Inaugural Stanford Cardiothoracic Surgery Annual Research Symposium

by Mary Sheridan Bilbao, PA-C, MPAS
June 12, 2025

The Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine hosted its first annual research symposium on May 16, 2025. All Stanford cardiothoracic surgery-affiliated and cardiovascular medicine researchers— including faculty, fellows, residents, postdoctoral scholars, students, and research associates—were encouraged to submit abstracts for consideration for oral presentations.

Held on Stanford campus, the event brought together approximately 50 attendees to highlight innovative research in the field. The symposium featured poster presentations from Stanford-affiliated researchers, with the top three abstracts selected for oral presentations. Awards were presented to the following top-rated abstracts:

●      “EchoAI-Peds: A View-Agnostic, Multi-Task Deep Learning Model for Pediatric Echocardiography Interpretation”

●      “Factors Associated with Length of Stay in Cardiac Surgery Patients”

●       “Outcomes after Lung Transplantation from Deceased after Circulatory Death Donors: A Propensity Matched Study”

View the 2025 program agenda

A highlight of the symposium was a keynote talk by Alison Marsden, PhD, the Douglass M. and Nola Leishman Professor of Cardiovascular Disease in the Departments of Pediatrics, Bioengineering, and (by courtesy) Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University. Marsden shared insights on the use of computational and blood flow modeling in cardiac surgery. She also discussed using modeling and 3D printing to predict optimal patch sizing in congenital cardiac reconstruction, as well as developing bioabsorbable scaffolds to reduce hypertrophy and chronic disease in coronary vein grafts.

Thank you to everyone who helped organize this inaugural event, with special thanks to A. Claire Watkins, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor in Cardiothoracic Surgery, and the planning committee, as well as Stephanie Harrington, Residency and Fellowship Coordinator, and Alyssa Barquin, Administrative Associate to Drs. Claire Watkins.

Event Photos

Photo credit: AGS Photo Art (Amandarose Szezorak)