United States

Obesity, defined as a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30, is associated with musculoskeletal injuries. Past literature assumed low BMI was a risk factor for fractures, and high BMI was protective against fractures. However, present studies suggest that the relationship between obesity and the risk of fracture is site-specific. To our knowledge, no study has considered the impact of obesity on tibial plateau fracture, the proximal end of the tibia. Therefore, this study aims to investigate if obese patients are at higher risk of developing open proximal tibia fractures when compared with non-obese patients with a similar mechanism of injury.
A retrospective study was performed at a level one trauma hospital, and we identified patients with proximal tibia fracture from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2019. We reviewed electronic records for demographic variables, fracture type (open or closed) and categorized patients into obese for BMI ≥30 kg/m2 or non-obese for BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m2. We categorized the mechanism of injury into four injury patterns: assault, fall, motor vehicle accident (MVC), and motorcycle accident. For statistical analysis, we performed t-tests and p-value of 0.05 to be statistically significant.
Sixty patients with proximal tibia fractures were included, and seven percent sustained open proximal tibia fractures. The mean BMI was 32 kg/m2. Overall, 63% of the patients had an obese BMI, and 37% had a non-obese BMI. One hundred percent of patients with open proximal tibia fracture had BMI ≥30 kg/m2; however, the type of fracture (open vs. closed) was not statistically significant (p = 0.286) between the obese and non-obese groups. We also observed that all the patients with open proximal tibia fractures were involved in MVC. However, we observed no statistically significant relationship (p = 0.357) when we looked at the effect of being obese on the likelihood of having an open fracture for those whose mechanism of injury is MVC.

Research on obesity and lower extremity fractures has provided varying and complicating results. Our study demonstrated that obese individuals do not have an increased risk of developing open proximal tibia fractures than non-obese individuals following the same mechanism of injury.


AMA Research Challenge 2022

The Association between Open Proximal Tibia Fractures and Obesity

Congratulations to all the researchers who have qualified for the AMA Research Challenge virtual poster symposium and semifinals!

Welcome to the **largest national, multi-specialty research event** featuring research from nearly 1,000 medical students, residents, fellows, and international medical graduates across six topic areas - basic science, clinical and translational research, clinical vignettes, health systems science, medical education, and public health and health policy.

#### Access the Event
Use the buttons below or navigation menu to access the event. 

[![](https://assets.underline.io/markdown_image/1/image/d4076f2146939317a29eb9f69c53ad41.png)](https://underline.io/events/506/sessions?searchGroup=all)
[![](https://assets.underline.io/markdown_image/1/image/6bcee0b523a4874c4292ca0415d88dde.png)](https://underline.io/events/506/posters?searchGroup=all)

#### Event Details
The 2025 AMA Research Challenge includes the following symposium halls:
* **Semifinals hall:** Features research from 54 medical students, residents and international medical graduates that received top scores during first round scoring. 
* **Poster symposium hall:** Features research from nearly 1,000 medical students, residents and international medical graduates categorized by topics and subtopics.

**Here’s how to participate:**
* **View posters and presentations** on a variety of topics and specialties
* **Score posters in the semifinals** to help decide the top five finalists (AMA member exclusive opportunity)
* **Connect with presenters** and provide feedback to help advance their research
* **New this year: Watch live poster presentations** by topic area and engage directly with researchers

At the conclusion of this event, the AMA announced the top five finalists who advanced to the AMA Research Challenge final round, presented their research to an elite panel of judges, and competed to win a $10,000 grand prize presented by Laurel Road.

