Emory Division of Hospital Medicine Hosts its Fifth Annual Research Day 

By: Mary Ann Kirkconnell Hall, MPH, and Maha Sulieman, MD

On Thursday, August 29, 2024, the Emory Division of Hospital Medicine (EDHM) gathered for its fifth annual Research Day. Following time for catching up and networking with colleagues over dinner at the Miller Ward Alumni House, 20 teams of EDHM researchers presented projects ranging from teaching competitions to student-led initiatives to prevent Medicaid disenrollment in hospitalized patients to highlighting the impact of a Physician Assistant–dedicated observation team on length of stay. The teams included faculty, staff, trainees, and colleagues from across Emory Healthcare and beyond. 

Two distinguished faculty members spoke to the Division audience. Vibha Lama, MD, MS, who is the Vice Chair of Research, Department of Medicine and the Augustus J. McKelvey Chair in Lung Transplantation Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, School of Medicine, offered her encouragement and support for EDHM’s efforts, emphasizing the Department’s commitment to supporting research. She highlighted the numerous offerings available through the Department’s Ease of Research Initiative that she leads, including monthly Town Hall meetings and expert assistance in navigating institutional barriers to research. 

Jessica Harding, PhD, the Associate Director of Emory Health Services Research Center (as well as an Associate Professor in both the Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, and the Division of Hospital Medicine, Department of Medicine), shared all the resources available through the HSRC and encouraged the EDHM presenters and audience to think broadly about the impact that their research can have on health services and on patient populations and healthcare process more generally. 

Before the final round of judging, the EDHM Research Day Committee surprised two faculty and one staff member with special awards. 

• Daniel Hunt, MD, EDHM Division Director and Professor of Medicine, received the Hospital Medicine Scholarship Visionary Award for his leadership in supporting the division’s scholarly endeavors. 

• Jasmah Hanna, EDHM’s Associate Director of Research Projects, received a special honorarium for her unparalleled contributions to the division’s annual research day.

After the first round of presentations, finalists were selected to present their projects to the full judging committee, after which the following winners were announced. 

First place:  Wilson WW, Routhu V, Cochi S, Mbaezue, Liles L, Kandiah S. Implementation of usable sepsis alert system and single-dose antibiotic ordering by overnight Rapid Response Team improves SEP-1 antibiotic administration compliance in patients with hospital-onset sepsis.

Caption: Dr. Wyatt Wilson (center) presents his first prize–winning poster to judge Dr. Jessica Harding (right).

 

First runner-up: DeStefano R, Moonjeli S, Amin M, Crumbs T, Zhuang T, Agarwal R, Cruz D, Hall MAK.Increasing sodium-glucose transport protein 2 inhibitor prescriptions in eligible heart failure with preserved ejection fraction patients: an inpatient quality improvement initiative at the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Caption: New EDHM faculty member Dr. Robert DeStefano (left) wows a group of judges with his first runner-up poster presentation.

Second runner-up: Shabbir H, Morales M, Johnson K, Gottlieb L, Ismaeel N, Witt L. Reducing catheter-associated urinary tract infections

Caption: Dr. Hasan Shabbir (left) presents his second runner-up–winning poster to (l-r) Dr. Liliana Guevara-Bermudez, Dr. Sandeep Bhargava, Dr. Bashir Geer, and Dr. Mohamad Moussa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The full set of EDHM participants is listed below, and the abstract book can be accessed here. 

