Resident Award Research Articles

Addressing the Gender Gap in Residency Awards Using a Blinded Selection Process.

Addressing the Gender Gap in Residency Awards Using a Blinded Selection Process.

Addressing the Gender Gap in Residency Clinical Awards Using a Structured Blinded Selection Process (P6-2.002)

<h3>Objective:</h3> To determine the effect of changing the criteria from faculty vote to a blinded clinical case report on reducing bias in a neurology resident award. <h3>Background:</h3> Women are under-represented in the field of Neurology, especially at the leadership level. Awards can play an important role in career advancement. In the absence of a well-designed process for identifying award winners, there is a risk that the demographics of awardees will reflect those of voters. We hypothesized that a blinded merit-based approach for a junior neurology resident award could reduce bias and result a more balanced gender-profile for awardees. <h3>Design/Methods:</h3> In our program, an annual named award is given to PGY-2 residents who exemplify clinical excellence. From 2003–2018 this award was determined by votes from clinical faculty. In 2019 the award changed to a submitted case report that was independently reviewed by 5 faculty, using a structured scoring rubric. Committee members were blinded to the identity of the submitting resident. We compiled gender data for clinical faculty, residents, and award recipients from 2003 to 2022 and compared recipient gender profiles before and after the change. <h3>Results:</h3> From 2003–2018, 12/16 (75%) of award winners were male, more closely reflecting the gender distribution of voting faculty (77.9% male) than resident demographics (55.3% male). After the change in selection criteria, 0/8 winners were male (p&lt;0.001). The proportion of male residents was significantly lower in 2019–22 (37.5% vs 55.3%, p=0.02), which could partially account for the decrease in male award winners. <h3>Conclusions:</h3> Despite relatively small changes in the gender balance of faculty and residents there was a significant change in the gender balance of award winners when the process became blinded. Moving forward, utilizing a blinded process and more transparent selection criteria could lead to an increase in diversity of award winners in neurology residency programs. <b>Disclosure:</b> Dr. Lambert has nothing to disclose. Dr. Cooper has nothing to disclose. An immediate family member of Dr. Narula has received personal compensation in the range of $5,000-$9,999 for serving as a Consultant for abbot vascular. The institution of an immediate family member of Dr. Narula has received research support from Abbot Vascular Inc.. The institution of an immediate family member of Dr. Narula has received research support from US Food and Drug Administration . The institution of an immediate family member of Dr. Narula has received research support from Women’s Health Research at Yale. Dr. Moeller has received publishing royalties from a publication relating to health care.

Traci L. Hedrick, MD, MSc, FACS, FASCRS.

Dr. Traci Hedrick grew up in a small town in West Virginia prior to attending the University of Kentucky, where she earned her BS in Human Studies summa cum laude and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She then attended the University of Kentucky School of Medicine, receiving her M.D. in 2002. While at Kentucky, she was the top student in her class, receiving the valedictorian award and special “Best of Clerkship” awards in Anatomy, Pathology, and Surgery. Her medical school accolades also include election to junior Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA), a named scholarship, and an award from the American Medical Women's Association. Dr. Hedrick began her residency in surgery at the University of Virginia in 2002, winning the Intern of the Year Award, the Academic Achievement Award for the third-year resident with the best academic and scholarly record, the Curtis Tribble Teaching Award in 2006, and a Mulholland Teaching Award in 2007 and 2009, her Chief year. Also, during her Chief year, she won the department's award for the resident who has most contributed to the education of the junior residents (by election by the residents) and then the prestigious Association of Women Surgeons Outstanding Resident Award. Along the way, Traci also garnered several awards for her research projects conducted during 2 years of research under the direction of Dr. Robert Sawyer. Besides numerous publications, she won the Surgical Infection Society Research Training Fellowship Award and completed the requirements for a Master of Clinical Research degree.

Submit Now for the Resident Research Award!

Submit Now for the Resident Research Award!

