Poster Symposium Winners

2026 Winners

A record-breaking number of abstract submissions set the tone for an exciting and competitive symposium. The Arizona Medical Association's 5th Annual Poster Symposium welcomed more than 30 authors from medical schools and residency programs across the state. This year's awardees impressed our physician judges with their innovative, forward-thinking, and rigorous research.

Clinical & Basic Research

🥇 1st Place

Alexander Eischeid

University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix


Poster Title: "Gout is Associated with Early Surgical Utilization and Postoperative Complications in Rotator Cuff Repairs: A Propensity Matched Analysis"


2nd Place

Christine Lee & Karleen King

Midwestern University Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine


Poster Title: "Process Development and Preclinical Efficacy Testing of Schistosoma haematobium Calpain-based Next-Generation Vaccines for Urogenital Schistosomiasis"


3rd Place

Vishal Harnoor

Creighton University School of Medicine


Poster Title: "Associations Between Urban and Rural Residence, Drinking Water Source, and Parkinson's Disease in a Nationwide Study of U.S. Medicare Beneficiaries"

Clinical Vignettes

🥇 1st Place

Dr. Akil Kingselin; Dr. Karen Melara Hernandez; Dr. Shanka Edwards; Dr. Naseha Fathima; and Dr. Mathew Bishop

Onvida Health


Poster Title: "The Paradox of Healing: A Case of Bactrim-Induced Aseptic Meningitis"


2nd Place

Dr. Miassa Aljiboree

University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix


Poster Title: "The Cortisol Trap: Epinephrine-Guided AVS Corrects Misleading Lateralization in Primary Hyperaldosteronism with Cortisol Co-Secretion"


3rd Place

Rose Zach

University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix


Poster Title: "Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension in a Pediatric Male With May-Thurner Anatomy and Congenital Bilateral Venous Insufficiency: A Case Report"

Nature's Symphony

Breathtaking colors of our planet
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Faces of Humanity

Portraits of people from around the globe
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Sands of Time

Stark beauty of desolate dunes
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Beyond Boundaries

Visual odyssey across continents
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Health Policy & Medical Education

🥇 1st Place

Mantej Singh

University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix


Poster Title: "Social Determinants of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) Disparities Among Arizona's Medicaid Population"


2nd Place

Juhi Salunke

Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine


Poster Title: "Impact of a Brief Peer-Presented Opioid Overdose Prevention Module on First-Year Medical Students' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Willingness to Intervene in Overdose Response"


3rd Place

Gurbeen Dadiala

Midwestern University Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine


Poster Title: "Evaluation of Readability in AAGL Patient Education Materials and AI-Driven Text Simplification"

People's Choice Award

Isabelle Paolillo

Midwestern University Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine


Poster Title: "Cutting CDC Funding Weakens the Systems That Protect Us from Deadly Respiratory Illness: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic"

Previous Symposium Winners

  • 2025 Poster Symposium Winners

    CLINICAL VIGNETTE

    • 1st Place: Leah Sanford, “Pulmonary Point of Care Ultrasound: A Case Series”
    • 2nd Place: Kinsey Lovich, “A Complex Case of Gitelman Syndrome: The Role of Comorbidities, Dietary Factors, and Chronic Medication in Exacerbating Electrolyte Imbalances ”
    • 3rd Place: Manogna Nuthi, “Managing Morgellons Disease in a Plastic Surgery Clinic – A Multidisciplinary Approach"

    CLINICAL RESEARCH

    • 1st Place: Jean Bernard Salloum, “Neurological Symptom Mapping for Acute Ischemic Stroke - A Novel Tool for Predicting Occlusion Location”
    • 2nd Place: Michael Cirelli Jr., "Branching Out for Harvest: Medial Sural Artery Perforator Flap Anatomical Classification"
    • 3rd Place: David Yacoub, "The Impact of Depression and Anxiety on Outcomes of Aortic Regurgitation: A Propensity-Score Matched International Database Analysis"

    HEALTH POLICY & MEDICAL EDUCATION

    • 1st Place: Ammonn Driggs, “Optimizing Medical Training: Insights from Online Resources on Tympanoplasty”
    • 2nd Place: Fatouma Tall, "The Effect of Social Determinants of Health and the COVID-19 Pandemic on Epidural Anesthesia during Vaginal Labor/Deliveries" 
    • 3rd Place: Danielle Heiser, "Substance Use Disorder, Depression, and Healthcare Utilization among Homeless Young Adults: A SDOH Perspective"

  • 2024 Poster Symposium Winners

    CLINICAL VIGNETTE

    • 1st Place: Elliot Jensen, “Successful Treatment of Refractory Cholinergic Urticaria with Scheduled Sublingual Cannabinoid Therapy” 
    • 2nd Place: Harshita Talkad, "Diagnosis of MGUS Alongside Monoclonal Antibody Administration"
    • 3rd Place: Whitely Figge, "A Congenital Problem Detected in Adulthood: A Case of a Morgagni Hernia"

    CLINICAL & BASIC RESEARCH

    • 1st Place: Shuaa Rizvi, “Identification of Stratifin as a Potential Biomarker for Oral Cancer Progression”
    • 2nd Place: Lauren Ondrejka, "Social Needs of Children with Medical Complexity and Inpatient Care Utilization"
    • 3rd Place: Trevin Reyes, "Correlation of Shoe Wear Patterns and Weight Bearing Radiographs"

    HEALTH POLICY & MEDICAL EDUCATION

    • 1st Place: Divya Jeyasingh, “Impact of an Orthopaedic Surgeon Instructor During a Cadaveric Anatomy Course on First-year Medical Student Interest in Surgery” 
    • 2nd Place: Annika Hiredesai, "Analysis of Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Trends in Foot and Ankle Fellowships from 2007 to 2022"
    • 3rd Place: Nicole Falls, "Genesis of Desire for Medicine Amongst Pre-Collegiate Students"

    PEOPLE'S CHOICE

    Clinical Research

    • Landon Ebbert, "On the Evolution of the Paranasal Sinuses: A Darwinian Approach to Explaining Purpose"

    Clinical Vignette

    • Yezan Hassan, "A Case on The Role of Socioeconomic Variables in Multifaceted Illness: Strongyloidiasis, Mastocytosis, and Acute Kidney Injury"

    Health Polocy & Medical Education

    • Justin Knapp, "Assessing Online Patient Information for Mohs Surgery: A Comparative Study of Classification Models"

  • 2023 Poster Symposium Winners

    CLINICAL & BASIC RESEARCH

    • 1st Place: Melissa Pelkey, "Acupuncture Therapy as a Complementary Treatment Modality in the Perioperative Setting"

    CLINICAL VIGNETTE

    • 1st Place: Dr. Pallabi Shrestha,"An Insidious Onset of Non-Convulsive Status Epilepticus (NCSE) in a Critically Ill Patient

    HEALTH POLICY & MEDICAL EDUCATION

    • 1st Place: Ning McKenzie, "The Happiness Selective: Curriculum for Improving Medical Student Well-being"

  • 2022 Poster Symposium Winners

    • 1st Place: Josiah Bardwell, "Kratom – The Opioid Loophole: A Dangerous Herbal Supplement in the Midst of an Opioid Crisis"
    • 2nd Place: Dr. Jessica Heintz, "West Nile Virus — A Neglected Tropical Disease of Arizona?"
    • 3rd Place: Dr. Laura Hamant, "Case of Clostridium Difficile Small Bowel Enteritis"