A NEWSLETTER FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY
at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
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As September comes to a close, let us continue to celebrate all the outstanding Women in Medicine. This months newsletter showcases many of the Department of Surgery's female faculty that shine bright in their field. | |
Congratulations to our 2021 STAR Awardees | |
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UTHealth Houston relies on the dedication, knowledge, and expertise of our employees to continue advancing the university’s key mission areas of health care, research, and education.
Each year, UTHealth Houston celebrates the leadership and longevity of our employees by recognizing their milestone years of service at the university. Our employees are UTHealth Houston’s greatest asset, and their commitment and dedication to the university are remarkable.
The university is honoring more than 1,000 of our STARs this year, including faculty and staff who are celebrating five, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, or 50 years of service.
Take a moment to view the list of the Department of Surgery 2021 STAR awardees and congratulate your colleagues.
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Amit Agarwal, 5 years
Erik Askenasy, 5 years
Denise Butler, 5 years
John Bynon, 10 years
Jessica Castaneda, 5 years
Jasmine Coleman, 5 years
Melissa Felinski, 5 years
Daniel Freet, 20 years
Dana Hinton, 5 years
Virginia Hood, 5 years
Amy Jones, 25 years
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David Meyer, 5 years
Michelle Ortiz, 5 years
Michael Padilla, 5 years
Charlene Patterson, 5 years
Megan Ruby, 5 years
Jennifer Sabin, 5 years
Shinil Shah, 10 years
Carla Square, 10 years
Clinton Taffe, 15 years
Kajese Tanyaradzwa, 5 years
Peter Walker, 5 years
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Chen, Holihan Named AWS 40 Under 40 | |
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The Association of Women’s Surgeons has named Wendy Chen, MD, and Julie Holihan, MD, to the 2022 Class of the AWS 40 Under 40 Female Surgeons.
“As AWS celebrates its 40th anniversary, we are highlighting 40+ outstanding women surgeons under the age of 40,” the organization said. “These diverse candidates are trailblazers in their field who make a significant impact with their actions.”
The Association of Women Surgeons (AWS), founded in 1981, is a not-for-profit educational and professional organization. With approximately 3,000 members of all genders, AWS is one of the largest organizations dedicated to enhancing the interaction and exchange of information between women surgeons.
Read the full story…
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Adams and Moore Admitted into the American College of Surgeons Academy of Master Surgeon Educators | |
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Sasha Adams, MD, associate professor, and Laura Moore, MD, professor, both in the Department of Surgery are among a group of 65 esteemed surgeon educators inducted into membership in the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Academy of Master Surgeon Educators® on September 30, 2022, during a program event in Chicago. This is the fifth cohort of members inducted into this distinguished Academy.
The Academy is truly excited about this landmark program of the ACS Division of Education that has been created to recognize the highest levels of achievements in the field of surgical education and to create a vibrant community that will take this field to unprecedented heights.
We look forward to Dr. Adams and Dr. Moore’s active engagement and many contributions to this exciting Academy in the years ahead.
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Houston Society of Plastic Surgeons Names Greives 2022-2023
President
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Matthew R. Greives, MD, MS, FACS was elevated to the President of the Houston Society of Plastic Surgeons (HSPS) for the 2022-2023 year. HSPS is one of the largest local plastic surgery groups, including all 5 training programs in the Houston region as well as private practice groups in the community. The first meeting of the year also included the election of new officers and Phuong D. Nguyen, MD, FACS, FAAP was elected as the Secretary for the organization for this year.
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Rosalind Franklin Society Recognizes Outstanding Contributions from Women and Minorities | |
Lillian S. Kao, MD, FACS, Professor and Division Chief of Acute Care Surgery was awarded the Rosalind Franklin Society for best paper from women under-represented minority in Surgical Infections in 2021. As the senior author, Dr. Kao’s paper describes the development of a risk calculator for superficial surgical site infection after emergency trauma laparotomy. The paper was a collaborative effort of multiple research residents (Drs. Wei, Hatton, and Isbell), faculty co-investigators (Drs. Harvin and Wade), and the statisticians at the Center for Clinical Research and Evidence-Based Medicine (Drs. Thanh, Pedroza, and Green).
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Research on Venous Thromboembolism Published in JAMA Surgery | |
Recent research on venous thromboembolism from Jessica Cardenas, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Surgery, has been published in JAMA Surgery.
The paper titled, “Association of Changes in Antithrombin Activity Over Time With Responsiveness to Enoxaparin Prophylaxis and Risk of Trauma-Related Venous Thromboembolism,” was co-written by Bryan Cotton, MD, professor of surgery; Laura Vincent, MS, RN; Michael Talanker, BS; Dakota Butler, BS, Xu Zhang, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine; Jeanette M. Podbielski, RN, Yao-Wei Wang, MD; Amber Chen-Goodspeed, BA; Selina L. Hernandez Gonzalez, BS; Erin Fox, PhD, associate professor of surgery; and Charles Wade, PhD, professor of surgery.