Two professors given first Integrative Medicine in Residency Award

Two professors given first Integrative Medicine in Residency Award

Editorial introductions

Current Opinion in Endocrinology and Diabetes was launched in 1994, with Obesity added to the title in 2007. It is one of a successful series of review journals whose unique format is designed to provide a systematic and critical assessment of the literature as presented in the many primary journals. The fields of endocrinology and diabetes are divided into 12 sections that are reviewed once a year. Each section is assigned a Section Editor, a leading authority in the area, who identifies the most important topics at that time. Here we are pleased to introduce the Journal's Section Editors for this issue. SECTION EDITORS Wendy KuohungWendy KuohungWendy Kuohung is the Director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology at Boston Medical Center and an Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Boston University School of Medicine, USA. Dr Kuohung received her medical degree from the Yale University School of Medicine, USA. She completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Boston University Medical Center, USA and fellowship training in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Brigham and Women's Hospital, USA. Dr Kuohung is a Reproductive Scientist Development Program scholar and has received several NIH research grants since 2003. She received the BUSM Resident Award for Excellence in Teaching in Ob/Gyn in 2001 and the Harvard Medical School Teaching Award in Reproductive Endocrinology in 2003. She has published numerous peer-reviewed publications and chapters. Her research interests lie in infections of the placenta and reproductive tract, and she has clinical expertise in advanced minimally invasive gynecologic surgery, female infertility, and fertility preservation. In addition to Boston University Medical Center, her practice sites include Boston IVF in Waltham, MA, USA. Katherine L. RotkerKatherine L. RotkerKatherine L. Rotker is a board-certified urologist and assistant professor of Urology at the University of Massachusetts medical school, USA. She completed both her residency training and fellowship at Brown University, USA, and specializes in male infertility, andrology and men's health. She has published in the areas of hypogonadism and fertility preservation. She also has a special interest in gender bias and has published extensively in this area including “Addressing Patient Gender Bias Toward Trainees in the Field of Andrology”, “What's Gender Got to Do With It: Difference in the Proportion of Traditionally Female Cases Performed by General Urologists of Each Gender” and “Gender Disparities in Industry Payments to Urologists.”

Investigating Gender Disparities in Internal Medicine Residency Awards

In 2017, for the first time in history women made up the majority of matriculating medical students.1 Despite the improvements in representation that women have seen in academic medicine, the field remains rife with gender disparities: Female faculty members receive lower salaries,2 hold fewer full professor and department chair positions,3,4 and are less frequently awarded research grants than their male counterparts.5 In addition, recent studies have highlighted the lack of female representation in awards from medical professional societies.

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions

COVID-19 and the Radiology Match: A Residency Program's Survival Guide to the Virtual Interview Season

COVID-19 and the Radiology Match: A Residency Program's Survival Guide to the Virtual Interview Season

Development and evolution of a two-day intensive resident experience in geriatric medicine

ABSTRACT As the older adult population increases, the need to enhance medical education and training in Geriatric Medicine (GM) is essential. To enhance resident training, faculty at two southeastern universities developed a Resident Award Summit, a two-day active learning experience, designed to expose family and internal medicine residents to GM principles and the various career options available in GM. Over 10 years, 353 residents from 108 residency programs participated. Resident feedback indicated that attending the event had a positive impact on future practice (M = 4.65, SD = .58) and showed that the amount of GM training received was limited, with 83.5% and 70.2% ranking adequacy of medical student and resident training as limited, respectively. To impact practice, long-term change must occur. Experiences such as the Resident Award Summit allow GM faculty to educate and prepare residents though positive teaching experiences, providing residents with the skills needed to care for older adults in their communities.

Characteristics and career outcomes of Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation research fellowship recipients.

The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation (NREF) provides ongoing competitive research fellowships for residents and young investigators. The authors sought to determine the characteristics and career tracks of award recipients. The authors analyzed characteristics and academic productivity parameters of NREF resident and young investigator awardees in the United States and Canada from 1983 to 2017. Data were extracted from the NREF database and online resources (Web of Science, NIH reporter). In total, 224 research grants were awarded to 31 women (14%) and 193 men (86%) from 1983 to 2017. Neuro-oncology (36%) was the most common research category. Sixty percent of awardees were in training and most resident award winners were in postgraduate year 5 (37%). Forty-nine percent of all awardees had an additional postgraduate degree (PhD 39%, Master's 10%) with a significantly higher number of PhD recipients being from Canada in comparison to any US region (p = 0.024). The Northeastern and Southeastern United States were the regions with the highest and lowest numbers of award recipients, respectively. More than one-third (40%) of awardees came from institutions that have a National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Research Education Grant (NINDS R25) for neurosurgical training. Awardees from NINDS R25-funded programs were significantly more likely to go on to receive funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (40.4% vs 26.1%; p = 0.024). The majority of recipients (72%) who were no longer in training pursued fellowships, with a significant likelihood that fellowship subspecialty correlated with NREF research category (p < 0.001). Seventy-nine percent of winners entered academic neurosurgery practice, with 18% obtaining the position of chair. The median h-index among NREF winners was 11. NIH funding was obtained by 71 awardees (32%) with 36 (18%) being a principal investigator on an R01 grant from the NIH Research Project Grant Program. The majority of AANS/NREF research award recipients enter academics as fellowship-trained neurosurgeons, with approximately one-third obtaining NIH funding. Analysis of this unique cohort allows for identification of characteristics of academic success.

