Department Highlights: September 2026

Achievements

Gelareh Sadigh, MD

Sadigh received two new grants. One from the CFCCC Anti-Cancer Challenge and Sierra Medical for her project "ACCESS-LCS: Adjunctive Cheek Cell Evaluation Using Spectroscopy to Enhance Risk Stratification in Lung Cancer Screening," and the other from the American Lung Association. She was also accepted into the first cohort of the UC Irvine School of Medicine Sustainable Advancement Initiatives for Leadership (SAIL) Mid-Career Academy.

Rebecca Bennett, MD, & Amir Imanzadeh, MD

Both Bennett and Imanzadeh were accepted into the UC Irvine School of Medicine Sustainable Advancement Initiatives for Leadership (SAIL) Early-Career Academy.

Roozbeh Houshyar, MD, Jennifer Young, MD, & James Shi, MD

Houshyar, Young and Shi received an Honorable Mention Award from Roentgen Ray Review for their work on the article "Of Mice, Monitors, and Macros: Ergonomic Essentials for the Modern Radiologist."

Anderanik Tomasian, MD

Tomasian was selected into the Southern California Super Doctors 2026 by Super Doctors Magazine.

Liangzhong Xiang, PhD

Xiang received UC Irvine’s Early Career Innovator/Emerging Innovation of the Year Award and was selected to receive the POP Grant from UCI Beall Applied Innovation.

Lydia Min-Ying Su, PhD

Su was asked to give a keynote speech at the International Conference on Biomedicine, organized by the Kaohsiung Medical University.

Vahid Yaghmai, MD, & Sabee Molloi, PhD

Yaghmai received an Honorable Mention for the 2026 UC Irvine School of Medicine Universal Faculty Mentoring Award, while Molloi received an Honorable Mention for the 2026 UC Irvine School of Medicine Basic Science Faculty Mentoring Award.

New Faculty Publications

Nadine Abi-Jaoudeh, MD

• JJoseph Breuer, M.D., M.S.; Tiffany Nakla, M.D.; Brianna Pecknold, M.S.; Robert Tran, M.S.; Ryan Shahrouri; Zain Lalani, M.D.; Nadine Abi-Jaoudeh, M.D.; Liquid Embolic: New Developments and New Applications Digestive Disease Interventions Journal 2026 (accepted)
• Lexiana L. Poe, B.S.; Mishal Mendiratta-Lala, M.D.; Nadine Abi-Jaoudeh, M.D.; Joseph A. Breuer, M.D.; Nicholas Fidelman, M.D.; Steven S. Raman, M.D.; Fred T. Lee Jr., M.D.; R. Peter Lokken, M.D.; Elaine Caoili, M.D.; Rajesh Shah, M.D.; J. Louis Hinshaw, M.D.; Histotripsy-induced acute kidney injury following liver tumor treatment: A preliminary report of 8 cases J Vasc Interv Radiol. 2026 (accepted)
• Yuchen Yan, PhD.; Prabodh Kumar Pandey, PhD.; Yifei Xu, PhD.; Leshan Sun, PhD.; Abi-Jaoudeh, Nadine, M.D.; Zhehui Wang, PhD.; Shawn (Liangzhong) Xiang, PhD.; XACT-guided Interventional Procedures: A Feasibility Study Medical Physics, (Med Phys.) 2026 Apr;53(4):e70401. doi: 10.1002/mp.70401. PMID: 41937299
• Jeremy Harris, M.D., MPhil. ; Christina Boyd, M.D.; Mengying Shi, PhD.; Michael Reilly, PhD.; Aaron Simon, M.D., PhD.; Steven M. Seyedin, M.D.; Wen Pin Chen, PhD.; Misako Nagasaka, M.D., PhD.; Nadine Abi-Jaoudeh, M.D.; Michael A Hoyt, PhD.; Addition of Pulsed Electric Field Ablation to SBRT for Lung Tumors: Effect on Health-Related Quality of Life Lung Cancer Manag. 2026 Dec;15(1):2635332. doi: 10.1080/17581966.2026.2635332. Epub 2026 Mar 5. PMID: 41783980
• Nadine Abi-Jaoudeh, M.D.; Timothy J. Ziemlewicz, M.D.; Sarah White, M.D.; Tze Wah, M.D.; Clifford Cho, M.D. Histotripsy for liver ablation and beyond American Journal of Roentgenology AJR Expert Review Panel 2026 Jun, 3 doi:10.2214/AJR.26.34627
• Lexiana L. Poe, B.S.; Mishal Mendiratta-Lala, M.D.; Nadine Abi-Jaoudeh, M.D.; Joseph A. Breuer, M.D.; Nicholas Fidelman, M.D.; Steven S. Raman, M.D.; Fred T. Lee Jr., M.D.; R. Peter Lokken, M.D.; Elaine Caoili, M.D.; Rajesh Shah, M.D.; J. Louis Hinshaw, M.D.; Histotripsy-induced acute kidney injury following liver tumor treatment: A preliminary report of 8 cases J Vasc Interv Radiol. 2026 May 30:108882. doi: 10.1016/j.jvir.2026.108882
• Yuchen Yan, PhD.; Prabodh Kumar Pandey, PhD.; Yifei Xu, PhD.; Leshan Sun, PhD.; Abi-Jaoudeh, Nadine, M.D.; Zhehui Wang, PhD.; Shawn (Liangzhong) Xiang, PhD.; XACT-guided Interventional Procedures: A Feasibility Study Medical Physics, (Med Phys.) 2026 Apr;53(4):e70401. doi: 10.1002/mp.70401. PMID: 41937299
• Jeremy Harris, M.D., MPhil. ; Christina Boyd, M.D.; Mengying Shi, PhD.; Michael Reilly, PhD.; Aaron Simon, M.D., PhD.; Steven M. Seyedin, M.D.; Wen Pin Chen, PhD.; Misako Nagasaka, M.D., PhD.; Nadine Abi-Jaoudeh, M.D.; Michael A Hoyt, PhD.; Addition of Pulsed Electric Field Ablation to SBRT for Lung Tumors: Effect on Health-Related Quality of Life Lung Cancer Manag. 2026 Dec;15(1):2635332. doi: 10.1080/17581966.2026.2635332. Epub 2026 Mar 5. PMID: 41783980

