Radiology Research Day Showcases the Department’s Groundbreaking Work
On June 5, 2025, the Radiology Department held its annual Research Day to recognize a year’s worth of hard work and innovative research. This year marked not only one of the largest turnouts since the event’s inception, but also the largest number of abstract submissions ever, with 16 oral and 12 poster presentations accepted. 
The keynote speaker this year was Dr. Michael Ohliger, a University of California, San Francisco Associate Professor in Residence in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging. Before diving into his research on quantitative MRI biomarkers of chronic liver disease, he addressed the many trainees in attendance still early in their careers. Sharing the non-linear journey he took before entering the field of imaging research, he stressed the importance of persistence, planning, and a degree of good luck as the building blocks to an accomplished career in medical research.
The rest of the program was dedicated to presentations from trainees on both the clinical and research side of our department. As in previous years, each oral presentation was evaluated by a panel of clinical and research faculty judges.
The top three presentations this year were:
- 1st place: Fuchang Jiang "An Implant-Friendly MRI Coil for Imaging of Children with Non-MR-Conditional Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices"
- 2nd place (Tie): Halil Ertugrul Aktas "In-depth Radiological and Explainability Analysis of Deep Learning Predictions for IPMN Risk Stratification on MRI"
- 2nd place (Tie): Justin Baraboo "Arrhythmia Resolved 5D Flow Imaging Decodes the Effect of Arrhythmias on Flow Energetics"
In addition, trainees were asked to vote for the faculty member who had the most impact on their growth as researchers. This year, we were pleased to announce three Mentor of the Year Awards:
- Ulas Bagci, PhD
- Andrew Gordon, MD PhD
- Ahsun Riaz, MD
Thanks to everyone who showed up to support the vital research being conducted in our department! A special thank you to the residents who hosted and organized this event, Drs. Brandon Caldwell and Ethan Klepitsch. Without them, this event would not have been possible. We look forward to hosting this event again next spring!
