A NEWSLETTER FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY

at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston

July 2024

AWARDS

New Inductees to the Academy of Master Educators

The Department of Surgery is delighted to announce the appointment of three esteemed faculty members to the Academy of Master Educators (AME) for 2023. Among the fourteen inductees from McGovern Medical School, three represent the Department of Surgery. Please join us in congratulating Associate Professors Stefanos G. Millas, MD, FACS, and Tamara E. Saunders, MD, FACS, along with Professor Michael J. Snyder, MD, FACS. These outstanding educators will be honored at the upcoming AME Induction Ceremony scheduled for July 11, 2024. Let’s celebrate their unwavering commitment to excellence in surgical education!

Stefanos G. Millas, MD, FACS

Tamara E. Saunders, MD, FACS

Michael J. Snyder, MD, FACS

Bailey Elected Chair of the American College of Surgeons Foundation

At the recent American College of Surgeons (ACS) Board of Regents Meeting, new leaders were elected to the ACS Foundation, which supports College initiatives through voluntary donations. H. Randolph Bailey, MD, FACS, professor of surgery, has been elected as the Chair. Dr. Bailey has been a Foundation Board of Directors member since 2018 and served as Vice-Chair from 2022. His contributions extend beyond the Foundation, as he has also held positions as First Vice-President, Regent, and Governor and participated in various committees within the ACS.

Wade Named Professor Emeritus

Charles E. Wade, PhD, a distinguished researcher and professor at McGovern Medical School, former director of the Center for Translational Injury Research, and the James H. Red Duke, Jr., MD, Distinguished Professor in Surgery, has been honored with the prestigious title of Professor Emeritus. This recognition celebrates his remarkable career and lifelong commitment to advancing medical science and improving patient outcomes.

Wade’s journey began with an undergraduate degree in Physical Education from Occidental College, followed by a PhD in Biomedical Sciences (Physiology) from the University of Hawaii School of Medicine. His impact on trauma care is immeasurable, and his research culture has shaped evidence-based clinical practices. As the director of the Center for Translational Injury Research (CeTIR), he has led the way in developing next-generation medical technologies for patients with traumatic injuries. Wade’s legacy will continue to inspire generations of medical professionals, and his recent appointment as Professor Emeritus is a testament to his outstanding contributions to the field.

RESEARCH

Department of Surgery Research Day

Our annual departmental Research Day took place on Thursday, June 6th, and was moderated by Jonah J. Stulberg, MD, PhD, MPH, FACS, associate professor and vice chair of research. We had an entire half-day filled with fantastic presentations that detailed much of the ongoing research – Basic Science and Clinical – taking place within the department.

Stulberg's opening address gave insight into the research opportunities here at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. It shed light on some of the major activities within the Department of Surgery.

On the faculty side, Curtis Wray, MD, professor of surgery, discussed his ongoing work with the advanced gastroenterology and oncology departments. Together, their team has many ongoing clinical trials investigating novel techniques to treat pancreatic cancer, which continues to be one of the most aggressive forms of cancer worldwide. This highlighted the benefit of inter- and intra-departmental collaboration, and everyone in the audience is still trying to figure out how to leverage the abscopal effect in their works!

We had eleven residents present their work, representing a variety of surgical specialties.

Kelly Sanders, DO, took 1^st Place in the Clinical Research category for her project titled "Exposure to statin therapy decreases the incidence of venous thromboembolism after trauma." She was mentored by Bryan Cotton, MD, MPH, FACS, Program Director of the Acute Care Surgery and Surgical Critical Care Programs, and Jessica C. Cardenas, PhD.

Robert Seniors, MD, was awarded 1^st Place in the Basic Science category. His work, under the mentorship of Scott LeMaire, MD, was titled "Increased Expression of Large Proteoglycans in Aortic Cells in Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm and Dissection: Insights from Single Cell Transcriptome Analysis of Human and Mouse Aortas.”

A list of all of the other Resident Presentations can be found here:

Name	Mentor	Title
Janet Ashley, MD	Charles S. Cox, Jr., MD	Serum Biomarkers to Predict ICP Therapeutic Intensity After Severe TBI
Neha Malik, MD	Christina L. Roland, MD, MS, FACS	Timing and Frequency of Surveillance After Resection of Extremity and Trunk Soft-Tissue Sarcoma - Identifying Opportunities for Improvement
Chioma Obinero, MD	Matthew R. Greives, MD, MS, FACS	What did we catch? Predictors of infection after tissue expander-based breast reconstruction infection in a safety-net system.
Mike Eisenberg, MD	Mara Antanoff, MD, FACS	Survival Outcomes After Resection in Clinical T1a-b Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer with Occult Nodal Disease
Krysta Sutyak, DO	KuoJen Tsao, MD	Clinical and Financial Win: Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Povidone-Iodine Irrigation in Pediatric Appendicitis Utilizing the Pediatric Health Information System Database
Mokunfayo Fajemisin, MD	Lillian S. Kao, MD, MS, FACS	Poor Oral Health Is Associated with Social Vulnerability in Critically Ill Trauma Patients
James Klugh, MD	John A. Harvin, MD, FACS	Ketamine For Acute Pain After Trauma (KAPT): a Pragmatic, Randomized Clinical Trial
Mabel Luciano, MD	Jessica Buicko Lopez, MD	Assessing The Relationship Between Financial Toxicity and Adverse Outcomes in Thyroid Cancer
Kylie Holden, MD, MS	Matthew T. Harting, MD, MS	Understanding combined congenital heart disease and congenital diaphragmatic hernia: prevalence, outcomes, and surgical optimization: A multi-institutional analysis.

