Presented by: Dan Eisenberg, MD, Professor of Surgery (General Surgery), Stanford University
Talk Title: “Obesity in Veterans with Spinal Cord Injury – A work in progress”

Bio: I am a fellowship-trained minimally invasive and bariatric surgeon, who is involved in national surgical and specialty societies. My area of clinical and research interest is in outcomes of metabolic and bariatric surgery in special populations. As a surgeon at the Palo Alto Veterans Hospital, I am specifically interested in the outcomes of weight loss surgery in obese Veterans, who represent a population with a significant burden of co-morbidity, as well as challenging social, economic, and geographic circumstances. In addition, I am currently studying Veterans with spinal cord injury, with a goal to identify gaps in assessment and management of obesity in this special population.

For inquiries, please contact Ana Mezynski at mezynski@stanford.edu

Presented by: Todd Wagner, PhD, Professor of Surgery
Talk title: “The Changing Face of Veterans and Implications for Policy: Insurance Coverage for US Veterans from 2010-2021”

Bio: Todd Wagner is a Professor in the Department of Surgery at Stanford University. He studies health information, efficiency and value, and health care access. He is particularly interested in developing learning health care systems that provide high value care. In addition to his role at Stanford, he Directs the Health Economics Resource Center at the Palo Alto VA, where he is a VA Research Career Scientist and he co-directs the VA/NCI Big Data Fellowship.

Please refer inquiries to Ana Mezynski at mezynski@stanford.edu

Due to President’s Holiday, the Work In Progress session has been cancelled.

Each week, S-SPIRE hosts a hybrid-model Work-In-Progress session (WIP) for faculty members and trainees to present their research and receive feedback. These run from September through May each year.

Our monthly WIP sessions (first Monday of every month) features Stanford and guest faculty presentations of well-developed projects. This WIP provides an opportunity to discuss high impact research and create synergy within the Stanford HSR/Surgery communities.

Our weekly WIP sessions feature trainees and faculty projects in every phase of development—from drafting specific aims pages, to parsing grant review committee comments, to abstracts/papers/methods in preparation.

Please refer inquiries to Ana Mezynski at mezynski@stanford.edu

Each week, S-SPIRE hosts a Work-In-Progress session (WIP) for faculty members and trainees to present their research and receive feedback on projects in every phase of development—from drafting specific aims pages, to parsing grant review committee comments, to abstracts/papers/methods in preparation.

Please refer inquiries to Ana Mezynski at mezynski@stanford.edu

Presented by: Albaraa Basfar, PhD
Talk Title: Underrepresented Minority Students’ Sense of Belonging in Medical School: How Does Mentorship Matter?

Bio: Albaraa Basfar Ph.D. is a Postdoctoral Scholar at the S-SPIRE Center at Stanford University. He received his Ph.D. in Educational Research and Evaluation from Ohio University in 2023. His research interests include program evaluation, research methodology, and education.

Dr. Basfar has a strong quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research background. He has experience in managing programs, conducting research, and analyzing data. He is also proficient in using SAS, R, SPSS, and Python.

Prior to joining the S-SPIRE Center, Dr. Basfar was a Research Analyst at Pensacola State College. In this role, he was responsible for compiling, arranging, and presenting data reports for several communities and college departments. He also created and analyzed surveys, Tableau visual dashboards, and conducted data research related to grants and accreditations.

Dr. Basfar is passionate about using research to improve education and positively impact students’ lives. He is excited to continue his research at S-SPIRE and contribute to the field of Pipeline Programs.

Please contact Ana Mezynski for Venue and Zoom details.

Presented by: Cara A. Liebert, MD, FACS
Talk Title: “Implementation of the ENTRUST Learning and Assessment Platform in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs)”

Bio: Dr. Liebert is a board-certified General Surgeon with fellowship training in Minimally Invasive Surgery. Her clinical practice focuses on robotic ventral hernia repair, abdominal wall reconstruction, and metabolic/bariatric surgery. Dr. Liebert works as faculty at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System and is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at Stanford School of Medicine.

Dr. Liebert graduated with Highest Distinction with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill. She obtained her MD degree and completed General Surgery Residency at Stanford University School of Medicine. She completed an American College of Surgeons- Educations Institute Surgical Education Fellowship at Stanford and an Advanced GI/Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship at VA Palo Alto.

Her research focuses on competency-based medical education, assessment, entrustable professional activities (EPAs), and global surgical education. Dr. Liebert holds several leadership roles in surgical education and is the Associate Chair of Education in the Department of Surgery. She is an Associate Program Director for the General Surgery Residency Program, Associate Site Director for the General Surgery Residency Program at VA Palo Alto, Director of the Balance in Life Program, and Associate Program Director for the Advanced GI/MIS Fellowship at VA Palo Alto.

Each week, S-SPIRE hosts a Work-In-Progress session (WIP) for faculty members and trainees to present their research and receive feedback on projects in every phase of development—from drafting specific aims pages, to parsing grant review committee comments, to abstracts/papers/methods in preparation.

Please refer inquiries to Ana Mezynski at mezynski@stanford.edu