Trainee Research Symposium
The Pathology and Immunology Trainee Research Symposium is an annual meeting hosted by the department offering an excellent opportunity to the clinical and research trainees to showcase their research work to the entire department and institution.
Resident Awards
Academy of Resident and Fellow Educators Excellence Award, May 2026
Sonalben Italiya, M.D.
Academy of Resident and Fellow Educators Trainee Award, May 2026
Samantha Walczak, D.O.
Baylor College of Medicine, Resident of the Quarter Award, May 2026
Samantha Walczak, D.O., Academic Year 2025-2026, Quarter 2
American Society of Dermatopathology Mentorship Award, February 2026
- Vicki Mercado-Evans, M.D., Ph.D., 2026-2027
- Hong Yu, M.D., Ph.D., 2026-2027
College of American Pathologists Foundation, Leadership Development Award, 2025
- Dilshad Dhaliwal, M.D., Spring Cycle Recipient
- Sonalben Italiya, M.D., Fall Cycle Recipient
Grants/Scholarships
United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology Meeting, San Antonio, Texas, March 2026: Pathologist-in-Training Travel Award
Xu Cao, M.D., Ph.D.
Texas Society of Pathologists Annual Meeting, Virtual Meeting, January 2026: Foundation Scholarship for Educational Outreach
Vicki Mercado-Evans, M.D., Ph.D.
American Society of Clinical Pathology Annual Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia, November 2025: Travel Grant Award
- Sonalben Italiya, M.D.
- Hong Yu, M.D., Ph.D.
United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts, March 2025: Pathologist-in-Training Travel Award
Dilshad Dhaliwal, M.D.
Texas Society of Pathologists Annual Meeting, Austin, Texas, February 2024: Scholarship for Research and Innovation
Dilshad Dhaliwal, M.D., Resident Category
Research Awards
| Date | Award | Recipient | BCM Faculty Mentors |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 2026 | Association of Indian Pathologists in North America Best Abstract Award United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology Meeting, San Antonio, Texas | Sonalben Italiya, M.D. | |
| February 2026 | Best Resident Oral Presentation Baylor College of Medicine Annual Trainee Research Symposium, Houston, Texas | Chihoon Ahn, M.D., Ph.D. "Integrated Molecular and Clinicopathologic Analysis of Myofibroma Tumors Expands Spectrum of PDGFRB and NOTCH3 Mutations" |
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| Date | Award | Recipient | BCM Faculty Mentors |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 2025 | Best Platform Presentation Ontario Association of Pathologists Annual Conference, Stratford, Ontario, Canada | Dilshad Dhaliwal, M.D. "Not every anal bump is a hemorrhoid – a spectrum of anal cases" | Celia Marginean, M.D. |
| April 2025 | Best Resident Poster Presentation, Runner-Up Baylor College of Medicine Annual Trainee Research Symposium, Houston, Texas | Dilshad Dhaliwal, M.D. "Unlocking the dual potential of endoscopic ultrasound guided liver biopsies – medical and therapeutic role and implications in medical liver disease" |
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| Date | Award | Recipient | BCM Faculty Mentors |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2024 | Best Resident Oral Presentation Baylor College of Medicine Annual Trainee Research Symposium, Houston, Texas | Dilshad Dhaliwal, M.D. "Is Mitotic Count in GIST stomach biopsies significant for patient case" | Shilpa Jain, M.D. |
| April 2024 | Best Resident Poster Presentation Baylor College of Medicine Annual Trainee Research Symposium, Houston, Texas | Dilshad Dhaliwal, M.D. "Is Mitotic Count in GIST stomach biopsies significant for patient case" | Shilpa Jain, M.D. |
Published Articles/Manuscripts
Roberts TR, Villalobos PA, Bigon EB, et al. von Willebrand factor dynamics in trauma managed with extracorporeal life support. J Thromb Haemost. 2026;24(5):1677-1689. doi:10.1016/j.jtha.2026.01.024
Yu H, Abdelhammed M, Cao X, Ramani NS. Cytology-First Diagnostic Workflow for Melanoma of Unknown Primary With Molecular Profiling. Cytopathology. Published online April 27, 2026. doi:10.1111/cyt.70080
