The Duke Department of Surgery held its 10th Annual Research Day on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. Established in 2016 under then-Chair of Surgery Allan D. Kirk, MD, PhD, the event is held annually to advance the department’s mission of improving patient care through research and training the next generation of surgeon-scientists. The event recognizes the accomplishments of residents, fellows, and students engaged in clinical, basic, or translational research through the department.
This year, 102 abstracts were submitted by learners in the department and Duke NUS, with 97 final posters, 8 selected for podium presentations, and 10 selected as posters of distinction.
Justin B. Dimick, MD, MPH, Frederick A. Coller Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Michigan Medical School, served as a guest judge and gave the Hunter McGuire Sweaney Lectureship during Surgery Grand Rounds. Dr. Dimick gave a presentation titled, “The Secret to Fostering Successful Surgeon Scientists: Engineering Unfair Advantage.”
Congratulations to this year’s winners!
Podium Presentations and Winners
Basic Science
Winner: Joseph Fernandes, BS
“P95-HER2 Promotes Functionally Selective Tumor Cell Motility and Invasion Behaviors Through Biased MRTFA Signaling and Myogenic Transitions”
Mentor: Joshua C. Snyder, PhD
Davide Schiliro, MD
“IL-2 Mutein (VIS171) Induction Enhances Kidney Allograft Survival Following Early Rapamycin Withdrawal in a Nonhuman Primate Model”
Mentor: Stuart J. Knechtle, MD, and Jean Kwun, PhD
Rochelle Bitolas, BA
“Advancing Scarless Healing: A Gene Therapy Approach Based on Fetal Wound Repair”
Mentor: David A. Brown, MD, PhD
Sirajbir Sodhi, BS
“Endogenous Neoantigen Specific Antibodies Mediate Antitumor Responses and Determine Vaccine Efficacy”
Mentor: Zachary C. Hartman, PhD
Clinical Science
Winner: Parker Frankiewicz, MScGH
“Assessing and Building Skilled Nursing Facility Capacity for Temporary Enteral Nutrition: A Systems Capacity Analysis and Quality Improvement Initiative”
Mentor: Keri A. Seymour, DO
Anna Louie, MD
Presented by: Cait Moran, BS
“Increase in Non-Guideline Concordant De-Implementation of Axillary Lymph Node Dissection”
Mentor: Ton Wang, MD, MS
Ryan Humphrey, PhD
“Spatial Multiomic Analyses of Clinical Responders with Advanced Triple Negative Breast Cancer to Intratumoral IL-12 Therapy”
Mentor: Erika J. Crosby, PhD
Christina Cui, MD, MAS
“A Prospective Trial of Program-Led Wellness Interventions on Trainee Well-Being, Results from Four Years of the Vascular Arm of the SECOND Trial”
Mentor: Dawn, M. Coleman, MD
People's Choice Winner
Arnav Chatrathi, BS
"Evaluating Urinary N-Acetyl-β-D Glucosaminidase as a Biomarker for Acute Kidney Injury in Heart Failure Surgery Patients"
Mentor: Dawn E. Bowles, PhD
Posters of Distinction
Basic Science
Katja Kroll, MD
“Enhancer-Based Gene Therapy for Digit Regeneration: Identification of Precision AAV Control Elements with STARR-seq”
Mentor: David A. Brown, MD, PhD
Ralph Erdmann, BS
“Applications of an Engineered Tumor-Lymphatic Biomimetic (T-LAB)”
Mentor: Gayathri R. Devi, PhD
John Wang, BA
“An Immune-Centric Approach for the Development of STEAP1-Targeted ADCs With Anti-Tumor Immunity in Castrate-Resistant Prostate Cancer”
Mentor: Zachary C. Hartman, PhD
Jinming Yang, MS
“Modeling Inflammatory Breast Cancer Tumor Emboli Reveals Macrophage-Driven Immune Niches”
Mentor: Gayathri R. Devi, PhD
Adrian Camarena, MD
“Nebulized Extracellular Matrix Hydrogel Reduces Postoperative Adhesions and Improves Anastomotic Healing Following High-Risk Intra-Abdominal Surgery”
Mentor: Joseph S. Fernandez-Moure, MD, MS, FACS
Clinical Science
Olivia Fehrmann, BA
“Secondary Qualitative Analysis of Multicenter Study on Access to Transplant Reveals Themes Related to Financial Strain”
Mentor: Lisa M. McElroy, MD, MS
Olufemi Oladokun, MD
“Simple Yet Strong: Outcomes of Chest Wall Resection and Reconstruction Without Rigid Constructs”
Mentor: Betty C. Tong, MD, MHS, MS
Ellery Reason, BS
“Oncologic Outcomes of Hepatic Arterial Infusion (HAI) Chemotherapy for Unresectable Colorectal Liver Metastases: A Multicenter Analysis from the International HAI Consortium Research Network (HCRN)”
Mentor: Michael E. Lidsky, MD, FACS
Helen Wei, BS
“Disparities in Patient-Reported Outcomes Among Cancer Patients in North Carolina: Insights from the MURDOCK Biorepository”
Mentor: Allison N. Martin, MD, FACS, MPH
Anna Medrano
“Prehospital Thoracic Access in Austere Military Environments: A Pilot Evaluation of ThoraSET”
Mentor: Joseph S. Fernandez-Moure, MD, MS, FACS