A-STAR Lab Earns Two Posters of Distinction at the 32nd Annual Balfour Surgery Research Symposium

On October 9, 2026, the A-STAR Lab presented five projects at the 32nd Annual Balfour Surgery Research Symposium, and two of them were named Posters of Distinction.

Dr. Abdulrahman Alomar presented MOSI, the Mayo Obesity Staging Index, a staging framework for metabolic surgery. Dr. Reza Shahriarirad presented work on AI-ECG changes following bariatric surgery, using AI-derived ECG age as a measure of biological aging after surgery. Both were recognized as Posters of Distinction.

The lab also presented a five-year look at the use of plastic surgery after bariatric surgery, including its predictors and the weight-loss thresholds involved; an AI-based computer vision system that uses CT imaging to support surgical decision-making in abdominal wall reconstruction; and a systematic review asking whether computer vision is ready for laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Together, the five projects reflect the lab's work across the surgical journey, from planning and patient selection to intraoperative guidance, recovery, and long-term outcomes.