Kang A, Esnakula AK. Cryptosporidiosis. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/coloncryptosporidium.html
Walczak SG and Masand RP. Diffuse Uterine Leiomyomatosis: Diagnostic Challenges of a Rare Condition. International Journal of Gynecological Cancer. 2026, 104696. Published 2026 Apr 10. doi:10.1016/j.ijgc.2026.104696
Mercado-Evans V, Levett K, Diwan AH, Huttenbach Y. Radiation-Induced Angiosarcoma of the Breast With Diffuse GATA-3 Positivity: A Possible Diagnostic Pitfall. Am J Dermatopathol. Published online March 13, 2026. doi:10.1097/DAD.0000000000003270
Deboever N, Khanduri I, Eisenberg M, et al. Mucosal Versus Submucosal Lymphovascular Invasion in Early Esophageal Cancer. Ann Surg Oncol. Published online February 16, 2026. doi:10.1245/s10434-025-19080-0
Lin WH, Kosari F, Smadbeck JB, Barrett MT, Feathers RW, Hall J, Sadeghian D, Sotiriou S, Johnson SH, Harris FR, Berry T. Functional genomics identifies therapeutic options, biomarkers, and resistance mechanisms for high-grade gliomas. bioRxiv. 2026 Feb 3:2026-02
Shaheen MT, Dhebat S, Rajapakshe KI, Ghosh B, Chellakkan Selvanesan B, Ansari SS, Haymaker CL, Sadeghian D, Wang H, Li CF, Ying H. The Lysine Demethylase KDM4C Is an Oncogenic Driver and Regulates ERK Activity in KRAS-Mutant Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. Cancer Research Communications. 2026 Jan 30;6(1):245-59
Hogan, K.J., Urquieta, E. & Reynolds, R.J. A demographic comparison of NASA astronauts and commercial spaceflight participants. npj Microgravity 12, 14 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-025-00559-9
Luigi A, Harris FR, Grcevich L, Capasso I, Murphy SJ, Smadbeck JB, McCune AF, Ali MF, Karagouga G, Johnson SH, Sadeghian D. Prognostic value of perioperative circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in endometrial cancer with high-risk features: a prospective observational study. European Journal of Surgical Oncology. 2026 Jan 5:111388
Perez, M.R., Kolliopoulos, V.K., Hogan, K.J., Chari, S.A., Helal, Z.A., Lang, V.Y., Yin, S., Ezeokeke, G.I., Yu, M.Y., McHugh, K.J., Grande-Allen, K.J., Mikos, A.G. 3D Printing of Nanoparticulate Cartilage Decellularized Extracellular Matrix for Cartilage Tissue Engineering. Bioprinting 2025; 52: e00458
Harris FR, Luigi A, Grcevich L, Capasso I, Murphy SJ, Smadbeck JB, McCune AF, Ali MF, Karagouga G, Johnson SH, Sadeghian D. DNA-junction-based personalized liquid biopsy assays could inform management of aggressive endometrial cancer. International Journal of Gynecological Cancer. 2025 Nov 3:102773
Platero-Portillo T, Mercado-Evans V, Ramani N, Krishnan B. Simultaneous Presentation of Cutaneous Waldenström Macroglobulinemia and Acalabrutinib-Related Toxicity. Am J Dermatopathol. 2025;47(10):786-789. doi:10.1097/DAD.0000000000003077
Florio A, Smadbeck J, Johnson SH, Lin WH, Sadeghian D, Sotiriou S, Salvatori R, Feathers RW, Berry T, Kinsella L, Harris FR. Functional impact of the hyperduplication genomophenotype in high copy number endometrial cancer. Iscience. 2025 Jul 18;28(7)
Pei G, Min J, Rajapakshe KI, Branchi V, Liu Y, Selvanesan BC, Thege F, Sadeghian D, Zhang D, Cho KS, Chu Y. Spatial mapping of transcriptomic plasticity in metastatic pancreatic cancer. Nature. 2025 Jun 5;642(8066):212-21
Guest R, Dhaliwal D, Kinnear D, et al. Lethal Neonatal Pulmonary Hypertension in Trisomy 21 (T21) Likely Due to Congenital Portosystemic Shunts. Pediatr Dev Pathol. 2025;28(5):416-419. doi:10.1177/10935266251343287
Carrillo A, Arbab F, Ramani NS. Metastatic Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma in the Lymph Nodes Without Identifiable Primary Tumor in the Thyroid. Cureus. 2025;17(5):e84554. Published 2025 May 21. doi:10.7759/cureus.84554
Akhter J, Dhaliwal D, Jain S, Marginean C. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) for mismatch repair (MMR) proteins in colorectal (CRC) carcinoma: MLH1 punctate loss shows distinct patterns in biopsies and resections. Laboratory Investigation, Volume 105, Issue 3, 102777. Published March 2025. DOI: 10.1016/j.labinv.2024.102777
