Research Symposium
The Department of Surgery's annual Research Symposium brings together faculty, project scientists, residents, research fellows, post-doctoral scholars, and medical students who are interested in our research enterprise.
The main goals of this event are 1) prepare future leaders in surgical sciences research; 2) foster systematic and evidence-driven research; 3) incubate junior researchers for applying for research grants; and, 4) improve health outcomes among surgical patients through basic, clinical, and transitional research.
The Symposium consists of keynote lectures, oral sessions, quick shot presentations, and networking. It enables the sharing of research and accomplishments as well as the review of research being conducted by peers. Following each presentation, faculty and students alike can debate the research topic, ask questions, and provide commentary.
The program is planned and organized with the help of the Symposium Organization Committee that includes Dr. Kenneth Liechty, MD (Vice Chair of Research), Carlos Zgheib, PhD (Associate Professor), Abdul Tawab Saljuqi, PhD (Assistant Director of Research), Charlotte Smith (Department Administrator), Jessica Montoya (Administrative Operations Manager), and Emma Dickey (Marketing Specialist).
The Organizing Committee will prepare the call for abstracts, which will be disseminated through the DOS research newsletter and all DOS listservs two months before the Symposium. Abstracts will be reviewed by a group of experts from different research backgrounds ranging from basic science to clinical research to transitional research.
Join the Department of Surgery for the 2026 Research Symposium on Wednesday, May 13, in the Health Sciences Innovation Building forum.
This year, our keynote speaker will be Ali Naji, MD, PhD. For more information about our speakers, read below:
Get to know our 2026 speakers
Ali Naji, MD, PhD
Johnathan E. Rhoads Professor of Surgical Sciences II
Associate Director, Institute for Diabetics, Obesity, and Metabolism
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Ramesh Batra, MD, MA, FRCS, FACS
Division Chief
Division of Abdominal Transplant
Department of Surgery
Dr. Batra is an accomplished transplant surgeon, academic leader, and clinical innovator with a diverse background in liver and kidney transplantation, living donor transplantation, transplant ethics, and medical technology innovation. He is a recognized leader in transplant medicine, serving in national leadership roles such as Chair of Surgery and Liver Transplantation for the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), and has received multiple accolades, including the 2023 American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS) Rising Star in Transplantation Award and the 2025 DARPA Gold Award for Innovation.
In addition to his clinical accomplishments, Dr. Batra’s current research focuses include machine learning applications in organ allocation and improving access to transplantation across underserved populations. Dr. Batra’s appointment ushers in a new era for the Division of Abdominal Transplant Surgery, as he brings a vision centered on multidisciplinary collaboration, surgical excellence, and innovation in transplantation science.
Alexandra P Turner, MD
Clinical Associate Professor
Division of Abdominal Transplant
Department of Surgery
Dr. Turner is a clinical associate professor of surgery in the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson Department of Surgery Section of Abdominal Transplant Surgery.
Dr. Turner specializes in liver, kidney and pancreas transplantation as well as pancreatic and hepatobiliary surgery. Her research has focused on novel co-stimulation blockade-based immunosuppression regimens and the context-dependent role of rapamycin in determining the immune response. Her work has been published in high-impact journals including Nature and Nature Medicine.