**Addison Shenk, a fourth-year medical student from Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine, was the winner of the 2025 AMA Research Challenge and was awarded the grand prize of $10,000, presented by Laurel Road.**

#### A message from Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, AMA President
<div style="position: relative; width: 100%; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden;">
  <iframe 
    src="https://underline.io/embed/136894-ama-video?t=0"
    title="AMA Welcome Video"
    allowfullscreen
    style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; border: 0;">
  </iframe>
</div>


#### Recognized Institutions
In 2025, 1,400 abstracts were submitted across six topic areas representing 174 medical schools and more than 150 residency and health care institutions. [See if your institution is represented this year!](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eFrTqCmCeobx9pr5drJK2hllvsIpFNOY/view?usp=drive_link)

#### Grand Prize Sponsor
AMA would like to thank Laurel Road, a brand of KeyBank, for sponsoring a $10,000 grand prize for the winner of the AMA Research Challenge. Laurel Road and KeyBank are not involved in winner selection process. The winner will be announced during the AMA Research Challenge final round. Payment of the grand prize will be directly from Laurel Road/KeyBank. See the [AMA Research Challenge Official Rules for terms and conditions](https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/research-challenge-official-rules.pdf).

[![](https://assets.underline.io/uploads/markdown_image/1/image/611e331d4a0eba0920f240cfc04b4d77.png)](https://www.laurelroad.com/)

#### Code of Conduct
<html>
AMA has a code of conduct for its meetings – we ask all attendees to adhere to this code to participate in this year’s meeting. Please read and <a href="https://www.ama-assn.org/about/code-conduct" target="_blank">learn more here</a> about your conduct requirements.
<br><br>
	</html>
	

#### Semifinals Judges

You need to log in with the email address you registered with. Access credentials have been sent to your email. 

Please be sure to check your spam and other email folders if you do not see an email confirmation right away.

Need help? Contact us at <support@underline.io>.

Please log in to explore this event.

If you have used the AMA Research Challenge platform previously, please click the ‘Log-in’ button below. If you do not remember your password, please click “forgot password” and follow prompts to reset your password. After resetting your password, please refresh your webpage to access the platform. 

Register to explore research in a variety of topics. AMA members get exclusive access to score posters in the semifinals. 

**Please use [this link here](https://www.ama-assn.org/member-benefits/events/ama-research-challenge) to register for free. **

Registration Is Required

AMA Research Challenge 2025 

Join the AMA Research Challenge poster symposium and semifinals to explore top research posters and score posters in the semifinals (an AMA member exclusive opportunity).

poster

Welcome to the largest national, multi-specialty research event **featuring research from 750 medical students, residents and fellows, and international medical graduates.**


#### Event Details
The 2022 American Medical Association Research Challenge includes a poster symposium hall and a semifinals hall with the top scored research. Log in at any time throughout the event to:
* **View posters and presentations** on a variety of topics and specialties
* **Score posters in the semifinals** to help decide the top five finalists (AMA member exclusive opportunity)
* **Connect with participants** and provide feedback to help advance their research

At the conclusion of this event, the AMA will announce the top five finalists who will advance to the AMA Research Challenge finals, present their research to an elite panel of judges and compete to win a $10,000 grand prize sponsored by Laurel Road.
<br>

#### Attend Live Forums
**Oct. 20, 6 — 7 p.m. Central**
<br>**How to plan a career in academic medicine** 
<br>Learn how to plan a career in academic medicine and get your questions answered. [Access Here](https://underline.io/events/363/lounge)
<br>
<br>**Speakers**
![](https://assets.underline.io/uploads/markdown_image/1/image/d5adb133dfc58eb0a6d469e9cedcd5d4.jpg)
Ricardo Correa, MD, EdD
![](https://assets.underline.io/uploads/markdown_image/1/image/5f9437ab87861538bf02b9ca7c0d926e.jpg)
Stuart M. Greenstein, MD
![](https://assets.underline.io/uploads/markdown_image/1/image/05b1b637c99286d558c371f8e8b185ce.jpg)
Stephanie Strohbeen, MD
<br>
<br>**Oct. 22, 11 a.m. — Noon Central**
<br>**How to get published**
<br>Learn tips to get your research published and get your questions answered. [Access Here](https://underline.io/events/363/lounge)
<br>
<br>**Speakers**
![](https://assets.underline.io/uploads/markdown_image/1/image/8ce6235e957d31cb5e6f9097cc6f6972.jpg)
Jessica Li, MD/PhD Candidate
![](https://assets.underline.io/uploads/markdown_image/1/image/9950ef2e0237f54cb3d8280334d42491.jpg)
Charles Lopresto, DO

