ABMS Visiting Scholars Research

Research impact is real change in the real world. The ABMS Visiting Scholars Program™ offers a pathway for early-career physicians and research professionals to develop new skills and capabilities, demonstrating their ability to create impact, which could become central to career progression and institutional reputation. Meet the ABMS Visiting Scholars from each cohort and learn about their research.

2024–2025 | 2023–2024 | 2022–2023 | 2021–2022 | 2020–2021 | 2019–2020 | 2018–2019 | 2017–2018 | 2016–2017 | 2015–2016 | 2014–2015

2024–2025

Top row: Daniel London, MD, MS; Allison Wallingford, MD; Julius Oatts, MD; David Yang, MD, MHS
Middle row: Reema Kar, MD, FACS; Joshua Sheak, MD, PhD; R. Nicholas Burns, MD, FACOG
Bottom row: Hailey Silverii, MD; Abigail Winkel, MD, MHPE, FACOG; Vinod Nambudiri, MD, MBA, MPH, EdM; Grant Shafer, MD, MA, FAAP

The 2024–2025 Scholars and their Research

  • R. Nicholas Burns, MD, FACOG – University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center  
    • Project: Evaluating the Relationship of ABOG Certification with Early Career Patient Outcomes in Obstetrics and Gynecology 
      (Sponsored by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology)
  • A. Reema Kar, MD, FACS – Rutgers/Robert Wood Johnson Medical School  
    • Project: The Development of Confidence in Surgery: Can Confidence Be Taught and Learned? 
      (Sponsored by the ABMS Research and Education Foundation)
  • Daniel London, MD, MS – University of Missouri Health Care  
    • Project: Standardizing Orthopedic Competency Evaluation: Determining the Inter- and Intra-Rater Agreement and Reliability of Orthopaedic Surgery Evaluators
      (Sponsored by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery)
  • Vinod Nambudiri, MD, MBA, MPH, EdM – Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School   
    • Project: Exploring Quantitative Outcomes of Specialized Joint Training and Research Training Tracks in Dermatology 
      (Sponsored by the American Board of Dermatology)
  • Julius Oatts, MD – University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine  
    • Project: The Step I Pass/Fail Era: Are Step 2 Scores and Sociodemographic Characteristics Related to OKAP and Board Certification Examination Performance? 
      (Sponsored by the American Board of Ophthalmology)
  • Grant Shafer, MD, MA, FAAP – Children’s Hospital of Orange County/University of California Irvine, School of Medicine (Pediatrics) 
    • Project: Determining the Frequency of Diagnostic Errors in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Surrounding Transport Using the Safer Dx NICU Instrument 
      (Sponsored by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation)
  • Joshua Sheak, MD, PhD – Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center  
    • Project: Representation of Indigenous Peoples in the Pediatrics and Pediatric Subspecialty Workforce 
      (Sponsored by the ABMS Research and Education Foundation)
  • Hailey Silverii, MD – Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center  
    • Project: Development, Validation, and Impact of the Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Pyeloplasty Skills Assessment Rubric (PySAR) 
      (Sponsored by the American Board of Urology)
  •  Allison Wallingford, MD – University of Washington Medicine  
    • Project: Use of Biased Language in the Medical Record to Describe Patients after Traumatic Brain Injury 
      (Sponsored by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)
  • Abigail Winkel, MD, MHPE, FACOG  – New York University Grossman School of Medicine  
    • Project: Decision-Making on the Labor Floor: Assessment of Obstetrician-Gynecologists’ Expertise Amidst Uncertainty 
      (Sponsored by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation)
  • The J. David Barry, M.D. Visiting Scholar is David Yang, MD, MHS – Yale School of Medicine   
    • Project: Anti-Asian Racial Discrimination and Burnout in Asian American Emergency Resident Physicians 
      (Sponsored by the American Board of Emergency Medicine)

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2023–2024

ABMS Visiting Scholars 2023-24 photo. Fei Chen, PhD, Attila Nemeth, MD, James P. Bowen, MD, Tina Motazedi, MD, Gillian Heinecke, MD, Matthew R. Starr, MD, Fasika Woreta, MD, Jenny Chen, MD, Yadira Villalvazo, MD, Leslie Chang, MD, Francis Deng, MD, Ria Mulherkar, MD, Ammara Watkins, MD
Top row: Leslie Chang, MD; Fasika Woreta, MD, MPH; Matthew R. Starr, MD; Ria Mulherkar, MD
Middle row: Ammara Watkins, MD, MPH; Attila Nemeth, MD, FHM; Jenny Chen, MD, EdM; Fei Chen, PhD; Francis Deng, MD
Bottom row: Gillian Heinecke, MD, FAAD; Yadira Villalvazo, MD; James P. Bowen, MD; Tina Motazedi, MD

