Medical Student · UCLA

Kameel KhabazComputational imaging and image-guided intervention.

I am a medical student at UCLA drawn to interventional radiology. My research uses geometric analysis and machine learning on medical images, with current projects in aortic disease, soft-tissue sarcoma, prostatic artery embolization, and musculoskeletal embolization.

Portrait of Kameel Khabaz

About

I am a medical student at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Class of 2027, drawn to interventional radiology.

I came to imaging through mathematics. At the University of Chicago, where I studied biology and quantitative methods with a computer-science minor, I worked on the geometric analysis of aortic dissections. My current research spans aortic disease, soft-tissue sarcoma, prostatic artery embolization, and musculoskeletal embolization.

I have also spent two stints at BigHat Biosciences working on machine learning for antibody engineering, and I co-founded SyriaScript, a Python and machine-learning education program for students in Syria.

News

Three first-author papers published in International Journal of Medical Informatics, JVS-Vascular Science, and Journal of Orthopaedic Reports.
Awarded the GEST 2026 Physicians in Training Scholarship from the Global Embolization Symposium and Technologies.
Co-first-authored systematic review on transarterial embolization for refractory adhesive capsulitis published in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology.
Awarded the 2025 RSNA Medical Student Research Grant for an MRI-based machine-learning model predicting upper-extremity soft-tissue sarcoma recurrence.
“The geometric evolution of aortic dissections” published in PLOS Computational Biology.
Co-founded SyriaScript, a data-science and machine-learning education initiative for students in Syria.

Research

I Vascular

Aortic geometry and endovascular repair

Curvature-based metrics distinguish stable from progressive type B aortic dissections. Published in PLOS Computational Biology, Computers in Biology and Medicine, and JVS-Vascular Science.

II Oncology

Machine learning for soft-tissue sarcoma

MRI-based models for recurrence and complication prediction in upper-extremity sarcoma. Funded by the 2025 RSNA Medical Student Research Grant and the 2024 OREF Resident Research Project Grant.

III Musculoskeletal

Embolization for tendinopathy and refractory pain

Transarterial embolization for adhesive capsulitis and related musculoskeletal pain syndromes. Systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology.

IV Genitourinary

Prostatic artery embolization

Imaging-based geometric features as predictors of symptomatic improvement following prostatic artery embolization.

Selected publications

A complete list is on Google Scholar. Asterisks (*) denote equal contribution.

  1. 2025
    Allaw S*, Khabaz K*, Yu Q, Ahmed O. Transarterial embolization for refractory adhesive capsulitis and related tendinopathies: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology. 2025. doi
  2. 2025
    Newman-Hung NJ*, Khabaz K*, Ding R, et al. Limitations of currently available sarcoma prediction tools in a large contemporary upper extremity soft tissue sarcoma cohort.Journal of Surgical Oncology. 2025;132(5):959–967. doi
  3. 2026
    Dhara S, Khabaz K, McIntyre M, Malo N, Peev M, Pocivavsek L. Retrograde aortic endograft side-branch design is associated with delayed cervical branch filling: a fluid mechanics scaling analysis.JVS-Vascular Science. 2026;100419. doi
  4. 2024
    Khabaz K, Kim J, Milner R, Nguyen N, Pocivavsek L. Temporal geometric mapping defines morphoelastic growth model of type B aortic dissection evolution.Computers in Biology and Medicine. 2024;182:109194. doi
  5. 2024
    Khabaz K, Yuan K, Pugar J, et al. The geometric evolution of aortic dissections: predicting surgical success using fluctuations in integrated Gaussian curvature.PLOS Computational Biology. 2024;20(2):e1011815. doi

Education

  • David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLAM.D., expected 2027
  • The University of ChicagoB.A. Biological Sciences (Quantitative Biology), CS minor — 2023

Outside

Outside the hospital I play and watch tennis, hike when and where I can, and learn more about history than is strictly necessary.

Contact

The fastest way to reach me is by email.