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SSO 2024 Award Recipients 

The Charles M. Balch, MD, Distinguished Service Award 
Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD 

Harvey Baker Traveling Fellow Award 
Jaewon Lee, MD 
41: Combination of tumor and CAF subtypes better predict response to neoadjuvanttherapy in pancreatic cancer

Dr. Thomas K. Weber Colorectal Cancer Research Scholar Award
Sponsorship from The Colon Cancer Foundation and Society of Surgical Oncology
Chelsea M. Knotts, MD
P16: Lymphocyte Density Analysis in Appendiceal Cancer Reveals CD8: CD3 Ratio as a Grade-Independent Prognostic Biomarker

Dale Han Award
Sponsorship from Sentinel Node Oncology Foundation and Society of Surgical Oncology
Helena Ghali, BS
64: Hepatic and Overall Progression-Free Survival after Percutaneous Hepatic Perfusion as First-Line or Second-Line Therapy for Metastatic Uveal Melanoma

Jenny Chang, MD
67: The Role of Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy in the Management of Merkel Cell Carcinoma with Clinically Detected Regional Lymph Node Metastasis

Clinical Investigator Award
Neha Goel, MD, MPH
Supported by a grant from the SSO Research and Education Fund

Young Investigator Award
Adam Khader, MD, PhD
Supported by a grant from the SSO Research and Education Fund

Young Investigator Award-Appendix Cancer, Pseudomyxoma Peritonei (PMP) and Related Cancers
Michael White, MD, MSc
Supported by a grant from Appendix Cancer Pseudomyxoma Peritonei Research Foundation (ACPMP)

Resident/Fellow Presentation Awards 

Basic Science 
Shravan Leonard-Murali, MD
Uveal Melanoma Immunogenomics Predict Immunotherapy Resistance and Susceptibility

Clinical Research 
Misha Armstrong, MD 
Salvage Hepatic Artery Infusion Chemotherapy after First Line Systemic Failure in Patients with Unresectable Cholangiocarcinoma


Top Rated Oral Abstract Awards

Breast
Alexandra Moore, MD
6: Impact of clipped node as a sentinel lymph node on axillary staging following neoadjuvant chemotherapy in clinically node-positive breast cancer

Colorectal 
Muhammad B. Mirza, MD
20: Single-cell transcriptomic analysis identifies divergent tumor epithelial cell states in colorectal metastasis

Disparities in Surgical Oncology Care 
Alexandra E. Hernandez, MD, MPH
29: Lower Social Support Predicts Higher Cortisol for Breast Cancer Patients in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods

Endocrine/Head and Neck 
Aradhya Nigam, MD 
34: High Tumor Grade Predicts Somatic/Germline RET Mutation Status and Greater Regional Lymph Node Burden in Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma

HPB
Matthew Iyer, MD, PhD
40: Spatial Transcriptomics Reveals Molecular Subtypes of Pancreatobiliary IPMN

Melanoma
Shravan Leonard-Murali, MD
58: Uveal Melanoma Immunogenomics Predict Immunotherapy Resistance and Susceptibility

PSM
Muhammad Talha Waheed, MD
68: Reliability of Recurrence-free Survival as an Efficacy Endpoint for Trials of Resected Colorectal Cancer Peritoneal Metastasis: Results from the PSOLARIS study group

Quality Improvement/Clinical Outcomes 
Akash Kartik, MBBS
77: Evolution of the Volume Outcome Association in Complex Cancer Surgery- Should Volume Thresholds be Reconsidered?

Sarcoma 
Alexandra Allard-Coutu, BSc, MDCM, MScClin, FRCSC
83: Neoadjuvant Radiotherapy in Retroperitoneal Sarcoma (RPS): Data Dissemination and Practice Patterns Post STRASS

Upper GI 
Amber Gallanis, MD
88: Spatially resolved transcriptomic analysis of hereditary diffuse gastric cancer reveals a unique phenotype of early-stage signet ring cell cancers

Top Rated Oral Poster Awards

Breast
Faisal S. Jehan, MD, FICS
P1: High spermidine expression is associated with high cell proliferation and worse survival but respond better to immunotherapy in ER-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer.

Colorectal 
Rami James Aoun, MD, MPH
P13: Multiomic Profile of Colorectal Cancer Cell Line Radiosensitivity

Disparities in Surgical Oncology Care 
Alexandra Istl, MD MPH
P17: Tumors, treatments, and trust: cancer characteristics, outcomes, and screening uptake in transgender and gender-diverse patients

Endocrine/Head and Neck 
Julia A. Gasior, BS 
P23: Validation of a Novel Risk Prediction Model for Primary Aldosteronism

HPB
Brian Griffith, MD
P30: Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Ligands Found in Cigarette Smoke Drive Pancreatic Cancer Via Pro-Tumorigenic T Cell Polarization

Melanoma
Aaron Dinerman, MD
P38: Salvage Metastasectomy after Adoptive Cell Transfer for Melanoma: Long-Term Updates

PSM
Alessandro La Ferlita, PhD
P46: TWIST1 as a potential master transcription factor regulating colorectal cancer metastasis

Quality Improvement/Clinical Outcomes
Kelly M. Mahuron, MD 
P55: Randomized Controlled Trial - Perioperative Telemonitoring of Patient Generated Health Data in Gastrointestinal Oncologic Surgery: Assessing Outcomes

Sarcoma 
Shaliz Aflatooni, BS
P58: Isolated Limb Infusion for Limb Threatening Sarcomas

Upper GI
Morgan Pettigrew, MD
P66: CTLA-4 Blockade Increases Tumor-infiltrating CD8+ Cells in a Syngeneic Model of Gastric Cancer