The 2023–2024 Scholars and their Research

  • James P. Bowen, MD, Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellow, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
    • Project: Exploring Assessment of Pediatric Resident Clinical Reasoning Skills: A Qualitative Analysis
      (Sponsored by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation)
  • Leslie Chang, MD, Resident, Johns Hopkins University
    • Project: Advancing Professionalism through a Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Curriculum in Radiation Oncology
      (Sponsored by The American Board of Radiology)
  • Fei Chen, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
    • Project: Unprofessional Behavior in Residency Education: Developing a Taxonomy and Assessing Gender, Racial and Generational Differences in Perception
      (Sponsored by The ABMS Research and Education Foundation)
  • Jenny Chen, MD, EdM, Neurotology Fellow, Johns Hopkins University
    • Project: Envisioning the Path to Competency-Based Medical Education for Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery in the United States
      (Sponsored by The American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery)
  • Francis Deng, MD, Assistant Professor of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University
    • Project: Serendipitous to Deliberate Practice for Radiology: High-Fidelity Simulation with Artificial Intelligence-Generated Feedback for Image Interpretation
      (Sponsored by The American Board of Radiology)
  • Gillian Heinecke, MD, FAAD, Assistant Clinical Professor, SSM Health / Saint Louis University
    • Project: Investigating the Utility of Basic Exam Scores in Predicting Performance on Dermatology Certification Exams
      (Sponsored by The American Board of Dermatology)
  • Tina Motazedi, MD, Physician, Houston Methodist Hospital
    • Project: De-labeling Penicillin Allergy in an Academic Medical Center – A Quality Improvement Initiative
      (Sponsored by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation)
  • Ria Mulherkar, MD, Resident Physician, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
    • Project: Influence of Experiential Training Modules on Gender-Based Perceptions of Self-Efficacy in Radiation Oncology as a Window into Other Technical Medical Specialties: GlimPSE TMRO
      (Sponsored by The American Board of Radiology)
  • Attila Nemeth, MD, FHM, Physician, VA Northeast Ohio Health Care System
    • Project: Creating a New Activity Module on Physician Wellness for the ABMS Portfolio Program
      (Sponsored by The ABMS Research and Education Foundation)
  • Matthew R. Starr, MD, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, Mayo Clinic
    • Project: Assessing the Effectiveness of the American Board of Medical Specialties Quality Improvement Initiatives during the Maintenance of Certification Process for American Board of Ophthalmology Diplomates
      (Sponsored by The American Board of Ophthalmology)
  • Yadira Villalvazo, MD, MS, Resident, Research Fellow, University of Pittsburgh Department of Plastic Surgery
    • Project: Eliminating Implicit Bias in Written and Oral Board Exams
      (Sponsored by The American Board of Plastic Surgery)
  • Ammara Watkins, MD, MPH, Thoracic Surgeon / Assistant Professor of Surgery, Lahey Hospital and Medical Center / Tufts Medical School
    • Project: Evaluating Gender Disparity in the Operative Experience of Cardio Thoracic Trainees in the US
      (Sponsored by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery)
  • Fasika Woreta, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute / Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    • Project: Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Diversity in Oral Board Examiners of Surgical Specialties
      (Sponsored by The American Board of Ophthalmology)

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2022–2023

Visiting Scholars Class of 2022 2023 770 x 353
Top row: Gina Badalato, MD; Joel Bradley, MD; Erik Fritz, MD; Ahmed Ghazi, MD, MHPE, FEBU; Joseph Grubenhoff, MD, MSCS
Bottom row: Sara Hunter, MD; Benjamin Kinnear, MD; Kevin (Chris) McMains, MD; Sunil Samuel, MBBS, MBA; Divya Srikumaran, MD

