USC Roski Eye Institute Hosts Inaugural Resident Research Day

The USC Roski Eye Institute held its inaugural Resident Research Day on June 13, providing graduating senior residents an opportunity to showcase research conducted during the past academic year.

Kimberly Gokoffski, MD, PhD, opened the program with a presentation emphasizing the importance of research work amongst residents and physicians. “You are the ones who know what research questions to ask,” Gokoffski said. “You are the ones that are uniquely positioned to know what medical needs are out there, what solutions are plausible, and which conditions should be prioritized.”

Third-year resident Yicheng Bao, MD, began the resident portion of the event by presenting his study on oral doxycycline treatment (an antibiotic) for ocular syphilis. Bao said he was motivated by treating patients at Los Angeles General Medical Center who required inpatient IV penicillin despite critical bed shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The lack of inpatient availability highlighted the need for effective outpatient alternatives in a low-resource setting,” Bao said. “This research aligns with the national conversation surrounding the shift toward value-based care.”

Dr. Victor Eng, also a third-year resident, presented two-year outcomes for patients with diabetic vitreous hemorrhage (a condition where bleeding occurs in the eye due to diabetic retinopathy). “My project was inspired by the most common diagnoses we encounter on [Emergency Department] consults,” Eng said.

Third-year resident Dr. Mark Phillips discussed agreement and accuracy in distinguishing papilledema (a swelling of the optic nerve head) from pseudopapilledema (a benign version of papilledema) among pediatric neuro-ophthalmologists. “I was drawn to this research project because distinguishing papilledema and pseudopapilledema is an elemental problem of ophthalmology in general and pediatrics and neuro-ophthalmology specifically, the latter of which I wish to focus on in my career.”

Dr. Alexander Tseng concluded the resident presentations with research on ethnic differences in intraocular pressure determinants and shared the findings of his research. “We identified significant interaction effects between ethnicity and certain factors in relation to their effects on intraocular pressure.”

The event also expanded beyond its senior resident focus to include presentations for medical students applying to ophthalmology programs. Third-year medical student Susan Kishi presented research on extracellular vesicles as potential ocular therapeutics.

“Contributing to research with the potential to restore vision is both exciting and inspiring,” Kishi said. “My project lays the foundation for future studies in exploring extracellular vesicle behavior and pharmacokinetics.”

The research day took place the night before the residents’ commencement ceremony as they prepared to begin subspecialty training programs across the country.