Lydia Min-Ying Su, PhD

• Yang Zhang, Zhiyan Jin, Min-Ying Lydia Su. Heterogeneity Analyzed by CT-Based Habitat Analysis for Clinical Management of Cancers: A Narrative Review, accepted by Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences. doi: 10.1002/kjm2.70257

Anderanik Tomasian, MD

• Tomasian A., Stokes C, Jennings JW. Percutaneous Thermal Ablation Treatment for Benign Bone Tumors. Skeletal Radiology (In-press)

Zhuoli Zhang, PhD

• Immune checkpoint inhibitor–related myocarditis in a patient with hepatocellular carcinoma: a case report Zhou Y, Zhang Z, Liu S, Nan J, Zhang Z, Chen Z. Front Cardiovasc Med. 2026;13:1749534.

Jogeshwar Mukherjee, PhD

• Karim, F., Biju, A.P., Liang, C., Santos, C.J., Rajarethenam, M., Mukherjee, J. Evaluation of [18F]MK-6240 binding to Tau protein in postmortem human Downs Syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease brains and evaluation of off-target (non-tau) binding. ACTA NEUROPATHOLOGICA COMMUNICATIONS, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40478-026-02267-1 
• McNamara, C.C., Biju, A.P., Hipolito, E.M., Nguyen, N.T.B., Liang, C., Mukherjee, J. Synthesis and evaluation of radioiodinated 7-[125I]Iodo-5H-Pyrido[4,3B]Indole ([125I]CTAU) in postmortem Alzheimer’s disease brains. J LABELLED COMPOUNDS & RADIOPHARMACEUTICALS, 69 (1), e70003, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1002/jlcr.70003
• Biju, A.P., Karim, F., Schafer, D.M., Sison, S.A., Liang, C., Head, E.H., Mukherjee, J. Measurement of tau protein and Ab amyloid plaques in postmortem human brains of Down Syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease brains by autoradiography using [125I]IPPI and [125I]IBETA. SYNAPSE, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1002/syn.70044 
• Toth, M., Lenke, T., Nag, S., Qiu, T., Jia, Z., Haggkvist, J., Mukherjee, J., Varrone, A., Halldin, C., Frade, L. The binding of the high affinity radioligand fallypride to the D2-dopamine receptor is sensitive to injected mass- a PET study in rodents. MOLECULAR IMAGING AND BIOLOGY, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11307-026-02096-7
• Mukherjee, J., Karim, F., Ngo, A., Liang, C., Serrano, G.E., Beach, T.G. Increased binding of [18F]nifene, a PET imaging probe for 42* nicotinic acetylcholinergic receptors in hippocampus-subiculum of postmortem human Parkinson’s disease brains. SYNAPSE, 80 (5), e70053, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1002/syn.70053

