January, 2026

A Newsletter for the Departments of Surgery and Pediatric Surgery

at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston

January 2026

Abdominal Transplant Program Resumes Clinical Activity

Under new leadership with Mark Hobeika, MD, FACS, professor of surgery and chief of the Division of Abdominal Organ Transplantation, the abdominal transplant program resumed operations in April 2025. Since reopening, both the liver and kidney transplant programs have successfully returned to clinical activity. The team closed the year with four liver transplants and 11 kidney transplants, building strong momentum for continued growth in the coming year.

Changing the Future for Children with CDH

In the latest episode of Real Talk in Medicine: UT Physicians, Matthew T. Harting, MD, pediatric surgeon-scientist, explores how innovative research and surgical advances are improving outcomes for children with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). He shares how the integration of science, surgical expertise, and discovery is shaping the future of care for some of the most vulnerable patients, offering new hope for children and their families.

Watch the episode below.

Highlighting Research in Pediatric Injury Prevention

Jeannette Joly, MD, pediatric surgery research resident, and Natalie Drucker, MD, MS, assistant professor of pediatric surgery, presented The Impact of a Federally Mandated Car Safety Feature on Rate and Severity of Pediatric Backover Trauma at the Injury Free Coalition for Kids conference on December 5 in Fort Lauderdale. Their presentation examined how federally mandated vehicle safety features influence both the rate and severity of pediatric backover injuries, highlighting the importance of policy and prevention-focused research in enhancing child safety outcomes.

At the Homestead: Highlights from the Southern Surgical Association

The 137th Annual Meeting of the Southern Surgical Association (SSA) was held December 7-10 at The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia. The SSA was founded in 1887 in Birmingham, Alabama, by two brothers. Since then, the meeting has gained popularity both for the high-quality science presented across surgical disciplines and for the collegiality and camaraderie among its members.

Bryan Cotton, MD, MPH, FACS, professor of acute care surgery, presented on the topic of tracheostomy placement in patients with high ventilator settings. This cohort study of over 1,600 tracheostomies performed at Memorial Hermann Hospital-Texas Medical Center was discussed by co-author Thomas Clements, MD, assistant professor and interim director of emergency general surgery. The work sparked a lively discussion.

The paper, first-authored by resident James “Brandon” Dickey, and the discussion will be published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

Important Update: Texas Medical Board CME Tracking Requirements

Faculty and clinical team members should be aware of an important change to the monitoring and verification of Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits by the Texas Medical Board (TMB).

Due to the passage of Texas Senate Bill 912, the TMB is transitioning from a random audit-based system to a universal CME monitoring system. Previously, physicians were only required to submit CME documentation if selected for an audit. Under the new legislation, CME compliance will be tracked for every physician as a condition of licensure.

Effective September 1, 2026, physicians will not be permitted to renew their licenses unless their CME activities have been fully verified by the TMB through its designated tracking system, CE Broker.

Action Required

To avoid delays or denials in license renewal, physicians should take the following steps as soon as possible:

Create your CE Broker account
Visit cebroker.com to claim your account.
Note: The Basic Account is sufficient for compliance purposes. Most physicians do not need to purchase premium features.
Upload and track CME records
Physicians are responsible for uploading CME certificates and tracking credits directly in CE Broker. The TMB will use this system to verify renewal eligibility.

Resources

TMB CME Tracking Information: Texas Medical Board – Continuing Education Tracking
Current CME Requirements: Texas Medical Board – Physician CME Requirements

Faculty are encouraged to begin uploading CME documentation now to prevent disruptions when their renewal cycle approaches.

ANNOUNCEMENTS & HIGHLIGHTS

Lillian S. Kao, MD, MS, FACS, professor of surgery, has been elected to the ACS Foundation Board of Directors, which is chaired by H. Randolph Bailey, MD, FACS, professor emeritus in the Department of Surgery. The ACS Foundation supports the mission of the American College of Surgeons through philanthropic initiatives that advance surgical education, research, and patient care. Dr. Kao’s election reflects her national leadership and longstanding commitment to advancing the surgical profession.

Congratulations to the following faculty members in the division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery who successfully completed their board certification in December:

We also extend our congratulations to any additional faculty who completed board certification during this time and may not be listed above. This accomplishment reflects a significant commitment to professional excellence and a lifelong pursuit of learning.

