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A Newsletter for the Departments of Surgery and Pediatric Surgery
at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
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We are pleased to welcome new faculty who have joined the Department of Surgery within the past year, contributing fresh expertise to our community. | | |
Tarek Zaghloul, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Elective General Surgery / Breast Surgical Oncology & Endocrine Surgery
| | | | 2025 Champions of Clinical Learning Environment | | |
Four Surgery faculty members have been named 2025 Champions of the Clinical Learning Environment by the Office of Professionalism at McGovern Medical School. The recognition honors faculty who exemplify professionalism, compassion, and academic excellence, making a lasting impact on students during their clinical clerkships.
2025 Surgery Department awardees:
*Dr. Khan has been recognized a minimum of five times since the award’s inception in 2020.
Read the full story and see the complete list of honorees »
| | Puzio Serves as Visiting Professor at Indiana University’s SOQIC | | |
Thaddeus Puzio, MD, MS, FACS, assistant professor in the Department of Surgery, Division of Acute Care Surgery, was invited to serve as a visiting professor at Indiana University’s Surgical Outcomes and Quality Improvement Center (SOQIC). During his visit, Dr. Puzio presented his ongoing research focused on improving care for injured older adults, a growing patient population. His work utilizes video conversations to support goals-of-care discussions and includes a currently enrolling randomized controlled trial, Advancing Discussions using a Video-based Support tool about End-of-life care: the ADVISE project.
His presentation provided valuable feedback on next steps for additional funding and spurred multiple fruitful conversations with SOQIC faculty and junior investigators, paving the way for new collaborations and the development of a future multi-center study.
| | Harris County Medical Society Hosts "Secrets to Promotion" Panel | | |
Harris County Medical Society hosted a social at the TMC Library on August 28, 2025, for academic and employed physicians, featuring a panel discussion on “Secrets to Promotion.” Panelists represented four colleges in the Houston area, including McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, Baylor College of Medicine, and the University of Houston.
McGovern Medical School faculty members Michelle Shen, MD, MS, FACS, assistant professor of surgery, and Kulvinder S. Bajwa, MD, FACS, FASMBS, professor of surgery, served as panelists, sharing insights on academic advancement. More than 20 attendees from Baylor College of Medicine, McGovern Medical School, and Methodist Hospital participated.
Based on the positive feedback and interest, organizers noted that this may become an annual event to provide a resource for those seeking academic promotion.
| | 2025 Collaborative Urology Research Symposium | | |
The 2025 Collaborative Urology Research Symposium (CUReS) once again highlighted the innovative research of urology trainees and faculty across Houston.
Department of Surgery urology residents Skyler Howell, MD, and Hunter Hasley, MD, were among the presenters. Howell presented “Testosterone Replacement Therapy Prescription is not Associated with Increased Venous Thromboembolic Event Rates in Testosterone-Deficient Men Diagnosed with Cancer: A Retrospective Cohort-Based Analysis,” earning the first-place Podium Award in the Urologic Oncology Session. Hasley presented “Priapism with Viral Honey Packets for Erectile Dysfunction.”
In addition, Jeissen Pyo, a fourth-year medical student who completed his Urology Sub-Intern with the division of urology, presented “The Impact of Delays to Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy Surgery on Renal Function at a County Hospital.” Faculty from the Department of Surgery were also in attendance.
The symposium continues to serve as a valuable platform for residents, fellows, medical students, and faculty to share research and foster collaboration across institutions.
| | Speer Named Stepstone Fellowship Recipient | |
Allison Speer, MD, FACS, FAAP, associate professor of pediatric surgery at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston and surgical director of the Short Bowel Syndrome Therapy and Rehabilitation (STAR) team at UTHealth Houston and Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, has been awarded the prestigious 2025–2026 Stepstone Fellowship by the Society of University Surgeons Foundation (SUS).
As part of the fellowship, Dr. Speer will engage in a one-week immersive mentorship with James Dunn, MD, at Stanford University, further advancing her research in regenerative medicine strategies for intestinal failure. She will also meet with SUS Foundation leadership at the 2026 Academic Surgical Congress in Orlando, where her award will be recognized during the AAS/SUS Research Award session.
