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Gulf Coast Division GME Research Day 2026

Gulf Coast Division GME Research Day 2026

The 6th Annual Gulf Coast Division Research Symposium was hosted on April 8th, 2026, at HCA Houston Healthcare Kingwood and on WebEx. It combines GME programs from cities in the Gulf Coast Region of Texas: Kingwood, Houston, Clear Lake, and Corpus Christi. The symposium is specialty agnostic, providing an opportunity for residents and fellows to network with others in healthcare outside of their area of expertise.

We extend our sincere appreciation to our distinguished keynote speaker, Dr. O. Daniel Odutola, for his insightful and engaging presentation on the responsible use of AI in research. His expertise and perspective were a highlight of the symposium.

In 2026, we received 102 poster submissions and of those, 9 projects made it to the oral stage. The results of the 2026 symposium are below.

Poster Awards

1st Place: Madison Taylor, MD — Allergic Contact Dermatitis to Medihoney Gel after Mastectomy: Role of Alkyl Glucoside Sensitization in Chronic Wounds
2nd Place: Puneeth Shridhar, MBBS — Pre-existing Bifascicular Block with Wide QRS and/or Prolonged PR in Patients undergoing TAVR: Case Series and Review
3rd Place: Christine Castillo, DO — Bridging the Gap: A Review of Gender Disparity in General Surgery

Oral Presentation Awards

1st Place: Suhas Tatapudi, DO — After Hours, Faster Reperfusion: A Multidisciplinary Quality Improvement Initiative to Reduce STEMI Door-to-Balloon Time
2nd Place: Yves Najm Mrad, MD — Automated AI Echocardiography: Agreement with Experts and Workflow Impact Across EF, GLS, and Volumes
3rd Place: Christine Castillo, DO — Bridging the Gap: A Review of Gender Disparity in General Surgery

Research Residents and Faculty of the Year

Clear Lake

Resident: Yves Najm Mrad, MD
Faculty: Maher Dahdel, MD

Kingwood

Resident: Supritha Chintamaneni, MD
Faculty: Sivatej Sarva, MD, PhD

Corpus Christi

Resident: Ali Asghar, DO
Faculty: Abhay Vakil, MD

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2026 Gulf Coast Division GME Research Day Agenda

HCA Healthcare
2026 In-Person Keynote: The Responsible Researcher in the Age of AI: Updates on Ethics and Accountability in GME Research

O Daniel Odutola
2026 In-Person Presentation - A: Bridging the Gap: Gender Disparities in General Surgery

Christine Castillo
2026 In-Person Presentation - B: Benign Hepatic Pneumatosis (Portal Venous Gas): A Case Series and Literature Review

David Ortiz, Joseph Daodu, Mike Liang, Samin Arianpour, and Nabeeha Naeem
2026 In-Person Presentation - C: Reducing Healthcare Spending with Pharmacist Driven ICG Allocation

Rachael W. Wong
2026 In-Person Presentation - D: Association of Sodium Levels and Acute Kidney Injury with the Use of Hypertonic Saline for Cerebral Edema

Samantha Richardson and Rhea Soltau
2026 In-Person Presentation - E: Seconds Matter: Rapid POCUS Diagnosis of Ruptured Type B Aortic Dissection with Left Hemothorax

Jeby Kalathoor and Derrick Huang
2026 In-Person Presentation - F: Automated AI Echocardiography: Agreement with Experts and Workflow Impact Across EF, GLS, and Volumes

Yves Najm Mrad, Ahmad Al-Taweel, and Bahaeddin Shabaneh
2026 In-Person Presentation - G: Effect of Mupirocin Decolonization on the Negative Predictive Value of MRSA Nasal Screening

Chuong Pham, Ashitha Jayachandran, and Clynton Musngi
2026 In-Person Presentation - H: Accelerating Quality Improvement in CABG Surgery: A Real-Time Rapid-Cycle Process Improvement Tool Guided by the Publicly Available STS Risk Calculator

Aaliyah Willis
2026 In-Person Presentation - I: After Hours, Faster Reperfusion: A Multidisciplinary Quality Improvement Initiative to Reduce STEMI Door-To-Balloon Time

Suhas VV Tatapudi, Aarohi Parikh, Jeffrey Lesser, Alec Phodes, and Michael Daniel
A Case of Flash Pulmonary Edema Secondary to Acute Mitral Regurgitation Masquerading as Atypical Pneumonia

Gunasegaran Babivigasan and Bahaeddin Shabaneh
A Case Report of A Rare Skin Lesion: Malignant or Benign?

