Research Residents, 2022
Research Residents 2022-2023
Nicole Cimbak, MD, R2
Clinical Year: PGY-3
Site: Boston Children’s Hospital
Research Mentor: Christopher Weldon, MD, PhD
Dr. Nicole Cimbak is currently enrolled in a three year-long fellowship program based at Boston Children’s Hospital. She will spend the first year as a Surgical Critical Care Fellow where she will complete ICU clinical training in both pediatrics and adults. During the latter two years of the fellowship program, she will participate in a variety of clinical outcomes research projects centered around pediatric anorectal anomalies and nutrition in critically ill children.
Funding: Departmentally Funded
Brendin Beaulieu-Jones, MD, MBA, R2
Clinical Year: PGY-2
Site: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School
Research Mentor: Gabriel Brat, MD
Dr. Brendin Beaulieu-Jones utilized large-scale database and machine learning models to inform clinical decision-making and surgical planning in order to improve surgical outcomes and to optimize patient care. To learn more about Dr. Beaulieu-Jones’ education, research publications, and academic funding, click here
Funding: T15 Institutional Grant for Research Training in Biomedical Informatics and Data Science
Gordana Rasic, MD, MS R2
Clinical Year: PGY-2
Site: Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Research Mentors: Tony E. Godfrey, PhD, and Teviah Sachs, MD, MPH
Dr. Gordana Rasic evaluated the utility of circulating tumor DNA in peri-operative surveillance for persistent and/or recurrent oncologic disease, specifically in head and neck cancer. During her academic development time, she worked with the Surgical Outcomes Analysis Research (SOAR) Initiative to utilize national health databases to investigate factors contributing to healthcare disparities in hepatopancreatobiliary cancers. To learn more about Dr. Rasic’s education, research publications, and academic funding, click here.
Funding: Departmentally Funded at Boston Medical Center
Priyanka V. Chugh, MD MS R1
Clinical Year: PGY-3
Site: Boston Children’s Hospital
Research Mentors: Tom Jaksic, MD, PhD and Biren Modi, MD, MPH
Dr. Priyanka Chugh evaluates outcomes for children with short bowel syndrome at Boston Children’s Hospital in collaboration with the Center for Advanced Intestinal Rehabilitation. She currently serves as Junior Resident Research Director of the SOAR Initiative.
Funding: Departmentally Funded at Boston Children’s Hospital
Brenda Lin, MD R1
Clinical Year: PGY-3
Site: VA Boston Healthcare System
Research Mentor: James McPhee, MD
During her academic development time, Dr. Brenda Lin served as VA Chief Resident in the Quality and Patient Safety Program. She focused on learning and teaching quality improvement and patient safety principles through identification of adverse events and other issues. Additionally, she performed root cause analyses and healthcare failure mode effect analyses to develop system-based solutions.
Funding: Departmentally Funded at VA West Roxbury
Maia Nofal, MD, MPH R1
Clinical Year: PGY-2
Site: Global Engagement at Stanford University
Research Mentor: Thomas Weiser, MD
Dr. Maia Nofal serves as a researcher in the NIH Fogarty-funded Global Health Equity Scholars program and will be focused on quality improvement initiatives to reduce surgical site infections in Ethiopia. In addition, she will be partnering with a charitable organization, Lifebox, that focuses on safe surgical and anesthesia care worldwide.
Funding: NIH-Fogarty Global Health Equity Scholars Fellowship
Anna Kobzeva-Herzog, MD R1
Clinical Year: PGY-2
Site: Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Research Mentors: Aaron P. Richman, MD; Sabrina E. Sanchez, MD, MPH; Jeffrey J. Siracuse, MD, MBA; and Pamela Rosenkranz, RN, BSN, MEd
Dr. Anna Kobzeva-Herzog serves as a Quality Improvement Research Fellow in the Department of Surgery at the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. She focuses on improving the quality of surgical care through both research efforts and institution-wide quality improvement programs. In this role, she aims to lead several multidisciplinary projects to reduce the frequency of gastrostomy tube dislodgments, to standardize VTE prophylaxis regimens for polytrauma patients, and to reduce the rate of breakthrough VTE despite proper chemoprophylaxis in the general surgery and trauma patient population.
Funding: NIH T32 grant and department funding
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