Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Career Plans Among Graduating Us Emergency Medicine Residents, Dave W. Lu, Bo Gu, D. Mark Courtney, Bryan G. Kane, Michelle D. Lall, Michael Gottlieb, Yvette Calderon, Christopher Bennett

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

IMPORTANCE: The emergency medicine (EM) workforce is undergoing complex change, including a potential projected physician surplus, the volatile and evolving interests of medical students, and the continued high rates of burnout. Understanding the career intentions of graduating residents is critical to inform workforce planning.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the career plans, anticipated career durations, and key factors associated with the career decisions of graduating US EM residents.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cross-sectional survey study, which sampled graduating residents from all Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited categorical EM programs, was conducted after the 2023 American Board of Emergency Medicine In-Training …

Circadian-Shaped Immune Variability Predicts Infection Outcome, Jonathan Lalsiamthara, Mariko Locke, Alejandro Aballay

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Disease risk and severity are influenced by genetics, epigenetics, and environmental factors. However, immune responses vary even among genetically similar or related individuals, shaped by inherited and noninherited factors. Using Caenorhabditis elegans, we found that pathogen susceptibility can be predicted by preinfection biomarkers. Individuals with high-basal expression of irg-5, an infection response gene regulated by the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase-1 (PMK-1) pathway, were more susceptible to Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. A genome-wide screen identified the myeloid ecotropic viral integration site-1 (MEIS) homeobox protein UNC-62 as a regulator of irg-5 expression, acting through PMK-1 and GATA binding erythroid-like transcription factor …

Career Plans Among Graduating Us Emergency Medicine Residents, Dave W. Lu, Bo Gu, D. Mark Courtney, Bryan G. Kane, Michelle D. Lall, Michael Gottlieb, Yvette Calderon, Christopher Bennett

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

IMPORTANCE: The emergency medicine (EM) workforce is undergoing complex change, including a potential projected physician surplus, the volatile and evolving interests of medical students, and the continued high rates of burnout. Understanding the career intentions of graduating residents is critical to inform workforce planning.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the career plans, anticipated career durations, and key factors associated with the career decisions of graduating US EM residents.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cross-sectional survey study, which sampled graduating residents from all Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited categorical EM programs, was conducted after the 2023 American Board of Emergency Medicine In-Training …

Cholesterol Efflux Protein, Abca1, Supports Anticancer Functions Of Myeloid Immune Cells, Shruti V Bendre, Yu Wang, Basel Hajyousif, Rajendra K C, Shounak G Bhogale, Dhanya Pradeep, Natalia Krawczynska, Claire P Schane, Erin Weisser, Avni Singh, Simon Han, Hannah Kim, Lara Kockaya, Anasuya Das Gupta, Adam T Nelczyk, Hashni Epa Vidana Gamage, Yifan Fei, Desirée Rodríguez-Casiano, Xingyu Guo, Haoyun Li, Ryan J Deaton, Fei Mo, Maria Sverdlov, Peter H Gann, Saurabh Sinha, Sahil Sahni, Kun Wang, Kevin Van Bortle, Emad Tajkorshid, Wendy A Woodward, Wonhwa Cho, Erik R Nelson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Breast and other solid tumors respond poorly to immune therapy. Myeloid cells (MCs) such as macrophages contribute to resistance. Established clinical evidence links cholesterol to cancer outcomes, with MC function being regulated by cholesterol metabolism. We screened MC-expressed regulators of cholesterol homeostasis linked to survival and identified the cholesterol efflux protein ABCA1. ABCA1 activity increases anticancer functions of macrophages: enhancing tumor infiltration, decreasing angiogenic potential, reducing efferocytosis, and improving support of CD8+ T cell activity. Mechanistically, different AKT isoforms are involved, through both PI3K-dependent and PI3K-independent mechanisms. Highlighting the clinical relevance of our findings are correlations between ABCA1 in macrophages …

Nf2 Loss Malignantly Transforms Human Pancreatic Acinar Cells And Enhances Cell Fitness Under Environmental Stress, Yi Xu, Michael H Nipper, Angel A Dominguez, Chenhui He, Francis E Sharkey, Sajid Khan, Han Xu, Daohong Zhou, Lei Zheng, Yu Luan, Jun Liu, Pei Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) occurs as a complex, multifaceted event driven by the interplay of tumor-permissive genetic mutations, the nature of the cellular origin, and microenvironmental stress. In this study, using primary human pancreatic acinar 3D organoids, we performed a CRISPR-KO screen targeting 199 potential tumor suppressors curated from clinical PDAC samples. Our data revealed significant enrichment of a list of candidate genes, with neurofibromatosis type 2 associated gene (NF2) emerging as the top target. Functional validation confirmed that loss of NF2 promoted the transition of PDAC to an invasive state, potentially through extracellular matrix modulation. NF2 inactivation …

Racial, Ethnic, And Socioeconomic Survival Disparities In Early-Onset Metastatic Colorectal Cancer, Jennifer S Wang, Benny Johnson, Caitlin C Murphy

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Importance: Rates of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) are rising among young adults. Disparities by race and ethnicity and neighborhood-level socioeconomic status (SES) among this population are understudied.

