Top Awards for Downstate Surgery Team at AVAS
By Office of the President | Jun 5, 2024
The Downstate Department of Surgery’s iNSPIRe initiative was recently honored for its exceptional representation at the Association of VA Surgeons (AVAS) 2024 Annual Meeting in Miami Beach, FL. The AVAS Annual Meeting serves as a significant platform for young surgeons and researchers to advance surgical scientific knowledge and foster impactful collaborations. Downstate general surgery residents Jodi-Ann Edwards, M.D., Tomas Daviu-Molinari, M.D., and medical student Steven Medvedovsky presented their research through podium talks. They received two awards for their outstanding performance.
The senior authors and mentors for all three projects included Professor and Chair of Surgery, Panos Kougias, M.D., MSc, FACS, and Assistant Professor and Director of Clinical and Health Services Research, Sherene Sharath, Ph.D., MPH.
Jodi-Ann Edwards, M.D., PGY4 and current Department of Surgery research fellow, won first place for Best Resident Quickshot. Her abstract, titled “Association between Socioeconomic Markers, Hospital Characteristics, and In-Hospital Mortality Among Adults Diagnosed with Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infection,” explored how high facility-level Medicaid burden, as an indicator of hospital resource constraints, can directly worsen outcomes for patients with necrotizing soft tissue infections. Dr. Edwards plans to be an academic surgeon leader specializing in Breast Surgery Oncology, serving marginalized communities, and conducting healthcare equity research.
Steven Medvedovsky, a third-year medical student, won first place for Best Student Presentation. His abstract, titled “Incidence of Non-Elective Admission for Chronic Limb Threatening Ischemia by Facility Medicaid Payer Burden,” was the result of a collaboration among Downstate, Brooklyn VA Medical Center, Baylor College of Medicine, and Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center. Steven’s seven-minute presentation highlighted a significant disparity in the treatment of limb ischemia, revealing that facilities with the fewest resources are more frequently managing the most resource-intensive patients.
Lastly, Tomas Daviu-Molinari, M.D., PGY3 resident and former Department of Surgery research fellow, presented his abstract titled “Long-Term Survival after Postoperative Complications Vary by Complication Type.” Dr. Daviu-Molinari’s research examined the long-term mortality associated with significant complications following general, vascular, orthopedic, genitourinary, and thoracic surgeries. He plans to become a vascular surgeon.