### Sponsor
AMA would like to thank Laurel Road for sponsoring a $10,000 grand prize for the winner of the AMA Research Challenge. Laurel Road is not involved in the judging or scoring process to select the winner. The winner will be announced on Dec. 7 during the AMA Research Challenge finals. Payment of the grand prize will be directly from Laurel Road. See the AMA Research Challenge Official Rules for terms and conditions.

![](https://assets.underline.io/uploads/markdown_image/1/image/611e331d4a0eba0920f240cfc04b4d77.png)

<br>

**There is no registration fee for this event! **

Register to explore research in a variety of topics. AMA members get exclusive access to score posters in the semifinals.

**Please use the link below to register for free if you have not already done so:**

https://www.ama-assn.org/about/events/ama-research-challenge

Welcome to the largest national, multi-specialty research event featuring research from 750 medical students, residents and fellows, and international medical graduates.


The Association Between Preoperative Diabetes Status and Adverse Events Following Primary Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Introduction: 
Anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty (ATSA) has proven to be a successful treatment for glenohumeral osteoarthritis (GHOA). Nonetheless, it is uncertain if there is a correlation between pre-operative rotator cuff muscle atrophy on post clinical outcomes in patients who get an ATSA. The purpose of this study is to evaluate if there is a correlation between pre-operative rotator cuff muscle volume and clinical outcomes following ATSA for GHOA. 

Methods:
In this study, 198 shoulders underwent ATSA for GHOA with a minimum of 2 years follow up identified by a maintained prospective registry. Each rotator cuff muscle was assessed and measured on a standardized preoperative magnetic resonance image (MRI), using OsiriX image analysis, to generate an area of total muscle volume. The pre and postoperative patient reported clinical outcomes are the American Shoulder and Elbow standardized shoulder assessment (ASES), Single Assessment Numerical Evaluation (SANE), range of motion (ROM), and pain level. The above outcomes were assessed for correlations with preoperative rotator cuff muscle volume.

Results: 
A total of 198 patients with a mean age of 62.0 ± 7.3 years (range: 42-78), underwent ATSA for GHOA with a minimum follow up of 2 years. MRIs were evaluated for a quantitative measurement of muscle atrophy. A univariate analysis did not show any significant findings when evaluating for supraspinatus, teres minor, and infraspinatus muscle volume in relation to clinical outcomes. There was a negative correlation in subscapularis muscle volume and its impact on postoperative internal rotation (R= -.142, P = 0.046). Furthermore, the size ratio of the posterior cuff to subscapularis muscle volume demonstrated a significant negative correlation for change in SANE scores (R= -.141, P= 0.047), external rotation (R= -0.149, P= 0.036), and internal rotation (R= -0.190, P=0.007). Nonetheless, there were no correlations between size ratio and other clinical outcomes. 

Conclusion: 
Preoperative rotator cuff muscle volume does not have an obvious correlation on clinical outcomes. However, there is a negative association with the ratio of the posterior cuff to subscapularis, consistent with prior studies that have assessed volume in patients undergoing reverse total shoulder arthroplasty. 


