Leaders on the Horizon Radiology Resident’s Program: Meet the 2024 Winners!
Since 1999, the Leaders on the Horizon Radiology Residents’ Program has empowered radiology residents to enhance their research skills and to make connections that can shape their careers and ultimately influence the future of radiology. Bracco Diagnostics partners with Anderson Publishing, Ltd., publisher of Applied Radiology, to deliver this exclusive program through an unrestricted education grant.
Open to both international and US-based radiology residents, Leaders on the Horizon is designed to identify, cultivate, and highlight future thought-leaders in medical imaging. It aims to support the continued education of radiology residents with an initiative designed to refine their scholarly research and writing skills, coupled with the opportunity to attend the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) annual meeting and network with fellow residents, key opinion leaders and industry representatives.
For the 2024 Leaders on the Horizon program, participating residents were invited to develop and submit clinical research papers and clinical review articles focusing on any imaging modality and/or topics related to medical imaging. All submissions were reviewed by a committee of radiology experts in their area of specialty, and the top three clinical research papers and top three clinical review articles will be published in a special supplement to Applied Radiology in early 2025. Winning residents will be honored during RSNA at a reception on Sunday, December 1, 2024, where each resident will receive a monetary scholarship award to support their continued education in medical imaging.
Meet the 2024 Leaders on the Horizon Winners
Clinical Research Papers
Abhijan Maity, MD, is a second-year resident at Indira Gandhi Government Medical College in Nagpur, India, where there is a focused effort to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality. Dr Maity is also a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with an interest in musculoskeletal radiology.
His clinical research paper focuses on the cerebroplacental ratio, an ultrasound measurement that reflects alterations in cerebral blood flow and is a predictor of adverse pregnancy outcomes. His research investigates how to diagnose this condition to help streamline patient referrals and potentially avoid pregnancy complications.
He heard about Leaders on the Horizon through the head of the radiology department, and said he was “overwhelmed and excited” to receive the email that he had submitted a winning research paper.
“This award is a testament to the imaging support I have received from the head of our department, other faculty members, my colleagues and residency seniors. I thank everyone who is directly or indirectly responsible for this achievement. Without their guidance and support, I would not have been able to accomplish this,” he said. “This is an immense opportunity for other residents to do research.”
Kamyar Ghabili, MD, is a third-year resident at Penn State Health Milton S Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania, who plans to pursue a career as an academic body trained radiologist.
His clinical research paper focuses on patients with endoleaks, a complication that can occur after aortic aneurysm repair surgery. Blood leaks back into the aneurysm sac despite the placement of a stent graft, meaning the aneurysm isn’t completely sealed, which could lead to a rupture. Endoleaks are generally diagnosed by CT angiography, but recent papers indicate that contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) can be used for diagnosis. However, there is no solid research comparing CEUS to CT angiography or classic angiography in diagnosing endoleaks.
Dr Ghabili heard about Leaders on the Horizon through social media, as well as through an email from his program director and program coordinator. “Doing research during training is not easy. I saw the Leaders on the Horizon post on Twitter and I said, ‘wow, let's finish up the paper.’ I finished my paper during my vacation time, and I'm very glad I used that time for this,” he said.
Dr Ghabili is most excited for the opportunity to build relationships and share ideas with radiology experts at RSNA. “Attending RSNA is a privilege. Meeting other residents, discussing our findings, and learning from renowned radiologists are opportunities I’m incredibly grateful for as I plan my trip to Chicago this year,” he said.
Luis Lorenzo A. Chan, MD, is a fourth-year resident at St. Luke's Medical Center in Quezon City, Philippines. Dr Chan has a clinical interest in both CT and MR, with a focus on body imaging. He found out about the program from his mentor, Dr. Bernie Laya, who encouraged him to submit his paper.
The inspiration for his research came during his interventional radiology rotation while doing thoracentesis or draining pleural fluid from patients. After he found there was no internationally standardized measurement to measure pleural fluid volumes, he was motivated to analyze the four most popular equations, plus his institution’s equation, for measuring pleural fluid. His research indicated that his institution’s formula is among the most accurate.
Dr Chan found out about his award at midnight as he was going to bed. “When I saw ‘congratulations’ in the email, I couldn’t contain my happiness. I wasn’t able to sleep that night. I called my coworkers right away to tell them our paper won,” he said.
