Ahmad Ozair
Ahmad Ozair, MD, MPH, is a postdoctoral research fellow in neurosurgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD. He is also a Clarendon Scholar for Oxford's MSc in Evidence-Based Healthcare (EBHC) course (Clarendon is awarded to the top 1% of graduate students at the University of Oxford).
He completed his early education and medical training in India (2016-2022), graduating as the first-ranked candidate in the class of 250 from KGMU, one of the top ten nationally ranked medical schools. During this, he completed several sub-internships in neurosurgery in the US, along with the Khorana Scholarship funded by the Government of India. He was one of the five students in the university's history (till 2022) who received all three of the most prestigious honors of the institution, along with being the sole inaugural recipient of the MBBS student research award. During his house officership year in India, he completed the Global Clinical Scholars Research Training (GCSRT, http://hms.harvard.edu/gcsrt) from HMS Post-Graduate Medical Education, focused on developing clinician-scientists.
After finishing his house officership in India, he pursued a postdoctoral research fellow (2022-2023) in neuro-oncology at the Miami Cancer Institute. At MCI, he worked under Prof. Manmeet Ahluwalia and Prof. Michael McDermott in early-phase trials, including major efforts through the Adult Brain Tumor Consortium. Thereafter, he moved to Johns Hopkins University to pursue an accelerated MPH, with a concentration in epidemiology-biostatistics, along with a graduate certificate in 'clinical trials'. At Bloomberg School of Public Health, he was one of fourteen Sommer Scholars worldwide (>100,000 USD of scholarship).
Currently, he is working under Prof. Graeme Woodworth, Professor and Chair in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Maryland Medicine, with a focus on clinical and translational research in focused ultrasound (FUS).
His prior work has focused on (1) surgical outcomes, (2) neurological diseases, including neurocritical care, and (3) medical education. His published works span 100+ papers with 1800+ citations. He has also been involved in several international multi-centric studies as a co-investigator/collaborator, such as EUROBACT, SYNAPSE-ICU, GNOS, COVIDSurg-Week, and COVIDPaedsCancer, amongst others.
Additionally, he has served as a reviewer for 80+ international journals. Being certified via the INGUIDE Guideline Development Program (Level 1), he has served as a guidelines panel member of several surgical guideline efforts, including the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES). He currently serves as a member of the Clinical Practice Guidelines Committee of the North American Spine Society (NASS). He also serves as an editorial board member for the Asian Spine Journal and BMC Surgery. Finally, he serves on the inaugural Maryland Commission on Public Health (CoPH), as part of the Workforce Workgroup.
Supervisors: Dr Graeme Woodworth; Dr Manmeet Ahluwalia, MD, MBA; Dr Michael McDermott, FAANS; Prof Anil Nanda, MPH, and FACS; Dr. Alireza Mansouri
Phone: 7865962000
Address: 22 S. Greene Street, Suite S-12-D Baltimore, MD 21201
He completed his early education and medical training in India (2016-2022), graduating as the first-ranked candidate in the class of 250 from KGMU, one of the top ten nationally ranked medical schools. During this, he completed several sub-internships in neurosurgery in the US, along with the Khorana Scholarship funded by the Government of India. He was one of the five students in the university's history (till 2022) who received all three of the most prestigious honors of the institution, along with being the sole inaugural recipient of the MBBS student research award. During his house officership year in India, he completed the Global Clinical Scholars Research Training (GCSRT, http://hms.harvard.edu/gcsrt) from HMS Post-Graduate Medical Education, focused on developing clinician-scientists.
After finishing his house officership in India, he pursued a postdoctoral research fellow (2022-2023) in neuro-oncology at the Miami Cancer Institute. At MCI, he worked under Prof. Manmeet Ahluwalia and Prof. Michael McDermott in early-phase trials, including major efforts through the Adult Brain Tumor Consortium. Thereafter, he moved to Johns Hopkins University to pursue an accelerated MPH, with a concentration in epidemiology-biostatistics, along with a graduate certificate in 'clinical trials'. At Bloomberg School of Public Health, he was one of fourteen Sommer Scholars worldwide (>100,000 USD of scholarship).
Currently, he is working under Prof. Graeme Woodworth, Professor and Chair in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Maryland Medicine, with a focus on clinical and translational research in focused ultrasound (FUS).
His prior work has focused on (1) surgical outcomes, (2) neurological diseases, including neurocritical care, and (3) medical education. His published works span 100+ papers with 1800+ citations. He has also been involved in several international multi-centric studies as a co-investigator/collaborator, such as EUROBACT, SYNAPSE-ICU, GNOS, COVIDSurg-Week, and COVIDPaedsCancer, amongst others.