The Effect of Rotator Cuff Integrity on Clinical Outcomes Following Anatomic Total Shoulder Arthroplasty

Abstract Title: 
The Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE), PROMIS-UE, & QuickDASH for Elective Hand Surgeries
Background:
Validated patient-reported outcome measures provide important insight into condition-specific clinical outcomes, but they place a considerable time burden on patients, clinicians, and other staff. In response, efforts have been made to validate single-question surveys, such as the Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE) score, across orthopedic conditions, but few prospective studies have evaluated the SANE questionnaire for hand conditions specifically. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to validate the use of the SANE score in patients undergoing routine elective hand surgeries. We hypothesized that SANE scores would positively correlate with two other validated upper extremity surveys, PROMIS-UE and Quick-DASH. 
Methods:
Patients scheduled to undergo carpal tunnel release and trigger finger release surgery completed three surveys (SANE, the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Upper Extremity (PROMIS-UE) item bank, and the shortened Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH) questionnaire) preoperatively and at two postoperative time points (2-4 weeks postop and >90 days postop). Based on an a priori power calculation and values from previous studies, a minimum sample of 82 patients was needed to achieve 80% power to detect a change after treatment or intervention of the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) or greater on the QuickDASH with a 2-sided level of significance of .025.
Results:
A total of 89 patients completed all three timepoints. There were strong positive correlations between the changes in QuickDASH scores and the changes in PROMIS-UE scores between all three timepoints, which we expected since these surveys served as our controls. There was also a strong positive correlation between the changes in the SANE scores and the changes in QuickDASH scores when comparing early post-op to late post-op (Pearson coefficient 0.529187631, p-value <0.0001). All other timepoint comparisons had a moderate positive correlation between SANE and the validated surveys. 
Conclusion:
One possible explanation as to why most of our correlations were moderate rather than strong is because of the difference in scaling. SANE’s 0%-100% scale allowed for a much larger percent change than the other two surveys’ (SANE's percent change range was 0-2900%, whereas QuickDASH's was 0-115.8% and PROMIS-UE's was 0-154.2%). Future studies are recommended to determine if changing the SANE scale to 1-10 would remedy this and lead to stronger correlations. With this in mind, our data still suggest that SANE can successfully evaluate elective hand surgery outcomes in the early and late postoperative periods.

The Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE), PROMIS-UE, and QuickDASH for Elective Hand Surgeries

Abstract Title: The Use of Preoperative CRP and ESR as Predictive Markers of Prosthetic Joint Infection in Primary Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty
Background
Total hip (THA) and total knee (TKA) arthroplasty are two of the most performed orthopedic surgeries each year in the United States. Prosthetic joint infection (PJI) remains one of the most common serious complications among all patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty (TJA). There has been a significant amount of literature on the use of c-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in the field of TJA, specifically for the diagnosis of PJI. However, there is much less data focused on the use of preoperative CRP and ESR in the setting of primary TJA. The purpose of this study was to further investigate any correlation that exists between preoperative CRP/ESR and PJI in primary TJA.
Methods
All patients of one of two surgeons who underwent primary THA or TKA between 2016 and 2020 at the same institution were identified and studied via a retrospective chart review. After exclusion criteria, 806 patients were included in the final cohort for analysis. Positive CRP was set at >0.3 mg/dL and ESR as >30 mm/hr.
Results
In our current study, which is the second-largest cohort to date that looks at preoperative inflammatory markers before primary TJA, we found no statistically significant correlation between pre-operative CRP or ESR and PJI. We did find that a higher proportion of patients with PJI had elevated preoperative CRP (70.6%) vs those with normal CRP (29.4%). However, among patients with no PJI, the preoperative CRP was still found to be elevated in half of all patients (49.7%).
Conclusion
This study is unable to validate the use of preoperative CRP/ESR as a predictive measure of future risk of PJI in primary total joint arthroplasty. However, it does provide quantitative insight into the prevalence of elevated preoperative inflammatory markers in all patients prior to TJA with a considerable proportion of patients having modifiable risk factors. Since there is such a large proportion of patients with elevated inflammatory markers that do not go on to develop PJI, we do not recommend cancellation of TJA unless there is an obvious identified modifiable risk factor that puts them at increased risk of PJI.

