Internal Medicine Research Symposium showcases scholarly excellence
Posted on June 16, 2026 by Michelle Ryan-Day
The USA Health Department of Internal Medicine celebrated the scholarly achievements of its residents and fellows during the inaugural Internal Medicine Research Symposium held recently at USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital.
The symposium featured 34 poster submissions from 23 presenters representing internal medicine, medicine-pediatrics, pulmonary/critical care, gastroenterology, cardiology and hematology/oncology training programs.
Nasser Lakkis, M.D., professor and Abraham Mitchell Chair of Internal Medicine at the Whiddon College of Medicine and a cardiologist at USA Health, envisioned the event to foster academic engagement among trainees and provide a venue to showcase their work.
"Creating a culture of inquiry and providing residents and fellows with a platform to present their work and receive recognition for it," was the inspiration behind launching the event, he said.
Eleven internal medicine residents, one medicine-pediatrics resident, 11 fellows and one chief resident presented projects spanning clinical and translational research, quality improvement, performance improvement, patient safety, patient education, patient advocacy and clinical vignettes. Participants had the opportunity to compete in one judged category while also displaying additional projects for educational purposes.
Awards were presented to top projects in three categories. Usha Yendrapalli, M.D., a pulmonary/critical care fellow, received Best Quality Improvement Project for "Outcomes of Pulmonary Embolism Management by a Multidisciplinary Pulmonary Embolism Response Team," under the mentorship of Brian Fouty, M.D., pulmonologist and professor.
Hussein Haidari, M.D., third-year internal medicine resident, earned Best Research Project for "Clinical Outcomes and Barriers of Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Newly Diagnosed High-Risk Multiple Myeloma," under the mentorship of Anita Mazloom, M.D., medical oncologist and hematologist and assistant professor.
Lafayette Loper, M.D., a second-year med-peds resident, was awarded Best Clinical Vignette for "Unmasking Neurosyphilis by Combatting Longitudinal Anchoring Bias," under the mentorship of Grace Hundley, M.D., assistant professor and Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Residency Program Director.
Among the category winners, Haidari was selected as the overall winner in the combined Quality Improvement/Research category, while Loper was named the overall Clinical Vignette winner. Each received a $1,000 award and presented their work during a Department of Internal Medicine Grand Rounds earlier this month.
Participation in scholarly activity is an important part of physician development, according to Lakkis.
"It is expected that new discoveries, quality improvement and scholarly activities would create a pathway to solving difficult clinical problems and find innovation into better outcomes for patients," he said.
Lakkis would like for the symposium will become a lasting tradition that inspires future generations of trainees to pursue research and quality improvement projects.
"It is our hope that this first research symposium will establish a tradition that continues long after individual leaders move on, and it will encourage residents and fellows to pursue more research projects," he said. "Every resident and fellow has the potential not only to practice medicine but to advance it.
"By creating a forum for these ideas, we honor the spirit of inquiry that drives medical progress, which ultimately improves patients' lives," he added.
Faculty judges included: Luanda Grazette, M.D., cardiologist, professor and division chief of cardiology; Sakteesh Gurunathan, M.D., hospitalist; Katherine Glosemeyer, M.D., hospitalist and assistant professor; Rachel Seaman, M.D., internal medicine physician and associate professor; Haley Ballard, M.D., internal medicine physician, associate professor and Internal Medicine Residency Program Assistant Program Director; Dahlene Fusco, M.D., Ph.D., infectious diseases physician and associate professor; Heather Fishel, M.D., endocrinologist and assistant professor; and Benjamin Niland, M.D., gastroenterologist, associate professor and division chief of gastroenterology; along with Kristen Noles, DNP, director of quality and performance improvement.
Along with Lakkis, Judy Blair, M.D., professor, physician and Internal Medicine Residency Program Director, and internal medicine GME program coordinators Kim Eardley, C-TAGME, and Brant Weindorf, coordinated the event.
View more photos from the symposium on Flickr.