Gelareh Sadigh, MD

• Maini I, Gilotra K, Sharifian M, Capiro N, Sadigh G. Screening Breast MRI and Genetic Testing Utilization in High-risk Population: Analysis of National Health Interview Survey. J Breast Imaging. 2026 Feb 24:wbaf084. doi: 10.1093/jbi/wbaf084.
• Sadigh G, Bresnahan BW, Cross NM, Medverd JR. From Image Overload to Intelligent Workflows. J Am Coll Radiol. 2026 Mar;23(3):343-344. doi: 10.1016/j.jacr.2026.01.001. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41781113/)
• De Moor JS, Liang MI, Beauchemin MP, Glaser KM, Badr H, Yabroff KR, Fawzy Doran J, Majid A, Bell RA, Obeng-Gyasi S, Sampson A, Rhoades DA, Blinder V, Graves K, Park ER, Banegas MP, Pisu M, Kirchhoff AC, Wheeler SB, Rosenstein DL, Sadigh G, Edward JS, Bryant M, Jagsi R, Halpern M, You W, Nipp RD, Hershman DL, Henrikson NB. Opportunities and Challenges for Addressing Financial Hardship as an Integrated Part of Cancer Care Delivery. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2026 Mar 24:djag077. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djag077. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41875373/)
• Sharifian M, Hoyt MA, Madan A, Lee S, Nguyen TQ, Sadigh G. Patients' and Providers' Perspective of a Multi-level Approach to Improve Participation in Low-dose CT for Lung Cancer Screening (Empower LCS): A Mixed-Methods Analysis. Acad Radiol. 2026 Mar 28:S1076-6332(26)00182-0. doi: 10.1016/j.acra.2026.03.014.
• Sharifian M, Nguyen V, Madan A, Gutierrez O, Bharucha M, Harris J, Hoyt MA, Milam J, Chen WP, Ziogas A, Sadigh G. Addressing financial and health-related social needs among patients with cancer: Study protocol for CAN-ASSIST pilot clinical trial. Contemp Clin Trials Commun. 2026 Apr 8;51:101637. doi: 10.1016/j.conctc.2026.101637. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42016723/) 
• Tran A, Hass RW, Mattern S, Carlos RC, Mady LJ, Cella D, Gharzai LA, Sadigh G. Validation of a Single-Item Screener for Financial Toxicity in Outpatient Imaging Patients. J Am Coll Radiol. 2026 May 25:S1546-1440(26)00281-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jacr.2026.05.018. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42191010/)
• Gharzai LA, Liu YA, Sun Z, Mullen M, Sadigh G, Pottow JA, Jagsi R, Mady LJ. Predictors of Medical Debt Sent to Collections after Radiotherapy. International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics. 2026 Jun 27:S0360-3016(26)03912-X. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2026.06.3059.
• Sharifian M, Tran A, Cespedes-Gomez O, Sadigh G. Analysis of Lung Cancer Screening Eligibility Among Patients Diagnosed With Lung Cancer: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Journal of American College of Radiology. 2026 Jul 17:S1546-1440(26)00342-X. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42468819/)
• Lopez AR, Podewils LJ, Garcia J, Escamilla Guevera A, Sadigh G, Oluyemi ET, McDonald ES, Carlos R, Miles RC. Evaluating Allostatic Load as a Framework for Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Across Sociodemographic Groups: Insights from a Safety-Net Population. Journal of Breast Imaging. 2026 Jul 21:wbag020. doi: 10.1093/jbi/wbag020.
• (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42479157/)
• Lopez AR, Sadigh G, Tevis S, Whittington A, Jandali A, Carlos R, Miles RC. Patient Preferences Regarding Immediate Versus Delayed Release of Breast Biopsy Results in a Safety-Net Health System. Journal of American College of Radiology. 2026 Jul 30:S1546-1440 (26)00379-0. doi: 10.1016/j.jacr.2026.07.016 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42532248/)

