Trainee Awards & Recognitions
Congratulations to Pedram Keshavarz, MD for Receiving the 2024 SABI Outstanding Oral Scientific Presentation Award
10/29/2024
The Society of Advanced Body Imaging (SABI) awarded Pedram Keshavarz, MD, for his project titled “Correlation of Pre-Locoregional Therapy Biopsy Histopathologic Grade in LI-RADS 5 Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) and Complete Pathologic Necrosis with Post-Liver Transplant HCC Recurrence and Survival” which was selected by the 2024 SABI Committee. The goal of the project is to evaluate how pre-locoregional therapy biopsy histopathologic grade and complete pathologic necrosis on explant correlate with post-liver transplant HCC recurrence and patient survival outcomes.
Dr. Keshavarz works as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Abdominal Imaging / Cross-Sectional Research Lab under the guidance of . He is an active member of the Society of Abdominal Radiology (SAR), Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR), and RSNA, and serves on the Executive Committee at SAR-RFS, SIR-RFS, and the Society of Advanced Body Imaging Early Career Committee (SABI-ECC) as Communication Officer, Interventional Oncology Communication Liaison, Online Education, and Social Media Liaison. His research interests include Cancer Imaging and Interventional Oncology. He collaborates with other institutions, such as bioengineering and biomedical physics, to develop advanced machine learning algorithms and quantitative imaging techniques for the early diagnosis and prediction of treatment response to image-guided procedures for patients with cancer, especially liver cancer. Notably, he has established a comprehensive database of Hepatocellular Carcinoma patients at UCLA, facilitating multi-omic AI-based early detection and optimal treatment planning.
About the SABI Outstanding Research Awards:
The SABI Outstanding Research Award recognizes the top three Oral Scientific Presentations by all speakers, granting them the opportunity to attend and present their research at the SABI Annual Scientific Meeting, with the awards being presented during the GALA session.
UCLA Radiology's 10th Annual Research Poster Day
5/22/2024
Congratulations to the winners and all who took part in this year's Research Poster Day held on Thursday, May 9th, 2024. This year, there were 36 trainees presented 38 posters.
Winning Presenters and Posters:
1st Place – (Tie): Jonathan Lin, MD
Evaluating Diagnostic Performance of MRI in Suspected Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome
1st Place – (Tie): Chukwuemeka, KC, Okoro, MD
Diagnostic Utility and Accuracy of Image-guided Core Needle Biopsy for Soft Tissue Tumors
2nd Place: Chukwuemeka, KC, Okoro, MD
Multiple Sporadic Schwannomas in a Previously Radiated Field
3rd Place – (Tie): Pedram Keshavarz, MD
3D Volumetric Imaging-Based Tumor Growth Rate in Patients with HCC Stratified by Underlying Liver Disease Etiologies
3rd Place – (Tie): Zaid Patel, MD
Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis and Erdheim Chester Disease Overlap
3rd Place – (Tie): Soheil Kooraki, MD
Evaluation of ChatGPT-Generated Educational Patient Pamphlets for Common Interventional Radiology Procedures
UCLA Radiology's 9th Annual Research Poster Day
6/01/2023
Congratulations to the winners and all who took part in this year's Research Poster Day held on Thursday, May 25th, 2023. This year, there were 32 trainees presented 31posters.
Winning Presenters and Posters:
1st Place: Soheil Kooraki, MD
Image-Guided Thermal Ablation of Early-Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Five Year Outcome
2nd Place: Soheil Kooraki, MD
Pre-Operative Evaluation of Multi Organ Transplantation Using Single-Phase Steady-State Ferumoxytol-Enhanced MR Angiography of Neck, Chest, Abdomen, and Pelvis: A Feasibility Study
3rd Place: Amir Ali Rahsepar, MD
Large Language Models and Lung Cancer: A Comparative Study on the Appropriateness of Artificial Intelligence Statements
3rd Place: Janis Yee, MD
Removing Institutional Barriers to Access: Effects on Digital Breast Tomosynthesis Usage Across Different Racial Groups and Ethnicities
Congratulations to Pedram Keshavarz, MD for Receiving 2023 SIR Foundation Resident Research Award
3/13/2023
The Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) awarded Pedram Keshavarz, MD for his project titled “EndoPortal RFA followed by Stent Implantation in Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Portal Vein Thrombosis: Feasibility and Clinical Outcomes,” is selected by the 2023 SIR Foundation Committee. The end goal of the project is to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and clinical outcomes of the HabibTM VesOpen procedure, as a novel endoportal radiofrequency ablation catheter technique followed by immediate stent implantation, in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma complicated with portal vein tumor thrombosis.
