SSR Researcher Spotlight

My Research

My first exposure to MSK research was during the third year of medical school when I first thought of Radiology as a potential residency choice. Dr. Jamshid Tehnrazadeh let me do a few complete projects starting from IRB proposal to final publications. This was a great learning experience that allowed me to see the “big picture” of how academic radiologists work, think and create.

• Tehranzadeh J, Ashikyan O, Dascalos J, Dennehey C. MRI of large intraosseous lesions in patients with inflammatory arthritis. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2004 Nov;183(5):1453-63. doi: 10.2214/ajr.183.5.1831453. PMID: 15505320.
• Tehranzadeh J, Ashikyan O, Anavim A, Tramma S. Enhanced MR imaging of tenosynovitis of hand and wrist in inflammatory arthritis. Skeletal Radiol. 2006 Nov;35(11):814-22. doi: 10.1007/s00256-006-0129-x. Epub 2006 Apr 26. PMID: 16941192.
• Tehranzadeh J, Ashikyan O, Anavim A, Shin J. Detailed analysis of contrast- enhanced MRI of hands and wrists in patients with psoriatic arthritis. Skeletal Radiol. 2008 May;37(5):433-42. doi: 10.1007/s00256-008-0451-6. Epub 2008 Feb 20. PMID: 18286282.

My Current Interests

Quality, utilization, workflow, and productivity metrics in MSK radiology:

• Ashikyan O, Zhu A, Browning T, Brewington C, Chhabra A. Mismatch in productivity calculated from wRVU metric and the actual number of images in musculoskeletal radiographic studies. Curr Probl Diagn Radiol. 2025 Jan 14:S0363-0188(25)00001-5. doi: 10.1067/j.cpradiol.2025.01.001. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39824733.
• Ashikyan O, Xia S, Faridi O, Porembka JH, Chhabra A. Positive Effect of a Financial Incentive on Radiologist Compliance With Quality Metric Placement in Knee Radiography Reports. J Am Coll Radiol. 2024 Jul;21(7):1033-1039. doi: 10.1016/j.jacr.2024.01.010. Epub 2024 Jan 30. PMID: 38302038.
• Ashikyan O, Buller DC, Pezeshk P, McCrum C, Chhabra A. Reduction of unnecessary repeat knee radiographs during osteoarthrosis follow-up visits in a large teaching medical center. Skeletal Radiol. 2019 Dec;48(12):1975-1980. doi: 10.1007/s00256-019-03247-4. Epub 2019 May 28. PMID: 31139920.

Advanced imaging of musculoskeletal neoplasms:

• Alipour E, Ashikyan O, Chalian M, Pezeshk P. Imaging of post-treatment changes in soft tissue sarcomas. Practical Guide for Imaging of Soft Tissue Tumours. 2023 Jan; : 176-186. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003218722-14
• Ashikyan O, Bradshaw SB, Dettori NJ, Hwang H, Chhabra A. Conventional and advanced MR imaging insights of synovial sarcoma. Clin Imaging. 2021 Aug;76:149-155. doi: 10.1016/j.clinimag.2021.02.010. Epub 2021 Feb 11. PMID: 33607418.
• Ashikyan O, Chalian M, Moore D, Xi Y, Pezeshk P, Chhabra A. Evaluation of giant cell tumors by diffusion weighted imaging-fractional ADC analysis. Skeletal Radiol. 2019

Intersections of Computer Science and Radiology – How can technology be used in efficient ways to help msk radiologists in daily clinical work.

• Alex Zhu, Vaibhav Gulati, Syed Qadri, Uma Thakur, Parham Pezeshk, Avneesh Chhabra, Oganes Ashikyan. Internet Image Search for Musculoskeletal Neoplasms: Do Results Return the Correct MR Sequences? Clinical Radiology, 2026, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crad.2026.107371.
• Archer H, Xia S, Reine S, Vazquez LC, Ashikyan O, Pezeshk P, Kohli A, Xi Y, Wells JE, Hummer A, Difranco M, Chhabra A. Are artificial intelligence generated lower extremity radiographic measurements accurate in a cohort with implants? Skeletal Radiol. 2025 Apr 28. doi: 10.1007/s00256-025-04936-z. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40295351.

About Me

I enjoy reading, travelling, photography and music.

My “Two Cents”

Plan ahead but be flexible

• It is great to be thinking about what you want to achieve in five to ten years.
• But health care systems, regulations, cultures, priorities, and our own interests shift over time.
• We must look forward to our desired destinations but be flexible and adjust to constantly changing environments around us.