A NEWSLETTER FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY

at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston

November 2024

McGovern Medical School Academy of Master Educators Welcomes 2022, 2023 Inductees

Congratulations to the newest inductees of the McGovern Medical School Academy of Master Educators. The new members for 2022 and 2023 were honored at an induction ceremony on Thursday, Aug. 22, at III by Wolfgang Puck. Among the honorees were three faculty members from the Department of Surgery:



• Stefanos G. Millas, MD, FACS, Professor
• Tamara E. Saunders, MD, FACS, Associate Professor
• Michael J. Snyder, MD, FACS, Professor

These distinguished educators were celebrated for their contributions to medical education at McGovern Medical School. The Department of Surgery congratulates and thanks them for their dedication to learners and their training.

For the complete list of inductees and more details about the ceremony, click here.

Moore Invited to Key Roles with the American Board of Surgery-Surgical Critical Care

Laura J. Moore, MD, FACS, Professor of Surgery in the Division of Acute Care Surgery, has been invited to join the American Board of Surgery's Standard Setting Committee for the Surgical Critical Care Boards. This prestigious committee is responsible for defining the core knowledge expected of board-certified surgical intensivists and determining the passing standards for the Surgical Critical Care Certifying Exam.

In addition, Dr. Moore has been reappointed to a five-year term on the Trauma/Burn/Surgical Critical Care Board’s Item Writing Committee. In this role, she will contribute to the development of multiple-choice questions for the Surgical Critical Care Board Exam.

Kao Receives Distinguished Alumni Award

Dr. Doug Wood, Chair of UW Surgery; Dr. Lillian Kao, Distinguished Alumni Award winner, Dr. John Strauss, nephew of Dr. Alfred Strauss; and Dr. Patricia Turner, CEO of the ACS.

Lillian S. Kao, MD, FACS, Professor, and Jack H. Mayfield, MD, Chair in the Department of Surgery, received the 2024 Harkins Distinguished Alumnus Award. The Harkins Society is the alumni association for the University of Washington Department of Surgery. Kao completed her general surgery residency at the University of Washington in 2001. She presented at the Harkins Surgical Symposium on "Integrating Research into Routine Clinical Care" and at the Harkins Dinner on "The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Surgeon." She was joined at these events by the 75th Annual Sr. Alfred A Strauss lecturer, Dr. Patricia Turner, Executive Director, and Chief Executive Officer of the American College of Surgeons.

Cusick Presents at ASER Perioperative Medicine 2024

The American Society for Enhanced Recovery and Perioperative Medicine (ASER) 2024 Fall Meeting, co-hosted with MD Anderson, was held in Houston, TX, from September 19-21. This event aimed to advance perioperative medicine and enhanced recovery, featuring presentations and workshops on key topics such as professional development, point-of-care ultrasonography, and regional anesthesia.

Marianne Cusick, MD, FACS, Associate Professor and Director of Colorectal Surgery in the Department of Surgery, presented "Surgical Techniques and Enhanced Recovery: Does Technique Matter?" Her talk emphasized the significance of surgical techniques in optimizing patient recovery. ASER 2024 gathered global experts to share the latest research, innovations, and practices in perioperative care.

T32 Research Resident Competes at Regional Trauma Paper Competition

Mokunfayo Fajemisin, MD, a second-year research resident, won the South Texas American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (COT) Papers Competition. Fajemisin is a T32 trauma research fellow who is currently enrolled in the Masters Degree in Clinical Research Program. Her abstract was entitled: “Sex and Racial Disparities Persist Despite Implementation of Multimodal Pain Regimen in Trauma Patients.” She performed a secondary analysis of two prior studies, including the Multimodal Analgesic Strategies for Trauma (MAST) randomized controlled trial conducted by John A. Harvin, MD, MS, FACS, Professor of Surgery. Fajemisin went on to represent South Texas COT in the regional competition. Region 6 includes South and North Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. Past winners of the South Texas COT competition who have gone on to the national competition have included Shuyan Wei, MD, MS, and Michael Collins Scott, MD.

UTHealth Houston Surgeons Well Represented at the American College of Surgeons Fall Clinical Congress

Leadership Roles in ACS

Lillian S. Kao, MD, FACS, professor, and Jack H. Mayfield, MD, Chair in the Department of Surgery, completed her year as Chair of the Board of Governors (BOG) of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). She has served as a governor of the South Texas Chapter of the ACS for the past 6 years; during this time frame, she was on the Executive Committee for three years (as the Lead of the Quality Pillar and Vice-Chair, then Chair). She also represented the BOG at the Board of Regents meetings as a non-voting participant. The governors are the official, direct link between ACS members and the Board of Regents leadership. Kao will continue as President of the South Texas Chapter of the ACS (STxACS).

Congratulations to Jonah J. Stulberg, MD, PhD, MPH, FACS, Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Research, on his election to a 3-year term on the BOG representing the South Texas Chapter. His expertise and commitment will be an asset to the ACS.

H. Randolph Bailey, MD, FACS, Professor Emeritus, serves as Chair of the ACS Foundation. This philanthropic organization raises funds to support the ACS mission, including scholarships for trainees. The STxACS has a chapter fund where donations can be designated to support local trainees for travel and research.

