In summer 2025, the UAB Section of Endocrine Surgery participated in the annual Short-Term Research Experiences Advancing Medical Students (STREAMS) program. Through STREAMS, aspiring surgeons work closely with experienced surgeons, gaining hands-on exposure to surgical research and valuable insight into careers in surgery.
Sanya Nathani is a 2nd year medical student at UAB and spent this past summer conducting endocrine research under Dr. Herbert Chen. Originally from Clermont, Florida, she earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and a master’s in anatomy from the University of South Florida. She is interested in surgery, serves as shadowing coordinator for the Surgery Interest Group, and hopes to further explore endocrine research and surgical specialties.
Sanya’s research, titled “Incidence of Ectopic Parathyroid Glands in Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Hyperparathyroidism“, found that about 25% of patients present with an ectopic parathyroid gland, which may be challenging to localize during parathyroidectomies. Her research also illustrated the anatomical distribution of ectopic parathyroid glands, confirming the thymus as the most common ectopic location.
Naqi Raza is a second-year medical student at the Heersink School of Medicine with an interest in surgery and health equity. Naqi earned his Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from UAB in 2022 and a Master of Science in Medical Device Engineering from the Keck Graduate institute in Los Angeles, CA in 2023.
During the UAB Surgery STREAMS summer program, he worked with Dr. Herbert Chen. His research titled “Demographic/Geographic Patterns in Patients with Primary vs Secondary/Tertiary Hyperparathyroidism” revealed that patients with secondary/tertiary disease were more likely to be from minority backgrounds, reside in socially vulnerable neighborhoods, and travel farther for surgery – underscoring the influence of social and demographic factors on surgical presentation.
Juan Contreras is a second year medical student from Birmingham, Alabama. He graduated from Auburn University in 2024 with a degree in Biomedical Sciences and a minor in Spanish. He has a strong interest in surgery and spent the summer working on research under Dr. Herbert Chen, on his project “Thyroid Surgery in Children & Adolescents with Thyroid Disorders: Are Complication Rates Higher?.”
His findings demonstrated comparable surgical outcomes across patients aged 5 to 18. Through this experience, Juan developed a deeper appreciation for surgical research and looks forward to further exploring research as he continues his medical education this year.
Mackenzie Sweatt is a second-year medical student at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine with an interest in surgery. During the UAB Surgery STREAMS summer program, she worked with Dr. Andrea Gillis and Dr. Angela Carter to investigate the impact of Fusobacteria on pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).
Her research project titled “Impact of Fusobacteria on Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma” revealed that Fusobacteria nucleatum successfully colonized KPC mouse PDAC tumors in both male and female mice following a single retro-orbital F. nucleatum administration. With this established model, further pancreatic cancer research can be pursued, including exploration of the impact of F. nucleatum on tumor growth as well as interrogation of the mechanisms facilitating colonization and impacting tumor behavior.
