20th Annual Louis R.M. Del Guercio Distinguished Visiting Professorship and Research Day Held
Harvard Professor Dr. Pedro del Nido Delivered Keynote Address on Advances in Heart Valve Research
The Department of Surgery hosted the 20th Annual Louis R.M. Del Guercio Distinguished Visiting Professorship and Research Day on May 8. A highlight of the event was the keynote address by Pedro del Nido, M.D., chief of the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital, the largest congenital cardiac program in North America, and the William E. Ladd Professor of Child Surgery at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. del Nido’s clinical focus is on surgical techniques for achieving bi-ventricular circulation in children with complex heart disease and repair of congenital heart valves. He developed a cardioplegia formulation to preserve the heart during open-heart surgery, the most widely used formulation for heart preservation in adults and children in the world.
Sponsored annually since 2002, the Louis R.M. Del Guercio Day is named for the late Louis R.M. Del Guercio, M.D., professor emeritus of surgery, who served as chair of the Department for 24 years before retiring in 2000. The event featured a full morning of presentations by medical students, residents, and fellows, who showcased their research on a range of topics.
“Louis Del Guercio was a strong, early proponent of surgical research and evidence-based medicine. So, it is very fitting that the Department of Surgery’s annual acknowledgement of the research efforts of our students, residents, and fellows is named in his honor,” said Steven Lansman, M.D., chair of the Department of Surgery.
The event concluded with the awards presentation.
Best Moderated Posters
Aman Kumar, M.D. (PGY1)
“Characterizing Retinal Microvascular Abnormalities in Birdshot Chorioretinopathy Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography”
Vasiliki Gregory (MS3)
“Influence of Donor Transfusion on Heart Transplantation Outcomes: A UNOS Registry Analysis”
Sabrina Zeller, M.D. (PGY4)
“Stem Cell Therapy in Conjunction with Curcumin and Epigallocatechin Gallate (Egcg) Synergistically Enhances Recovery from Spinal Cord Injury by Altering Signaling Pathways of MTOR and NF-ΚB”
Best Clinical Research Papers
Noah Kinstlinger, M.D. (PGY6)
“Weekend Effect in Carotid Endarterectomy for Symptomatic Carotid Artery Stenosis”
Khaled El-Qawaqzeh, M.D. (PGY1)
“From Vulnerability to Violence: The Intersection of Social Vulnerability and School Shootings”
Anna Jose, M.D. (RF)
“Guarding Maternal Fragility: Unveiling the Impact of Traumatic Injuries on Pregnant Patients Through ACS-TQIP”
Best Posters
Ankita Das (MS4)
“Race, Ethnicity and Social Determinants of Health Reporting in the Pediatric Trauma Literature”
Aiden Lui (MS4)
“Weekend Effect in Carotid Endarterectomy for Symptomatic Carotid Artery Stenosis”
Adrianus Ekelmans (MS2)
“Hospital Tax Status Associated with Differing Outcomes and Intra-Hospital Complications in Adult Trauma Patients”