Pathology residents present research at annual forum

From left, Muhammad Tahir, M.D., M.S., won first place; Zan Ahmed, M.D., won second place; and Lingling Xian, M.D., Ph.D., won third place at the annual forum.

Twelve residents presented their research findings at the fourth annual Allan Tucker Pathology Resident Research Forum, hosted by the USA Department of Pathology on June 9. The presentations were evaluated by a committee of judges, and winners were announced June 22 at the resident graduation party. 

Muhammad Tahir, M.D., M.S., a second-year resident, won first place for his presentation, “Clinical and Mechanistic Support for the Role of Nicotine in Tumor Angiogenesis.” Angiogenesis is the formation of new blood vessels from existing vessels that feed the tumor with oxygen and nutrients. In addition to providing support for the role of nicotine in tumor growth and progression, the study suggests that smoking cessation can positively influence the clinical outcome of patients. 

Zan Ahmed, M.D., a fourth-year resident, won second place for his presentation, “A Dive Into Pathology Informatics: Vitamin B12 Deficiency Recognition and Management.”

Lingling Xian, M.D., Ph.D., a second-year resident, won third place for her presentation, “Synchronous Colorectal Cancers: Different Primaries or Intramucosal Metastasis?”

The winners received book allowances of up to $400 for first place, $300 for second place, and $200 for third place. 

Serving as judges at the forum were Osama Elkadi, M.D., assistant professor of pathology and director of neuropathology and the Pathology Residency Program; Thuy Phung, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of pathology and director of molecular genetic pathology and dermatopathology; and Chandrani Sarkar, M.D., assistant professor of pathology and a member of the Cancer Biology Program at the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute.

Additionally, Phung gave a plenary talk on advancing pathology through artificial intelligence.

The forum is named in honor of the late J. Allan Tucker Jr., M.D., who served as the Louise Lenoir Locke Professor and Chair of Pathology as well as the director of anatomic pathology.

Basic medical sciences student wins travel award to national conference

Marlo Thompson studies DNA repair proteins at the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute.

Marlo Thompson, a doctoral student in the Basic Medical Sciences Graduate Program at the Whiddon College of Medicine, has been awarded a 2023 Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society (EMGS) Student Travel Award. She also received the award in 2022. 

The $500 prize is intended to provide funding for graduate students and new investigators to attend the society’s 2023 annual meeting, planned for September in Chicago.  

Thompson, who is in the graduate program's cancer biology track, conducts research at the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute in the lab of Aishwarya Prakash, Ph.D., associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the Whiddon College of Medicine. 

Her current research interests are in structural biology and DNA repair: “I am characterizing a novel nanobody that targets the protein NEIL1. NEIL1 is a difficult-to-study protein, so we have developed and characterized our nanobody, which we refer to as A5. One of our main goals is to crystallize NEIL1 and A5 in complex with one another.”  

The protein NEIL1 is one of 11 enzymes that catalyze the first step of the base excision repair pathway. A deficiency in NEIL1 has been associated with pulmonary adenomas, hepatocellular carcinomas and colorectal cancers. NEIL1 polymorphisms also have been shown to be adequate markers to predict radiation injury and radiation lung inflammation, a common side effect of treating lung cancers. 

Thompson earned an undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in biology from Old Dominion University.  

The EMGS is the primary intellectual forum for researchers interested in the development and application of transgenic technology of toxicological studies and for the development of methods for studying mutations and the mechanisms of mutation and DNA repair in model cellular systems and humans. Founded in 1969, the EMGS seeks to create a world where science drives sound decisions to protect people's health from environmental hazards. 

Fellowship-trained gastroenterologist joins internal medicine faculty

Mason Adams, M.D., recently returned to USA Health to enhance the leading-edge care the academic health system provides. Adams, an assistant professor of internal medicine at the Whiddon College of Medicine, joins the Digestive Health Center team located in the University Commons as a gastroenterologist.

“I chose to work in an academic health system because this is where the highest and best level of care is delivered,” he said. “The fields of gastroenterology and advanced endoscopy are heavily multidisciplinary, meaning multiple service lines, like surgery, radiology and oncology, are necessary to provide the best care to patients, and USA Health has excellent teams.”

Adams is board certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology by the American Board of Internal Medicine with additional specialized study in advanced endoscopy.

Gastroenterology offers a blend of procedural care along with innovation and technology, which made it ideal for Adams. “Wanting to be on the cutting edge of delivering GI care is what led me to pursue additional training in advanced endoscopy,” he said. “I completed an advanced endoscopy fellowship in order to perform advanced procedures such as endoscopic ultrasound and ERCP.” 

ERCP refers to endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, a procedure that combines upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and X-rays to treat problems of the bile and pancreatic ducts. Advanced endoscopy is a term used to describe therapeutic procedures in which endoscopy is a primary tool, including endoscopic ultrasound, which combines endoscopy and ultrasound to help doctors see, evaluate and diagnose GI conditions, ERCP, stent placements, and endoscopic resections, among others.

Adams graduated with honors from LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans. He was the recipient of the Gold Humanism Award, which is presented to the senior medical student selected by fellow classmates who has demonstrated outstanding compassion to patients and their families.

Following medical school, Adams did his residency training in internal medicine at the LSU Health Sciences Center in Baton Rouge. He completed two fellowships, one in gastroenterology at USA Health and more recently one in advanced endoscopy at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. 

Neurology resident elected to roles at national and state level

Daniel Lee, M.D.

Daniel Lee, M.D., a first-year resident in the USA Health Department of Neurology, recently was elected to be the Resident/Fellow Member on the American Medical Association Council on Medical Education and a delegate for the Residents and Fellows Section of the American Medical Association. He also serves as the Resident/Fellow Member on the Board of Censors for the Medical Association of the State of Alabama. 

“I am thrilled to be able to represent residents at the national level and represent our Alabama residents at the state level,” he said. “I look forward to serving in these roles and advocating for change to better support patients, physicians and future trainees.”

As the sole resident member on the Council on Medical Education, Lee will serve as the voice for residents in the United States on issues regarding medical education and ensure that the resident perspective is brought to each issue. In addition to this role, he advocates to the House of Delegates as one of many resident/fellow delegates on a wide variety of issues from medical education to healthy equity.

His role with the Medical Association of the State of Alabama will be multifaceted, but the most important part to him is bringing the resident/fellow perspective on issues directly related to the medical residents of Alabama.

“Gov. Kay Ivey signed the Physician Workforce Act this year, expanding the ability to those who don't obtain an initial residency spot after medical school to serve in a role supervised by an attending physician. This was a top priority for the Medical Association,” Lee said. “This allows for graduated medical students to continue to serve the people of Alabama as well as work towards obtaining a residency spot in the following year.”

William Kilgo, M.D., neurology residency program director and assistant professor of neurology at the Whiddon College of Medicine, said Lee is an outstanding resident and a great representative of the neurology residency program. “This is a tremendous accomplishment for Daniel, especially this early in his career. He has and will continue to be an amazing advocate for our profession.”

Lee received his medical degree from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Greenville, South Carolina. He is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, AMA and Medical Association for the State of Alabama.