News Highlights - May 19, 2026

Announcements

Angela Rogers Appointed Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine

Angela Rogers, M.D., M.P.H., a Professor of Internal Medicine at Stanford University, has been selected Chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, effective Sept. 1.

Dr. Rogers currently serves as Associate Director of the Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship and Associate Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency. Additionally, she is a member of interdisciplinary research communities at Stanford, including Bio-X and the Cardiovascular Institute.

Dr. Rogers holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Manchester College, which she earned magna cum laude. She received her medical degree from Harvard Medical School and completed residency training in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She then obtained advanced training through a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Harvard and earned a master’s degree in clinical effectiveness from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Rogers joined the Stanford faculty in 2013 and was promoted to Professor in 2025.

Dr. Rogers will succeed Lance Terada, M.D., who has served as Division Chief for nearly 20 years. ■

Kudos

Trainees, Faculty Receive Awards at Residency Graduation Event

Seventy trainees celebrated the completion of their residency programs at the 2026 Graduation and Awards event on May 16. The following residents, fellows, and faculty members also received awards:

Joseph Gunderson, M.D., Emma Russell, M.D., and Jack Straub, M.D.– Clerkship Teaching Award, R1
Alec Mason, M.D., and Garrett Ray, M.D. – Clerkship Teaching Award, R2
Maria Clara Saad Menezes, M.D., Abishek Sharma, M.D., and Jingwen Zhang, M.D. – Clerkship Teaching Award, R3
Amil Shah, M.D. – Outstanding Research Mentor
Eric Hall, M.D. and Bailey Lindenmaier, M.D. – Outstanding Teaching by a Fellow
Lindsey Morriss, M.D. – Outstanding Teaching by a Faculty Member
Ronald Bass, M.D. – Lorraine Sulkin-Schein Resident Award in Geriatric Medicine
Joseph Gunderson, M.D. – Donald W. Seldin Award in Internal Medicine for Outstanding Intern
Harsh Upreti, M.D. – Ellwood Jones Award in Internal medicine for Outstanding Senior Resident
Diego Vinicius Santinelli Pestana, M.D. – John S. Miller Award for Outstanding Senior Resident
Nicolas Sayegh, M.D. – Best Article by a Graduating Resident
Salahuddin “Dino” Kazi, M.D. – Inaugural Award for Lasting Impact

Research Report

Pandemic Raised Awareness, but Advance Care Planning Conversations Remained Limited Among Seriously Ill Older Adults

A new study led by Anupama Gangavati, M.D., and Ramona Rhodes, M.D., both Associate Professors in the Division of Geriatric Medicine, found that although the COVID-19 pandemic increased willingness among some seriously ill older adults to talk about future care preferences, actual advance planning conversations remained low.

In the study, published in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society, researchers surveyed 428 adults ages 65 and older with serious illness across multiple health systems between February 2021 and September 2022. Participants were asked whether the pandemic changed their willingness to discuss care preferences and whether they had conversations with family, friends, or doctors about what care they would want if they became severely ill with COVID-19.

“Despite the risks highlighted by the pandemic, most participants said their willingness to talk about their care preferences did not change,” Dr. Gangavati said. “Only one in four reported discussing their wishes with family or friends, and just 6 percent said they had spoken with a doctor.”

The study found no significant racial differences in whether COVID-19-related advance care planning conversations occurred. However, differences in treatment preferences persisted. Most participants preferred a time-limited trial of life-prolonging treatment, such as a ventilator, with a transition to comfort-focused care if their condition did not improve. Black participants were more likely than White participants to prefer all possible treatments to stay alive as long as possible.

“The findings also showed that even during a public health crisis, many older adults did not discuss their preferences with loved ones or clinicians,” Dr. Gangavati added. "They also reinforce the importance of culturally responsive, person-centered advance care planning that honors each patient's values, priorities, and treatment preferences.”

Sherone “Rahni” Williams-Bryant, B.S., a research study coordinator in the Division of Geriatric Medicine, also contributed to the study. ■

Kidney Cancer Program Announces Intramural Grant Competition

The Kidney Cancer Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) is again sponsoring an intramural competition for individual grants of $25,000 to $40,000 (direct costs) as part of its Developmental Research and Career Enhancement programs. All UTSW faculty at the level of Assistant Professor or higher are eligible to apply.

The Developmental Research Program supports high-risk/high-payoff projects and projects with a translational projection. The Career Enhancement Program supports pilot projects from junior faculty, as well as established investigators refocusing their careers to include kidney cancer research. Project must be relevant to kidney cancer biology, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, outcomes, survivorship, or translation.

James Brugarolas, M.D., Ph.D., a Professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology and Director of the Kidney Cancer Program, and Payal Kapur, M.D., a Professor of Pathology and Urology, are available to discuss potential projects.

Deadline for submission is Sunday, June 7. Awardees will be notified in July. ■

For more information, contact Program Coordinator Kathy Worland.

Education & Training

Cardiology Fellow Receives Mentorship Award

Artrish Jefferson, M.D., M.H.S., a third-year cardiology fellow, has received a mentorship award from the Women as One organization to support her research into early diagnosis of transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) and addressing its underdiagnosis and undertreatment in women. For the project, she will be mentored by Sara Tabtabai, M.D., an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at Yale School of Medicine.

The Women as One Mentorship Awards are intended to accelerate the careers of women in cardiology through funded mentor-mentee partnerships, structured guidance and access to a global network. The program supports research that advances patient care and addresses gaps in cardiovascular medicine. The 2026 awards emphasize innovation and equity, with a focus on unmet clinical needs and outcomes for diverse populations.

Dr. Jefferson received her medical degree from Meharry Medical College and completed internal medicine residency training at Johns Hopkins University. Her clinical interests include advanced heart failure, interventional cardiology, and cardiac amyloidosis. Her work focuses on health disparities in underrecognized populations, particularly women and underserved communities, with research on transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis, including early detection, biomarker-based risk stratification and sex differences in presentation and outcomes.

Dr. Jefferson’s work also includes global cardiovascular research and education, such as virtual ECG teaching for internal medicine residents at the University of Zambia and collaborative studies on cardiac amyloidosis in sub-Saharan Africa. She serves as a sub-investigator on multiple amyloidosis clinical trials at UT Southwestern. ■

Nephrology Fellows Achieve Top 5 Performance on In-Training Exams

For the fourth time in six years, the Nephrology fellows have achieved a mean In-Training Exam (ITE) score that is among the top five in the nation.

“This remarkable accomplishment reflects their intellectual curiosity and dedication of our fellows,” says Kamalanathan Sambandam, M.D., a Professor in the Division of Nephrology and Fellowship Program Director. “That they have done this in five of the last seven years demonstrates a consistent pursuit of excellence.”

The ITE is administered by the National Board of Medical Examiners and simulates the American Board of Internal Medicine’s initial certification exam in nephrology. It helps directors to assess program quality and fellows to evaluate their fund of knowledge. The ITE has been given annually since 2009.

UT Southwestern’s Nephrology Fellowship program was started by Donald W. Seldin, M.D., in 1956. Dr. Sambandam has served as Program Director since 2015. During that time, the program has expanded from 10 to 14 fellows. ■