Wu W, Ahn C, Scull J, et al. Co-Occurrence of ETV6::RUNX1 and P2RY8::CRLF2 Fusion in a Patient with Relapsed Acute B Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Ann Clin Lab Sci. 2025;55(1):133-141
Parikh K, Harris FR, Karagouga G, Schrandt A, Mandrekar J, Johnson S, McCune A, Sadeghian D, Roy D, Polonis K, Gaitatzes A. Individualized cell-free DNA monitoring with chromosomal junctions for mesothelioma. JTO Clinical and Research Reports. 2024 Dec 1;5(12):100692
Li AL, Sugiura K, Nishiwaki N, Suzuki K, Sadeghian D, Zhao J, Maitra A, Falvo D, Chandwani R, Pitarresi JR, Sims PA. FRA1 controls acinar cell plasticity during murine KrasG12D-induced pancreatic acinar to ductal metaplasia. Developmental cell. 2024 Nov 18;59(22):3025-42
Li A, Nishiwaki N, Sugiura K, Suzuki K, Contreras CN, Sadeghian D, Maitra A, Pitarresi JR, Chandwani R, Sims PA, Rustgi AK. Mapping cellular plasticity through the lens of FRA1 during KrasG12D mediated pancreatic acinar to ductal metaplasia. InCANCER RESEARCH 2024 Sep 1 (Vol. 84, No. 17)
Dhaliwal D, Sayyadioskoie S, Siatecka H, Hunt C, Diwan AH. A Tale of Two Tumors: A Collision Tumor of Atypical Fibroxanthoma and Basal Cell Carcinoma. Am J Dermatopathol. 2024;46(5):309-311. doi:10.1097/DAD.0000000000002694
Gagnon MF, Penheiter AR, Harris F, Sadeghian D, Johnson SH, Karagouga G, McCune A, Zepeda-Mendoza C, Greipp PT, Xu X, Ketterling RP. Unraveling the genomic underpinnings of unbalanced MYC break-apart FISH results using whole genome sequencing analysis. Blood Cancer J. 2023 Dec 19;13(1):190
Khanduri I, Maki H, Verma A, et al. New Insights into Macrophage Polarization and its Prognostic Role in Patients with Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastasis. Preprint. Res Sq. 2023;rs.3.rs-3439308. Published 2023 Oct 19. doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-3439308/v1
Khanduri I, Maru DM, Parra ER. Exploratory study of macrophage polarization and spatial distribution in colorectal cancer liver metastasis: a pilot study. Front Immunol. 2023;14:1223864. Published 2023 Aug 10. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2023.1223864
Platform and Other Presentations
| Date | Event | Title | Presenter | BCM Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | Citywide Surgical Pathology Unknown Conference, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas | NIPBL:NACC1 Fusion-Associated Solid/Tubulocystic ICCA and FGFR2 Fusion-Positive Cholangiocarcinoma | Hong Yu, M.D. Ph.D. | Li Liang, M.D., Ph.D. |
| April 2026 | International Society of Gynecologic Pathology, IsGyp Live | Interesting Case Presentation | Isha Khanduri, M.D. | Ramya Masand, M.D. |
| March 2026 | Houston Society of Clinical Pathology, Annual H. Stephen Gallagher Residents and Fellows Seminar | Role of BAP1 Testing in Tumor Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Targeted Therapy | Sonalben Italiya, M.D. | Ying Pei, M.D., Ph.D. |
| March 2026 | United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology Meeting, San Antonio, Texas | Characterization of 9p24.1 Amplification in Non-Hematologic Malignancies: Associations with PD-L1 Expression, Co-Mutations, and Clinical Outcome |
| Li Liang, M.D., Ph.D. |
| March 2026 | United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology Meeting, San Antonio, Texas | Standardizing gastrointestinal biopsy reports: A survey-based assessment of reporting preferences among gastroenterologists |
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| March 2026 | United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology Meeting, San Antonio, Texas | Expanding the Role of BAP1 Testing in Tumor Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Targeted Therapy: Insights from a Single-Center Experience |
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| March 2026 | United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology Meeting, San Antonio, Texas | Unraveling Plasma Cell-Rich Rejection: A Clinicopathologic Study in Pediatric Liver Transplant Recipients with Definite or Indeterminate Antibody-Mediated Rejection | Sonalben Italiya, M.D. |
