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Emily Decicco, M.D.

Foster Fellow, 2024

What stood out about your research experience at UT Southwestern, and how did it shape your career? 

The mentorship for internal medicine residents at UT Southwestern is exceptional. I believe this stems from the leadership of our program director, Dr. Salahuddin Kazi, who has set a standard of a supportive culture and has cultivated a community that deeply values mentorship. I believe that this sentiment is key in fostering the productive environment for scholarly work in our program. As soon as I matched at UTSW, the chiefs reached out to discuss my interests and how they could best support me. I connected with Dr. Jessica Abramowitz over our shared interest in diabetes and she arranged additional elective time for me in Endocrinology. The chiefs connected me with Dr. Ann Marie Navar, who dedicated the time to help me to develop my research skills and encouraged me to apply for the AHA Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health Early Career Investigator Award. Throughout residency, my mentors have helped to guide my research and clinical experiences that have shaped my interests in diabetes, lipids, and cardiometabolic disease, and my desire to pursue fellowship training in endocrinology.  

How did participating in the Seldin Symposium impact your research path?

My senior resident and chief, Dr. Caroline Abe, shares a similar interest in lipids and public health, and took me under her wing when I was an intern. I joined her triglyceride screening project with Dr. Zahid Ahmad, which I presented on behalf of our group at Seldin Symposium. In partnership with Carter Blood Care and with the support of the Ionis Cardiorenal-Metabolism Young Investigator Grant program, 10,000 blood donors were screened in three weeks for hypertriglyceridemia and found that over 40 percent of donors had moderate or severe hypertriglyceridemia. This showed us that blood donation centers are a feasible means of screening outside of traditional health care settings and our survey data suggested that it motivates donors to seek follow-up care. We were excited to share our project at the Seldin Symposium, which has a rich history as an opportunity to present your work to the Department. Dr. Ahmad drew on his experience and guided us in designing an engaging poster that would relay the novelty of our project. I was able to share our work with several faculty and with my peers, and I was selected as a finalist to present our work as a Foster Fellow at the Internal Medicine Grand Rounds. This opportunity to present at Grand Rounds as a second-year resident was phenomenal. Dr. Ahmad and Dr. Abe, and our team at Carter Blood Care helped me to practice and refine my presentation. A panel of faculty members also hosted a session intended for additional feedback and to aid in anticipating and answering questions typical of a Grand Rounds presentation. I was grateful for the opportunity to share our work at the Seldin Symposium, and for the Department's commitment to make it such a formative experience.

What are your current research interests and goals?

In Dallas, a two-mile difference can mean a difference in life expectancy of over 25 years. In our day-to-day work as residents at UTSW, we put faces and stories to the grave realities of this statistic. These interactions are the motivation for my work, and I hope that data can inform action and contribute to change. Through the UTSW Health Systems Pathway, led by Dr. Debbie Freeland, I have been able to learn from leaders in several sectors of health policy, administration, and delivery, as well as community partners, to better understand how we can contribute to equitable care. My goal is to bring my training as an endocrinologist and research in disparities in cardiometabolic disease to rural, underserved communities.

What advice would you offer current Internal Medicine trainees about pursuing research?

While residency is a busy time, research can be an opportunity to pursue your passions and keep you grounded in your clinical work. Remember that your research does not always have to fit neatly within the confines of your intended specialty to be meaningful to your career. One of my most formative experiences in residency was working on a quality improvement project in the Parkland Internal Medicine Clinic to launch a reproductive goals screening program under the leadership of Dr. Heather Wainstein. This project grew out of the recognition that we could do more to address the reproductive needs of our patients, especially given the changing legislative landscape in our country. As UTSW residents, we are uniquely positioned and empowered to take on the sorts of problems we want to see change. Find projects you love that have the impact you dream of making and run with them! 

Representative Publications

"I was grateful for the opportunity to share our work at the Seldin Symposium, and for the Department's commitment to make it such a formative experience."

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