Research and participation in scholarly activities is an essential component of our residents’ surgical curriculum. All PGY 1 residents will be required to submit an abstract for publication and / or presentation to a recognized regional, state to national meeting on an interesting case during the Surgical Education Rotation and complete a research project prior to completing the program and being recommended to the American Board of Surgery.
Dr. Molkara, Program Director, will coordinate the research program and assist residents in accomplishing this requirement. All residents will submit the Case Report Approval Form and the Research Requirement Approval Form to Dr. Molkara prior to beginning case reports and research projects.
![Doctors in Front of Research Poster](https://www.ruhealth.org/sites/default/files/Legacy/DoctorsWithResearch.jpg)
Residents will have the opportunity to work with faculty at RUHS, Kaiser, LLUMC and our colleagues at the University of California Riverside. To aid residents in the development of research projects, lectures on the fundamentals of research, theoretical consideration, hypothesis development, literature analysis, and statistics and data analysis are incorporated in the basic science lecture series during the first year of training. At the conclusion of the Surgical Education rotation in the PG 1 year, residents will have identified an area of interest for research, a research mentor and developed a research project plan.
Residents may select to develop their own research project or participate in on-going faculty projects which include:
- Wound site infection
- Trauma / Critical Care
- National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP)
- Communication and physician / patient relationships
Publications
- Stevenson Tsiao - A unique presentation of ectopic thyroid, a case report. Published in International Journal of Surgery Case Reports, November 2016 (PMID: 27866035)
- Stevenson Tsiao - Neuropraxia following resection of a retroperitoneal liposarcoma. Published in International Journal of Surgery Case Reports, June 2017 (PMID: 28601782)
- Bryan Love, Monica Camelo, Sarvenaz Nouri, Dan Ludi, Henry Nguyen – Ultrasound Accuracy in Diagnosing Appendicitis in Obese Pediatric Patients. Published in The American Surgeon, October 2017 (PMID: 29391096)
Presentations
- Alfaro J, Edpao P, Desai P, Vega F, Chiang K, Bortz P, Fegale B, Mohammed T, Nguyen H, Ludi D, Molkara A, Agapian J – The Diagnostic Value of Pre-operative Total Bilirubin as a Screening Marker for the Acute Care Surgeon to Predict Gastrointestinal Perforation. Podium presentation at 2018 ACS Quality and Safety Conference, July 2018.
- Depew A, Alfaro J, Degmetich S, Pelter M, Geers J - What If It's Not "Fat" or "Flat"? Lessons Learned From Implementing Inferior Vena Cava Ultrasound During Trauma Resuscitation. Poster presentation at 2019 RUHS Research Symposium, May 2019.
- Bortz P, Vo J, Agapian J, Molkara A – Is There a Mortality Difference in Trauma Patients Repatriated to Non-Trauma Centers? Pilot Data from an East Multi-center Trial. Oral presentation at XXXI Panamerican Congress of Trauma, Critical Care and Emergency Surgery, August 2018. Presentation at the 77th Annual Meeting of the AAST, September 2018.
- Degmetich S, Zhang X, Firek M, Zakhary B, Coimbra R, Brenner M - Endovascular Repair is a Feasible Option for Superficial Femoral Artery (SFA) Injuries: A Nationwide Analysis. E-poster presentation at Annual Southwestern Surgical Congress, April 2019. Poster presentation at 2019 RUHS Research Symposium, May 2019.
- Degmetich S, Coimbra R, Brenner M – Endovascular Repair of Subclavian and Innominate (SC/IN) Artery Injuries in Superior to Open Repair (OR): Results from Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS). Podium presentation at 2018 So Cal Chapter ACS COT Resident Research Competition, October 2018. Podium presentation at 2018 Region IX Resident Research Competition, December 2018. Presentation at Southern California Chapter ACS 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting, January 2019. Podium presentation at 2019 RUHS Research Symposium, May 2019.
- Fegale B, Aziz, Kenney S, Robinson M, Caputo R, Bianchi C, Brenner M - Severely Mangled Upper Extremity: A Case Report. Poster presentation at 2019 RUHS Research Symposium, May 2019.
