A Newsletter for the Departments of Surgery and Pediatric Surgery

at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston

December 2025

UTHealth Houston Surgery: 
A Year of Growth & Achievement

Well, believe it or not, another year has flown by. Our longtime DMO, Patricia Birkmeyer, moved on to bigger and better things as Vice President for Clinical Business Affairs for UT. She is now part of the dean’s office and is working closely with Brian Dean. There’s a history of our DMO transitioning from surgery to roles with the Presidents, Deans, or UTP (such as Julie Page and Cynthia Huehlefeld). Stepping into the role now is the very capable Ollieta Nicholas. I’m sure you will all enjoy working with her as she gets to know as many of you as possible.

Dr. Melina Kibbe began her tenure as President a couple of months ago and is on a listening tour to learn about the needs of all of us. As a surgeon, I am confident she will understand our concerns and needs. Dr. Latanya Love did a great job as Interim President and is now serving as Dean. I have worked with her for over 25 years, and she is excellent and easy to talk to. She has a strong background in Education and has been here as a resident and faculty; thus, she knows UT very well.

The department continues doing well in all aspects of clinical, research, and education. We have added over 40 new faculty members in the past few years, a notable achievement. Hopefully, we can find offices and support for all.

Interventional GI has returned to Internal Medicine following Dr. Thosani’s appointment as Division Chief for GI. MIST and Dr. Wilson will continue to work closely with them on clinical initiatives. The General Surgery group has expanded across Houston, and many of our faculty have taken on administrative roles. Thanks to all, since I get great feedback from all sites about our faculty.

Dr. Hobeika has assumed the role of Chief of Transplant and has done an outstanding job recruiting surgeons and nephrologists. The team has been actively building the renal service and recently completed the first liver transplant since reopening. Many thanks to Dr. Hobeika for his leadership. I would also like to extend my appreciation to Dr. Cox and Dr. Kao for their guidance during the recruitment process for a new head of transplant.

Dr. Cox, working with Dr. Kao, continues to run CeTIR and has obtained significant funding. This is a very important part of the department's research activities.

Dr. Grieves continues to grow the division of Plastic Surgery and has recruited several new faculty members not only for the TMC but also for multiple community sites. The training program has been recognized as one of the best, if not the best, in Texas. Their academic efforts have been recognized by multiple presentations at national meetings.

Dr. Canfield has recruited several new Urologists, and they remain very busy at TMC and LBJ. We will be moving them to the Bellaire station as soon as the buildout is complete, working closely with the other divisions there. 

Dr. Sasha Adams continues to serve as the Program Director for Urology, while mentoring Dr. Annie Chen, a new urologist, to assume this role. Dr. Chen has a strong interest in education and is actively working with Dr. Adams. Of course, she couldn’t ask for a better mentor since Dr. Adams has built a strong residency program, and we get many applicants.

Dr. Laura Moore has assumed the role of Chief of Surgery at LBJ and is doing an excellent job. Dr. Ko remains very busy in his role as Chief of Staff at LBJ, and it is good to have one of our own in a leadership role within Harris Health. Dr. Moore will be instrumental as we advance from a Level III trauma center to a Level II and then to a Level I.

Dr. Banki remains very busy with clinical work and mentoring medical students in clinical research and manuscript preparation. She recently took 8 students to a national meeting to present either orally or via posters. They seem to enjoy this exposure to academic medicine.

Now onto the larger and busier Acute Care Surgery group; never a question of whether they are clinically busy since the volume of trauma and the severity seems to continue at all times. Dr. John Harvin has built up the trauma service at Katy Memorial Hermann, and it appears that they are already very busy. Dr. Kao has recruited Dr. Robyn Richmond as the new head of Burn Surgery, bringing a wealth of experience in burn management. We are all excited that Dr. Kao has been elected to the Board of Regents for the American College of Surgeons. Very prestigious and good for all of us. Hopefully, we will see her as president in a few years.

As 2025 comes to a close, I would like to thank all of you for the tremendous job you have done. Please remember to thank all of our administrative staff and clinic staff. We couldn’t do our jobs without them.

I hope 2026 is a happy and successful year for all of you, and that you and your families remain healthy. It is truly an honor for me to work with all of you, and the people in this department make my job that much easier.  

Richard Andrassy, MD

Chairman, Department of Surgery

Students Shine at Summer Research Program Forum

First-year medical students at McGovern Medical School have the opportunity to complete 10 weeks of mentored research from late May through early August. Students are supported by stipends from their faculty mentors, with several also receiving matching funds from the Office of Educational Programs.

In addition to conducting their research, Summer Research Program (SRP) students attend weekly lectures and present their work at the annual SRP Research Forum, held this year on Nov. 4. Multiple students conducted projects with faculty from the Departments of Surgery and Pediatric Surgery, contributing to research across the full translational spectrum.