Dr. Keshavarz work as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Abdominal Imaging / Cross Sectional Research Lab under the guidance of . Dr. Keshavarz is an active member of the Society of Abdominal Radiology (SAR), Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR), and RSNA and an Executive Committee Member at SAR-RFS, SIR-RFS, and Society of Advanced Body Imaging Early Career Committee (SABI-ECC) as Communication Officer, Interventional Oncology Communication Liaison, and Social Media Liaison.
His research interest includes Cancer Imaging and Interventional Oncology. He collaborates with other institutions, such as bioengineering and biomedical physics, to develop advanced deep learning algorithms and quantitative imaging techniques for early diagnosis and prediction of treatment response to image-guided procedures for patients with cancer, especially liver cancer.
About the SIR Foundation Resident Research Awards:
The SIR Resident Research Award is designed to provide residents and fellows an opportunity to attend and present their scientific research at the SIR Annual Scientific Meeting. The intent is to expose young researchers who wish to further their careers in interventional radiology. These awards will be presented during the plenary session of the SIR annual meeting.
Congratulations to Ali Bassir, MD for Receiving the 2023 SAR Trainee Scholarship Award
12/22/2022
The Society of Abdominal Radiology awarded , the 2023 SAR Trainee Scholarship Award for a project entitled “Assessment of diagnostic efficacy of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) for detection of hepatocellular carcinoma with two protocols (CEUS LI-RADS and WFUMB-EFSUMB) on Lumason and Definity subcohorts.” These merit‐based scholarships are provided for oral presentation of a scientific abstract at the annual meeting of the Society. This scholarship is offered to you due to the excellence of the abstract submitted to the Society for presentation at the SAR 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting, February 26 - March 3, 2023, at the Fairmont Austin in Austin, Texas.
In this project, his team investigated the diagnostic performance of CEUS in the detection of HCC and compared the efficacy of two protocols and two contrast agents. This study showed excellent performance of CEUS in detecting HCC. This project was highlighted by in Road to RSNA 2022: Ultrasound Preview, which is the largest and most comprehensive community Web site for medical imaging professionals worldwide.
Ali Bassir is a Research Fellow at Abdominal Imaging Lab at UCLA Radiology under supervision of . His research is focused on Cancer Imaging, particularly the role of ultrasound in the detection and treatment of malignancy. He published several articles in prestigious radiology journals and presented his projects at several radiology conferences. In addition, He received the Young Investigator Award at the 8th International Symposium on Focused Ultrasound for his project on the treatment of prostate cancer using high-intensity ultrasound (TULSA).
Congratulations to Pedram Keshavarz, MD for Receiving the RSNA Trainee Research Award 2022
12/08/2022
The Board of Directors and the Committee of awarded Pedram Keshavarz, MD the RSNA Trainee Research Award plus $1000 in the Genitourinary category for his project titled “Detection and Classification of Prostate Cancer on Multiparametric MR Imaging Using Artificial Intelligence: A systematic review of 6,231 patients”. This award is presented in recognition of an important contribution to research in radiology by a trainee in the field and presented at the 108th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of RSNA, November 2 - December 1, 2022. The end goal of the project is to investigate the performance of different models of Artificial Intelligence for the detection and classification of prostate cancer on multiparametric MR imaging.
Dr. Keshavarz work as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Abdominal Imaging Research Lab under the guidance of Steven. S. Raman, MD, FSAR, FSIR. Dr. Keshavarz is an active member of RSNA, an Executive Committee Member of the Society of Abdominal Radiology, Resident and Fellow Section (SAR-RFS), and a Committee Member of the Research and Innovation at the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR). Dr. Keshavarz is interested in Abdominal Imaging, Cancer Imaging, and Interventional Oncology and collaborates with other institutions such as bioengineering and biomedical physics to develop advanced deep learning algorithms and quantitative imaging techniques for early diagnosis and prediction of treatment response to image-guided procedures for patients with cancer, especially liver cancer.