Congratulations, Dr. Speer, on this well-deserved honor.
| | Building Connections in Kapsowar to Expand Training | Tamara Saunders, MD, FACS, associate professor in the Department of Surgery, traveled to Kapsowar, Kenya, on a mission trip, working with a group of committed surgeons to foster connections with Kapsowar Mission Hospital. Future trips are being planned to tackle local challenges, such as improving breast cancer patients' time to diagnosis and treatment in their community. The Kenyan surgeons and their families have been incredibly welcoming and are supportive of and excited for opportunities to bring residents on board in the future. | | Trusting Their Instincts Leads to Life-Changing Care for Houston Infant | |
When Houston parents Zelmira and Justin welcomed baby Lucas, a subtle ridge on his skull caught a physician assistant’s eye and sparked a rapid, lifesaving response. At just three months old, Lucas underwent minimally invasive surgery led by Danielle Sobol, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. Now more than a year later, Lucas is thriving—playing, meeting milestones, and even passing the “playground test,” as Dr. Sobol describes it.
Read the full story »
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The Departments of Surgery and Pediatric Surgery are pleased to welcome our 2025–26 fellows across multiple programs, including Acute Care Surgery, Pediatric Surgery, Urology, the UTMIST Consortium, and the T32 Research Program. This outstanding group brings diverse expertise and a shared commitment to advancing patient care and surgical education. We look forward to the impact they will make throughout the year.
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Acute Care Surgery Fellows:
- Henry Caplan, MD, Surgical Critical Care
- Jared Ourieff, DO, Surgical Critical Care
- Bhupaul Ramsuchit, MD, Surgical Critical Care
- Wendy Rockne, MD, Surgical Critical Care
- Shea Gallagher, MD, Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
- Andrew Fisher, MD, Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
- James Williams, MD, Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
- Blair C. Lee, MD, Trauma Surgery
T32 Research Program Fellows:
- Tabrez Alam, MD
- Jared Covell, MD
- William Rieger, MD
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UTMIST Consortium Fellows:
- Alfredo Cepeda, MD, UTMIST
- Elizabeth (Darby) Winter, MD, UTMIST
- Alanna Meadows, DO, COMMP
- Maureen McGill, MD, THC
- Thanh Nguyen, MD, Houston Colon
- Tania Torres-Ruiz, MD, Houston Colon
- James Cook, MD, BMI
- Emmanuel Samy, DO, BMI
Pediatric Surgery Fellows:
- Ava Yap, MD
- Jennifer Yonkus, MD
Urology Fellow:
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Laura Oscar-Thompson, MD
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The Departments of Surgery and Pediatric Surgery mourn the passing of our dear friend and colleague, George W. Williams, II, MD, Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, on August 28, 2025. Not only was he a dedicated and consummate critical care anesthesiologist, but he was also an inspiring leader, a passionate educator, and an influential advocate. He played key roles in the Department of Surgery as the Medical Co-Director of the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Lyndon Baines Johnson General Hospital; he helped to navigate the management of critically ill patients during the Coronavirus-19 pandemic. He also served as faculty in the Shock Trauma Intensive Care Unit at Memorial Hermann Hospital-Texas Medical Center. He has left a lasting legacy in terms of all the students, residents, fellows, faculty, patients, and families that he touched.
View the UTHealth Houston In Memoriam tribute to Dr. Williams »
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Burns JG, Fajemisin MO, Martinez Ugarte S, Kao LS, Mueck KM. Health literacy and patient outcomes in acute care surgery: A systematic review. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2025 Aug 13. doi: 10.1097/TA.0000000000004765. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40811514.
Holden KI, Ebanks AH, Khan AM, Johnson A, McMullan M, Cox CS Jr, Harting MT, LaPar DJ; CDH Study Group. Surgical approaches in Congenital Heart Disease with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia: A multi-institutional analysis. Ann Thorac Surg. 2025 Aug 21:S0003-4975(25)00766-0. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2025.07.043. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40848886.