As usual, we also had an impressive showing from the medical students, who were very well represented. They presented some high-quality work and served as a reminder that there is a lot of research activity within the department for those interested.

A complete list of Medical Student Presentations is listed here:

Intraperitoneal Infiltration of Exparel Reduces Postoperative Pain and the Need for Opioids Following Laparoscopic Hiatal Hernia Repair with Fundopexy- Anthony Basta, MS3 (Mentored by Farzaneh Banki, MD)
Thromboelastography 6S Platelet Mapping in Pediatric Patients with Congenital Heart Disease Undergoing Cardiac Catheterization on Aspirin- Atharwa Mankame, MS4 (Mentored by Charles Cox, MD)
1000 Hiatal Hernia Repairs Beyond a Decade Path of a Single Surgical Team to Improve Outcomes- Clarissa Hoffman, MS2 (Mentored by Farzaneh Banki, MD)

HIGHLIGHTS

Women in Medicine and Sciences Feature:

Lillian Kao, MD, MS, FACS

Each month, the Women Faculty Forum presents its Women in Medicine and Sciences Feature, highlighting the women faculty at McGovern Medical School who are leaders in medicine, research, and education.

This month’s feature is Lillian Kao, MD, MS, FACS, professor and Jack H. Mayfield, MD, Chair in Surgery, division director of the Division of Acute Care Surgery, and interim division director of Immunology and Organ Transplantation.

Read the full story…

Publications of Note

Wray CJ, O'Brien B, Cen P, Rowe JH, Faraoni EY, Bailey JM, Rubin E, Tammisetti VS, Thosani N. Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Radiofrequency Ablation for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma. Gastrointest Endosc. 2024 May 8:S0016-5107(24)03187-0. doi: 10.1016/j.gie.2024.04.2926. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38729313.

Cannon JW, Gruen DS, Zamora R, Brostoff N, Hurst K, Harn JH, El-Dehaibi F, Geng Z, Namas R, Sperry JL, Holcomb JB, Cotton BA, Nam JJ, Underwood S, Schreiber MA, Chung KK, Batchinsky AI, Cancio LC, Benjamin AJ, Fox EE, Chang SC, Cap AP, Vodovotz Y. Digital twin mathematical models suggest individualized hemorrhagic shock resuscitation strategies. Commun Med (Lond). 2024 Jun 12;4(1):113. doi: 10.1038/s43856-024-00535-6. PMID: 38867000; PMCID: PMC11169363.

Rosen JE, Monsell SE, DePaoli SC, Fannon EC, Kohler JE, Reinke CE, Kao LS, Fransman RB, Stulberg JJ, Shapiro MB, Nehra D, Park PK, Sanchez SE, Fischkoff KN, Davidson GH, Flum DR; TRIAD Collaborative. The Use and Impact of a Decision Support Tool for Appendicitis Treatment. Ann Surg. 2024 Jun 25. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000006412. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38916104.

IN THE NEWS

Curtis Wray, MD, talked to Houston Public Media and KPRC-TV Channel 2 about the risk factors and symptoms of pancreatic cancer.

Curtis Wray, MD, was interviewed by Houston Public Media about the treatment of pancreatic cancer in light of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee's diagnosis.

Hajar Ayoub, MD, was interviewed by Consumer Reports about common symptoms of a urinary tract infection.

RESIDENT & STUDENT CORNER

2024 Surgical Residency Graduation

On June 22nd, the Department of Surgery held its annual Chief Resident graduation ceremony at the Houston Racquet Club. Members of the department, along with friends and family of our graduates, gathered to celebrate their momentous achievements and many years of hard work and dedication. This night was also a passing of the torch, so to speak, and the rising chief resident class were “pinned” with their footprints, representing Dr. Red Duke’s legacy of outstanding patient care. The evening was bittersweet as we said goodbye to eight fantastic chief residents, but we wish them all many wonderful successes in their careers as they carry on the UTHealth Houston legacy.

Antonio Brecevich, MD - joining a general surgery practice at Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital
Keith Burczak, DO - continuing his military service in San Antonio, TX
Ricardo Collazo, MD - joining a general surgery practice in Miami, FL
Ashley Dawson, MD - Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship at Emory University in Atlanta, GA
Naila Dhanani, MD - Transplant Surgery Fellowship at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN
Nicole Harris, MD - Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, FL
Torrey Lubkin, MD - continuing his military service in El Paso, TX
Nicolas Zhou, DO - Thoracic Surgery Fellowship at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in the 4+3 program.

SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT

@uthealthhouston - UTHealth Houston researchers received $3.4 million in grants from the Trauma Research and Combat Casualty Care Collaborative, an initiative of @ut_system. The 10 researchers’ focus areas encompass diverse topics, from liver and traumatic brain injuries to blood clot prevention, pediatric blood vessel injuries, and spinal cord recovery.

@uthurology - Thank you @hmh.uro for hosting such a fun and hands-on #FPMRS #URPS workshop!

@utplastics - Friday marked an exciting and educational day for the UTH Pediatric Plastics Service as we performed THREE primary cleft lip repairs in one day for some very cute patients 👶🤩 as always, we are thankful for the great staff and parents at @childrensmemorialhermann for allowing us to be part of their care!

Editorial Team: Dr. Lillian S. Kao, Dr. Casey B. Duncan, Dr. Peter A. Walker, and Dr. Elias A. Chamely

For content submissions, email Sophia.M.Solis@uth.tmc.edu.