Congratulations to Ali Bassir, MD for Receiving the 2022 Young Investigator Award
09/28/2022
The Focused Ultrasound Foundation awarded Ali Bassir, MD the 2022 Young Investigator Award plus $2500 Travel Grant for his project “Pivotal study of transurethral ultrasound ablation of the prostate: MR thermometry parameters and clinical response at 4-year follow-up. “ The award was established to recognize outstanding research by scientists-in-training in the field of focused ultrasound.
Ali Bassir is a Research Fellow at Abdominal Imaging Lab under supervision of Dr. Steven Raman. His research is focused on cancer imaging, particularly the role of ultrasound in detection and treatment of malignancy. He studied the efficacy of MRI-guided Transurethral Ultrasound Ablation (TULSA) in treating prostate cancer by assessing clinical and MR thermometry. This study showed efficacy and safety of this advance and minimally-invasive procedure and introduced a promising alternative for prostate surgery.
Congratulations to Pedram Keshavarz, MD for Receiving the JVIR 2021 Editor's Award for Distinguished Clinical Study
08/31/2022
The Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) awarded Pedram Keshavarz, MD. the (JVIR) 2021 Editor's Award for Distinguished Clinical Study of his project titled “,” which is selected by the Editors of JVIR as one of 10 papers to receive a Distinguished Clinical Study Certificate for 2021. The end goal of the project is to investigate the safety and efficacy of percutaneous pancreatic duct drainage, including the results of a new technical refinement: steering, using a co-axial large gauge needle to avoid critical structures in percutaneous image-guided pancreatic duct access.
Dr. Keshavarz works as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Abdominal Imaging Research Lab under the guidance of Steven. S. Raman, MD, FSAR, FSIR. Dr. Keshavarz is an active member of SIR and also an Executive Committee Member of the Society of Abdominal Radiology (SAR) Resident and Fellow Section (RFS). Dr. Keshavarz is interested in Abdominal Imaging, Cancer Imaging, and Interventional Oncology and collaborates with other institutions such as bioengineering and biomedical physics to develop advanced deep learning algorithms and quantitative imaging techniques for early diagnosis and prediction of treatment response to image-guided procedures (TACE, RFA, MWA, CRA, and Y-90) for patients with cancer, especially liver cancer.
About the JVIR Editor’s Awards:
The Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (JVIR) grants awards for exceptional research published in the journal in two categories: clinical research and laboratory investigation. The winning manuscripts are selected after a rigorous review of all JVIR articles published in the preceding year, voted on by the present editors, and decided on by the editor-in-chief. The chosen articles represent research that may substantially impact the IR community at present or in the future. These awards will be presented during the plenary session of the SIR annual meeting.
UCLA Radiology's 8th Annual Research Poster Day
6/03/2022
Congratulations to the winners and all who took part in this year's Research Poster Day held on Thursday, May 26th, 2022. This year, there were 30 trainees presented 26 posters.
Winning Presenters and Posters:
1st Place: Jason Chiang, MD, PhD
Computational Modeling of Combination Embolization and Microwave Ablation Therapy Using Perfusion Dynamic Contrast Enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI)
2nd Place: Alex Chung, MD
Quantitative Flow Parameters Differentiating Oncocytoma and Papillary Renal Cancer from Clear Cell Renal Cancer on Perfusion MDCT
3rd Place: Daniel Bradley, MD
Axillary Adenopathy after COVID-19 Vaccination
3rd Place: Kenton Kagy, DO
Incidental Osseous Lesions on Breast MRI. How Many Actually Warrant Follow Up?
UCLA Radiology's 7th Annual Research Poster Day
6/01/2021
Congratulations to the winners and all of our Fellows, Residents, Postdoctoral Research Fellows, and Graduate Students who took part in this year's virtual Research Poster Day held on Thursday, May 13st, 2021. This year, there were 32 trainees presented 33 posters.
