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

Speaker and talk: TBD

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: Alex Sox-Harris, PhD, Profesor, S-SPIRE Center, Department of Surgery, Stanford University.
Talk Title: “Using Modern Data Science Methods and Advanced Analytics to Improve the Efficiency, Reliability, and Timeliness of Cardiac Surgical Quality Data Project Update and Questions About Future Directions”

Bio: Alex Sox-Harris is a leader in several domains of health services research, including quality measurement, pragmatic rigorous evaluation, predictive modeling, and improvement science (implementation and de-implementation). As a VA Research Career Scientist and Professor in the Stanford Department of Surgery, he has published over 250 scientific papers, has over 15 years of continuous federal research funding, and has received numerous national awards for the innovation and impact of his research. In addition to his own work, Dr. Sox-Harris mentors and supports surgeons to produce publishable research and secure research funding.

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