought to function by increasing blood flow throughout the body. In previous studies in women with urinary incontinence, sildenafil decreased the number of urinary leaks they had per week. For this study, SCI patients will be recruited from Texas Brain and Spine Institute and/or CHI St. Joseph’s Rehabilitation Hospital. The study scheme includes first, identifying potential subjects from the TBSI database and then performing a prescreening. Second, a first in-person visit for informed consent, medical screening, randomization, and baseline measures of subjects. Baseline measures include bladder diary, quality of life, and sildenafil drug levels. Once enrolled, patients will be randomly assigned to take either sildenafil (20 mg) or placebo. This study is anticipated to shed light on novel treatments to improve the quality of life of SCI patients suffering from urinary incontinence.

Elias Perli, an M2 student in the College of Medicine, is conducting a literature review research project investigating microglia polarization as a potential therapeutic target for post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) due to traumatic brain injury (TBI) under the guidance of D. Samba Reddy, PhD, RPh, a Professor of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics at the Texas A&M College of Medicine. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a change in normal brain function caused by an external insult. More than 3 million people in the United States suffer a TBI annually, accounting for around 300,000 hospitalizations and 50,000 fatalities per year. One notable sequela of TBI is PTE, a neurological disorder where late spontaneous recurrent seizures develop following a TBI. Epileptogenesis may begin after the TBI and become suppressed months/years after the brain insult occurred; potentially delaying diagnosis of PTE after the primary brain trauma. PTEs make up around 20% of symptomatic epilepsies, and 5-6% of all epilepsies in general. Current long-term PTE treatment is limited to the acute use of anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs), prompting the need to investigate non-neuronal targets/mechanisms other than ion channels, such as: microglia, enzymes, oxidative stress molecules, and genetics. This research will investigate the role of microglial polarization into M1 (pro-inflammatory) and M2 (anti-inflammatory) phenotypes in neuroinflammation, as seen in PTE, and its potential as a new therapeutic target on PTE’s chronic inflammation and long-term treatment.


Campus: Willowbrook Hospital, Houston Methodist, Houston TX
Research Area: Lipid-Droplet-Accumulating Microglia in Alzheimer’s and Aging
Mentor: Ashok Shetty, PhD

Ambeka Rajvanshi is an M2 student at the College of Medicine who is writing a review on the role of lipid-droplet-accumulating-microglia in aged and neurodegenerative states under the guidance of Ashok Shetty, PhD, Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, and Associate Director for the Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia and affects roughly 40 million people worldwide. Approximately 90% of AD cases result from mutations in Apolipoprotein (ApoE) E3 and E4, genes associated with proteins involved in lipid transport. Recent models have suggested that an increase in lipid-droplet-accumulating microglia (LDAM) are associated with aged and neuroinflammatory states such as in AD. While current AD therapeutics provide limited relief from clinical symptomology and are not curative, LDAM research has the potential to refine and improve current AD therapies. Their review focuses on current therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative diseases such as AD, the role that microglia and LDAM play in aging and AD, and future applications and perspectives of this research.


Campus: Baylor Scott and White Health, Temple TX
Research Area: Pediatric Stroke
Mentor: Batool Kirmani, MD, FAAN, FAES

Riddhi Rane, an M1 student at the college of medicine was a co-author in pediatric stroke review article under the guidance of Dr. Batool F. Kirmani in the Endovascular Therapy and Interventional Stroke Program in the Department of Neurology at CHI St Joseph’s Health Regional Hospital in Bryan, TX. Pediatric stroke is a rare occurrence and is often diagnosed with significant delay. This can result in debilitating consequences following the stroke that may remain for the remainder of life. Often, clinical care for pediatric stroke is extrapolated from adult data and experiences. However, the presentation of pediatric stroke may vary widely from that of adults and therefore, may result in treatment ambiguities and inaccuracies. Treatments such as tissue plasminogen activatory (tPA) and mechanical thrombectomies are performed on a case by case basis. Due to the rarity of pediatric stroke, very little randomized control trial data exists to determine the standard of care for children specifically. Where randomized control trial data lacks, there are case studies and retrospective meta-analyses to shed some light. This project aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding on the current limitations in pediatric stroke research thorough literature review on the recent developments and updates in the field. Their work was recently published in Aging and Disease. Link to review paper: http://www.aginganddisease.org/EN/10.14336/AD.2021.0219


Campus: Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX
Research Area: Polysubstance use effects on fetal brain development
Mentor: Rajesh Miranda, PhD