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| February 2026 | Citywide Surgical Pathology Unknown Conference, UTHealth Houston, Houston, Texas | YWHAE:NUTM2 Endometrial Stromal Sarcoma with Pure Low-Grade Morphology | Samantha Walczak, D.O. | Ramya Masand, M.D. |
| Date | Event | Title | Presenter | BCM Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2025 | Association for Molecular Pathology Annual Meeting, Boston, Mass. | Detection of MYBL1 Rearrangement as a Diagnostic Hallmark in Diffuse Astrocytoma Through Integrated Copy Number and Structural Variant Calling | Ege Cubuk, M.D. |
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| October 2025 | Society for Pediatric Pathology Fall Meeting, Philadelphia, Pa. | Increased Placental Calcifications in Fetal Skeletal Dysplasias | Katelyn Moss, D.O. |
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| September 2025 | Ontario Association of Pathologists Annual Conference, Stratford, Ontario, Canada | Not every anal bump is a hemorrhoid – a spectrum of anal cases | Dilshad Dhaliwal M.D. | Celia Marginean, M.D. |
| August 2025 | International Society of Gynecologic Pathology, IsGyp Live | Journal Club Presentation | Isha Khanduri, M.D. | Ramya Masand, M.D. |
| April 2025 | Citywide Surgical Pathology Unknown Conference, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas | EGFR Exon 20 Insertion Mutation as the Defining Genomic Alteration and Grade Determination in a Diffuse Thalamic Glioma | Chihoon Ahn, M.D., Ph.D. |
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| February 2025 | Citywide Surgical Pathology Unknown Conference, UTHealth Houston, Houston, Texas | A Rare Case of Pancreatic Carcinosarcoma | Sonalben Italiya, M.D. | Celia Marginean, M.D. |
| Date | Event | Title | Presenter | BCM Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2024 | Association for Molecular Pathology Annual Meeting, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | EGFR Exon 20 Insertion Mutation as the Defining Genomic Alteration and Grade Determination in a Diffuse Thalamic Glioma | Chihoon Ahn, M.D., Ph.D. |
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| November 2024 | Citywide Surgical Pathology Unknown Conference, Houston Methodist, Houston, Texas | Diagnostic Dilemma – I don’t know what this biopsy is? A liver biopsy with a challenging presentation | Dilshad Dhaliwal, M.D. |
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| June 2024 | American Association of Neuropathologists Annual Meeting, Olympic Valley, Calif. | Disseminated Cryptococcus neoformans Infection of the CNS in the Setting of Polyglucosan Bodies due to Underlying Type IV Glycogen Storage Disease | Katelyn Moss, D.O. |
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| April 2024 | Baylor College of Medicine Annual Trainee Research Symposium, Houston, Texas | Is Mitotic Count in GIST stomach biopsies significant for patient case | Dilshad Dhaliwal, M.D. | Shilpa Jain, M.D. |
| March 2024 | Houston Society of Clinical Pathologists, Houston, Texas | Deciphering the Impact: Mitotic Count in Stomach GIST Biopsies and Its Role in Tertiary Hospital Care | Dilshad Dhaliwal, M.D. |
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| Date | Event | Title | Presenter | BCM Faculty Mentor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | Texas Society of Pathologists Summer Conference and Young Pathologists’ Section Retreat, San Antonio, Texas | Unusual diagnosis of splenic littoral cell angioma on cytology: A rare case report | Sonalben Italiya, M.D. | Roshan Raza, M.D. |
Other Projects
February 2026: Case of the Month, Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center, Houston, Texas
TTF-1-positive gastric carcinoma metastatic to the rectum
- Presenter: Hareem Hamza, M.D.
- BCM Faculty Mentor: Celia Marginean, M.D.
July 2025: Case of the Month, Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center, Houston, Texas
Goblet cell adenocarcinoma of appendix
- Presenter: Hareem Hamza, M.D.
- BCM Faculty Mentor: Celia Marginean, M.D.