Abstract 877: Sigma 2 ligands kill pancreatic cancer cells via disruption of lysosomal cholesterol transport

Abstract Introduction: The sigma 2 receptor is overexpressed in pancreatic cancer and has been an attractive target for development of cancer selective therapies. However, the mechanism of sigma 2 mediated cancer cell death remains elusive. The sigma 2 receptor has been recently identified as TMEM97, a lysosomal/endoplasmic reticulum protein involved in regulation of cholesterol export in conjunction with NPC1. Methods: Uptake of SW43 in pancreatic cancer cells was visualized using a NBD fluorophore conjugated ligand. Intracellular cholesterol staining was visualized using filipin staining. Protein expression was quantified by both Western blot and RT qPCR. Cell death was assayed in triplicate using Titer-Glo viability assay. Results: We hypothesized that sigma 2 ligands may kill pancreatic cancer cells through disruption of lysosomal cholesterol export. Using ASPC1 pancreatic cancer cells, we first demonstrate that sigma 2 ligand SW43 is rapidly taken up and targets to endo-lysosomal compartments, and that treatment with SW43 causes a rapid and dose dependent sequestration of cholesterol in lysosomal compartments as visualized by filipin cholesterol staining. This correlated to an increase in TMEM97 and corresponding decrease in NPC1 expression following SW43 treatment. We next demonstrate that this cholesterol sequestration phenotype is required for cell death, and might be related to the free amine side chain of SW43, as its N-phthalimide derivative fails to induce both lysosomal cholesterol sequestration and cell death despite high doses of ligand used. Lysosomal cholesterol sequestration from sigma 2 ligand treatment sensitizes cells to further targeting of cholesterol metabolism. Using low doses of simvastatin and SW43, we demonstrate that targeting both cholesterol export and cholesterol synthesis displays significant synergism in killing ASPC1 pancreatic cancer cells. Conclusions: These findings provide further insight into how the sigma 2 receptor/ligand interaction mediates cancer cell death and provides the basis for rationally combined targeted therapy regimens to be tested in vivo. This work was supported by NIH R01CA163764 and NIH T32CA009621-26A1 and the SUS Foundation Resident Research Award. Citation Format: Linda X. Jin, Suwanna Vangveravong, Narendra V. Sankpal, Darren R. Cullinan, Peter Goedegebuure, Dirk Spitzer, William G. Hawkins. Sigma 2 ligands kill pancreatic cancer cells via disruption of lysosomal cholesterol transport [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 877.

Canadian Association of Neuropathologists L’Association Canadienne des Neuropathologistes

The Canadian Association of Neuropathologists (CANP) held their 57th annual meeting at the Inn at the Forks Hotel in Winnipeg, Manitoba from October 12th-14th, 2017, under the leadership of Dr. Marc Del Bigio, CANP president, who also handled the local arrangements. The annual banquet was held at the Assiniboine Park Conservancy where the polar bears captivated the crowd of Neuropathologists.The academic program of 14 scientific abstracts and 11 unknown cases were compiled by the CANP Secretary-Treasurer Dr. Julia Keith into 4 sessions; Infectious/Immune Mediated and Epilepsy Neuropathology, Tumour Neuropathology, Developmental Neuropathology and Neurodegenerative/Neuromuscular Neuropathology. The program also included a guided interactive forum on Quality Assurance and Professional Affairs for Neuropathologists led by Dr Del Bigio.The digital pathology images from the 11 unknown cases are available for viewing online (www.canp.ca) thanks to the CANP webmaster, Dr. Jason Karamchandani. All submitted abstracts were peer reviewed by the CANP Abstract Review committee comprised of Drs. Marie-Christine Guiot, David Munoz, and Harvey Sarnat.The Presidential Symposium explored the theme of Pediatric Head Injuries and Forensic Neuropathology. Dr. Michael J. Ellis (Section of Neurosurgery, University of Manitoba) delivered an invited lecture entitled Current Concepts in Pediatric Concussion. The Dr. Gordon Mathieson invited member lecturer was Dr. David Ramsay (Western University) who spoke on the subject of Observations on Selected Neuropathological Aspects of Suspected Inflicted Head and Spinal Injury in Young Children. The Dr. David Robertson invited lecture was delivered by Dr. Paul Kadar (Department of Pediatrics, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto) Child Maltreatment/Abusive Head Trauma in a “Pre-” and “Post-Goudge” World. The Dr. Jerzy Olszewski guest lecturer was Dr. Waney Squier (Oxford University, UK) who explained the Impact of Legal Changes in the UK on Brain Retention, Evolving Opinions and Controversies about “Shaken Baby Syndrome”. The symposium concluded with a panel discussion and group Question and Answer session with the symposium speakers.The resident awards committee was comprised of Drs. Sidney Croul and Sherry Krawitz. The Mary Tom Award for best clinical science paper was awarded to Dr. Randy van Ommeren (supervisor Dr. Patrick Shannon) for his presentation of Unknown Case #8 and the Morrison H. Finlayson Award went to Dr. Andrew Gao (supervisor Dr. Lili Hazrati) for his presentation Abstract #14 The Role of ATP and P2X Purinoreceptor 7 in the Pathogenesis of Cerebral Tau.The following abstracts were presented at the 2017 Canadian Association of Neuropathologists (CANP) 57th Annual Meeting in October. The material presented contains the abstracts submitted as part of the 2017 Canadian Association of Neuropathologists (CANP) 57th Annual Meeting, as part of the standard processes of The Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences, and may contain promotional content that does not represent the views or policies of the journal or publisher. The content and the views expressed therein are those of the presenting entity and not the Editors of The Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences, the Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation, or Cambridge University Press. Authors have not provided standard disclosure forms as part of their submission, although these would have been evident at the time of the meeting.