The 2022–2023 Scholars and their Research

  • Gina Badalato, MD, Associate Professor of Urology, New York Presbyterian Hospital Columbia (New York, NY)
    • Project: What are Best Practices? A Comparative Analysis of Oral Board Delivery and Outcomes Across Surgical Disciplines
      (Sponsored by the ABMS Research and Education Foundation)
  • Joel Bradley, MD, Pediatric Hospitalist, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, (Lebanon, NH)
    • Project: Reaching the Hard to Reach: Development and Evaluation of a Pediatric Residency Curriculum Connecting Engagement in Patient Safety to Quality Improvement and Disclosure
      (Sponsored by the ABMS Research and Education Foundation)
  • Erik Fritz, MD, Orthopaedic Surgery Resident, University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN)
    • Project: Assessing the Accuracy of the Examination Linking Between the Orthopaedic In-Training Examination and the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery Certifying Examination Part I
      (Co-sponsored by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery)
  • Ahmed Ghazi, MD, MHPE, FEBU, Associate Professor of Urology, University of Rochester (Rochester, NY)
    • Project: Safe Introduction of New Procedures and Emerging Technologies in Urology
      (Co-sponsored by the American Board of Urology)
  • Joseph A. Grubenhoff, MD, MSCS, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Medical Director, Diagnostic Safety Program, Children’s Hospital Colorado, University of Colorado School of Medicine (Aurora, CO)
    • Project: Moving from “Do you remember?” to “What can we learn?”: Developing Strategies to Assist Emergency Department Providers in Calibrating Diagnostic Performance
      (Co-sponsored by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation)
  • Sara A. Hunter, MD, Fellow/Rising Staff Physician, Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland, OH)
    • Project: “It’s Not Enough to be Up-to-Date, You Have to be Up-to-Tomorrow”: How Longitudinal Assessment Encourages Radiologists to Stay Current
      (Co-sponsored by the American Board of Radiology)
  • Benjamin Kinnear, MD, Med, Associate Professor, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (Cincinnati, OH)
    • Project: Examining the Nature of Validity Argumentation in Health Professions Education Assessment
      (Sponsored by the ABMS Research and Education Foundation)
  • Kevin (Chris) McMains, MD, Professor of Surgery, South Texas Veterans Health Care System (San Antonio, TX)
    • Project: Professional Identity Formation and Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Oral Board Examinations
      (Co-sponsored by the American Board of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery)
  • Sunil Samuel, MBBS, MBA, Post-Doctoral Scholar, Oregon Health & Science University (Portland, OR)
    • Project: Assessing the Impact of Telemedicine on Electronic Health Record In-box Messages Relating to Test Results
      (Co-sponsored by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation)
  • Divya Srikumaran, MD, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Vice Chair of Education, Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD)

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2021–2022

ABMS Visiting Scholars 2021-2022
Top row: Asma Ali, PhD, MA, ERM; Holly Caretta-Weyer, MD, MHPE; Benjamin Cloyd, MD, MIPH;
Bottom row: Stacy Cooper, MD; Saanie Sulley, MD, PhD; Thomas Utset-Ward, MD, MBA.

The 2021–2022 Scholars and their Research

  • Asma Ali, PhD, MA, ERM, Advanced Health Professions Education Evaluation and Research Fellow, Michael E. Debakey Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
    • Research Project: Toward an Updated Definition of Professionalism and Competencies for Post-Training Physicians (Co-sponsored by the American Board of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery)
  • Holly Caretta-Weyer, MD, MHPE, Associate Residency Director, Department of Emergency Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine
    • Research Project: Mapping Assessment Gaps and Defining Processes for Summative Entrustment Decision-Making by Clinical Competency Committees in Emergency Medicine
  • Benjamin Cloyd, MD, MIPH, Clinical Lecturer, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan
    • Research Project: The Association of Participation in the MOCA-ASPIRE Part IV Collaborative Program and Change in Quality of Care Metrics (Co-sponsored by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation)
  • Stacy Cooper, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University
    • Research Project: A Pilot Analysis of an Exclusively Narrative Format to Assign ACGME Milestone Sub competency Scores
  • Saanie Sulley, MD, PhD, Lead Researcher/Data Manager, National Healthy Start Association
    • Research Project: Understanding physicians’ perspectives on the effectiveness of multidisciplinary quality improvement (QI) strategies to address disparities in maternal health. (Co-sponsored by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation)
  • Thomas Utset-Ward, MD, MBA, Resident, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The University of Chicago
    • Research Project: Pilot Study on the Use of the ABOS Surgical Skills Assessment Tool to Inform Resident Milestones in the First Year of Milestones 2.0 (Co-sponsored by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery)

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2020–2021

ABMS Visiting Scholars 2020-2021
Top row: Susrutha Kotwal, MD; Alison Huffstetler, MD; Melvin Makhni, MD, MBA; Joel Willis, DO, PA, MA, MPhil
Bottom row: Jacquelyn Dunahoe, MD; Robert Hayden, MD; Michelle Chen, MD, MHS; Justin Berk, MD, MPH, MBA

