2026 Trainee Research Day Showcases Outstanding Research and Innovation
The Department of Radiology recently hosted its annual Trainee Research Day, bringing together trainees and faculty mentors to share innovative discoveries and advancements across the field of radiology. The event featured oral and poster presentations spanning basic science, clinical research, education and quality improvement initiatives.
The event also featured a keynote lecture by Daniel Kim, Ph.D., of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
Throughout the day, attendees had the opportunity to engage with a wide range of research projects highlighting emerging technologies, novel therapeutic approaches, advances in imaging science, and applications of artificial intelligence in patient care.
The year’s award recipients represent some of outstanding research being conducted across the Department of Radiology. Their achievements highlight the department’s continued commitment to scientific discovery, clinical innovation, and educational excellence.
Award Winners
Best Oral Presentations
Best Basic Science Oral Presentation
Nazia Hafeez, M.S.
Systemic Oncotherapy using Nanobubbles for Acoustically-guided Tumor Activation
Mentor: Jacques Lux, Ph.D.
Best Clinical Science Oral Presentation
Nil Saez Calveras, M.D.
Proteome-Wide Discovery of Acute Brain Injury Biomarkers after MR-guided High Intensity Focused Ultrasound
Mentor: Bhavya R. Shah, M.D.
Basic Science Poster Presentation Awards
First Place
Andrea Gutierrez, B.S.
Ultrasound Derived Fat Fraction (UDFF) for Pediatric Hepatic Steatosis: Preliminary Comparison with MRI Proton Density Fat Fraction (PDFF) Toward a Practical Alternative
Mentor: Jeannie K. Kwon, M.D.
Second Place
Mahak Virlley, B.S.
Reduced Somatosensory Inhibition and Pain-Related Oscillatory Dynamics in Persistent Moderate-to-Severe Nociceptive Pain
Mentors: Amy L. Proskovec, Ph.D.; Joseph A. Maldjian, M.D.
Third Place
Tianyuan Wang, Ph.D.
Cyclopamine tartrate improves tumor oxygenation and potentiates checkpoint blockade in renal cell carcinoma
Mentor: Li Liu, Ph.D.
Clinical Science Poster Presentation Awards
First Place
Ceylan Altintas Taslicay, M.D.
Diagnostic Performance of MRI Contrast Clearance Analysis (Treatment Response Assessment Maps, TRAMs) in Identifying Recurrent Glioblastoma: Histopathologic Correlation and Comparison with Dynamic Susceptibility Contrast Perfusion
Mentor: Marco Pinho, M.D.
Second Place
Mackenzie Martinez, B.S.
Effect of Slice Thickness on MRI Radiomics in Pregnant Patients with Suspected Placenta Accreta Spectrum: Feature Stability and Hysterectomy Prediction at 3 mm Versus 5 mm
Mentor: Quyen N. Do, Ph.D.
Third Place (Tie)
James M. Holcomb, B.S.
Radiology-Informed IDH Genotyping of Diffuse Gliomas Using Large Language Models
Mentor: Fabricio S. Feltrin, M.D., Ph.D.
Sterling Hayes
Integration of Generative and Predictive AI to Improve Breast Cancer Detection in Screening Mammography
Mentor: Tianshen Hu, M.D.
Education/Quality Improvement Poster Presentation Awards
First Place
Mahsa Taherzadeh, M.D.
Beyond Prostate Adenocarcinoma: Imaging of de novo and treatment-emergent neuroendocrine prostate carcinoma
Mentor: Asim Afaq, M.D.
Second Place
M. Saad Malik, M.D.
Feasibility and Safety of a Novel 72-Hour Emergency Department-to-Outpatient IR Pathway: A Single-Centre Cohort Study
Mentor: Daniel Lamus, M.D.
The Department of Radiology also recognizes the contributions of the presenters, judges, mentors, staff, and attendees who helped make Trainee Research Day a success. The event provided an opportunity to celebrate emerging research and foster collaboration across the department.