VTE is a common complication that causes the formation of dangerous blood clots in surgical patients and patients experiencing trauma. These blood clots are commonly treated with anticoagulants; however, the effectiveness of the treatment varies widely among patients.
Read the full story….
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Mueck Awarded EAST Trauma Research Scholarship | |
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Krislynn Mueck, MD, MPH, MS, is the 2023 recipient of the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST) Trauma Research Scholarship for her study titled: “Dronabinol On the Pain Experience (DOPE): a pragmatic, randomized clinical trial”. The EAST Trauma Research Scholarship is a career development award meant to support young investigators and junior faculty in their endeavors to reduce the incidence of trauma, improve the care of injured patients, and develop the next generation of trauma leaders. Dr. Mueck is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Acute Care Surgery and a graduate of our general surgery residency and acute care surgery fellowship. She obtained her Master of Science Degree in Clinical Research while she was a research resident. Her faculty mentor for the study is Dr. John Harvin, Associate Professor of Surgery, and her co-investigator is Dr. James Klugh, a current research fellow. Congratulations, Dr. Mueck!
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Howard University College of Medicine Names First Black Woman Dean | |
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Andrea A. Hayes Dixon, MD, FACS, FAAP, has been appointed the first Black woman to serve as dean of Howard University College of Medicine, effective Oct. 3. With Hayes Dixon’s appointment, the number of women serving as academic deans at Howard University increases to 11. According to 2021 data from the Association of American Medical Colleges, only 22 percent of medical school deans in the nation are women. With the distinction of becoming dean, Hayes Dixon adds to an already extensive list of groundbreaking accomplishments. “I am truly honored and humbled to lead the outstanding Howard University College of Medicine,” said Hayes Dixon. “The responsibility of educating the nation’s next generation of leaders in medicine, is an enormous responsibility that I take very seriously. I am excited to engender allies and friends to join me in the journey of moving Howard forward.”
Dr. Dixon previously served as faculty in the Department of Pediatric Surgery at McGovern Medical School and as the chief of pediatric surgery at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center. Congratulations, to this outstanding Woman in Medicine who is paving the way for many.
Read the full story…
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UTHealth Houston well-represented at the AAST Annual Meeting | |
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The 81st annual meeting of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) and Clinical Congress of Acute Care Surgery was held September 21-24, 2022, in Chicago, Illinois. UTHealth Houston was well-represented at the meeting.
Several faculty, fellows, and residents were speakers and moderators at sessions:
- Building Diverse Mentoring Networks: Peer Mentoring for Career Advancement and Promotion – Lillian Kao, MD, MS
- Practicing Outside the Box: How to Develop a Multidisciplinary Approach for the Care of Geriatric Surgical Patients – Sasha Adams, MD
- Quality Care is Equitable Care: A Call to Action to Link Quality to Achieving Health Equity within Trauma and Acute Care Surgery – Lillian Kao, MD, MS
- Surgical Futility in the Elderly: First Do No Harm – Thaddeus Puzio, MD
Several faculty and trainees presented their research:
- Opioid Exposure in Trauma Patients with a Positive Urine Drug Screen: A Subgroup Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial – James Klugh, MD (Senior author: John Harvin MD, MS)
- A National Evaluation of Dysphagia in the Geriatric Trauma Population – Thaddeus Puzio, MD (Senior author: Min Ji Kwak, MD)
- Is the Use of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatories After Bowel Anastomosis in Trauma Safe? - Thomas Clements, MD (Senior author: Bryan Cotton, MD, MPH)
- Does an Early, Balanced Resuscitation Strategy Reduce the Need for Cryoprecipitate Transfusion in Hemorrhagic Shock – David Lubkin, MD and Krislynn Mueck, MD, MPH, MS (Senior author: Bryan Cotton, MD, MPH)
- An Assessment of the Safety, Hemostatic Efficacy, and Clinical Impact of Low-Titer Group O Whole Blood in Children and Adolescents – Justin Gerard, MD (Senior author: Bryan Cotton, MD, MPH)
- External Validation of Crash Prognostic Model in an Urban Tertiary Care Public Hospital – Devi Bavishi, MD (Senior author: Martin Gerdin Warnberg, MD, PhD)
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20forTwenty Scholarship Winner, Dr. Justin Gerard | |
Dr. Thaddeus Puzio presenting | |
Dr. Thomas Clements presenting | |
Dr. David Lubkin presenting | |
Texas Surgical Society Fall Meeting Awards Finch as Raleigh Ross Resident Scholar and Inducts Adams as Newest Member | |
Howell Finch, DO, a graduating Chief Resident in our General Surgery Program was named the Raleigh Ross Resident Scholar at the Texas Surgical Society (TSS) Fall Meeting. Finch matched to UTHealth Houston in 2018 after graduating from Kansas City University of Medicine & Biosciences College of Osteopathic Medicine. A Texas native and former paramedic pursued his dream of medical school while simultaneously completing his MBA in Healthcare Leadership. We look forward to Howell becoming our surgical colleague, and expect him to be a great addition to the community at Citizens Medical Center in Victoria, Texas. We hope to see him as a member of this organization in the future.
