Inaugural Research & Quality Improvement Day: Harris Health & UTHealth Houston
Jonah J. Stulberg, MD, PhD, MPH, FACS, Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Research, earned top honors in the clinical research category at the first Harris Health and UTHealth Houston Research and Quality Improvement Day, held on October 16, 2024, at LBJ General Hospital. Stulberg’s award-winning poster, titled “Prospective Randomized Trial to Prevent Opioid Misuse through Safe Opioid Use Agreements,” was a standout project among a competitive field. The event, a collaboration between Harris Health and UTHealth Houston, featured groundbreaking work from medical professionals and researchers across three categories: clinical research, quality improvement, and translational research. Other presenters from the Department of Surgery also contributed their research posters to this showcase, which included:
- Elias Chamely, MD, surgical fellow — “Stoma site incisional hernia – A single center review and analysis” — Senior Author: Jonah J. Stulberg, MD, PhD, MPH, FACS
- William Rieger, MD and Renee Walker, MD, both surgical residents — “Reducing post-operative emergency department visits through quality improvement with clarified patient education material” — Senior author: Tamara Saunders, MD, FACS
- Stephanie Martinez-Ugarte, MD, surgical resident — “Biologic versus permanent synthetic mesh: What hernia recurrence risk will patients accept to avoid a permanent implant?” — Senior author: Julie Holihan, MD, FACS
- Mokun Fajemisin MD, a general surgery resident and current T32 research fellow — “Navigating health literacy: Comparison of assessment tools in a surgical safety-net population” — Senior Author: Krislynn Mueck, MD, MPH, MS
- Sydney Brand, a summer medical student — “Abdominal fascial closure with mesh suture: Our institutional experience” — Senior Author: Dalya Ferguson, MD, MS
- Rakesh Kathiresan, a summer medical student — “A retrospective review of ventral hernia repair outcomes among geriatric patients at the Texas Hernia Center”—Senior Author: Julile Holihan, MD, FACS
- Abigail Wrather, a summer medical student — “Ventral hernia recurrence by location: A retrospective review”—Senior Author: Julie Holihan, MD, FACS
- Debbie Nguyen, program manager of research — “Comparison of outcomes of antibiotic drugs and appendectomy (CODA) trial: A model for successful conduct of a clinical trial at a safety-net hospital” — Senior Author: Lillian Kao, MD, MS, FACS
The Surgery Department was well represented at this event, and we hope to have even more representation from the department at the future Research and Quality Improvement Days.
Research in the Department of Surgery at LBJ General Hospital is supported by Tien C. Ko, MD, FACS, Professor and Jack H. Mayfield, MD, Distinguished Professor in Surgery; Jonah J. Stulberg, MD, PhD, MPH, FACS, Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Research for the Department of Surgery; and research coordinators Debbie Nguyen and Stephanie Marquez.
Relive the highlights with our photo gallery below, capturing every memorable moment from the event!