Duke Resident Awards

Duke Resident Awards

The Prevalence of Carcinoid Tumors of the Small Intestine in the USA: A Population-Based Study: 2017 Lawlor Resident Award: 2017 Presidential Poster Award

The Prevalence of Carcinoid Tumors of the Small Intestine in the USA: A Population-Based Study: 2017 Lawlor Resident Award: 2017 Presidential Poster Award

2017 Outstanding Resident Paper Award

2017 Outstanding Resident Paper Award

Resident Awards

Resident Awards

Changing Patterns In Vertebral Artery Injuries Diagnosis And Management: Winner of Jose “Pepe” Alvarez, MD Resident Award

Changing Patterns In Vertebral Artery Injuries Diagnosis And Management: Winner of Jose “Pepe” Alvarez, MD Resident Award

Biliary/Pancreas.

Introduction: Between 11-19% of patients hospitalized for acute pancreatitis are re-admitted for pancreatitis related symptoms and complications. Our aim was to determine the role of a recently developed scoring system (Acute Pancreatitis Clinical Activity Index - AP-CAI) to recognize patients at high risk for re-admission. Methods: We evaluated consecutive patients hospitalized for acute pancreatitis at Los Angeles County Hospital from March 2015 and March 2016. Patients were excluded if they had chronic pancreatitis, died, or were transferred to another facility. Only a patient's first admission for pancreatitis (index hospitalization) in the study time period was included for analysis. We prospectively collected data on pain medications, oral diet tolerance, SIRS criteria, organ failure, and additional clinical variables. The dataset was reviewed by two individuals and the AP-CAI score at time of discharge was retrospectively calculated using this prospectively collected information (Table 1). The primary endpoint of the study, early readmission, was defined as inpatient re-hospitalization for pancreatits symptoms or complications within 30 days of discharge from the index hospitalization for AP.Table 1: The Acute Pancreatitis Clinical Activity Index (AP-CAI) Scoring SystemResults: Early readmission occurred in 29 (9%) of the 332 unique patients hospitalized for acute pancreatitis. Univariate analysis demonstrated that APCAI score >50 (OR 8.9: 95% CI [3.5, 22.7]) and history of prior acute pancreatitis admission (OR 3.2: 95% CI [1.4, 7.1]) predicted early hospital readmission. Among 115 patients with a discharge APCAI>50, 23 were readmitted (20.0%) versus 6(2.7%) of 217 with APCAI < 50 (p < 0.001). Thirty-nine additional variables including pancreatitis severity, origin, length of hospitalization, and Charlson comorbidity index were not significantly associated with early readmission. Multivariate analysis controlling for demographic variables, origin, pancreatitis severity, and prior acute pancreatitis confirmed that an APCA score >50 predicted readmission (OR 10.3 95% CI [3.7, 27.9])(Table 2). An additional 16 (5%) subjects were evaluated in the emergency department within 30 days for acute pancreatitis symptoms but were not readmitted. APCAI score greater than 50 also predicted emergency department re-evaluation (OR 9.2: 95% CI [2.6, 33.1]).Table 2: Predictors of ReadmissionConclusion: Acute Pancreatitis Clinical Activity Index - AP-CAI Score >50 at time of discharge is highly correlated with readmission within 30 days.

Second Annual Resident Research Awards

Second Annual Resident Research Awards