VCU Surgery Newsletter, October 2023

Volume 61 | October 2023

Surgical Notes

A Newsletter from the VCU Department of Surgery

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Every October, VCU and VCU Health System join the rest of the world to recognize the many breast cancer patients and survivors across the globe to draw attention to this important cause. As part of these efforts, team members across the department work to ensure patient awareness of the support and resources that VCU Health System has to offer.

Dr. Kandace McGuire, professor with the Division of Surgical Oncology, chief of breast surgery, and surgical leader for the breast health program, writes "We have a lot of unique approaches to breast cancer surgery. We are all facile at nipple sparing mastectomy. We closely adhere to guidelines that allow us to offer LESS surgery that could be potentially harmful to older patients. Along with our plastic surgery colleagues we offer all forms of breast reconstruction and oncoplastic breast reduction and oncoplastic flat closure for those that do not desire reconstruction. We also offer with plastics lymphovenous anastomosis, which can reroute lymph flow from the arm and help reduce the risk of lymphedema as well as sensation preserving mastectomy techniques."

When asked what the number one thing she wants our patients to know, Dr. McGuire responded: "Talk to your doctor about your breast cancer risk. Establish a plan for screening, some women benefit from early screening and everyone benefits from screening starting at age 40!"

Endowed Professorships and Chairs have Far-reaching Impact

VCU Investiture Celebration honors five Department of Surgery faculty who have recently been awarded endowed professorship and chair positions.

On Oct. 5, VCU brought donors and faculty together to celebrate the philanthropic generosity that has created hundreds of endowed professorships and chairs at the university.

At the 2023 Investiture Celebration Dinner, honorees included five Department of Surgery faculty who have recently been appointed to endowed professorship and chair positions. They were among 77 faculty across the university who were formally invested and presented with medallions during the celebration.

“Privately endowed professorships and chairs are crucial to building a faculty roster of exceptional scholars, researchers and clinicians,” says School of Medicine Dean Art Saavedra, M.D., Ph.D., MBA. “This growing number of professorship and chair endowments enables us to continue to recruit and retain the talented individuals who are building a tradition of excellence at the medical school that’s shared by the nation’s top institutions.”

Today, 170 endowed professorships and chairs support the work of faculty members who advance the work of VCU Health, Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center and the School of Medicine. Momentum and interest in providing faculty support is growing with more than three dozen endowed funds established by generous donors in the past decade. The endowments carry the names of outstanding alumni, faculty and friends who have led and benefited from the school’s work.

These high-profile endowed funds both benefit the holder and also help to sustain the medical school’s missions of research, patient care and education. Some endowments support the work of scientists who lead labs where research teams work together to advance discoveries. Other endowment holders include highly regarded physicians who offer unmatched care for patients as well as award-winning educators who provide life-changing mentorship to those who follow in their footsteps.

C.D. Anthony Herndon, M.D., FAAP, FACS, has been appointed to Children’s Hospital Foundation Endowed Chair in Pediatric Urology and was on hand for VCU’s Investiture Celebration.

“It is such a great honor and privilege to have the opportunity to work with such a strong team at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU to provide the highest quality of comprehensive care to meet the surgical needs for the children in our Commonwealth,” says Herndon, who is chief of the Division of Pediatric Urology, surgeon-in-chief of CHoR and medical director of perioperative services. “ The partnership between CHoR and the Children’s Hospital Foundation is vital to the success of the shared vision of providing excellence in quality, safety and access for our pediatric patients.”

The impact of a gift | VCU Investiture Celebration 2023 [VIDEO]

Photo Gallery from Event

Click for complete list of SoM faculty who hold endowed professorships and chairs

Radio Interview with Dr. Guilherme Campos Discussing Gastroparesis

On August 11, 2023, Dr. Guilherme Campos, MD, had the opportunity to be interviewed on the Gary Flowers show.

During the interview, various aspects of gastroparesis were explored, including its changing epidemiology and its intersection with the rising prevalence of obesity. Additionally, a discussion was held on the diagnostic and therapeutic options available to individuals dealing with gastroparesis.

Listen to interview here...

Congratulations to Nicholas Thomson, PhD

Congratulations to Dr. Nicholas Thomson, PhD (right), on being recognized as a 2023 National/International Recognition Award (NIRA) honoree.