This year’s forum also featured a strong presence from the Center for Translational Injury Research (CeTIR), with several students completing trauma-focused projects through the Trauma Scholarly Concentration and under the guidance of CeTIR mentors. Their research addressed critical questions in trauma care, resuscitation, and surgical outcomes.

Congratulations to all of the students and their mentors for their hard work and outstanding presentations.

A complete list of student presenters and their projects, along with a photo gallery from the Research Forum, is available at the link below.

https://med.uth.edu/surgery/2025/12/02/students-shine-at-summer-research-program-forum/

Medical Students Present at the Western Surgical Association Annual Meeting

Medical students from McGovern Medical School presented their research at the Western Surgical Association’s 133rd Annual Meeting, held Nov. 3–4 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Students delivered several oral and mini-oral presentations, highlighting their growing expertise in foregut surgery and the strength of their academic preparation. Farzaneh Banki, MD, professor in the Department of Surgery, mentored and supported the student presenters, helping guide their ongoing academic and research development. Their professionalism, teamwork, and dedication were evident throughout the meeting.

Mini oral session, Ethan Bui, MS II, presenting the complications of hiatal hernia repair in a patient on immunosuppression. Ethan did a great job. 

Mini oral session, Karsten Fields, MSIII, presenting the management of colonic obstruction in type IV hiatal hernia. Karsten did a great job. 

Mini oral session, Mack Anderton, MSII, presenting outcomes of primary and reoperative laparoscopic hiatal hernia repair with fundopexy. Mack did a great job. 

Mack Anderton MS II, Anthony Basta MS III, and Peijun Zhao MS II are preparing Austin Zhu MS II before his presentation. This image highlights the spirit of our team, their sense of humor, and the collegial relationships and friendships they have developed in the medical school and in our research program. 

Mini oral session, Peijun Zhao, MS III, presenting on the role of postoperative CXR in patients undergoing laparoscopic hiatal hernia repair. Peijun responded beautifully to the audience's questions. 

Mini oral session: Anthony Basta, MS III, presenting on discrepancies between imaging and intraoperative findings in a 92-year-old patient who underwent hiatal hernia repair. Anthony did a great job. 

Mini oral session, Austin Zhu, MS II, presenting, management of intraoperative mucosal injury during reoperative Heller myotomy. He worked through technical glitches caused by the WiFi connection and performed confidently and beautifully. 

Oral presentation, Nikhil Erabelli, MS III, presenting outcomes of Toupet fundoplication versus fundopexy. He was the only medical student in his session and did a fantastic job. 

Team Works: UTHealth Houston Showcases Achievements at the 2025 TQIP Annual Conference

The 15th Annual Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP) Conference was held from November 8 to 10 in Chicago. This year’s theme, “Team Works,” highlighted the multidisciplinary clinical and quality improvement teams dedicated to advancing care for injured patients. Faculty, residents, and hospital teammates from UTHealth Houston presented a diverse range of projects, including efforts to strengthen direct-to-operating room pathways, pilot a video-based tool to support discussions on code status, develop a pediatric vascular trauma program, and implement process improvements aimed at enhancing timeliness and patient-centered care.

Lillian Kao, MD, MS, served as chair of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS COT) TQIP and assisted in planning the national meeting.

Presentations included:

• The Benefits of a Team-Based Direct to Operating Room Protocol for Trauma
  Presenter: Wendy Rockne, MD; Senior Author: Laura Moore, MD
• Process Improvements in an Air-Ambulance Direct to Operating Room (DTOR) Program
  Presenter: William Rieger, MD; Senior Author: Michael Wandling, MD, MS
• Perceptions of a Video-Based Support Tool to Enhance Discussions Surrounding End-of-Life Care in Older Adults After Trauma
  Presenter: Ashna Karpe; Senior Author: Thaddeus Puzio, MD, MS
• Development of a Pediatric Vascular Trauma Program
  Presenter: Natalie Drucker, MD
• Implementation of Pediatric Interventional Radiology Guidelines to Improve Timeliness of Trauma Care
  Presenter: Natalie Drucker, MD
• No Longer Burned by Burn Care: A Quality Improvement Initiative to Reduce Painful Dressing Changes for Pediatric Burns
  Presenter: Jeannette Joly, MD; Senior Author: Natalie Drucker, MD
• Shifting Physiology: Hemorrhage Control in the Pregnant Trauma Patient
  Presenter: Lillian Liao, MD

Congratulations to the team on their outstanding contributions and representation at TQIP 2025!

Firearm Injury in Houston - Show Me the Data!

Drs. Michelle McNutt, Lillian Kao, and Natalie Drucker attended the SAFEWatch Houston Firearm Injury Dashboard launch at City Hall on Dec. 2, 2025. The dashboard is a collaborative initiative involving the Houston City Council, Houston Health Department, Level 1 trauma centers, community partners, and other stakeholders. It integrates data from multiple sources to provide a comprehensive overview of firearm violence and injuries in Houston.