Objective: To examine the association of race and ethnicity and neighborhood-level SES with mortality among a community-based sample of young adults with mCRC.

Design, setting, and participants: This cohort study used a large electronic health record-derived database of young adults with cancer treated at 280 community-based US clinics between 2013 and 2021. Eligible patients were young adults aged 18 to 49 years diagnosed with de novo or recurrent mCRC. Patients were followed up …

Public Support For Alcohol-Control Policies And Political Ideology In The Us, Joël Fokom Domgue, Robert Yu, Ernest Hawk, Sanjay Shete

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This cross-sectional study examines the role of US adults’ political affiliation, perception about alcohol use and cancer, and sociodemographic and behavioral factors in banning outdoor alcohol advertising and adding cancer warnings on alcohol containers.

Peroxisomal Integrity In Demyelination-Associated Microglia Enables Cellular Debris Clearance And Myelin Renewal In Mice, Joseph A Barnes-Vélez, Xiaohong Zhang, Yaren L Peña Señeriz, Kiersten A Scott, Yinglu Guan, Jian Hu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Demyelination associated microglia (DMAM) orchestrate the regenerative response to demyelination by clearing myelin debris and promoting oligodendrocyte maturation. Peroxisomal metabolism has emerged as a candidate regulator of DMAMs, though the cell-intrinsic contribution in microglia remains undefined. Here we elucidate the role of peroxisome integrity in DMAMs, using cuprizone-mediated demyelination coupled with conditional KO of peroxisome biogenesis factor 5 (PEX5) in microglia. Absent demyelination, PEX5 conditional KO (PEX5cKO) had minimal impact on homeostatic microglia. However, during cuprizone-induced demyelination, the emergence of DMAMs unmasked a critical requirement for peroxisome integrity. At peak demyelination, PEX5cKO DMAMs exhibited increased lipid droplet burden and reduced …

Medicaid Expansion And Breast Cancer Care And Outcomes-What Lies Ahead?, Meghan H. Maceyko, Oluwadamilola M. Fayanju

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Enhancing Resilience And Reducing Burnout In Oncology Nurse Practitioners Through The “Three Good Things” Intervention, Ernestine A. Muanya

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects - Archive

Background: Burnout among oncology nurse practitioners (NPs) threatens clinician well-being, care quality, and workforce retention. The World Health Organization (2019) defines burnout as a workplace condition caused by chronic unmanaged stress. Nationally, over half of healthcare professionals report burnout symptoms, with high rates in oncology (Deriglazov et al., 2025). In Texas, nearly 48% of advanced practice providers report emotional exhaustion and job-related stress (Patel et al., 2024). Objective: This single-group pre–post quality improvement project evaluated an eight-week, app-based Three Good Things (3GT) intervention to reduce burnout and enhance resilience among 19 breast medical oncology nurse practitioners at a comprehensive …

Improving Colorectal Cancer Screening Adherence, Albin Abraham

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects - Archive

Background

As the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, colorectal cancer (CRC) is a prevalent but highly preventable form of cancer (American Cancer Society National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable [ACSNCCR], 2026; Maratt et al., 2024). Screening for CRC is fundamental to prevention and early detection. Despite advances in screening measures, CRC screenings remain suboptimal (Tonini & Zanni, 2024). In the US, more than one in three adults 45 years or older are not screened as recommended (ACSNCCR, 2026).