The trip to RSNA will be his first time in America – and his first time seeing snow. “Being recognized abroad is a really big thing for me. This is a good opportunity to build my knowledge and improve my connections,” he said. “I would recommend Leaders on the Horizon to future radiologists because Applied Radiology is one of the premier scientific journals and it’s a great opportunity to be recognized and make your research known internationally.”
Clinical Review Articles
Hira Qureshi, MD, is a first-year radiology resident at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, who is still exploring her options for the radiology specialty she wants to pursue. She credited her program director’s encouragement in her decision to submit her clinical review article to Leaders on the Horizon.
Attending RSNA as a winner represents a full-circle moment for Dr Qureshi. As a fourth-year med student applying for radiology residencies, she presented an educational exhibit about ankle impingement during a previous conference. Yet when she tried to get it published in journals, she was told it didn’t fit their publication criteria. She then revisited the manuscript and developed it into a winning clinical review article for Leaders on the Horizon. She said that refining her paper over the years made it stronger and gave her more insight into ankle impingements.
“That’s the beauty of research – you learn so much about that topic as you take that deeper dive in. The point isn’t just getting published. It’s how you explored the topic and get to present it to others, which I think is the cool part of research,” she said.
As a Muslim, Dr Qureshi does her daily prayers during work breaks. She was in the prayer room when she saw the email about her award. “The breath was knocked out of me. Seeing that email took me by surprise. It was really cool that in such a spiritual moment I could see the intersection of my spirituality and professional life coming together. In that quiet space, by myself, I could relish in the achievement I had accomplished,” she said.
Yesim Yekta Yuruk, MD, is a fourth-year resident at Health Science University Hospital in Izmir, Turkey, who heard about Leaders on the Horizon on social media. She is interested in both head and neck radiology and genitourinary radiology.
For her clinical review article, Dr Yuruk chose to examine zero echo time protocols in MR studies, a sequence that, in her experience, offers significant benefits over standard CT in certain clinical scenarios. For Dr Yuruk, the Leaders on the Horizon Radiology Residents’ Program was an ideal opportunity to contribute her findings to a broader community of radiologists and raise awareness about an underutilized imaging technique.
“When I watched the videos of previous Leaders on the Horizon winners, I saw that hard work always pays off. It's a great honor for your efforts to be appreciated and accepted by the experts in the field of imaging,” she said. “I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened and read the acceptance email. I was over the moon with happiness and was glad to be rewarded for my work.”
She advises young radiologists to never give up, even when they encounter obstacles. “We all possess the power to overcome them. When they see an opportunity, they should trust themselves and jump right in. Sooner or later, they will be rewarded for their efforts,” she said.
Jacob Schick, MD, is a second-year radiology resident at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, who is interested in interventional radiology.
His clinical review article focused on the use of CEUS in biopsies, using case examples to illustrate how CEUS can be optimally utilized. “One important aspect of tissue sampling is to sample the biologically active area of the tumor to be sure that you're getting accurate histopathologic diagnoses, which has implications for treatment,” he said. “I think there are many applications of this technology, and writing a review on this became a way for me to educate myself about this topic.”
He heard about the Leaders on the Horizon program through a colleague and past Leaders on the Horizon winner, Tej Ishaan Mehta, MD, and his program director. “Hearing about the connections that Dr. Mehta has made with different leaders in the field, and the friends he made as a result of the program, were all highlights to me, which piqued my interest to apply,” he said.
Dr Schick received the news while at work and was “ecstatic” when he got the email congratulating him on his winning clinical review article. Now he encourages other residents to submit their topics for consideration to Leaders on the Horizon, saying, “I can’t recommend it more. I think it introduces you to a whole new network of people, and the opportunity to experience RSNA is something that not all radiology residents get. It's a no brainer to participate.”
Leaders on the Horizon 2025 Registration
With continued support from Bracco, Applied Radiology is excited to announce that the Leaders on the Horizon Radiology Residents’ program will continue in 2025 with registration opening on January 1, 2025. Radiology residency program directors and coordinators are urged to share this exciting opportunity with their residents.
All US-based and international radiology residents are invited to participate in the 2025 Leaders on the Horizon Residents’ Program by submitting a clinical research paper or clinical review article. All topics should be focused on imaging modalities and/or areas related to medical imaging.
Learn more at https://appliedradiology.com/leaders