Speakers included Sandra McKay, MD, FAAP, associate professor of pediatrics at McGovern Medical School, and Alexander Testa, PhD, associate professor at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health. They emphasized the importance of making this data freely accessible to inform community firearm-injury prevention efforts and future research. Drs. McKay and Testa are co-principal investigators on an NIH grant to develop and rigorously evaluate a hospital-based violence intervention program.

Representatives from each Level I trauma center, including Dr. McNutt, also spoke in support of the dashboard and the work ahead. The launch placed particular emphasis on preventing unintentional firearm injuries among children, noting that in the first half of 2025, at least one such injury occurred each week.

Dean's Lecture Featuring Charles Cox, MD

Charles Cox, MD, delivered a Dean’s Lecture on Dec. 4, 2025. Dr. Cox is a professor and the George and Cynthia Mitchell Distinguished Chair in Neuroscience. He directs the Center for Translational Injury Research and the Pediatric Program in Regenerative Medicine at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. He also serves as co-director of the Texas Trauma Institute and directs the Pediatric Trauma Program at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital.

During his lecture, Dr. Cox discussed the “Evolution of Cell Therapies for Traumatic Brain Injury: From Idea to Clinical Trials.”

The Dean’s Lecture Series at McGovern Medical School was established in 1983 to promote and encourage professional development and spark collaborative interest. Sponsored by the Research Committee, the series features eminent scientists from a broad range of disciplines presenting topics that span basic science research to patient care.

Pediatric Urology, Infectious Disease Team Delivers Life-Saving Expertise

For parents who feared their daughter might not even be born, watching her hit a softball feels miraculous. They smile with pride.

“We didn’t know she’d be able to play athletics — or that she would be here,” said Melissa Pless, Ellie’s mom. “The fact that we get to do normal things, and she gets to be a normal kid, is the greatest blessing.”

During a routine, 20-week ultrasound screening in 2019, doctors discovered kidney abnormalities. They didn’t know what it was at the time, but the preliminary diagnosis and outlook appeared grim.

Read the full story »

Daily Oral GLP-1 Pill Exhibits Promising Results in Treatment Options for Adults With Diabetes and Obesity in Trial Led by UTHealth Houston Researcher

A new oral GLP-1 medication can help adults with obesity and Type 2 diabetes lose more weight and improve their blood sugar levels compared to a placebo, according to findings from the ATTAIN-2 trial led by a UTHealth Houston researcher.

The new medication, a daily oral GLP-1 pill called orforglipron, which can promote weight loss in adults with obesity, demonstrates additional potential for adults who have both obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

The findings were published today in The Lancet. 

Read the full story »

Inside the Latest Advances in Breast Cancer Care

In the latest episode of Real Talk in Medicine: UT Physicians, Tamara E. Saunders, MD, associate professor and breast cancer surgeon, and Annie M. Wang, MD, assistant professor and plastic surgeon, discuss current approaches to breast cancer surgery — including a new option for lymph node removal. They share how their collaboration enables prophylactic lymphedema bypass surgery, helping to preserve quality of life and reduce the risk of lymphedema.

Watch the episode below.

ANNOUNCEMENTS & HIGHLIGHTS

Publications of Note

Sutyak KM, Joly JM, Nguyen T, Boden M, Morice C, Ringheanu VM, Anapolsky M, Strubel JJ, Tsao K, Drucker NA. Outcomes of Split-Thickness Skin Grafting With and Without Epidermal Autografting in Pediatric Burn Care. J Pediatr Surg. 2025 Nov 13:162815. doi: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2025.162815. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41241137.

Prossin AR, Holihan J, Cox CS Jr, Klein-Marcuschamer I, Aceves D, Minkowitz H, Dantzer R. IV IL-1 receptor antagonist reduces pain sensitivity and enhances brain endorphin release during a standardized, experimental, acute pain challenge: A BESH clinical trial. Brain Behav Immun. 2025 Nov 4;131:106165. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2025.106165. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41197684.

Cleff B, Nye JR, Wang E, Kopplin NG, Swiekatowski K, Greives MR, Goldstein RL, Freet DJ. Breaking down the barriers: identifying barriers to dilation after gender-affirming vaginoplasty. J Sex Med. 2025 Nov 9:qdaf314. doi: 10.1093/jsxmed/qdaf314. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41206918.

Wei S, Swiekatowski KR, Barrera JE, Wang EB, Klugh JM, Talanker MM, Sobol DL, Greives MR. Buccal Flap during Primary Furlow Palatoplasty Decreases Likelihood of Velopharyngeal Insufficiency in Patients with Cleft Palate. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2025 Nov 17. doi: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000012618. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41247180.