New Faculty Presentations

Nadine Abi-Jaoudeh, MD

• Nadine Abi-Jaoudeh, M.D.; Speaker: Advancing Interventional Oncology: Trials in Progress Session: Emerging Frontiers: Trials Expanding IO Beyond Traditional Tumor Types Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) 51st Annual Meeting, 2026, Toronto, ON; CAN
• Nadine Abi-Jaoudeh, M.D.; Speaker and Moderator: Session Emerging Indications for Percutaneous Ablation: Percutaneous Pancreatic Ablation Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) 51st Annual Meeting, 2026, Toronto, ON; CAN
• Nadine Abi-Jaoudeh, M.D.; Jennifer Valerin, M.D., PhD.; Dina Preise, M.D.; Genia Alpert, M.D.; Keren Brook, M.D.; Nick Weinberger, M.S.; David Perry, M.D.; Avigdor Scherz, PhD.; Eyal Morag, M.D.; Vincent Chung, M.D.; Laleh Melstrom, M.D.; Jonathan Kessler, M.D.; David Imagawa, M.D., PhD.; Intra-Arterial (IA) Padeliporfin Vascular-Targeted Photodynamic Therapy (VTP): Ongoing Multicenter, Phase I Light Dose Escalation Study in Unresectable Locally Advanced Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (LA-PDAC) Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) 51st Annual Meeting, 2026, Toronto, ON; CAN
• Lexiana L. Poe, B.S.; Mishal Mendiratta-Lala, M.D.; Nadine Abi-Jaoudeh, M.D.; Joseph A. Breuer, M.D.; Nicholas Fidelman, M.D.; Steven S. Raman, M.D.; Fred T. Lee Jr., M.D.; R. Peter Lokken, M.D.; Elaine Caoili, M.D.; Rajesh Shah, M.D.; J. Louis Hinshaw, M.D.; Histotripsy-induced acute kidney injury following liver tumor treatment: A preliminary report of 8 cases Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) 51st Annual Meeting, 2026, Toronto, ON; CAN
• Ryan Shahrouri; Michael Alexander, M.S.; Ekaterina Perminov, D.V.M.; Joseph Breuer, M.D., M.S.; Farouk Naouzi, PhD.; David K Imagawa, M.D., PhD.; Nadine Abi-Jaoudeh M.D.: Determination of ablation zone in swine cirrhosis model, Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) 51st Annual Meeting, 2026, Toronto, ON; CAN
• Nadine Abi-Jaoudeh, M.D.; Speaker: Liquid Embolic Summit: Liquids in tumor embolization (hydrogel case) Liquid & Conformable Embolics Summit Webinar 2026
• Nadine Abi-Jaoudeh, M.D.; Masterclass IO Session: HCC Next to stomach how I do it, GEST, 2026 NYC, NY; USA
• Nadine Abi-Jaoudeh, M.D.; HCC 2 and Liver Mets Session: Emerging Options for Uveal Melanoma Liver Mets, GEST, 2026 NYC, NY; USA
• Nadine Abi-Jaoudeh, M.D.; Speaker: Advancing Interventional Oncology: Trials in Progress Session: Emerging Frontiers: Trials Expanding IO Beyond Traditional Tumor Types Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) 51st Annual Meeting, 2026, Toronto, ON; CAN
• Nadine Abi-Jaoudeh, M.D.; Speaker and Moderator: Session Emerging Indications for Percutaneous Ablation: Percutaneous Pancreatic Ablation Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) 51st Annual Meeting, 2026, Toronto, ON; CAN
• Nadine Abi-Jaoudeh, M.D.; Jennifer Valerin, M.D., PhD.; Dina Preise, M.D.; Genia Alpert, M.D.; Keren Brook, M.D.; Nick Weinberger, M.S.; David Perry, M.D.; Avigdor Scherz, PhD.; Eyal Morag, M.D.; Vincent Chung, M.D.; Laleh Melstrom, M.D.; Jonathan Kessler, M.D.; David Imagawa, M.D., PhD.; Intra-Arterial (IA) Padeliporfin Vascular-Targeted Photodynamic Therapy (VTP): Ongoing Multicenter, Phase I Light Dose Escalation Study in Unresectable Locally Advanced Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (LA-PDAC) Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) 51st Annual Meeting, 2026, Toronto, ON; CAN
• Lexiana L. Poe, B.S.; Mishal Mendiratta-Lala, M.D.; Nadine Abi-Jaoudeh, M.D.; Joseph A. Breuer, M.D.; Nicholas Fidelman, M.D.; Steven S. Raman, M.D.; Fred T. Lee Jr., M.D.; R. Peter Lokken, M.D.; Elaine Caoili, M.D.; Rajesh Shah, M.D.; J. Louis Hinshaw, M.D.; Histotripsy-induced acute kidney injury following liver tumor treatment: A preliminary report of 8 cases Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) 51st Annual Meeting, 2026, Toronto, ON; CAN
• Ryan Shahrouri; Michael Alexander, M.S.; Ekaterina Perminov, D.V.M.; Joseph Breuer, M.D., M.S.; Farouk Naouzi, PhD.; David K Imagawa, M.D., PhD.; Nadine Abi-Jaoudeh M.D.: Determination of ablation zone in swine cirrhosis model, Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) 51st Annual Meeting, 2026, Toronto, ON; CAN

