Scholarly ACTIVITY & RECOGNITIONS
Scholarly activity is a key component of our residency program. We strive to provide residents with opportunities to learn about and participate in a wide range of scholarly endeavors. Through our diverse patient population across all clinical sites, including underserved communities, residents gain exposure to unique pathophysiology, generating opportunities for case reports and abstracts that are regularly presented at local, regional, and national conferences. In addition, residents may participate in dedicated clinical research with Department of Medicine faculty, further enhancing their experience in scholarly inquiry.
All residents are also required to complete a quality improvement project during their training. These projects are designed to identify areas in need of improvement—often aligned with the resident’s career interests—and implement processes to assess and enhance clinical care. This approach fosters both practical skills in clinical improvement and an understanding of systematic approaches to patient care.
Through the Department of Medicine, residents have access to funding opportunities to attend conferences and meetings outside of the New Orleans area.
American College of Physician’s Meeting in Louisiana
1st place Oral Presentation - Pickering Syndrome
Ross Dies (PGY1), Mandie DiMarco PA, Jack Hebert MS, William Gibson MD, Domonique
Smith MD, Brian Coe MD, Arash Ataei MD, Seth Vignes MD; Louisiana State University,
New Orleans, LA.
2nd Place Poster - Leptospirosis: An Uncommon Cause of Fever and Transaminitis in the
Continental United States
Allen Byl (PGY3), Hope Oddo Moise, MD; Danielle Gilbert, DO, MPH; Michael Olejniczak,
MD; Ashley Misky, DO; Tom Fox, MD; Alexa Lapointe, MD; Michael Modica, MD; Michelle
Blyth, MD; Louisiana State University, New Orleans, LA.
3rd Place Poster- Recurrent Chylothorax Secondary to Kaposi Sarcoma Infiltration of Thoracic
Duct in AIDS Patient
Gurtaj Mahil (PGY1), Brandon Dang MD, Tamara Zaza MD, Victoria Lulich MD, Zachary
Chandler DO, Kyle Happel MD, Shane Guillory MD; Louisiana State University, New Orleans,
LA.
American College of Gastroenterology Conference in Philadelphia, PA
Outstanding Poster Presenters Award Recipients:
Allison Derise, MD (PGY3)
Catherine Loher, MD (PGY2)
Farhan Mohiuddin, MD (PGY1)
Presenters at ACG:
Wayne Wheeler, MD (PGY3)
Charlie Woodall, DO (PGY3)
Michelle Livitz, DO (PGY3)
Stephany Nguyen, MD (PGY2)
Gastroenterology Society Annual Meeting in Mississippi
Oral Presentation:
Catherine Loehr, MD (PGY 2)
Advances in Inflammatory Bowel Disease 2024 Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL
Poster Presentation:
Catherine Loehr, MD (PGY2)
Southern Society for Clinical Investigation Southern Regional Meeting
18 published only abstracts
27 posters presentations
18 oral presentations
Research Travel Award Recipients
Nikki Seraji, MD (PGY 1)
Asad Mussarat, MD (PGY2)
American College of Cardiology Conference in Chicago, IL
Poster Presenters:
Sepehr Sadeghi, DO (PGY 2)
Asad Mussarat, MD (PGY 2)
American Thoracic Society International Conference in San Francisco, CA
Poster Presenter:
Thomas Deiss, DO (PGY2)
Digestive Disease Week Conference in San Diego, CA
Poster Presenter:
Ross Dies, MD (PGY1)
LSU Health New Orleans Quality Improvement Patient Safety Forum
1 oral presentation
11 poster presentations
3 abstracts only
LSU Department of Medicine Research Day 2025
44 presentations
2 oral presentations
American College of Physician’s Meeting in Louisiana
There were over 180 abstracts submitted with LSU NO representing the most submissions.