- Gusev M, Firek M, Zakhary B, Zhang M, Coimbra R, Brenner M - Outcomes Comparison Between Endovascular and Open Repair for Blunt Thoracic Aortic Injury (BTAI): A Contemporary Analysis. Podium presentation at 2019 RUHS Research Symposium, May 2019.
- Gusev M, Ko A, Tam M – Large Ingra-levator Mammary-Type Myofibroblastoma in a Super Obese Woman (BMI> 60 kg/m2). Poster presentation at 2019 RUHS Research Symposium, May 2019. E-poster presentation at American Society of Colon & Rectal Surgeons 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting, June 2019
- Agapian J, Gusev M, Vo J, Ludi H, Tabuenca A, Molkara A – Tension Pneumothorax Secondary to Expanding Hemorrhage Pneumatocele After Blunt Chest Trauma. Poster presentation at 77th Annual Meeting of the AAST, September 2018.
- Hand C – A Case Series of Atraumatic Splenic Lacerations. Poster presentation at 2019 RUHS Research Symposium, May 2019.
- Lo P, Bortz P, Molkara A - EVAR in a high risk surgical patient with anatomically challenging aneurysm who is unfit for open surgery. Poster presentation at 2019 RUHS Research Symposium, May 2019.
- Agapian J, Satey S, Edpao P, Ortiz J, Singh A, Johnson S, Ludi D, Tabuenca A, Molkara A – Tube Thoracostomy for the Trauma Patient; It's Not Just About Size. Poster presentation at 77th Annual Meeting of the AAST, September 2018.
- Silva T, Depew A, Osgood G, Pelter M, Narvaez V, Durgan K, Fanous E, Gomez C, Geers J, McNeil J - A Flat Inferior Vena Cava on CT Predicts Poor Outcomes in Emergency General Surgery, Too. Poster presentation at 2019 RUHS Research Symposium, May 2019.
- Silva T, Nguyen A - Cardiac Arrest Secondary to Pneumomediastinum and Pneumopericardium. Poster presentation at 2019 RUHS Research Symposium, May 2019.
- Singh A, Tsiao S, Nguyen A, Brenner M - Recurrent Hemothorax after Blunt Chest Trauma in absence of Rib Fractures Secondary to Pulmonary Laceration. Poster presentation at 2019 RUHS Research Symposium, May 2019.
- Tavassoli M, Bortz P, Molkara A - Blunt IVC injury with thrombotic occlusion: when is it appropriate to ligate the inferior vena cava? Poster presentation at 2019 RUHS Research Symposium, May 2019.
- Trinh S, Firek M, Zakhary B, Zheng M, Coimbra R, Brenner M - A Nationwide Study of Unstable Pelvic Fractures: Incidence and Outcomes. Poster presentation at 2019 RUHS Research Symposium, May 2019
- Trinh S, Ortiz J, Agapian J, Moores D - Small Bowel Perforation in Non-Accidental Trauma of an 11-Month Old. Poster presentation at 2019 RUHS Research Symposium, May 2019.
- Tsiao S, Vo J, Sherman M, Tam M – Adult Colo-colonic Intussusception Secondary to Known Colonic Lipoma: A Case Report. Poster presentation at 2019 RUHS Research Symposium, May 2019.
- Tsiao S, Tomlin J - Rendezvous Procedure for Common Bile Duct Clearance after Multiple Failed ERCP Attempts Complicated by Misplaced Biliary Stent. Poster presentation at 2019 RUHS Research Symposium, May 2019.
- Tsiao S – Stop the Bleed. Resident presenter at 2018 RUHS Trauma Conference, October 2018.
- Kadakia N, Mudgway R, Vo J, Seto T, Ge S, Vong V, Depew A, Bortz P - Long-Term Outcomes of Mesh and Primary Ventral Hernia Repair. Poster presentation at 2019 RUHS Research Symposium, May 2019.
- Wang V, Depew A – Should All Complicated Appendicitis Be Treated the Same? The Answer is No. Poster presentation at Southern California Chapter ACS 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting, January 2019.