Gelareh Sadigh, MD

• Rashidi A, Sadigh G. Bridging the Gap: Implementation Science for Radiologists— Frameworks, Applications, and the Role of AI. Association of Academic Radiology. Poster Presentation. Atlanta, GA. March 20, 2026. (Poster Presentation)
• Rashidi A, Chieh A, Sadigh G. Low-dose CT among Eligible Adults for Lung Cancer Screening: A Nationally Representative Obervational Study. Association of Academic Radiology. Poster Presentation. Atlanta, GA. March 20, 2026. (Oral Presentation)
• Pelzl C, Sadigh G, Malhorta A, Martinez M, Prosper A, Carlos R, Christensen E, Drake A, Rula E, Jordan J. The Impact of State-Level Malpractice Environment on Imaging Utilization Among Adult Medicaid Patients Who Present to the Emergency Department with Headache. Association of Academic Radiology. Atlanta, GA. March 19, 2026. (Oral Presentation)
• Cespedes O, Atwal R, Balchander D, Saeed S, Wolf R, Lopez S, Kharabaf S, Houshyar R, Sadigh G, Imanzadeh A. From pacs to posts: evolving trends in radiology’s digital engagement. Association of Academic Radiology. Atlanta, GA. March 19, 2026. (Oral Presentation)
• Sidani M, Wong E, Zoghi S, Sadigh G, Chen WP, Tseng J, Lee S. Health disparities in local staging of cervical cancer. Association of Academic Radiology. Atlanta, GA. March 20, 2026. (Poster Presentation)
• Cespedes O, Sadigh G. Predictors of completion in low-dose CT lung cancer screening: Implications for optimization care. Association of Academic Radiology. Atlanta, GA. March 20, 2026. (Poster Presentation)

Lydia Min-Ying Su, PhD

• Improved Diagnosis of Breast Lesions Presenting as Architectural Distortion on DBT by Integrating Ultrasound and MRI Features
• MRI-Based Radiomics Model for Predicting Axillary Lymph Node Burden and Disease-Free Survival in Early-Stage Breast Cancer
• Habitat-Focused Modeling in DCE-MRI: Interpretable Breast Lesion Classification in Two Centers
• Association of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes Expression with Clinicopathological and MRI Features in Breast Cancer Patients
• Characterization of White Matter Hyperintensities and Penumbras across Different Fazekas Scales

New Faculty Posters

Nadine Abi-Jaoudeh, MD

• Joseph Breuer M.D.; Rebecca Bennett, M.D.; Christina Boyd, M.D.; Qaseem Yousuf, M.D.; Dayantha Fernando, M.D.; Philip Guichet, M.D.; Zeljla Jutric, M.D.; Reed I Ayabe, M.D., PhD.; David K. Imagawa, M.D., PhD.; Nadine Abi-Jaoudeh M.D.: Longer-term outcomes post histotripsy of liver tumors: lessons learned and next steps; Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) 51st Annual Meeting, 2026, Toronto, ON; CAN
• Nadine Abi-Jaoudeh, M.D.; Jennifer Valerin, M.D., PhD.; Vincent Chung, M.D.; Laleh Melstrom, M.D.; Dina Preise, PhD.; Jonathan Kessler, M.D.; Genia Alpert, M.D.; Zeljka Jutric, M.D.; Keren Brook; Nick Weinberger David Perry, M.D.; Avigdor Scherz, PhD.; Eyal Morag, M.D.; April Choi, M.D.; David Imagawa, M.D., PhD; Phase I light dose escalation study in locally advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (LA-PDAC): Intra-arterial (IA) Padeliporfin vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy (VTP) Gastrointestinal Cancer—Gastroesophageal, Pancreatic, and Hepatobiliary Poster Session 9AM-12PM 5/30 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2026 Chicago, IL; USA
• Joseph Breuer M.D.; Rebecca Bennett, M.D.; Christina Boyd, M.D.; Qaseem Yousuf, M.D.; Dayantha Fernando, M.D.; Philip Guichet, M.D.; Zeljla Jutric, M.D.; Reed I Ayabe, M.D., PhD.; David K. Imagawa, M.D., PhD.; Nadine Abi-Jaoudeh M.D.: Longer-term outcomes post histotripsy of liver tumors: lessons learned and next steps; Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) 51st Annual Meeting, 2026, Toronto, ON; CAN *** Best poster award for the SIR annual meeting