Firas Abdollah | Medicine and Dentistry | Best Researcher Award

Firas Abdollah | Medicine and Dentistry | Best Researcher Award

Dr Firas Abdollah,Henry Ford Health,United States

Dr. Firas Abdollah is a Clinical Associate Professor and Vice-Chair of Academic and Research at the Vattikuti Urology Institute, Henry Ford Hospital. With dual citizenship in the USA and Italy, he has a distinguished career in urologic oncology and robotic surgery. He specializes in the epidemiology of urologic cancers and the development of predictive tools for cancer outcomes. He has held research and faculty positions at leading institutions, including Wayne State University and Michigan State University. His extensive contributions to urology have earned him numerous awards, and his research has been published in top-tier journals. Dr. Abdollah is also a medical consultant for Intuitive Surgical Inc.

Publication Profile

Orcid

Education

Dr Firas Abdollah began his academic journey at Al Mutamayizeen Secondary School in Baghdad, Iraq, where he completed his Bachelor of Science between 1995 and 1997. He then pursued a Doctor of Medicine degree at the College of Medicine, Baghdad University, graduating in 2003. Following his medical education, he underwent extensive training through internships and residency at San-Raffaele Hospital, University Vita-Salute, in Milan, Italy, from 2004 to 2012. Further advancing his expertise, he completed a prestigious Fellowship in Robotic Urologic Oncology at the Henry Ford Hospital, Vattikuti Urology Institute, in Detroit, Michigan, USA, from 2015 to 2018.

Experience

Associate Professor at Wayne State University, a position he has held since 2020, and also serves as Vice-Chair of Academic and Research at the Vattikuti Urology Institute, Henry Ford Hospital. In addition, he has been a Clinical Associate Professor at Michigan State University since 2022. His extensive experience in medical consulting includes his current role at Intuitive Surgical Inc., California, starting in 2024. Previously, he was a Medical Consultant for the Department of Urology at the Academic Hospital San Raffaele in Milan, Italy, from 2011 to 2013, and served as a Medical Consultant and Advisor for GenomeDx Biosciences in Vancouver, Canada, from 2014 to 2020. His collaboration with KOELIS Inc. in Delaware lasted from 2022 to 2024 through a consulting and research agreement. Dr. [Name] has also been actively involved in research, having worked as a Research Investigator at Henry Ford Hospital, focusing on prognostic models for prostate and bladder cancers from 2014 to 2015. Earlier in his career, he contributed to cancer prognostics and health outcomes research at the University of Montreal in 2010.

Awards & Honors

  • Best Poster Award – Società Italiana di Urologia Annual Congress (2007)
  • Best of AUA/JUA Meeting Award – AUA Annual Meeting, Washington DC (2011)
  • Best Paper – European Urology Resident Corner (2012)
  • Best Poster Award – European Association of Urology Congress (2012, 2013, 2014, 2018)
  • Excellence in Research Award – Southeast Michigan Center for Medical Education (2017)
  • Top 1% in Field for Peer Reviews – Publons (2017)
  • First Place, Fellow Clinical Research – European Association of Urology Congress (2018)

 

Research Focus

  • Epidemiology of Urologic-Oncology Diseases
  • Prostate, Kidney, Bladder, Testicular, and Penile Cancers
  • Development of Prediction Tools for Disease-Specific Mortality and Recurrence
  • Robotic Urologic Oncology and Outcomes Resear

 

Publication
  • 📖 The importance of pelvic lymph node dissection in the elderly: Implications for interpretation of NCCN guidelines
  • 📖 A novel tool for predicting urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy
  • 📖 Competing risks analysis of long-term survival in node-positive prostate cancer
  • 📖 Predicting pathological outcomes in patients undergoing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy
  • 📖 Testing the impact of adjuvant radiotherapy on overall mortality in prostate cancer patients
  • 📖 External validity of EORTC 30904 in North American patients with renal cell carcinoma

Phyu Aung | Health Professions | Best Researcher Award

Prof. Dr. Phyu Aung | Health Professions | Best Researcher Award

Prof. Dr. Phyu Aung, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, United States

Prof. Dr. Phyu Aung is a distinguished Professor in the Department of Pathology (Dermatopathology Section) at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (UT-MDACC). She earned her Medical Degree from the Institute of Medicine, Rangoon, and a Ph.D. in Molecular Pathology from Hiroshima University, Japan. Dr. Aung completed her residency at the National Cancer Institute/NIH and a fellowship in Dermatopathology at Boston Medical Center. With over 200 peer-reviewed publications, ten book chapters, and eight research grants, she is a leading expert in cancer biology, melanocytic neoplasms, and Merkel cell carcinoma. An executive member of multiple pathology societies and a frequent invited speaker, Dr. Aung also serves as the Director of the Oncologic Surgical Pathology Fellowship Program, mentoring over 100 national and international trainees.

