On May 5, 2025, the UAB Heersink School of Medicine Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine hosted its fifth annual Research Day. This event gives faculty, staff, trainees, and CRNAs the opportunity to gather and present on their latest research while celebrating all research efforts within the department. Each year, the clinical trainee and scientific abstract winners give an oral presentation, and a keynote speaker presents on the topic of their choice. This year, we were honored to welcome Dr. Charles W. Emala from Columbia University Department of Anesthesiology as our keynote speaker.
Congratulations to this year’s Research Day winners:
Best Clinical Trainee Abstract:
Dr. Skyler Graham (Faculty mentor - Dr. Wagener)
"Secondary Infections and Clinical Outcomes in Patients with COVID-19 Infection at UABMC"
Research Day Poster Presentation Winner, Clinical Trainee:
Dr. Sijay Abongwa (Faculty Mentor - Dr. Kaushik)
"The Super Obese Parturient: Hemodynamic Risks and Cesarean Section Outcomes – A Retrospective Observational Study"
Research Day Poster Presentation First Runner Up, Clinical Trainee:
Dr. Michael Oh (Faculty mentor - Dr. Wagener)
"The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Resident Education"
Research Day Poster Presentation Second Runner Up, Clinical Trainee:
Dr. Connor Bartow (Faculty mentor - Dr. Carter)
"Direct Observation Procedure Skills Tools for Anesthesia Residents: A Systemic Review"
Best Scientific Abstract:
Anastasiia Caangay, M.S. (Faculty mentor - Dr. Jennifer DeBerry)
“Complex Spinal Mechanisms Underlying Stress-Induced Bladder Hypersensitivity in Hemopexin Deficient Mice”
Research Day Poster Presentation Winner, Scientific:
Saurav Gupta (Faculty Mentor - Dr. Jianguo Gu)
"Enhanced Excitability and Mechanical Sensitivity in Trigeminal Aβ-Nociceptors Contributes Oxaliplatin-Induced Orofacial Mechanical Allodynia"
Research Day Poster Presentation First Runner Up, Scientific:
Abel Lopez (Faculty mentor - Dr. Kevin Harrod)
"Influenza A Virus Infection Induces Temporal and Cell-specific Responses in the Human Airway Epithelium"
Research Day Poster Presentation Second Runner Up, Scientific:
Spring Li, Ph.D. (Faculty mentor - Dr. Qiang Ding)
"Mechanistic Insights into S100A4-Mediated Fibrotic Cell Survival and Responses"