research forum
A lunchtime conversation with Osman Ahmed, MD
n August, SIR Foundation launched a new IR Lunch & Learn initiative, inviting past grant recipients to come speak on their research, share their
experiences with receiving a grant or award, and update the community on their current work.
The program started with Osman Ahmed, MD, who received the Dr. Gary J. Becker Young Investigator Award in 2020 for his work on vena cava filters. The Dr. Gary J. Becker Young Investigator Award promotes excellence in academic research for members early in their careers. This award honors the founding editor of the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (JVIR) and recognizes the importance of the young investigator in developing interventional solutions for the future.
Dr. Ahmed spoke with host Amanda Smolock, MD, PhD, on his research work, advancement opportunities and the importance of mentorship.
The following transcript has been summarized and edited for flow.
scrutinized from both a placement and removal standpoint. As a result, I put a lot of time and effort into studies related to that—both in analyzing large national databases and answering the question of “are all filters the same?” We know they aren’t, but I wanted to document how different a simple retrieval is from a complex one. That difference hadn’t been published on in terms of added time and complications, but they’re both reimbursed the same, so differentiating them and maybe even establishing them as a different procedure was something missing within the literature.
Amanda Smolock, MD, PhD: Can you provide an overview of your research and career, and how it led to applying for the Gary Becker Young Investigator award? Osman Ahmed, MD: I did my fellowship at Stanford, and one of the best things to come of that experience was getting to train with incredible people who are considered thought leaders in the field of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and that really drove my enthusiasm and exposing me to different procedures in the space. At the time, pulmonary embolism was an exciting and new field, as well as complex filter retrieval, and I was regularly exposed to emerging therapies and techniques.
From a clinical perspective, I wanted to build my career around VTE because of the fantastic training and knowledge base I had established. Combined with my interest and passion for academics and research, it seemed like a natural marriage to do research in the VTE field.
At the time, filters were in the national spotlight and utilization was being
In terms of the Gary Becker Young Investigator award, you must publish within your first 5 years of practice to be eligible. Daniel Sze, MD, FSIR, emailed and reminded me it had been almost 5 years since leaving Stanford, and said that I should apply for the award soon if I wanted it. I had never thought of applying for it, but based on that encouragement, I built my application around the work I’d done in the VTE space. To my surprise, I actually got the award—which is incredible, because when you look at the list of past recipients, it’s people I consider mentors and giants of the field.
AS: It’s interesting that you’ve mentioned mentorship at several stages, from Dr. Sze encouraging you to apply to your teachers at Stanford. Can you speak to the impact that had on your career? OA: I am incredibly fortunate to have mentorship, and a community of people who have done this before me and are invested in my growth and success. I’m fortunate to have been at Stanford and know the people I do.
One thing I tell trainees is that when they graduate and enter practice, they end up being a conglomerate of all the
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