Education:

Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS)

Institution: Institute of Medicine 1, Yangon, Myanmar

Duration: 1995 – 2002

Degree: MBBS (MD)

Ph.D. in Molecular Pathology

Institution: Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima University, Japan

Duration: 2003 – 2006

Degree: Ph.D. (Molecular Pathology)

Post-Doctoral Fellowship

Institution: Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA

Duration: 2006 – 2009

Field: Research in Molecular Pathology

Pathology Residency

Institution: National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA

Duration: 2009 – 2012

Specialization: Anatomic Pathology / Laboratory of Pathology

Dermatopathology Fellowship

Institution: Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA

Duration: 2012 – 2014

Specialization: Dermatopathology

Professional Profiles:

ORCID Profile

Google Scholar

Professional Experience:

Professor, Pathology (Sep 2024–Present)

Serving as a senior faculty member at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, contributing to research, diagnostics, and medical education in pathology.

Director, Surgical Pathology Fellowship Program (Jul 2019–Present)

Leading the Surgical Pathology Fellowship Program, overseeing training, curriculum development, and mentorship.

Associate Professor, Pathology (Sep 2019–Aug 2024)

Conducted research in pathology, particularly focusing on cancer diagnostics and histopathology.

Assistant Professor, Pathology (Jul 2014–Aug 2019)

Contributed to pathology education, clinical diagnostics, and research at MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Associate Director, Surgical Pathology Fellowship Program (Jul 2018–Jun 2019)

Assisted in managing the Surgical Pathology Fellowship Program, ensuring high-quality training for future pathologists.

Top Notable Publications:

A Multidisciplinary Approach to Diagnosing Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm (BPDCN): Practical Recommendations and Insights from Countries of the Gulf Cooperation

Authors: N Bakshi, A Al Hejazi, H Al-Maghraby, A Al Mugairi, AS Alotaibi, et al.

Journal: Cancers 17 (2), 221, 2025

Genomic and Transcriptomic Profiling of Digital Papillary Adenocarcinomas Reveals Alterations in Matrix Remodeling and Metabolic Genes

Authors: EC Bayraktar, PP Aung, P Gill, G Shen, V Vasudevaraja, Z Lai, et al.

Journal: Journal of Cutaneous Pathology, 2025

Syringocystadenoma Papilliferum-Like Features in Poroma: An Unusual Morphologic Pattern of Poroma or True Synchronous Occurrence of 2 Distinct Neoplasms?

Authors: M Alsawas, FF Muhaj, PP Aung, P Nagarajan, WC Cho

Journal: The American Journal of Dermatopathology 46 (12), 871-874, 2024

Dual PD-L1/SOX10 Immunohistochemistry Combined With Digital Imaging Enhances Stratification Accuracy of Patients With Metastatic Melanoma

Authors: J Pineda-Reyes, SK Arudra, PP Aung, P Nagarajan, JL Curry, M Tetzlaff, et al.

Journal: The American Journal of Surgical Pathology 48 (12), 1551-1556, 2024

Approach to Mycosis Fungoides in Children: Consensus-Based Recommendations

Authors: A Zvulunov, H Neale, J Stern, P Santaguida, AB Stein, M Koh, et al.

Journal: Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 91 (6), 1078-1085, 2024

Recommended Guidelines for Screening for Underlying Malignancy in Extramammary Paget’s Disease Based on Anatomic Subtype

Authors: N Kibbi, JL Owen, B Worley, M Alam, JX Wang, V Harikumar, et al.

Journal: Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2024

MTAP and p16 IHC as Markers for CDKN2A/B Loss in Meningiomas

Authors: HI Ozkizilkaya, A Vinocha, A Dono, OB Ogunbona, GA Toruner, PP Aung, et al.

Journal: Cancers 16 (19), 3299, 2024

Utility of Next-Generation Sequencing in the Diagnosis of Metastatic Melanoma: A Case Report

Authors: S Turcios Escobar, R Yang, KC Nelson, JE Gershenwald, H Tawbi, et al.

Journal: Journal of Cutaneous Pathology 51 (9), 644-648, 2024

The Secret Life of Junior Pathologists: Challenges and Future Directions

Authors: DH Kwon, M Taherian, DR Milton, P Iaeger, K Chin, PP Aung

Journal: Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine 148 (7), 836-845, 2024

Digital Papillary Adenocarcinoma: The Detection of Low-Risk Human Papillomaviruses and the BRAF p.V600E Mutation in a Subset of Cases

Authors: F Chen, P Nagarajan, PP Aung

Journal: Dermatopathology 11 (3), 177-183, 2024

Conclusion:

Prof. Dr. Phyu Aung stands out as a strong contender for the Best Researcher Award. Her significant contributions to cancer research, her leadership in advancing clinical applications, and her global impact make her a deserving candidate for this prestigious recognition. Her work continues to shape the future of oncology, improving patient outcomes and influencing cancer research worldwide. Therefore, Prof. Dr. Phyu Aung’s research excellence and broad-reaching impact make her an outstanding nominee for this award.