Maisha Maliha, MD, a medical resident at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi in the Morris Park section of The Bronx, won the top prize at PAGNY’s 9th Annual Research Day on Wednesday, Nov. 13.

 

“Maisha is an incredible example of how local doctors are driving innovation and improving care right here in our community,” PAGNY (Physician Affiliate Group of New York) officials said. Held at Columbia University’s Low Memorial Library, health care professionals leading cutting-edge research to improve the health of communities in New York gathered for the occasion.

 

Spotlighting local health disparities, attendees learned about the impact of food insecurity, cancer disparities, and chronic diseases affecting neighborhoods in The Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and beyond, and how local research is working to close the gaps in care.

 

Maliha is a second-year postgraduate at Jacobi Medical Center and presented a comprehensive meta-analysis on inclisiran, a novel siRNA-based therapy/drug targeting PCSK9 to lower LDL cholesterol.

The review encompassed data from seven randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving nearly 4,800 patients, assessing safety outcomes such as major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), injection-site reactions, and diabetes risk. The findings revealed a strong safety profile, with only mild injection-site reactions noted, and no significant increase in new-onset diabetes, differentiating inclisiran from traditional statins (any of a group of drugs that lower the amount of cholesterol and certain fats in the blood).

 

“This therapy offers a promising approach for patients in diverse, often underserved communities, where adherence to cholesterol-lowering treatments remains a challenge,” Maliha emphasized, noting the potential for insurance coverage advocacy to make this life-saving drug more accessible.

 

Sheena Chen Lin, MD, a pediatrics resident at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln, located in the Concourse section of The Bronx, was another winner and shared what was described as a compelling case of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in a 16-year-old presenting with rare pancytopenia, despite no initial reported history of travel outside the U.S.

 

Bariatric surgery also called weight loss surgery, is a category of surgical operations intended to help people with obesity lose weight. It is performed when diet and exercise haven’t worked or when a patient has serious health problems due to their weight. PAGNY officials said the program, “When Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Meets Discharge Reassessment and Outreach Program (DROP),” incorporated a comprehensive approach: a dedicated care team, multilingual educational videos, and proactive follow-up via the DROP questionnaire. They said preliminary results showed no re-admissions in July and August 2024 and a significant decline in ER visits.

 

Attendees also explored 100 original research abstracts covering more than 50 conditions, with representatives from each research team on hand to discuss their findings.

This was followed by a buffet dinner and remarks by Dr. Mary . Beth Terry from Columbia’s Mailman School for Public Health, a local leader in epidemiology and principal investigator of the COMMUNITY Center, and by Dr. Edward Chew, CEO of PAGNY and chief of emergency medicine at NYC H+H/Harlem.

 

The evening concluded with the award presentations for outstanding research in three categories.