Sasha Adams, MD, associate professor in the Department of Surgery, became a newly inducted member of the TSS and is shown photographed below, with Anthony Estrera, MD, Chair of the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at UTHealth Houston and TSS President.
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Dr. Tony Estrera (President, left) and Dr. J. Patrick Walker (Secretary, right) congratulate Howell Finch, DO, on being recognized as the Raleigh Ross Resident Scholar from UTHealth Houston. He was introduced by Dr. Lillian Kao. | |
Dr. Sasha Adams became a new member of the TSS (pictured with President Estrera). | |
Duncan Joins UTHealth Women's Faculty Forum and is Appointed Cancer Liaison Physician for Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital | |
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Casey Duncan, MD, MS was recently appointed to the UTHealth Women's Faculty Forum as a Council member. Dr. Duncan is one of two surgeons that are represented on the council. The Faculty Forum serves as an advocate on behalf of the women faculty for McGovern Medical School. They also make it part of their mission to give opportunities for professional development and networking among other women faculty as well as with the leaders in academic science and medicine within and outside the institution.
Dr. Duncan has also recently been appointed as the new Cancer Liaison Physician for the Harris Health Cancer Committee, representing Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital for the Commission on Cancer for the American College of Surgeons. The goal of the Commission is dedicated to improving survival and quality of life for patients with cancer by setting and raising standards while promoting cancer prevention, research, education, and monitoring of comprehensive quality care.
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Platelet Function in Trauma: Is Current Technology in Function Testing Missing the Mark in Injured Patients?
Schriner JB, George MJ, Cardenas JC, Olson SD, Mankiewicz KA, Cox CS Jr, Gill BS, Wade CE.Shock. 2022 Jul 1;58(1):1-13. doi: 10.1097/SHK.0000000000001948. Epub 2022 Jul 19.PMID: 35984758 Review.
Ketamine for Acute Pain After Trauma: The KAPT Randomized Controlled Trial
Puzio TJ, Klugh J, Wandling MW, Green C, Balogh J, Prater SJ, Stephens CT, Sergot PB, Wade CE, Kao LS, Harvin JA.Trials. 2022 Jul 27;23(1):599. doi: 10.1186/s13063-022-06511-6
Metabolic systems analysis identifies a novel mechanism contributing to shock in patients with endotheliopathy of trauma (EoT) involving thromboxane A2 and LTC4
Henriksen HH, Marín de Mas I, Herand H, Krocker J, Wade CE, Johansson PI.Matrix Biol Plus. 2022 Jun 18;15:100115. doi: 10.1016/j.mbplus.2022.100115. eCollection 2022 Aug.PMID: 35813244
Exploratory Investigation of the Plasma Proteome Associated with the Endotheliopathy of Trauma
Krocker JD, Lee KH, Henriksen HH, Wang YW, Schoof EM, Karvelsson ST, Rolfsson Ó, Johansson PI, Pedroza C, Wade CE.Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Jun 1;23(11):6213. doi: 10.3390/ijms23116213.PMID: 35682894
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Date: October 6, 2022
Presentation Title: Mortality Ranking in Surgery & Clinical Documentation Tips
Speaker: Drs. Emily Robinson, and Kumar Saran
Date: October 13, 2022
Presentation Title: TBA
Speaker: Dr. Danny Ramzy
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Date: October 20, 20222
Presentation Title: Updates in Hepatobiliary Surgery
Speaker: Dr. Nichole Villafane-Ferriol
Date: October 27, 2022
Presentation Title: State of the Department and School
Speaker: Dr. Richard Andrassy
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RESIDENT & STUDENT CORNER | |
The Association of Women Surgeons Announces Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Conference 2022 Award Winners | |
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Areeba Saif, MD, a resident in our General Surgery Program, is one of thirteen women selected for this year’s Diversity Equity & Inclusion Awards for the upcoming 2022 Conference. This award includes a waiver of the registration cost to the Association of Women Surgeons’ conference. Congratulations, Dr. Saif.
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For the first time in the history of UTPLASTICS, a female attending @drchendy , female chief resident @cassieah , and female integrated junior resident (@krisbslaughter is the first female integrated resident ever) on service.
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Our faculty educate and train the next generation of health care professionals to provide outstanding patient care and improve community health in Houston and beyond. In 2021, 83% of our students were Texas residents, 10% were international, and almost 7% were from out of state. #UTHealthHouston
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Join us in celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month!
#HispanicHeritageMonth
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