Medical students, surgery resident present research at Academic Surgical Congress
The conference was a joint meeting of the Association for Academic Surgery and the Society of University Surgeons
By Carol McPhail
[email protected]
Several medical students from the Whiddon College of Medicine and a resident physician training in general surgery at USA Health presented research recently at the 21st Annual Academic Surgical Congress (ASC) in Orlando, Florida.
The conference, held Feb. 3-5, was a joint meeting of the Association for Academic Surgery and the Society of University Surgeons.
Isabella Elortegui, a second-year medical student at the Whiddon College of Medicine, gave a presentation titled “The Impact of Implementing a Geriatric Trauma Protocol.”
“Due to the aging process and other factors, older patients have worse trauma injuries and are at higher risk for complications,” Elortegui said. Her research analyzed USA Health University Hospital’s geriatric trauma protocol, which was developed to prevent hospital-associated complications and help transition a patient from hospital care back to the person’s residence – also known as “discharge to home.”
“Our findings showed a significant decrease in rehab facility discharges, which we theorize is related to the increasing trend of discharge to home,” she said.
Elortegui thanked her mentor, Maryann Mbaka, M.D., MBA, FACS, associate professor of surgery in the Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma, Acute Care Surgery and Burns. “I am excited to continue and expand my research so we can better serve our geriatric patients,” she said.
Among other presentations:
Morgan Roberts, M.D., PGY-5, chief resident in general surgery at USA Health, presented “Impact of Insurance on Timely Breast Cancer Care: A Single-Institution Analysis.” Roberts was mentored by Spencer Liles, M.D., FACS, associate professor of surgery in the Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology.
Trinity Upshaw, a first-year medical student at the Whiddon College of Medicine, presented “The Effect of Trauma Imaging on Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis.” Upshaw was mentored by Mbaka.
Dhruvika Patel, a second-year medical student, presented “Impact of Pre-Admission Anticoagulation and Antiplatelet Therapy in Brain Injury Guidelines.” Patel was mentored by Steven Miller, M.D., assistant professor of surgery in the Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma, Acute Care Surgery and Burns.
Abby Bensman, a second-year medical student, presented “Cutaneous Melanoma in the Deep South: Social Determinants of Health Associated with Advanced Disease.” Bensman was mentored by Harrison Howard, M.D., FACS, professor of surgery in the Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology.