Swiekatowski KR, Parlamas SF, Wang EB, Kahramangil B, Rizvi I, Trost JG, Bhadkamkar MA. Exploring the Connection between Flap Type and Infection in Lower Extremity Fractures. J Reconstr Microsurg. 2025 Nov 19. doi: 10.1055/a-2737-6450. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41192455.



Wang E, Williams C, Swiekatowski K, Sobol D, Greives M. All You Need is One: The Use of Buccal Flaps and Facial Asymmetry After Cleft Palate Repair. J Craniofac Surg. 2025 Nov 21. doi: 10.1097/SCS.0000000000012146. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41269914.

DeMaster D, Watson CG, Prasad MR, Cox CS, Jr., Fischer JT, Ewing-Cobbs L. Linking Limbic-Prefrontal White Matter Microstructure to Behavioral Problems Following Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury. J Neurotrauma. Nov 5 2025;doi:10.1177/08977151251388405. PMID: 41192919.

Kregel HR, Van Gent JM, Halfacre H, Fabbrini G, Kwon D, Meyer DE, Moore L, Kao LS, Puzio TJ. A Tough Pill to Swallow: Bedside Dysphagia Screening in Geriatric Trauma Patients. J Surg Res. Nov 5 2025;315:908-914. doi:10.1016/j.jss.2025.09.091. PMID: 41197588.

LaCroix IS, Dzieciatkowska M, Cendali F, Sanders K, Wade CE, Cotton BA, Cohen MJ, D'Alessandro A, Hansen K, Cardenas JC. Multiomics reveal plasma constituents associated with thrombosis among trauma patients who do not respond to enoxaparin. Blood Vessel Thromb Hemost. Nov 2025;2(4):100102. doi:10.1016/j.bvth.2025.100102. PMID: 41210697. PMC12594916.

Martinez Ugarte S, Fajemisin MO, Varman B, Towns PC, Chamely EA, Green RW, Rieger WD, Wootton SH, Kao LS. Ertapenem as an Antibiotic Prophylaxis for Colectomies and Laparotomies: A Systematic Review. Surg Infect (Larchmt). Nov 18 2025;doi:10.1177/10962964251396052. PMID: 41253420.

Miller ME, Zusman BE, Phuah CL, McNally E, Okonkwo DO, Pease M, Desai SM, Rani A, Namphol N, Kumar A, Javelosa RA, Eberle AT, Afework S, Catapano J, Cox CS, Jr., Kochanek PM, Conley YP, Puccio AM, Jha RM. Polygenic Vulnerability to Intracranial Hypertension, Hemorrhage Progression, and Outcome in Traumatic Brain Injury. Ann Neurol. Nov 14 2025;doi:10.1002/ana.78064. PMID: 41235589.

Ramsuchit B, Meyer DE. Solid Organ Injuries: To Irradiate or Operate? Semin Intervent Radiol. Aug 2025;42(4):439-446. doi:10.1055/s-0045-1809998. PMID: 41234334. PMC12606057.

Reagan AM, Montgomery KB, Woeste MR, Sutton JM, Smith SR, Postlewait LM, Farr D, Abelson JS, Cho NL, Foote DC, Meister KM, Lindeman B, Kimbrough MK, Nahmias J, Callahan ZM, Marks JA, Elsaadi A, Burton E, Richmond R, Dodwad SM, Adams SD, Buonpane CL, Patel P, Anstadt MJ, Nasim BW, Layne D, Jung S, Pratt CG, Quillin RC, 3rd, Kim J, Patel JA, Cortez AR, Winer LK. Defining the Surgical Oncology Experience during General Surgery Residency: A Multi-Institutional Study from the US ROPE Consortium. Ann Surg Oncol. Oct 25 2025;doi:10.1245/s10434-025-18529-6. PMID: 41139184.

Samost-Williams A, Green CE, Kao LS, Sridhar S, Sessler DI, Turan A, Thomas EJ. Assessing the impact of a semi-structured intraoperative anaesthesia handoff cognitive aid on surgical patient outcomes: study protocol for a cluster randomised trial. BMJ Open. Nov 4 2025;15(11):e110401. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2025-110401. PMID: 41248419. PMC12587940.

Van Gent JM, Burczak KW, Bavishi DA, Clements TW, Wandling MW, Cotton BA, Puzio TJ. Venous thromboembolism in traumatic brain injury patients despite aggressive early chemoprophylaxis. Am J Surg. Oct 24 2025;251:116683. doi:10.1016/j.amjsurg.2025.116683. PMID: 41176827. 

IN THE NEWS

GRAND ROUNDS

Editorial Team: Dr. Lillian Kao, Dr. Casey Duncan, Dr. Peter Walker, Dr. Elias Chamely, and Maryam Broussard.

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