UW-Radiology’s Trainees Lead on the National Stage

Contributing to research through scholarship is foundational to the development of trainees as lifelong learners. However, lack of time, resources, and training can act as barriers to trainee scholarship. Here at UW-Madison, the Department of Radiology is committed to empowering trainees across all stages – medical school, residency, and fellowship – to participate and thrive in research. 

“There’s great support and enthusiasm for taking on residents and students for research projects,” says Senior Chief Diagnostic Radiology Resident, Jennifer Pitts, MD. “Our Department is very focused on research, and so they’re very understanding of allowing trainees time and resources to dedicate to research projects.” 

These resources include dedicated time and financial support for trainees to present their work at national society meetings. Over the past year, we’ve seen phenomenal trainee-led presentations, including: 

• Neuroradiology Fellow Mila Quinn, MD, gave an oral presentation on her work “Lumbar Punctures in Thrombocytopenic Patients” to the 2022 Western Neuroradiological Society Conference, just three months into her fellowship 
• Current Breast Imaging Fellow and former Diagnostic Radiology Resident Molly Peterson, MD’s educational exhibit, “Breast Imaging and Intervention During Pregnancy and Lactation,” was awarded a Certificate of Merit at the 2022 Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) National Meeting 
• Residents Ece Meram, MD and Elliott Russell, MD also presented exciting developments in interventional radiology at the RSNA 2022 Meeting. Both mentored by Eric Monroe, MD, Dr. Meram presented “How To Make It Right When Vessels Go Wrong: Demystifying Abdominal Vascular Anomalies” while Dr. Russell presented on “Biliary Atresia and the One Stick Wonder of Percutaneous Transhepatic Cholecystocholangiograph” 
• Arissa Milton, a 2022 Shapiro Medical Student Scholar mentored by Anand Narayan, MD, PhD, presented her work, “Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Screening Mammography During COVID-19,” at the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 

The Department also provides tailored support, including a wealth of ancillary services, for grant and manuscript submission, which allows trainees to hit the ground running on their projects. Here are just a few of the trainee-led publications from the past year: 

• A recent study in The Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, titled “Hepatic and Renal Histotripsy in an Anticoagulated Porcine Model,” was authored by Scott Mauch, MD, an Abdominal Imaging Fellow, and 2022 Shapiro Medical Student Scholar Annie Zlevor, as well as other members of the Abdominal Image-Guided Interventions Laboratory 
• “Transvaginal US vs. CT in non-pregnant premenopausal women presenting to the ED: clinical impact of the second examination when both are performed,” a study published in Abdominal Radiology, was authored by resident Charles Viers, MD, alongside faculty members Meghan Lubner, MD and Perry Pickhardt, MD 
• Andrew Ross, MD worked with 2020 Shapiro Medical Student Scholar Sarah Daggett to publish “Cost-effectiveness Analysis in Diagnostic Musculoskeletal Radiology: A Systematic Review.” Dr. Ross also worked with 2022 Shapiro Medical Student Scholar Ritika Punathil to create the Radiology Health Equity Research Database 

While these highlights fail to capture the breadth of trainee-led research, they make one thing clear: the strong culture of mentorship and active support for research provides the rich environment needed to excel in scholarship.