1st Place Oral Presentation- Switching to Long-Acting Injectables in Those with Hepatitis
B and HIV Co-Infection: Good Intentions Gone Wrong
Jamie Tran, Nikki Seraji, Keionne Green, Alexander Fixler, Lauren Nunez; Department
of Medicine, LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA
1st Place Poster Presentation- Systemic Lupus Erythematous Flare Presenting with Pericardial
Tamponade
Edward Leonard, M.D, Mehnaz Rahman, M.D., David Beyer, M.D., Jacob Dubuc, M.D., Fernanda
Correa, M.D.; Department of Cardiology, LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA
Other Oral Presenters:
Sepehr Sadeghi, DO (PGY 1)
Other Poster Presenters:
Luke Sharrock, DO (PGY 1), Stephany Nguyen, MD (PGY 1), Blane Edwards, MD (PGY2),
Asad Mussarat, MD (PGY 1), Lily Chen, MD (PGY 1), Allison Derise, MD (PGY 2), Nikki
Arceneaux, MD(PGY 1), Charles Woodall, DO (PGY2), Hannah Zulli, MD (PGY 1)
Southern Society for Clinical Investigation Southern Regional Meeting
52 total abstracts
44 posters
8 oral presentations
Trainee Research Winners:
Ryan Leonard (PGY 2) /Fernanda Correa (PGY 3),
Sepehr Sadeghi (PGY 1), Hannah Zulli (PGY 1) and Humza Malik (PGY 3)
American Thoracic Society International Conference in San Francisco, CA
Luke Yesbeck, DO (PGY 2) had 2 abstracts accepted
National American College of Physician’s Conference in Boston, MA
Poster Presenter:
Evan Villemez, MD (PGY2)
American Federation for Medical Research Southeastern Regional Meeting in Birmingham, AL
Poster Presentation:
Lily Chen, MD (PGY1)
American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL
Poster Presentation:
Lily Chen, MD (PGY1)
LSU Health New Orleans Quality Improvement Patient Safety Forum
IM Poster Presentations:
Michael Olejniczak, MD (PGY 2) Utilization of Lung Cancer Screening Methods in the
Primary Care Setting and Proposing Methods for Improvement
Michelle Livitz, DO (PGY 2) Enhancing Provider and Patient Satisfaction through Pre-Visit
Laboratory Testing
Luke Yesbeck, DO (PGY 2) Improving Inpatient Bedside Medication Delivery at UMCNO
Allen Byl, DO (PGY 2) Improving Patient Outcomes with RSV Vaccination Campaign
Jamie Tran, MD (PGY 2) Preventing the Costs of Hospital Delirium
Blane Edwards, MD (PGY 2) Quality Assessment: Timeliness of Laboratory Results
Austin Wheeler, MD (PGY 2) Enhancing Colorectal Cancer Screening Awareness in a Primary
Care Clinic through Visual Aids and Posters: A Quality Improvement Initiative
Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society Inductees 2025
Dexter Matrana, DO- APD
Ryan Leonard, MD (PGY3)
Stephany Nguyen, MD (PGY2)
Humza Malik, MD (PGY3)
Brendan Tate, MD (Incoming PGY1)
VA Health Professions Trainee of the Year Award for the 2024-2025 Academic Year
Charles Woodall, DO (PGY 3)
American College of Physicians Leadership Day in Washington, D.C. 2025
Selected Participant:
Sepehr Sadeghi, DO (PGY 2)
Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society Inductees 2024
Cynthia Brown, MD - Department Chair
Ross McCarron, MD - Faculty
Allison Derise, MD (PGY 2)
Munraj Singh, MD (PGY 3)
Touro Hospital Resident of the Year 2024
Jessica Bordes, MD (PGY3)
American College of Physicians Leadership Day in Washington, D.C. 2024
Selected Participant:
Catherine Loehr, MD (PGY1)
Gold Humanism Honor Society Resident of the Semester - Fall 2023
Charles Woodall, DO (PGY 2)
Aesculapian Society 2024 Excellence in Teaching Award Nominees
Mike Modica, MD - L2 Fall - Hospital Medicine
Shane Guillory, MD - L2 Spring - Hospital Medicine
Seth Vignes, MD - L3 Faculty - Hospital Medicine
Briggs Welch, MD - L4 Resident Fellow Award (PGY 3)
UMC Resident of the Year 2023
Tammy Do, MD (PGY 3)