Congratulations to New Fellows

Congratulations to Nicole Villafane-Ferriol, MD, Assistant Professor, for her induction as a new Fellow of the ACS. New fellows were invited to the Convocation Ceremony, where they took the Fellowship Pledge to exemplify and develop the highest traditions of the surgical profession.

Research Presentations from UTHealth Houston

We are honored to highlight the following presentations by UTHealth Houston general surgery residents at the ACS Annual Meeting. Their research and presentations reflect UTHealth Houston’s commitment to advancing surgical knowledge and patient care.

• Devi Bavishi, MD – Poster presentation on "Air Ambulance: Every Minute Counts"
• Janet Ashley, MD – Two oral presentations: High-Impact Clinical Trials: "Autologous Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells for Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury" Scientific Forum: "Do MSC-Derived EVs Amplify Immune Response after Injury?" Both presentations were conducted under the mentorship of Charles S. Cox Jr., MD.
• Rachel Bordelon, MD – Oral presentation in the ACS Scientific Forum titled "Novel 3D Imaging Quantification of ENS in Human Pediatric Intestine", detailing a pioneering 3D imaging technique for quantifying the enteric nervous system (ENS) in pediatric intestine. This technology will guide future studies on human intestinal organoids to optimize ENS development.
• Stephanie Martinez-Ugarte, MD – Poster presentation on "Biologic Versus Permanent Synthetic Mesh: What Hernia Recurrence Risk Will Patients Accept to Avoid a Permanent Implant?" focused on assessing patients’ willingness to accept hernia recurrence risks to avoid synthetic mesh implants.

Thank you to all our residents for representing UTHealth Houston with such impactful contributions.

Faculty Participation in Scientific Forum, Review Courses, Debates, Town Halls, and More!

UTHealth Houston faculty demonstrated outstanding engagement across various sessions at the ACS Annual Meeting, contributing their expertise in presentations, debates, and instructional courses.

• Jonah Stulberg, MD, PhD, MPH, FACS – Presented results of his "Prospective Randomized Trial to Prevent Opioid Misuse through Safe Opioid Use Agreements" in the Scientific Forum.
• Dalya Ferguson, MD – Presented a video on "Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Repair of Colon Containing Traumatic Left Lateral Hernia with Mesh."
• Anna Mydlowska, MD – Presented a video on "Temporary Vascular Shunting in Trauma Surgery."
• Sasha Adams, MD, FACS – Instructed sessions in the General Surgery Review Course, focusing on Neck and Chest Trauma and Abdominal Trauma.
• David Meyer, MD, MS, FACS – Participated in “The Great Debates,” presenting the “con” argument for surgical stabilization of rib fractures against Alicia Mangram, MD, FACS, a McGovern Medical School alumna.
• Lillian Kao, MD, FACS – Served as co-moderator for the debate session and co-moderated a Town Hall titled "Should the ACS Publicly Report Surgical Outcomes?"

These contributions reflect the expertise and dedication of our faculty to advancing surgical knowledge and practice.

ACS Alumni Reception

The ACS Alumni Reception was an opportunity for alums, faculty, and current members to connect and celebrate achievements within the community. Check out our photos capturing the memorable moments from the event.

Upcoming South Texas ACS Chapter Events

Mark your calendars for February 22-25 for the STxACS meeting in Houston. For more details, visit the STxACS website.

Getting Involved with ACS

If you're interested in joining ACS or becoming more involved in the local chapter, please contact Dr. Kao (Lillian.S.Kao@uth.tmc.edu).

Explore our photo gallery to see highlights from our dedicated attendees at the ACS Clinical Congress 2024.

The Association of Women Surgeons (AWS) Annual Conference took place in San Francisco on October 18-19, in parallel with the ACS Clinical Congress. 

Renee Walker, MD, presented at the Starr Research Forum. Her abstract was selected as one of 10 finalists out of over 200 abstracts. Her presentation was titled: "Preventing Organ Space Surgical Site Infection after Trauma Splenectomy: Impact of Splenic Fossa Drainage."

Areeba Saif, MD, was selected as one of three winners of the 2024 AWS Resident Travel Award to attend the conference.

Renee Walker, MD, surgical resident

Areeba Saif, MD, surgical resident

Inaugural Research & Quality Improvement Day: Harris Health & UTHealth Houston

Jonah J. Stulberg, MD, PhD, MPH, FACS, Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Research, earned top honors in the clinical research category at the first Harris Health and UTHealth Houston Research and Quality Improvement Day, held on October 16, 2024, at LBJ General Hospital. Stulberg's award-winning poster, titled “Prospective Randomized Trial to Prevent Opioid Misuse through Safe Opioid Use Agreements,” was a standout project among a competitive field. The event, a collaboration between Harris Health and UTHealth Houston, featured groundbreaking work from medical professionals and researchers across three categories: clinical research, quality improvement, and translational research. Other presenters from the Department of Surgery also contributed their research posters to this showcase, which included:

• Elias Chamely, MD, surgical fellow — “Stoma site incisional hernia – A single center review and analysis” — Senior Author: Jonah J. Stulberg, MD, PhD, MPH, FACS
• William Rieger, MD and Renee Walker, MD, both surgical residents — “Reducing post-operative emergency department visits through quality improvement with clarified patient education material” — Senior author: Tamara Saunders, MD, FACS
• Stephanie Martinez-Ugarte, MD, surgical resident — “Biologic versus permanent synthetic mesh: What hernia recurrence risk will patients accept to avoid a permanent implant?” — Senior author: Julie Holihan, MD, FACS
• Mokun Fajemisin MD, a general surgery resident and current T32 research fellow — “Navigating health literacy: Comparison of assessment tools in a surgical safety-net population” — Senior Author: Krislynn Mueck, MD, MPH, MS
• Sydney Brand, a summer medical student — “Abdominal fascial closure with mesh suture: Our institutional experience” — Senior Author: Dalya Ferguson, MD, MS
• Rakesh Kathiresan, a summer medical student — “A retrospective review of ventral hernia repair outcomes among geriatric patients at the Texas Hernia Center”—Senior Author: Julile Holihan, MD, FACS
• Abigail Wrather, a summer medical student — “Ventral hernia recurrence by location: A retrospective review”—Senior Author: Julie Holihan, MD, FACS
• Debbie Nguyen, program manager of research — “Comparison of outcomes of antibiotic drugs and appendectomy (CODA) trial: A model for successful conduct of a clinical trial at a safety-net hospital” — Senior Author: Lillian Kao, MD, MS, FACS

The Surgery Department was well represented at this event, and we hope to have even more representation from the department at the future Research and Quality Improvement Days.

Research in the Department of Surgery at LBJ General Hospital is supported by Tien C. Ko, MD, FACS, Professor and Jack H. Mayfield, MD, Distinguished Professor in Surgery; Jonah J. Stulberg, MD, PhD, MPH, FACS, Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Research for the Department of Surgery; and research coordinators Debbie Nguyen and Stephanie Marquez.

Relive the highlights with our photo gallery, capturing every memorable moment from the event!

Publications of Note

Anthony Basta, Joshua Haag, Karsten Fields, Neel Aligave, Connor Fritz, Andre Miller, Farzaneh Banki, INTRAPERITONEaL INFILTRATION of exparel reduces post-operative PAIN and the need for opioids Following Laparoscopic Hiatal Hernia Repair with fundopexy, Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery, 2024, ISSN 1091-255X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gassur.2024.10.021.

Knowlton LM, Sauaia A, Moore EE, Knudson MM; CLOTT Study Group (McNutt MK). Does preperitoneal packing increase venous thromboembolim risk among trauma patients? A prospective multicenter analysis across 17 level I trauma centers. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2024 Nov 1;97(5):791-798. doi: 10.1097/TA.0000000000004416. Epub 2024 Jul 26. PMID: 39058389.

McCrum ML, Zakrison TL, Knowlton LM, Bruns B, Kao LS, Joseph KA, Berry C. Taking action to achieve health equity and eliminate healthcare disparities within acute care surgery. Trauma Surg Acute Care Open. 2024 Oct 15;9(1):e001494. doi: 10.1136/tsaco-2024-001494. PMID: 39416956; PMCID: PMC11481130.

Smith SE, Andrick LM, Akuamoah-Boateng E, Akuamoah-Boateng K, Carothers C, Everett T, Kao LS, Nicastro O, Witenko CJ, Hobbs B. Experience of a peer prereview service including a junior reviewer program in a professional association. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2024 Oct 12:zxae298. doi: 10.1093/ajhp/zxae298. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39394869.

Takahashi K, Yamakawa K, Siletz AE, Katsura M, Holcomb JB, Wade CE, Cardenas JC, Fox EE, Schellenberg M, Martin M, Inaba K, Matsushima K. Hyperfibrinolysis: a crucial phenotypic abnormality of posttraumatic fibrinolytic dysfunction. Res Pract Thromb Haemost. 2024 Sep 11;8(7):102568. doi: 10.1016/j.rpth.2024.102568. PMID: 39430866; PMCID: PMC11488401.



Walker PW, Luther JF, Wisniewski SR, Brown JB, Moore EE, Schreiber M, Joseph B, Wilson CT, Harbrecht BG, Ostermayer DG, Cotton B, Miller R, Patel M, Martin-Gill C, Sperry JL, Guyette FX. Prehospital Delta Shock Index Predicts Mortality and Need for Life Saving Interventions in Trauma Patients. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2024 Oct 3:1-10. doi: 10.1080/10903127.2024.2412841. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39361267.

IN THE NEWS

GRAND ROUNDS

SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT

utplastics: Every day in plastic surgery training reminds Dr. Tung of the profound impact they have in patients’ lives. Tung says, it’s a humbling journey, filled with challenges and triumphs, as we help restore confidence and transform not just appearances, but lives.

uthurology: Fantastic work from our PGY-4s Hannah and Skyler, plus our recent men’s sexual health fellow alumnus Mohammed for their presentations at this year’s #SMSNA! And of course, great seeing our lovely NP Chinwe as well!

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.