The 2020–2021 Scholars and their Research

  • Michelle Chen, MD, MHS, Lecturer/Fellow, University of Michigan
    • Research Project: Competency Assessment amongst Residents in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Training Programs (Co-sponsored by the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery)
  • Jacquelyn Dunahoe, MD, Resident Physician, University of Washington
    • Research Project: The Impact of Orthopaedic Surgical Training and Practice Characteristics on Patient Reported Outcomes
  • Robert Hayden, MD, Resident Physician, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School
    • Research Project: Racial Bias in Educational Simulations of Virtual Patients with COVID-19 (Co-sponsored by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation)
  • Alison Huffstetler, MD, Assistant Professor/Clinical Researcher, Virginia Commonwealth University
    • Research Project: Family Medicine Certification Status and Quality of Care Provisioned in Virginia
  • Melvin Makhni, MD, MBA, Spine Surgeon/Instructor, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School
    • Research Project: Perspectives and Economic Impact of Transition to Virtual-Based Orthopaedic Board Examinations (Co-sponsored by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery)
  • Joel Willis, DO, PA, MA, MPhil, Faculty Physician, The George Washington University, Medical Faculty Associates
    • Research Project: Telemedicine in the Ambulatory Primary Care Space: Implications for Patient Safety, Diagnostic Error, and Preventable Diagnostic Harm (Co-sponsored by Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation)

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2019–2020

2019 2020 abms visiting scholars 800px
2019-2020, from left: Maya Iyer, MD, MEd; Laura Kim, MD; Rachel Frank, MD; and Trisha Marshall, MD

The 2019–2020 Scholars and their Research

  • Rachel Frank, MD, Assistant Professor, University of Colorado
    • Research Project: Is there a Ceiling Effect in Virtual Reality Orthopaedic Surgical Simulators: A Prospective Clinical Trial
  • Maya Iyer, MD, MEd, Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Nationwide Children’s Hospital
    • Research Project: The Procedural Practice Perspective of General Pediatricians
  • Laura Kim, MD, Health Professions Education Evaluation and Research Fellow, VHA National Simulation Center (SimLEARN)
    • Research Project: Exploration of how MOCA simulations can impact future VA educational and policy efforts
  • Trisha Marshall, MD, Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellow, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

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2018–2019

2018 2019 visiting scholars conf 2018 800px
2018-2019, from left: Victoria Wurster Ovalle, MD; Brenessa Lindeman, MD, MEHP; Brian George, MD, MA; Kevin Cullison, MD; Caitlin Hicks, MD, MS; and Amy Cizik, PhD, MPH. Not pictured: Rodney Omron, MD, MPH

The 2018–2019 Scholars and their Research

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2017–2018

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2017-2018, from left: Johnathan Bernard, MD, MPH; Regan Bergmark, MD; Souvik Chatterjee, MD; Shannon Martin, MD, MS; Martin Casey, MD, MPH; and Brian Garibaldi, MD

The 2017–2018 Scholars and their Research

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2016–2017

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2016-2017, from left: Tim Xu, MD; Sandeep Mannava, MD; Lois Margaret Nora, MD (ABMS President and CEO); Joshua Davis, MD; and David Price, MD (Sr. Vice President, ABMS Research and Education Foundation)

The 2016–2017 Scholars and their Research

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2015–2016

x5a2365 scholars nora price horowitz moorhead copy
2015-2016, back row from left: Lois Margaret Nora, MD (ABMS President and CEO); Nadia Huancahuari, MD, MA; Zachary Gordon, MD; Front row from left: David Price, MD (Sr. Vice President, ABMS Research and Education Foundation); John C. Moorhead, MD, (Chair, ABMS Board of Directors); Benjamin Wooster, MD. Not pictured: Maya Babu, MD, MBA

The 2015–2016 Scholars and their Research

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2014–2015

visitingscholars2014
2014-2015, back row from left: John C. Moorhead, MD, (Chair, ABMS Board of Directors); Sheldon Horowitz, MD; Iahn Gonsenhauser, MD; Daniel Schumacher, MD, MeD; front row from left: Stephanie Yi, MD, MS; Michelle Lin, MD, MPH; Valerie Parisi, MD; Lois Margaret Nora, MD (ABMS President and CEO); John G. Clarkson, MD (ABMS Board); Thomas E. Norris, MD, (ABMS Board). Not pictured: Joan Ko, MD

The 2014–2015 Scholars and their Research

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