Additionally, he has served as a reviewer for 80+ international journals. Being certified via the INGUIDE Guideline Development Program (Level 1), he has served as a guidelines panel member of several surgical guideline efforts, including the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES). He currently serves as a member of the Clinical Practice Guidelines Committee of the North American Spine Society (NASS). He also serves as an editorial board member for the Asian Spine Journal and BMC Surgery. Finally, he serves on the inaugural Maryland Commission on Public Health (CoPH), as part of the Workforce Workgroup.
Supervisors: Dr Graeme Woodworth; Dr Manmeet Ahluwalia, MD, MBA; Dr Michael McDermott, FAANS; Prof Anil Nanda, MPH, and FACS; Dr. Alireza Mansouri
Phone: 7865962000
Address: 22 S. Greene Street, Suite S-12-D Baltimore, MD 21201
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Papers by Ahmad Ozair
Observations: An illustrative case involving a medial right frontal craniotomy for a third ventricle mass in a patient with a large superior extension of the frontal sinus into frontal bone is presented. After creating a free frontal bone flap, the inner table was drilled out to the margins of the frontal sinus cavity and any remaining mucosa was cleared. A portion of the inner table above the bone flap's inferior margin was left in place, resembling an open window when viewed from the inner table side. The remaining anterior and posterior wall of the flap inferiorly provided a matched surface for the opening into the remaining frontal sinus, which was covered by pericranium. Long-term follow-up indicated no major complications or delayed mucocele.
Lessons: The open-window craniectomy technique can be considered for frontal sinus violations in patients with large superior frontal bone extension.
Sow et al [1] have highlighted the sociocultural and ethical challenges surrounding unpaid research fellowships, pursued not only by international medical graduates (IMGs) but increasingly by MD and DO students in the United States as well. We have discussed this issue before, highlighting that IMG aspiring for several competitive specialties pursue several postdoctoral research years, although quantitative data remain unavailable [3]. The USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Examination) Step 1 pass/fail change has occurred notwithstanding a substantial supply-demand mismatch in competitive specialties, which has historically warranted and continues to warrant measures (like USMLE scores) to facilitate the rank-ordering of applicants. Program rank lists require an ever-increasing number of applicants per position to be assessed and objectively ranked [4]. Therefore, research fellowships will likely be increasingly pursued to demonstrate academic accomplishment, given the loss of major objective metrics like the USMLE Step 1 score, which we have highlighted previously [3].
Several publications have indicated the presence of elements of socioeconomic disparity, racial and/or ethnic bias, or financial privilege in USMLE. We argue this is potentially true for nearly all other components of the residency evaluation process. It is contended that comprehensive USMLE preparation forces students to use expensive preparatory resources. What is frequently unstated here is the often exponentially greater cost of unpaid research years, unpaid volunteering, and away rotations, the latter typically unpaid.
Objectives: The study sought to assess COVID-19's impact on global cardiovascular diagnostic procedural volumes and safety practices.
Methods: The International Atomic Energy Agency conducted a worldwide survey assessing alterations in cardiovascular procedure volumes and safety practices resulting from COVID-19. Noninvasive and invasive cardiac testing volumes were obtained from participating sites for March and April 2020 and compared with those from March 2019. Availability of personal protective equipment and pandemic-related testing practice changes were ascertained.
Results: Surveys were submitted from 909 inpatient and outpatient centers performing cardiac diagnostic procedures, in 108 countries. Procedure volumes decreased 42% from March 2019 to March 2020, and 64% from March 2019 to April 2020. Transthoracic echocardiography decreased by 59%, transesophageal echocardiography 76%, and stress tests 78%, which varied between stress modalities. Coronary angiography (invasive or computed tomography) decreased 55% (p < 0.001 for each procedure). In multivariable regression, significantly greater reduction in procedures occurred for centers in countries with lower gross domestic product. Location in a low-income and lower-middle-income country was associated with an additional 22% reduction in cardiac procedures and less availability of personal protective equipment and telehealth.
Conclusions: COVID-19 was associated with a significant and abrupt reduction in cardiovascular diagnostic testing across the globe, especially affecting the world's economically challenged. Further study of cardiovascular outcomes and COVID-19-related changes in care delivery is warranted.
—Katharine J. Drummond, MD, on behalf of this month’s topic editors
Methods: A retrospective study was done on all clinically suspected CHIK cases that had been tested by ELISA for anti-CHIK virus IgM antibodies from September 2012 to December 2017. Based on clinical features, a subset of patients had earlier been tested serologically for dengue and Japanese encephalitis (JE).
Results: Of the 3240 cases enrolled, 771 (23.8%) were seropositive. Patients had a range of clinical manifestations with seropositivity highest in those exhibiting arthralgia with fever (40%), followed by fever of unknown origin (FUO) (22%), encephalitis (13%) and fever with rash (12%). Cases (total, seropositive) increased over 20-fold in 2016 (1389, 412) and 2017 (1619, 341), compared to 2012-2015. Nearly a third of dengue serology-positive cases and a fifth of JE serology-positive cases were co-positive for CHIKV.