Anila Punjwani, Shane Sweeney, Pierre Khoury, and Mike Liang
Accelerating quality improvement in CABG surgery: A real-time rapid-cycle process improvement tool guided by the publicly available STS risk calculator

John G. Byrne, Farhaan Chaugle, Waleed Asger, Aaliyah Willis, Shelby DeRose, Rachel Jones, and Hannan Chaugle
Acute Aortic Dissection Three Days After Starting Ciprofloxacin: A Case of Fluoroquinolone-Associated Vascular Catastrophe

Victoria Jackson, Bryan Kharbanda, and Derrick Huang
Advancements in Treating Stretch Marks in People of Color: A Comprehensive Review of Therapeutic Modalities

Hannah Chaudhury, Nicole York, Helen Chen, and Michelle Tarbox
After Hours, Faster Reperfusion: A Multidisciplinary Quality Improvement Initiative to Reduce STEMI Door-to-Balloon Time

Suhas Tatapudi, Aarohi Parikh, Jeffrey Lesser, Alexander Rhodes, and M Daniel
A Greasy Imposter: A Case of Profound Hypertriglyceridemia Mimicking Diabetic Ketoacidosis and Severe Hyponatremia

Shania Chishti, Elaheh Boroujeni, Mohammad Hussan Shafiq, and Jonathan Xian
AI Assisted Structural Heart Planning (TAVR/TEER): Faster Workflows, High Sizing Concordance, and Simulation Informed Strategy

Yves Najm Mrad, Ahmad Al-Taweel, and Bahaeddin Shabaneh
AI ECG Screening Reduced LVEF and Structural Heart Disease: Diagnostic Performance and Trial Level Yield

Yves Najm Mrad and Molham Aldeiri
AI-Powered Chatbot for Structural Valve Education and Shared Decision-Making: A Pilot Simulation Study

Yves Najm Mrad, Ahmad Al-Taweel, and Bahaeddin Shabaneh
Aleukemic Philadelphia-Positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Presenting as FDG-Avid Skeletal Disease Mimicking Multiple Myeloma: A Diagnostic Pitfall

Roy Muriu and Asif Lakhani
Allergic Contact Dermatitis to Medihoney Gel after Mastectomy: Role of Alkyl Glucoside Sensitization in Chronic Wounds

Madison M. Taylor, Jordan L. Jafarnia, Austin Black, Kelly C. Nelson, and Megan N. Rogge
A Predictive Tool Using the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Risk Calculator for Safe Operating Room Extubation after Coronary Bypass Surgery

John G. Byrne, Farhaan Chaugle, Thomas Kessinger, Prince Thommen, Ali Asghar, Shahistha Hyder, Curtis Dickey, Nicole Blatt, and Hannan Chaugle
A Question of Imaging: Percutaneous Closure of Ruptured Sinus of Valsalva Aneurysm Presenting As Suspected Ventricular Septal Defect

Alexander Rhodes, Aswin Srinivasan, Mukhtar Al-Saadi, Amar Kalidas, Hafez Golzarian, and Pranav Loyalka
A Rare Case of Left Ventricular Free Wall Rupture Following Mechanical Circulatory Support in STEMI

Jyotirmaya Jain, Hasnan Ijaz, Heriberto Cantu, Mohamad Mubder, and Thomas Alexander
A Rare Interaction: SSRI Induced Rhabdomyolysis

Sakina Haider and Syeda Alisha Johar
A South Texas Mousetrap: a Case Report of Murine Typhus and Diagnostic Dilemmas

Arjun Kamath, Jose Garza, Matthew Wagner, Deekshita Valiveti, Percy Thomas, Christopher Ganson, Abhay Vakil, and Zuhair Ali
Aspirin Monotherapy Versus Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After TAVR in Patients Without an Indication for Oral Anticoagulation: Randomized Evidence and Meta-analystic Estimates

Yves Najm Mrad and Snehalkumar Patel
Automated AI Echocardiography: Agreement with Experts and Workflow Impact Across EF, GLS, and Volumes

Yves Najm Mrad, Ahmad Al-Taweel, and Bahaeddin Shabaneh
Benign Hepatic Pneumatosis (Portal Venous Gas): A Case Series and Literature Review

David Ortiz, Joseph Daoudu, Mike Liang, Samin Arianpour, and Nabeeha Naeem
Beware of Bears: Severe Hydronephrosis & Urinary Retention Hidden Behind a UTI

