Department celebrates trainee and student research at annual symposium

April 30, 2026

On Saturday, April 25, 2026, nearly 100 UW Department of Radiology members and alumni celebrated high-caliber radiology research projects conducted by trainees and medical students over the past year. Vice Chair of Research; Christoph Lee, MD, MS, MBA welcomed attendees, and turned the mic over to Department Chair Scott Reeder, MD, PhD for opening remarks.

Dr. Reeder highlighted the importance of providing early opportunities for trainees and medical students to get involved with research. At its core, research is driven by curiosity, which he dubbed as one of the three key themes for the day, along with celebration and connection.

Following the opening remarks, ten residents, fellows, and medical students delivered oral presentations, covering topics from the safety of hepatic histotripsy after administration of ultrasound contrast to diagnostic yield of image-guided percutaneous biopsies of the bowel. Additionally, thirteen individuals exhibited scientific posters and educational exhibits.

After a brief break, during which attendees had an informal opportunity to connect with the presenters about their research, Christopher Hess, MD, PhD, the Alexander R. Margulis Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at UC San Francisco, delivered the keynote speech, “The Innovator’s Mindset in Medical Imaging.”

“This being my first symposium as vice chair of research, I came away from the day fully inspired,” reflected Dr. Lee. “The keynote speech reminded us that innovation is the heartbeat of progress and highlighted how vital it is for us to continue fostering cutting edge research experiences for our trainees.”

View photos from the event on Flickr

Congratulations to the awardees of the 2026 Zachary Clark Radiology Research Symposium:

Best Oral Presentation by a Fellow: J. Erik Winterholler, MD
Faculty Mentor: Giuseppe Toia, MD, MS

Best Oral Presentation by a Resident: Sarah Daggett, MD
Faculty Mentor: Meghan Lubner, MD

Best Oral Presentation by a Medical Student: Katrina Falk, PhD
Faculty Mentor: Paul Laeseke, MD, PhD

Best Educational Exhibit by a Fellow: Cameron Kendall, MD
Faculty Mentor: Justin Brucker, MD

Best Educational Exhibit by a Resident: John Caniglia, MD
Faculty Mentor: Sean Golden, MD

Best Educational Exhibit by a Medical Student: Joshua Verhagen
Faculty Mentor: Sean Golden, MD

Best Scientific Poster by a Resident: Anna Giarratana, MD, PhD
Faculty Mentor: Matthew Larson, MD, PhD

Best Scientific Poster by a Medical Student: Abigail Keller
Faculty Mentor: Amy Fowler, MD, PhD

All Presenters

Oral Presenters

Aaron Cronican, MD – Fellow mentored by Donna Blankenbaker, MD
Sarah Daggett, MD – Resident mentored by Meghan Lubner, MD
Kiara Didriksen – Medical student mentored by Anand Narayan, MD, PhD
Katrina Falk, PhD – Medical student mentored by Paul Laeseke, MD, PhD
Brendan Franz, MD – Fellow mentored by Kenneth Lee, MD, MBA
Muhaison Ibrahim – Medical student mentored by Aaron Eifler, MD
Alankrit Shatadal – Medical student mentored by Sean Golden, MD
Nicholas Tan, MD – Resident mentored by Joshua Fage, MD
Osvaldo Velez-Martinez, MD – Fellow mentored by Andrew Ross, MD, MPH
J. Erik Winterholler, MD – Fellow mentored by Giuseppe Toia, MD, MS

Electronic Exhibitors

John Caniglia, MD – Resident mentored by Sean Golden, MD
Sean Duminie, MD – Resident mentored by Matthew Smith, MD, PhD
Anna Giarratana, MD, PhD – Resident mentored by Matthew Larson, MD, PhD
Cameron Kendall, MD – Fellow mentored by Justin Brucker, MD
Austin Maas, MD – Resident mentored by Matthew Niemeyer, MD
Andrew Moore, MD – Fellow mentored by Jeffrey Kanne, MD
Jessica Perry, MD – Resident mentored by Tabassum (Tabby) Kennedy
Amy Shah, MD – Fellow mentored by Lewis Jordan, MD, MPH, MS and Anand Narayan, MD, PhD
Alankrit Shatadal – Medical student mentored by Dania Daye, MD, PhD and Sean Golden, MD
Joshua Verhagen – Medical student mentored by Sean Golden, MD
J. Erik Winterholler, MD – Fellow mentored by Kevin McDonald, MD

Scientific Posters

Cameron Fox, MD, PhD – Resident mentored by Anand Narayan, MD, PhD
Anna Giarratana, MD, PhD – Resident mentored by Matthew Larson, MD, PhD
Abigail Keller – Medical student mentored by Amy Fowler, MD, PhD