Award Winning Research Presented at AVAS 2025

May 1, 2025

The SUNY Downstate Department of Surgery congratulates medical students Steven Medvedovsky, Jessica Yavner, Patrycja Lis, public health student Karlynn Holland, and resident Dr. Claire Ferguson on their podium presentations at the Association of VA Surgeons (AVAS) in Atlanta, Georgia. The department especially congratulates Steven Medvedovsky, who was awarded third place for the best medical student presentation.  The annual AVAS conference celebrates the remarkable accomplishments of surgical scientists from across the country who are active researchers within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital System.   

Medical student Steven Medvedovsky presented “Facility Medicaid Payer Proportion is Linearly Associated with Postoperative Mortality After High-Risk Surgery.” The study showed that mortality odds increase in a progressive fashion as facility Medicaid burden increases, calling for targeted interventions to improve disparities caused by resource limitations in safety net hospitals.   

Medical student Jessica Yavner presented “Impact of Medical Student-Led Surgical Simulation Curriculum on Student Confidence in the Operating Room in a Limited Resource Setting.” The study demonstrated a low-cost, near-peer-led surgical skills curriculum can improve clerkship students’ confidence in the operating room, anatomy and surgical instrument knowledge, surgical skills, and surgical care.   

Medical student Patrycja Lis presented “Preoperative Home Support and Outcomes in Elderly Adults Following Urgent and Emergent Surgery.” the study demonstrated patients living alone undergoing non-elective surgeries are not at increased 30-day readmission or mortality odds, suggesting that non-elective surgical care is largely safe for patients who live alone, but may require additional postoperative support.   

Public health student Karlynn Holland, MPH presented “Association between Preoperative  Home Support Status and Postoperative Outcomes in Older Adults after Elective Surgeries.” The study showed patients living alone undergoing elective surgeries are not at increased 30-day readmission or mortality odds, suggesting the safety of high-risk interventions in this high-risk cohort.  

Surgical resident Dr. Claire Ferguson presented “A Sentinel Rise in Non-Traumatic Major Lower Extremity Amputation Mortality.” The study demonstrated that over the past decade, the decline in mortality of below-knee amputation is decreasing, and the mortality of above-knee amputation is increasing, indicating that further research is needed to identify the causes of the increasing mortality and reduce disparities for major lower extremity amputation.  

The SUNY Downstate Department of Surgery would also like to congratulate Steven Medvedovsky on his presentation at MSNYSS entitled “Outcomes after Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in Elderly Patients with Preoperative Cognitive Decline.”  

Please join us in congratulating our students and residents on their exceptional achievements.