Matthay MA, Zhou H, Sarma A, Alipanah-Lechner N, Hendrickson C, Kornblith LZ, Schreiber M, Zonies D, Khan A, Robinson B, Johnson NJ, Ware LB, Guillamondegui O, Casey J, Moore L, Patel B, Kao L, Wade CE, Fox E, Cox C, Khawanja F, Aguillon Prada R, Hossri S, Callcut R, Albertson T, Delucchi KL, McMillan M, Langelier CR, Pati S, McKenna DH, Leroux C, Calfee CS, Liu KD. Treatment with Allogenic Mesenchymal Stromal Cells for Moderate to Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: A Double-Blind, Placebo-controlled, Multi-Center, Phase 2b Clinical Trial (STAT). Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2025 Jul 29:10.1164/rccm.202411-2254OC. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202411-2254OC. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40728562; PMCID: PMC12360293.
Reagan AM, Jones VM, Ibrahim-Zada I, Smith SR, Postlewait LM, Farr D, Abelson JS, Cho NL, Foote DC, Meister KM, Montgomery KB, Lindeman B, Kimbrough MK, Nahmias J, Callahan ZM, Marks JA, Sutton JM, Elsaadi A, Burton E, Richmond R, Dodwad SM, Adams SD, Woeste MR, 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. Characterizing the General Surgery Experience of Future Breast Surgeons: A Multi-institutional Study from the US ROPE Consortium. Ann Surg Oncol. 2025 Jul 25. doi: 10.1245/s10434-025-17853-1. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40711683.
Zaidi ST, Koh EY, Estrera G, Wong J, Puzio TJ, Oderich GS, Estrera AL, Saqib NU. Outcomes of routine surveillance of grade 1 blunt traumatic aortic injury. J Vasc Surg. 2025 Jul 26:S0741-5214(25)01550-2. doi: 10.1016/j.jvs.2025.07.035. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40721050.
Joly JM, Lopez ME, Grethel EJ, Kim S, Fisher T, Sutyak KM, Blakely ML, Green C, Burford JM, Chandler NM, Danko K, Gonzalez R, Jorg L, Nuibe A, Robie DK, Skaggs A, Williams RF, Lally KP. Improving Pediatric Surgery Quality by Widely Adopting an Evidence-based Protocol: An Effort of the Pediatric Surgery Quality Collaborative. Ann Surg. 2025 Sep 1;282(3):401-410. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000006820. Epub 2025 Jun 25. PMID: 40560661.
Sutyak KM, Hebballi NB, Bidart Y, Joly JM, Broussard M, Christensen H, Mendenhall J, Jayarajan N, Anderson I, Young Y, Taylor L, Little D, Tsao K. Is it time to expand the surgical criteria? The psychosocial impact of pectus excavatum in pediatrics. Surgery. 2025 Sep;185:109546. doi: 10.1016/j.surg.2025.109546. Epub 2025 Jul 18. PMID: 40683078.
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Presentation Title: From Drainage to Repair: Modern Management of Abscess and Anal Fistula
Speaker: Jeffrey Van Eps, MD, Department of Surgery, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
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Presentation Title: Carrying the Weight: Dealing with Surgical Complications
Speaker: Sean Langenfeld, MD, FACS, FASCRS, Department of Surgery, University of Nebraska Medical Center
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Presentation Title: Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia – The Last 75 Years
Speaker: Kevin Lally, MD, MS, Department of Pediatric Surgery, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
| | uth_surgery: Assistant Professor Dr Annie Wang presenting to a combined General Surgery and Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery audience on Lymphedema Prevention and Treatment: Where we've been and where we're going. Incredible advancements and discussion!! | | utplastics: A little over 1 month in… and our new residents are off to a solid start 🔥 | | utplastics: Thank you to @plasticsurgeryasps President-Elect Dr. Bob Basu for his informative Grand Rounds lecture this AM on High SMAS Composite Deep Plane Face and Neck Lift! 💆 | | |
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.
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