Downstate Surgery Represented at 2026 American Surgical Congress

Feb 28, 2026

The SUNY Downstate Department of Surgery congratulates senior surgery residents Dr. Sukaina Alikhan and Dr. Maryam Ali Khan, fourth-year medical student Steven Medvedovsky, and BA/MD student Tony Joseph on their outstanding presentations at the 21st Academic Surgical Congress in Lake Buena Vista, FL.  

 

 

 

 

Dr. Sukaina Alikhan presented “Predictors of Hospital Cost and Length of Stay for Patients Undergoing Ruptured AAA Repair.” The study demonstrated that key drivers of hospital costs included length of stay, comorbidity burden, and teaching hospital status. The findings highlighted the importance of patient complexity and hospital characteristics in determining resource utilization for rAAA repair.  

 

 

Dr. Maryam Ali Khan presented “Impact of Hospital Aneurysm Operative Volume on Mortality After Repair of Ruptured AAA.” The retrospective cohort study found that higher facility aneurysm operative volumes are associated with lower mortality odds after rAAA repair. These results underscore the importance of regionalization efforts for rAAA management and the need to establish regional centers of excellence with expertise in OAR. 

 

 

Steven Medvedovsky presented “Mortality After Cardiac Surgery at Safety-Net Hospitals – A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” The study highlights a critical association between increased postoperative in-hospital mortality after CABG and safety-net hospital designation. Cardiac surgery outcomes are associated with facility resources and patient socioeconomic status and targeted, procedure-specific interventions may help safety-net hospitals optimize care for patients with higher disease complexity and resource needs. 

 

Tony Joseph presented “Age-Stratified Predictors of Out-of-Pocket Costs for Outpatient Surgery in the US, 2002-2022.” Key findings include that although out-of-pocket outpatient surgery costs have increased over time, older patients and those with more comorbidities incur lower expenses. The findings suggest relatively adequate insurance protection in the oldest cohort but highlight cost reduction opportunities among younger individuals.  

 

The presentations at ASC highlight the impactful and wide-ranging research conducted at the undergraduate and graduate level through the Department of Surgery at Downstate, facilitated by the strong mentorship through the iNSPIRe research program. We applaud the presenters for this outstanding accomplishment and their dedication to advancing scholarly work.