The Use of Preoperative Crp and Esr as Predictive Markers of Prosthetic Joint Infection in Primary Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty

Background
Opioid overdose has been on the constant rise since the beginning of the opioid epidemic. Orthopedic surgery has the 3rd highest average number of opioid prescriptions per prescriber. Efforts have been made nationally to decrease opioid prescribing and opioid use and abuse. Studies have shown patients with mental health disorders are more likely to be prescribed medications, such as opioids, for chronic pain management. This study aims to investigate the trends in prescription rates of analgesic medications for primary total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) patients with a history of mental illness, chronic pain, or substance use.
Methods
A retrospective trends analysis was performed using a national database. Patients who underwent primary TSA were identified using the International Classification of Disease. Patients with diagnoses of mental illness, pain syndromes, and substance use were compared to a control group without diagnoses. Patients with a history of an opioid prescription claim within 6 months before TSA were excluded. Medications prescribed—opioids, gabapentinoids (GBPs), and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDs)—were identified using Uniform Systems of Classification and codes specific to the database. Annual medication claims rates within 30 days, 90 days, and 1-year after TSA were analyzed with linear regression and compound annual growth.
Results
A total of 82,692 patients with a history of mental illness, chronic pain, or substance use underwent primary TSA. Among this cohort of patients, opioid prescription claims had significantly increasing trends by 30-days after surgery, however, trends were significantly decreasing by 90-days and 1-year after surgery. Prescription claims for GBPs were significantly increasing by all timepoints after TSA surgery among this cohort. For NSAIDs, prescription claims significantly increased by 30 and 90-days post-surgically while decreasing by the 1-year mark.
Conclusion
Patients with a diagnostic history of mental health, chronic pain, or substance use have significantly fewer opioid medication prescription claims after total shoulder arthroplasty surgery than patients who do not have those diagnoses. No difference in average prescription claims was observed between groups with GBPs or NSAIDs in the 30-day or 90-day postoperative periods.





Trends in analgesic medication claims after primary total shoulder arthroplasty in patients with a mental health diagnosis.

Background: The purpose of this study is to evaluate postoperative outcomes at minimum 5 year follow up in patients following unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) compared to a matched cohort of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients.
Methods: Patients with primarily medial compartment osteoarthritis (OA) who met criteria for medial UKA underwent TKA or medial UKA between 2014 and 2015 at a single institution, matched for age, sex, and BMI. 
Results: 127 UKAs in 120 patients and 118 TKAs in 116 patients were included with minimum 5 years follow-up. Mean (± standard deviation) age was 69 ± 10 years and 71 ± 9 years in the UKA and TKA groups respectively (p=0.049). At five years postoperatively, patients who underwent UKA had significantly higher mean (± SD)
Forgotten Joint Scores (87 ± 20 vs. 59 ± 34,  p&lt;0.001); higher Knee Society Scores (88 ± 14 vs. 75 ± 21, p&lt;0.001); and lower Numeric Pain Rating Scores (0.8 ± 1.6 vs. 1.9 ± 2.2, p&lt;0.001). Survivorship free from all-cause revision was 96% (95% CI=93-99%) and 99% (95% CI=97-100%) at 5 years for TKA and UKA, respectively (p=0.52). There were eight both component revisions in the TKA group within five years from the date of surgery and two UKA conversions to TKA after five years follow up.
Conclusions: Patients with medial compartment OA who underwent UKA had significantly lower joint awareness, decreased pain, improved function and higher satisfaction compared to matched TKA patients at minimum 5 year follow up while maintaining excellent survivorship.

Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty patients had lower joint awareness and higher function at 5 years compared to total knee replacements

Use of Periarticular Locked Plating Systems for Ankle, Subtalar, Tibial, and Talonavicular Arthrodesis

Using Machine Learning to Predict Complications Following Total Elbow Arthroplasty


Abstract Title:
Comparing primary versus secondary trancheoesophageal puncture prosthesis for speech rehabilitation post total laryngectomy
Background
Total laryngectomy (TL) is a catastrophic operation with sequalae of loss of natural voice, dysphagia, and permanent tracheotomy, performed as standard of care for advanced laryngeal/hypopharyngeal cancer. Early rehabilitation efforts have traditionally been focused on esophageal speech, electronic larynx, and tracheoesophageal puncture prosthetic (TEP). TEP is the most used method due to a more natural speech and high success rates, although the choice between primary (immediate) TEP and secondary (delayed) is controversial. While primary TEP allows the avoidance of additional surgery for voice restoration, and enables earlier rehabilitation, there has been concern for higher risk of stoma stenosis, fistula formation, and local infection. Thus, support for delayed TEP proposes possible avoidance of such complications with stomal maturation. This study reports a literature review of studies comparing the efficacy of primary and secondary TEP in terms of complication rates, voice quality, and long term efficacy. 

Methods
A literature review was conducted via PubMed with search phrase “tracheoesophageal voice prosthesis primary vs secondary” with six search results. Based on the inclusion criteria of direct comparison between study groups of primary and secondary TEP, 5 studies were selected for review and one study was eliminated 

Results
Barauna et al. reported a 10% statistically significant reduction in risk of leakage around the prosthesis in the secondary TEP group, and no difference in voice quality between the two groups. Emerick et al. reported an increased risk of pharyngocutaneous fistula with primary TEF, a 2 month sooner achievement of fluent speech in primary TEF group, and no difference in speech fluency. Massaro et al. reported no difference in long term outcome between the two groups. Kao et al. reported a higher success rate of speech restoration for primary TEF group with no difference in complication rates. Sinclair et al. reported no difference in early post-operative complication rate between the two techniques. 
Conclusion
The choice between primary versus secondary TEF should be personalized to the patient of interest to better control associated risks as both are equally effective techniques for speech rehabilitation in the long term.


Comparing primary versus secondary tracheoesophageal puncture prosthesis for speech rehabilitation post total laryngectomy

Background
Cochlear implantation (CI) surgery is the standard of care treatment for pediatric patients diagnosed with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss. While considered a relatively safe operation, any invasive procedure involving the skull has risks. There are few recent studies in the United States that have analyzed complication rates among children who have received CI. Furthermore, existing studies fail to discuss specific risk factors that led to post-operative complications, nor offer solutions to reduce their incidence. This study aims to 1) determine the incidence of complications in pediatric CI patients and 2) identify evidence-based risk factors so pediatric otolaryngologists can better identify high-risk patients.

Methods
This is a single institution retrospective study analyzing the pre-, intra-, and post-operative data from 72 pediatric patients who underwent CI surgery between 2016 and 202. SPSS statistical software was used for statistical analysis. Data analysis included the prevalence of preoperative comorbidities, the incidence of postoperative complications, and the assessment of comorbidities versus complications using Chi-Squared tests.

Results
Patients were aged 8.9 months old to 25.8 years old with a mean age of 7.1 years old. Of the 72 patients, there were a total of 101 ears operated on. There were 24 total complications among the 101 ears, yielding an overall complication rate of 23.8%. The most common complication was an infection which occurred in 12.9% of ears. The second most common complication was dysgeusia (3.96%). Of the 72 patients, 72.2% had >1 preoperative comorbidity and 56.9% had an inner ear abnormality on imaging. The most common comorbidities were obesity (26.4%) and eustachian tube dysfunction (22.2%).

Conclusion
Cochlear implantation is a relatively safe procedure that can greatly improve hearing and overall quality of life in patients. Based on our data, there was an overall complication rate of 23.8% with the most common complications being infection and dysgeusia. Further statistical analysis is required before conclusions can be made regarding any correlation between preoperative risk factors and complication rates.


Premium content

Next from AMA Research Challenge 2022

The Association Between Preoperative Diabetes Status and Adverse Events Following Primary Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Similar lecture

BMI ≥35 Is Associated With Prolonged Operative Time in Robotic-Assisted Revision TKA