• Amin M, Burklin Y, Trubitt M, Baken E, Chavan M, Hunt D, Smith D. Successful Design and Execution of an Institutional Hospitalist Teaching Competition  

• Crumbs T, DeStefano R, Zhuang T, Amin M, Hall MAK. Creating a Culture of Safety: Improving Medical Trainee Incident Reporting at the Atlanta VA Medical Center  

• Desai K, Ferrell J, Jarski K, Rolin B, Morgan B, Amstutz J, Durre C, Tritt S. Applying Value Stream Analysis and Lean Methodology to Reduce Length of Stay in an Acute Care Hospital 

• Dudgeon MR, Barrett R, Zuckerman M. Emerging Infections: Three Epidemiological Transitions from Prehistory to the Present 

• Fatima S, Wills T, Bogard S, Park MJ, Mather R, John N, Watkins S, Hall MAK, Matthew K, Patterson B, White T. Enhancing Healthcare Efficiency: Strategies to Identify and Overcome Discharge Barriers for Reduced Length of Stay 

• Galloway JL, Powell K. Mixed methods evaluation of medicine-surgery comanagement program implementation at the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center 

• Goins A, Pangulur P, Shirey T, Smith W, Shin YM, Kent L, Heller M, Kobaidze K. Geographic-based Cohorting and Discharge Metrics: The Continuation of a Hospital Medicine Pilot Project at EUHM 

• Kobaidze K, Burklin Y, Shin YM, McFarland M, O’Donnell C, Pullin P, Smith W, Johnson D, Maleque N, Han E, James K, Patidar V. Architecting Excellence: Building a Successful Leadership Team for Hospital Medicine in a Busy Tertiary Urban Teaching Hospital  

• Kole A*, Cheung P*, Hall MAK, Hanna J, Bonsall J. Integrating Clinical and Research Training to Craft an MD/PhD Professional Identity: A Qualitative Study. *Co–first authors. 

• Millwee S, Crichlow V, Hanna J, Hall MAK, La Barrie R, Moussa M, O’Donnell C, Sulieman M. Does Management of Observation Patients by a Dedicated Advanced Practice Provider Team Result in Lower Lengths of Stay than Management by General Hospital Medicine Service Teams?  

• Millwee S, Ortiz S, McFarland M, Hall MAK. Preparing New APP Grads for Busy Hospital Medicine Service: An Innovative Structured Onboarding Program 

• La Barrie R, Sulieman M, Hwang P, Hanna J, Crichlow V, Hall MAK, Shah H, Osakwe-Ozumba N. Differences in Perceived Barriers to Hospital Discharge Within and Outside the Control of the Hospitalist  

• Shabbir H, Murphy D. Treating Pulmonary Embolism in the Hospital 

• Smith S, Matelski AT, Baken EP, Ponkshe SB, Miller AB. The Educational Experience Improvement Collective for Inpatient Medicine Healthcare Professional Trainees at a University-Affiliated Veterans Affairs Medical Center 

• Smith DT, Matelski AT, Hall MAK, Phadke V, Vettese T, Law K, Hemrajani R. USMLE Performance, Subsequent Standardized Testing, and ABIM Certification Exam Preparation for Internal Medicine Residency Programs: A Narrative Review  

• Terwilliger T, Grigorian G, Barboto D, Canning M, Kofoed B. A Student-Led Initiative to Prevent Medicaid Disenrollment in Hospitalized Patients during Redetermination 

• Wills T, Kapuria M, Malik M, Moussa M, Sankar D, Akwe J, Hall MAK, Massart A. Unintentional Ingestion of Psychoactive Cannabis Products Among Adults: Scoping Review 

2024 EDHM Research Day Planning Committee/Abstract Reviewers 

Amy Miller, MD, Chair; Jasmah Hanna, MS, Co-Chair; Hasan Shabbir, MD; Viniya Patidar, MD; Karen Clarke, MD, MS, MPH; Stacey Watkins, MD, PhD; Liliana Guevara-Bermudez, MD; Prabhava Bagla, MD; Shaheen Fatima, MD; Mia Park, MD; TaRessa Wills, MD 

Judges  

Bashir Geer, MD; Patricia Hwang, MD; Anna Von, MD; Richard White, MD, MSPH; Mohamad Moussa, MD; Sandeep Bhargava, MD; Mia Park, MD; Lyz (Elizabeth) Marshall-Smith, MD; Jess Harding, PhD 

Photo credit: Patricia Hwang, MD