This new award was created to recognize those who were nationally or internationally recognized for exceptional accomplishments during the course of their current evaluation period, performing at the top of their academic unit, and were recommended by their dean.

Dr. Thomson was nominated specifically for his work in violence prevention scholarship, which has led to innovative life-saving gun violence prevention strategies and establishment of the Injury Control Research Center.

Mangino Lab News

Charels Payne successfully defended his thesis entitled “Contribution of Metabolic Cell Swelling on Microcirculatory Perfusion in Severe Septic Shock”, which led to granting of his MS degree in Physiology and Biophysics this summer. Charles was also admitted to VCU School of Medicine MD program where he is now an M1 student.

Priyanshi Parikh successfully defended her thesis entitled “Role of Histone Deacetylase (HDAC) in Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) in a Human Cholangiocyte Model of Ischemic Cholangiopathy”, which led to granting of her MS degree in Physiology and Biophysics this summer.

Jerry Maitland, a PhD student in Dr Mangino’s lab, in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, successfully passed his PhD qualifying exams last month. This sets him up for graduation as early as next fall.

Loren Liebrecht, MD, a post-doctoral scholar in Dr Mangino’s lab recently published a key paper in the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics entitled "Metabolic Tissue Swelling and Local Microcirculation in Splanchnic Artery Occlusion Shock: Implications for Critical Illness". The paper was chosen as a “Viewpoint” paper, which will receive an editorial companion paper written by a journal editor published with it in the January 2024 edition entitled “Oncotic Agent(s) Coming to the Rescue of "Drowning" Cells?”.

Dr. Mangino’s Biotech company, Perfusion Medical, Inc. was just awarded a grant of $3,000,000 from the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity (USAMMDA), Anti-Shock Drug, Pre-Hospital (ASD-PH) program entitled “IND-enabling Studies of PM-208: a Novel Pre-hospital Anti-Shock Therapeutic” to finish studies leading to the issuance of the IND next summer. A sub-contract to his laboratory will fund new dose-response studies evaluating new field stable formulations of PM-208 with a lighter footprint for use in the pre-hospital environment. Phase I clinical safety studies at VCU are anticipated later next year.

At the "Extreme Edge' of Transplant Possibility

Shannon “Christ” (pronounced Chris) Harris’ abdominal pain reached the point where he couldn’t bend down to put on shoes. He and his fiancée, Jessica Garrett, thought it was a good idea to get checked out at a nearby Atlanta ER.

Once there, he was admitted over that November 2022 night, and scans the next day revealed a likely diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer.

“They said, ‘You can’t leave this floor,’” Harris said. He remained in the hospital and a week later, surgeons removed 75% of his liver in a procedure called a resection, with the hope being the cancer was removed with the organ. The liver grows back within a few weeks.

While pathology confirmed the HCC diagnosis, the couple figured the worst was behind them. But a follow-up scan in March showed the cancer had returned.

“They told me the only way out was a liver transplant,” Harris said. “They immediately referred us to VCU Health...”

To continue reading, click here.

JaTori L. Robinson NP

Acute Care Surgical Services

How long have you been with Surgery?

I have worked VCU in different surgery related units since 2007, as a nurse extern turned bedside nurse, interim nurse clinician, now Nurse Practitioner for the ACSS division since 2014.

Describe your role in your own words.

I am part of a multidisciplinary team working together in a past paced environment that spans multiple levels of care to provide the best care possible to all of our patients.

Most exciting and/or challenging part of your position?

I like to learn and share my knowledge with others. My current role allows me to gain experience in a variety of medical conditions from a multidisciplinary viewpoint, as well as care for patients in the trauma bay, acute care wards, ICU and outpatient clinic. Our division works with multiple disciples of interns, residents, fellows, and APPs with diverse backgrounds and experiences that leads to interactive and educational rounds, and lifelong multidisciplinary connections. There is NEVER a boring day.

What gives you the greatest satisfaction in your job?

Learning something new every day, sharing knowledge with others, connecting with and caring for patients.

What do you do for fun outside of work?

Travel (I love Italy), listen to music, reads books, get dinner and other activities with family and friends, fruit and veggie gardening novice, and crafting from cricut to building wood projects. Oh and my puppy, a chocolate Cockapoo, he keeps me busy every day.