Interpretation & conclusions: Archival data from 2006-2011 and data from this study (2012-2017) indicated that UP experienced first CHIK outbreak in the decade in 2016, as part of a large-scale upsurge across northern India. CHIK should be considered as a differential diagnosis in patients presenting with fever of unknown origin or fever with rash or acute encephalitis, in addition to classical arthralgia.
Observations: An illustrative case involving a medial right frontal craniotomy for a third ventricle mass in a patient with a large superior extension of the frontal sinus into frontal bone is presented. After creating a free frontal bone flap, the inner table was drilled out to the margins of the frontal sinus cavity and any remaining mucosa was cleared. A portion of the inner table above the bone flap's inferior margin was left in place, resembling an open window when viewed from the inner table side. The remaining anterior and posterior wall of the flap inferiorly provided a matched surface for the opening into the remaining frontal sinus, which was covered by pericranium. Long-term follow-up indicated no major complications or delayed mucocele.
Lessons: The open-window craniectomy technique can be considered for frontal sinus violations in patients with large superior frontal bone extension.
Sow et al [1] have highlighted the sociocultural and ethical challenges surrounding unpaid research fellowships, pursued not only by international medical graduates (IMGs) but increasingly by MD and DO students in the United States as well. We have discussed this issue before, highlighting that IMG aspiring for several competitive specialties pursue several postdoctoral research years, although quantitative data remain unavailable [3]. The USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Examination) Step 1 pass/fail change has occurred notwithstanding a substantial supply-demand mismatch in competitive specialties, which has historically warranted and continues to warrant measures (like USMLE scores) to facilitate the rank-ordering of applicants. Program rank lists require an ever-increasing number of applicants per position to be assessed and objectively ranked [4]. Therefore, research fellowships will likely be increasingly pursued to demonstrate academic accomplishment, given the loss of major objective metrics like the USMLE Step 1 score, which we have highlighted previously [3].
Several publications have indicated the presence of elements of socioeconomic disparity, racial and/or ethnic bias, or financial privilege in USMLE. We argue this is potentially true for nearly all other components of the residency evaluation process. It is contended that comprehensive USMLE preparation forces students to use expensive preparatory resources. What is frequently unstated here is the often exponentially greater cost of unpaid research years, unpaid volunteering, and away rotations, the latter typically unpaid.
Objectives: The study sought to assess COVID-19's impact on global cardiovascular diagnostic procedural volumes and safety practices.
Methods: The International Atomic Energy Agency conducted a worldwide survey assessing alterations in cardiovascular procedure volumes and safety practices resulting from COVID-19. Noninvasive and invasive cardiac testing volumes were obtained from participating sites for March and April 2020 and compared with those from March 2019. Availability of personal protective equipment and pandemic-related testing practice changes were ascertained.
Results: Surveys were submitted from 909 inpatient and outpatient centers performing cardiac diagnostic procedures, in 108 countries. Procedure volumes decreased 42% from March 2019 to March 2020, and 64% from March 2019 to April 2020. Transthoracic echocardiography decreased by 59%, transesophageal echocardiography 76%, and stress tests 78%, which varied between stress modalities. Coronary angiography (invasive or computed tomography) decreased 55% (p < 0.001 for each procedure). In multivariable regression, significantly greater reduction in procedures occurred for centers in countries with lower gross domestic product. Location in a low-income and lower-middle-income country was associated with an additional 22% reduction in cardiac procedures and less availability of personal protective equipment and telehealth.
Conclusions: COVID-19 was associated with a significant and abrupt reduction in cardiovascular diagnostic testing across the globe, especially affecting the world's economically challenged. Further study of cardiovascular outcomes and COVID-19-related changes in care delivery is warranted.
—Katharine J. Drummond, MD, on behalf of this month’s topic editors
Methods: A retrospective study was done on all clinically suspected CHIK cases that had been tested by ELISA for anti-CHIK virus IgM antibodies from September 2012 to December 2017. Based on clinical features, a subset of patients had earlier been tested serologically for dengue and Japanese encephalitis (JE).
Results: Of the 3240 cases enrolled, 771 (23.8%) were seropositive. Patients had a range of clinical manifestations with seropositivity highest in those exhibiting arthralgia with fever (40%), followed by fever of unknown origin (FUO) (22%), encephalitis (13%) and fever with rash (12%). Cases (total, seropositive) increased over 20-fold in 2016 (1389, 412) and 2017 (1619, 341), compared to 2012-2015. Nearly a third of dengue serology-positive cases and a fifth of JE serology-positive cases were co-positive for CHIKV.
Interpretation & conclusions: Archival data from 2006-2011 and data from this study (2012-2017) indicated that UP experienced first CHIK outbreak in the decade in 2016, as part of a large-scale upsurge across northern India. CHIK should be considered as a differential diagnosis in patients presenting with fever of unknown origin or fever with rash or acute encephalitis, in addition to classical arthralgia.