Purpose

As a safety-net county health network primarily serving the under-resourced population, the organization is uniquely positioned to impact …

Implementing An Anxiety Management Bundle In Long-Term Nursing Facilities, Sundan G. Bryson

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects - Archive

There is currently a gap in accurate screening and treatment of anxiety in Long-Term Care (LTC) nursing facilities. The question for this quality improvement project was: Will implementing interventions for long-term care residents aged 65 and older improve anxiety screening, non-pharmacological interventions, and mental health referrals by 10% compared to current practices? Interventions to enhance anxiety screening included the Geriatric Anxiety Scale-Long Term Care (GAS-LTC) tool to assess and score anxiety. In addition, a Non-Pharmacological Intervention (Non-PI) tool was created to evaluate interventions performed by facility staff. Referrals to the mental health care provider were submitted if a resident scored …

After Hours, Faster Reperfusion: A Multidisciplinary Quality Improvement Initiative To Reduce Stemi Door-To-Balloon Time, Suhas Tatapudi, Aarohi Parikh, Jeffrey Lesser, Alexander Rhodes, M Daniel

Gulf Coast Division GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Another Gastric Band Complication: Acute Appendicitis, Dustin Williamson, Naveed Ismail, John Weaver

Continental and Mountain Divisions GME Resarch Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Gritty Residents: Starting Residency With Resiliency, R Levi Sundermeyer, Brock Cardon

Continental and Mountain Divisions GME Resarch Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Making The Most Out Of Advanced Directives: A Qi Project, Brissa Mundo-Santacruz, Joseph Freeze, Jesus Dorado, Nina Ball

Continental and Mountain Divisions GME Resarch Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Communication's Effect On Consent, Spencer Hood, Anthony Carter, Kyle Jiganti, Jesse Hinckley

Continental and Mountain Divisions GME Resarch Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Improving Sepsis Order Set Utilization Through Targeted Resident Education: A Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Quality Improvement Project, Sarah Sheikh, Puneeth Shridhar, Bushra Bangash, Valerie Chukelu, Tonya Meirhofer, Arunima Jose, Zainab Shakir, Shane Jenks, Augusto Sepulveda, Trung Nguyen, Rajeev Raghavan

Gulf Coast Division GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.

A Shocking Case Of Wolf Parkinson White (Wpw) Syndrome, Sarah Hendee, Bailey Reale, Tate Higgens, David Taylor, Dmitriy Scherbak

Continental and Mountain Divisions GME Resarch Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Early Results Of Custom 3d Printed Midfoot Cage For Segmental Bone Loss, Morgan Shano, Jake Shulmister, Emma Kayal, Alan Ng, Brett Sachs, Ronnie Pollard

Continental and Mountain Divisions GME Resarch Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Unwrapping The Candy Cane: An Underrecognized Cause Of Postoperative Abdominal Pain, Priscilla Itua, Uzma Ali, Mohammad Mahdi, Osamah Salim, Sarib Sultan

Gulf Coast Division GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Watery Diarrhea And Hypotension: A Missed Clue To Adrenal Crisis In A Patient With Addison's Disease, Wafa Mehboob, Umema Irfan, Keyaben Patel

Gulf Coast Division GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Disseminated Mycobacterium Avium Complex (Mac) Infection Presenting With Mycotic Aneurysm And Multisystem Involvement In A Patient With Newly Diagnosed Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (Aids), Hannah Rector, Michael Haddad, Dmitriy Scherbak

Continental and Mountain Divisions GME Resarch Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Necrotizing Sweet Syndrome In A Young Male: A Rare Clinical Mimic Of Necrotizing Fasciitis, Evan King, Rawad Radaa, Ryne Peters

Continental and Mountain Divisions GME Resarch Day 2026

No abstract provided.

A Case Report: Successful Treatment Of Clot In Transit In The Ra And Rv, Venkata Kalyan Byrapogu, Garret D. Olsen, Rati Shirodkar, Brett Hiendylmayr, Pratik Saha

Continental and Mountain Divisions GME Resarch Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Survival Following Extreme Metformin-Associated Lactic Acidosis In A Patient With Acute-On-Chronic Kidney Disease Managed With Crrt, Phil Khong, Danielle Sudilovsky, Logan Blackney, Ryan Spilman, Alex Enurah

Continental and Mountain Divisions GME Resarch Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Case Reports: A 66-Year-Old Male With Severe Hypocalcemia In The Setting Of Metastatic Prostate Cancer And Denosumab Use, Danielle Sudilovsky, Marissa Patterson, Sophia Eschelbeck, Madeline Whitney, George Issa

Continental and Mountain Divisions GME Resarch Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Advancements In Treating Stretch Marks In People Of Color: A Comprehensive Review Of Therapeutic Modalities, Hannah Chaudhury, Nicole York, Helen Chen, Michelle Tarbox

Gulf Coast Division GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Biliary Obstruction From An Unexpected Source, Max Dinicola, Trevor Link, Derek Welch

Continental and Mountain Divisions GME Resarch Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Stroke To Spread: Pachymeningeal Carcinomatosis In A 40-Year-Old With Metastatic Breast Cancer Confirmed Via Dural Biopsy, Aneesha Shaju, Thomas K. Hoang, Grace Desrochers, Woondong Jeong

Gulf Coast Division GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.