Bjorn Sorensen, Victoria Jackson, and Carissa Ford
$Bivalirudin Versus Unfractionated Heparin for Anticoagulation During ECMO: Systematic Review and Random-Effects Meta-analysis of Observational Comparative Studies by Yves Najm Mrad and Snehalkumar Patel$
Bivalirudin Versus Unfractionated Heparin for Anticoagulation During ECMO: Systematic Review and Random-Effects Meta-analysis of Observational Comparative Studies

Yves Najm Mrad and Snehalkumar Patel
Bridging the Gap: A Review of Gender Disparity in General Surgery

Christine Castillo, Rachael Wong, Mike Liang, Julie Holihan, Devi Bavishi, Kush Brahmbhatt, Rebecca Franks, Karla Bernardi, and Michele Loor
Case Report: Rare Neuropsychiatric Manifestations Seen in a SLE Patient

Ra'phael Freeney and Angel Ryals
Catheter Ablation in Unstable Patients with Atrial Tachyarrhythmias & Decompensated Heart Failure Requiring Mechanical Circulatory Support

Hytham Rashid, Alexander Rhodes, Hafez Golzarian, Suhas Tatapudi, Austin Howard, Brian Greet, Christian Sohns, and David Burkland
Cauda Equina Syndrome Secondary to Lumbar Stenosis in a Patient with Coexisting Peripheral Arterial Disease

Abboud Batri, Nawras Ibrahim, and Hina Mannan
Caught Between Two Barriers: A Case of Thrombus Formation on a Dual-LAA Occluder

Veronica Phung, Daniel Tabares, Edward Baptista, and Zuhair Ali
Cerebral Embolic Protection During Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: Contemporary Randomized Evidence on Clinical and Disabling Stroke

Yves Najm Mrad, Ahmad Al-Taweel, and Bahaeddin Shabaneh
Closing the Post-Discharge Gap: Implementing a Structured Transitional Care Management Workflow to Improve Follow-Up Rates

Anikita Ojha, Sakina Haider, Uzma Ali, and Daniel Odutola
Colonic Perforation in a Patient on GLP-1 Agonist Therapy: A Case Report

Mohammed Irfan Khan, Shuchita Jhaveri, Azad Patel, Bilal Ashraf, Ahmed Ouni, John Paek, and Sivatej Sarva
Complications of Temporary Mechanical Circulatory Support: Device-Specific Risk Profiles & Meta-analytic Estimates

Yves Najm Mrad, Ahmad Al-Taweel, and Bahaeddin Shabaneh
Contemporary Nonfemoral Access for TAVR: Comparative Outcomes of Transcarotid, Transsubclavian/Transaxillary, and Transcaval Approaches

Yves Najm Mrad and Snehalkumar Patel
Contemporary Outcomes of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in Bicuspid Anatomy and Younger Patients

Yves Najm Mrad, Ahmad Al-Taweel, and Bahaeddin Shabaneh
Contemporary Transcatheter Therapies for Severe Tricuspid Regurgitation

Yves Najm Mrad, Ahmad Al-Taweel, and Bahaeddin Shabaneh
Cultivating Humanity: A Scalable Blueprint for Celebrating Humanism in Graduate Medical Education

Edrianna Mae Ablola, Grace DesRochers, Shuchita Jhaveri, A Charales, L Tatineni, Marelle Montanez, Shane Jenks, and Rajeev Raghavan
Determinants of Successful Neurosurgery Match Among DO Graduates: A Retrospective Analysis of 111 Matched Applicants

Ankush Chandra, Alexander Hayes, Cameron Ehsan, Laura Zima, James Trippett, Angel Bueno, Jun Kim, Walter R. Johnson, and Manish Aghi
Direct Oral Anticoagulants Reduce CT-Detected Subclinical Leaflet Thrombosis After TAVR, but Clinical Benefit Remains Uncertain: Systematic Review and Random-Effects Meta-analysis of Randomized Trials

Yves Najm Mrad and Snehalkumar Patel
Disseminated Cryptococcal Meningoencephalitis in a Severely Immunocompromised Patient With Lupus Nephritis

Sumon Khalique, Emaan Ul Haque, Randy Vo, and Bayan Zafar
Drug-induced ILD requiring ECMO

Arjun Kamath, Jose Garza, Matthew Wagner, Deekshita Valiveti, Percy Thomas, Christopher Ganson, Abhay Vakil, and Zuhair Ali