Winning Presenters and Posters:
1st Place: Felipe Urdaneta, MD
Limited Z-Axis Coronary Artery Calcium Scoring
2nd Place: L. Luciano Ponce Mejia, MD
Robotic Assisted Neuroangiography: Feasibility and Technical Note of Initial Experience
3rd Place: Timothy Iafe, MD
Musculoskeletal Imaging Fellow Case Volumes Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic at UCLA
Congratulations to Jason Chiang, MD, PhD for Receiving the 2020-2021 Philips/RSNA Research Fellow Grant
07/16/2020
The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Research & Education Foundation awarded Jason Chiang, MD. the 2020-2021 Philips/RSNA Research Fellow Grant of $50,000 for his project titled "Computational Modeling of Combination Transarterial Embolization and Microwave Ablation Therapy Using 4D Flow MRI in an in Vivo Porcine Liver Model."
Under the guidance of Edward Lee, MD, PhD and , Dr. Chiang utilizes novel flow sensitive MRI sequences to quantify changes in hepatic blood flow during the embolization portion of combination therapy. The end goal of the project is to create a computational model that incorporates MR-derived flow data into a tool that helps radiologists predict the final microwave ablation zones and their margins during combination therapy.
About the Philips/RSNA Research Resident/Fellow Grant
This grant provides investigators a chance to explore powerful ideas. Working alongside an experienced advisor, trainees gain insight in research methods and techniques; it is a catalyst to pursue research at a critical point in a radiologist’s career. One-year grant of $30,000/$50,000. Click below to view the complete list of 2020 RSNA Research & Education Foundation New Grants Recipients.
UCLA Radiology's 6th Annual Research Poster Day
06/01/2020
Congratulations to the winners and all of our fellows and graduate students who took part in this year's virtual Research Poster Day held on Thursday, May 21st, 2020. This year, there were 34 trainees presented 33 posters.
Winning Presenters and Posters:
1st Place: Brian Dubin, MD
Behind NME Lines: Leveraging a Machine Learning Algorithm to Reduce Biopsies of Benign Nonmass Enhancement in the Breast
2nd Place: Melina Hosseiny, MD
Differentiation of Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinoma from Oncocytoma Using Aorta-Lesion-Attenuation-Difference (ALAD) on Multiphasic Computed Tomography
3rd Place: Yinn Cher Ooi, MD
Novel In Vitro Model of Arteriovenous Malformation for Endovascular Embolization and Flow Analysis
UCLA Radiology's 5th Annual Research Poster Day
06/11/2019
Congratulations to the winners and all of our fellows and graduate students who took part in the 5th Annual Research Poster Day held on Thursday, May 16th, 2019. This year, there were 54 trainees presented 56 posters in the exhibit.
Winning Presenters and Posters:
1st Place: Rohollah Nasiri, MS
Characterization of Force Generated in 3D Cardiac Tissues Using PDMS Platform
2nd Place: Melina Hosseiny, MD
Machine Learning Based Texture Analysis of CT Images In Small Renal Masses: How We Can Differentiate Angiomyolipoma Without Visible Fat From Different Types of Renal Cell Carcinomas
3rd Place: Cedric Pluguez-Turull, MD
- The Breast Tomography- Detected Architectural Distortion: Tumor Characteristics, Upgrades and Biopsy Methods
- The Breast Tomography- Detected Architectural Distortion: Imaging and Clinical Predictors of Pathologic Outcome
Ruiming Cao Received the ISBI 2019 Runner-up for the Best Paper Award
05/08/2019
The paper “Prostate Cancer Detection and Segmentation in Multi-Parametric MRI Via CNN and Conditional Random Field” by Ruiming Cao, et al. was presented and selected as the runner-up for ISBI 2019 best paper award at the IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging in April 2019.
Ruiming Cao is currently a second-year graduate student in computer science at UCLA, working on multi-parametric MRI analysis at the UCLA Magnetic Resonance Research Lab, advised by , an assistant professor of Radiology, and co-advised by Fabien Scalzo, Ph.D., an assistant professor of Computer Science, Neurology, and Electrical and Computer Engineering.