Monica Vegiraju, an M1 student in the College of Medicine, is conducting a research project investigating maternal alcohol and nicotine polysubstance use effects on fetal brain development under the guidance of Rajesh Miranda, PhD and professor at the Texas A&M College of Medicine. Prenatal alcohol exposure is the leading cause of preventable birth defects and development disabilities. According to the CDC, 40% of women who used alcohol during pregnancy also reported simultaneous use of at least one other substance, most often tobacco. Research shows that stopping even one of the substances during pregnancy can prevent irreparable damage to some extent. Alcohol is a CNS depressant, but nicotine is a CNS stimulant. These opposing mechanisms on a healthy, fully developed adult produce long-ranging and serious health consequences. Their research project aims to understand this mechanism on a growing fetal brain and determine if the effects are as detrimental or worse than in an adult.


Campus: Baylor Scott and White Health, Temple TX
Research Area: Systemic toxicity of local anesthetics in intra-articular injection
Mentor: Michael P. Hofkamp, M.D.

Yilun Wang, an M2 at the Texas A&M College of Medicine, is conducting a clinical research project under the guidance of Dr. Michael Hofkamp, MD, Director of Obstetric Anesthesia at Baylor Scott & White Health and Clinical Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at Texas A&M College of Medicine. Postoperative analgesia for total joint arthroplasty can be accomplished with intra- articular injection of local anesthetic. Small studies have examined the pharmacokinetics of intra-articular local anesthetic injections and demonstrated that subjects did not have toxic levels of local anesthetics. However, larger retrospective and prospective studies have not been conducted to determine the incidence of local anesthetic precipitating systemic toxicity for subjects who have intra-articular injections of local anesthetics. Furthermore, the incidence of less obvious manifestations of systemic toxicities such as altered mental status and muscle rigidity following intra-articular injection of local anesthesia has not been studied. In Spring 2021, an educational initiative and in-service presentation was started to raise awareness of local anesthetic-initiated systemic toxicity following intra-articular injection to perioperative nursing staff at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Temple. The primary aim of this study is to determine the incidence of systemic toxicity from local anesthetic in intra-articular injection during total knee and hip arthroplasty through retrospective data collection and statistical analysis of patient data.


Campus: Baylor Scott and White Health, Temple TX
Research Area: Examining Airway Management in Cesarean Deliveries Under General Anesthesia
Mentor: Michael P. Hofkamp, M.D.

Alyson Win is an M2 Student conducting clinical research under the guidance of Dr. Michael Hofkamp, M.D. an anesthesiologist at Baylor Scott and White Medical Center, Temple. They are investigating the incidence of failed airway management for cesarean deliveries under general anesthesia. While regional anesthesia is preferred in cesarean section deliveries, general anesthesia can be used when indicated. However, one of the major concerns with general anesthesia is the inability to intubate or ventilate a patient. The incidence for failed airway induction in this patient population is currently estimated to be 1 in 500. Additionally, video laryngoscopes have been increasingly used as a safer approach to secure airways in cesarean section patients under general anesthesia. We propose a retrospective observational study to examine cesarean section deliveries performed under general anesthesia at Baylor Scott and White- Temple between  7- year period (February 1, 2014 and January 1, 2021). Our primary aim will be to determine the incidence of failed airway management for cesarean section deliveries performed under general anesthesia. Our secondary aim will be to compare the incidences of failed airway management between general anesthetics that used a video laryngoscope to general anesthetics that did not use a video laryngoscope.

 

Campus: Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX
Research Area: The Effects of Probiotics Supplementation on Very Preterm Infants
Mentor: Arpitha Chiruvolu, MD

Preston Adhikari, M2, and Sharon Pan, M2, students at the College of Medicine, are co-designing a clinical research project investigating risk factors associated with post-operative venous thromboembolism in spinal surgery under the guidance of L. Gerard Toussaint III, M.D., a licensed neurosurgeon at The Texas Brain and Spine Institute. Although venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a rare postoperative complication after spinal surgery, the fatality rate of pulmonary embolism, combined with the morbidity in patients who survive, make this severe adverse event a troubling concern of many spine surgeons. Predicting, in a community setting, those patients who are at highest risk would allow judicious pre-operative screening and a standardized approach to control for the postoperative VTE risk. Conclusions drawn from this study will alter clinical practice – those patients with risk factors we identify will be considered for pre-operative lower extremity ultrasounds, and more aggressive post-operative mitigation strategies. In addition, these identified patients could be a cohort to enroll in a prospective trial of a new management paradigm.