SAVE THE DATE

January

30

Geriatric Trauma Symposium 2026

Friday, January 30, 2026 | 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
TMC3 | 7255 Helix Park Avenue, Houston, TX 77030

February

19

South Texas Chapter ACS Annual Meeting

February 19-21, 2026
The Westin Houston Medical Center, Houston, TX 77030

February

19

Surgical Disruptive Technology Summit / SAGES NBT Innovation Weekend

February 19-21, 2026
The Woodlands Hilton Hotel, Houston, TX

Publications of Note

Benjamin ER, Demetriades D, Cremonini C, Siletz A, Biswas S, Mooney J, DuBose J, Bradley N, Skaurpa DJ, Krzywon L, Ferrada P, Leung PS, Berne JD, Young J, Scalea TM; AAST Intestinal Discontinuity Study Group (Harvin JA). Intestinal discontinuity may be associated with worse outcomes in damage control laparotomy for trauma: An American association for the surgery of trauma prospective multicenter observational study. Am J Surg. 2025 Dec 11;252:116777. doi: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2025.116777. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41421032.

Fajemisin MO, Karpe AS, Martinez Ugarte S, Hatton GE, Mueck K, Kao LS, Blakely ML, Khraish GH, Naik A, Sanghvi S, Lee JL, Puzio TJ. Knowledge of CPR and Code Status Discussions in Traumatically Injured Older Adults: Does Health Literacy Matter? J Appl Gerontol. 2025 Dec 30:7334648251411582. doi: 10.1177/07334648251411582. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41467310.

Froix A, Mason BS, Kao LS, Pollitt K, Joseph KA, Nelson H. A Standardized Screening and Prioritization Tool in Support of Program-Based Quality Improvement. Ann Surg Oncol. 2026 Jan 3. doi: 10.1245/s10434-025-18924-z. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41484822.

Karpe AS, Fajemisin MO, Ugarte SM, Ouellette L, Blakely ML, Khraish GH, Sanghvi SV, Kwak MJ, Lee JL, Kao LS, Puzio TJ. Video Conversation Aids to Assist in Goals-Of-Care Discussions With Older Adults in a Medical Setting: A Systematic Review. Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2025 Dec 22:10499091251408757. doi: 10.1177/10499091251408757. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41424255.

Martinez Ugarte S, Fajemisin MO, Kim S, Rieger WD, Green RW, Hatton GE, Kao LS. Are Drains After Trauma Splenectomy Associated with Organ Space Surgical Site Infections? Surg Infect (Larchmt). 2025 Dec 8. doi: 10.1177/10962964251405078. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41386794.

Takahashi K, Yamakawa K, Siletz AE, Katsura M, Holcomb JB, Cotton BA, Wade CE, Cardenas JC, Martin M, Inaba K, Matsushima K. Hyperfibrinolysis in Trauma-Induced Coagulopathy: Exploring the Role of Inflammatory Cytokines . J Thromb Haemost. 2025 Dec 23:S1538-7836(25)00908-0. doi: 10.1016/j.jtha.2025.11.026. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41448542.

Ashley JR, Collier AM, Olson SD, Cox CS. Freeze-Dried, Not Frozen: Lyophilized Mesenchymal Stromal Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles and Therapeutic Function in Neuroinflammatory Models. J Am Coll Surg. 2026 Jan 1;242(1):22-32. doi: 10.1097/XCS.0000000000001591. Epub 2025 Oct 6. PMID: 41051108; PMCID: PMC12704670.

IN THE NEWS

Deborah Horn, DO, MPH, was featured in over 100 outlets about her new research that found a daily oral GLP-1 can boost weight loss and lower blood sugar for patients with obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Horn, also joined FOX 26 News to talk about what you need to know before starting a GLP-1.

GRAND ROUNDS

January

2026

During the month of January, Grand Rounds will focus on ABSITE Prep and will be held on January 8, 15, 22, and 29 in Room 3.001.

These sessions are resident-priority, and faculty attendance is not required. CME credit will not be offered for these sessions.

M&M will continue as regularly scheduled on January 8, 15, 22, and 29, from 8:00–9:00 a.m., held in Room 3.001 or via the standing weekly M&M calendar invite.