Volume 74 | February 2025 | | |
Surgical Notes
A Newsletter from the VCU Department of Surgery
| | Massey Becomes First Virginia Site to Offer New Non-surgical Robotic Focused Ultrasound Procedure for Prostate Cancer | |
VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center is the first site in Virginia to offer a form of noninvasive robotic ultrasound treatment for early- to intermediate-stage prostate cancer patients. The innovative technology — high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) — harnesses high-intensity ultrasound waves to target cancerous prostate tissue, without any invasive surgery or radiation.
Using real-time imaging to focus these waves on the affected area, HIFU initiates localized heating to destroy the tumor cells within the prostate gland without harming surrounding healthy tissue, offering improved quality of life for many patients. HIFU works in the same way as rays of sunlight that pass through a magnifying glass and are concentrated at a single point, equally causing a significant temperature to rise around the focal point.
Read full article...
| | New Robotic Simulator Now Available – Enhancing Training for All! | | |
We are thrilled to announce the arrival of a new Robotic Simulator in Sanger 9 Surgical Innovation Suite, equipped with the latest SimNow software! This exciting addition provides all trainees the opportunity to develop and refine their robotic skills in a state-of-the-art simulation environment.
The simulator is available 24/7 via badge access, and you can sign in using your Intuitive account.We encourage our trainees to take advantage of this incredible learning tool!
Happy simulating!
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Welcome to the New General Surgery
Assistant Program Director Dr. Patrick Melmer
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We are pleased to announce that Dr. Patrick Melmer will be joining the General Surgery Residency Program as our new Assistant Program Director, effective July 1, 2025. Dr. Melmer brings a wealth of knowledge, enthusiasm, and dedication to surgical education, and we are excited to welcome him to the team.
We would also like to extend our deepest gratitude to Dr. Patty Lange for her years of dedication to the residency program and the Surgical Simulation Center. Her leadership and commitment have been instrumental in shaping our program, and we would not be where we are today without her contributions.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Melmer and in thanking Dr. Lange for her invaluable service!
| | Undergraduates from Dr. Mazhar Kanak's Lab Selected to Highlight Research for Virginia Lawmakers | | |
Two undergraduate students in Dr. Mazhar Kanak's lab were selected at the NuRVA Conference, where only 3 abstracts were chosen from each school in Virginia, to present their poster in the General Assembly Building . Anusha Soni (Freshman) and Yatri Patel (Sophomore) were selected to present their poster on the disparity of care access and insurance coverage for patients undergoing TPIAT (total pancreatic islet auto transplantation).
Read full article...
| | VCU Students Anusha Soni (left) and Yatri Patel (right) | | Second Annual Erika Blanton Lectureship a Success | | |
The Department of Surgery celebrated its Second Annual Erika Blanton Lectureship on January 30th to recognize women in surgery. Featuring guest speaker Dr. Julie Freischlag, chief executive officer and chief academic officer of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, the event began the evening prior with a reception for faculty, trainees, and alumni at the Jefferson Hotel.
The celebration continued the next morning, where Dr. Freischlag presented on abdominal aortic aneurysms and physician wellness, and concluded after a breakfast Q&A with Dr. Freischlag, Dr. Blanton, and Dr. Kandace McGuire.
Many thanks to everyone who attended and made the event such a success! We look forward to the next lecture.
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Dr. Julie Freischlag (left) and
Dr. Erika Blanton (right)
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Dr. Erika Blanton (left) and
Dr. Kandace McGuire (right)
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Drs. Blanton, Freischlag, and McGuire join general surgery residents
and medical students for Grand Rounds
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After a transplant, Denis Popp finds a new calling to support others living with serious heart conditions.
After meeting Denis Popp, you’d be forgiven if you came away thinking he’s thankful that he had a heart attack.
For nearly a decade, the 68-year-old heart transplant recipient has been a familiar face with Virginia patients who are facing a transplant or procedures that will offer mechanical cardiac support. He even serves as an “ambassador” for organ transplant groups LifeNet Health and the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), and volunteers for the American Heart Association along with Mended Hearts, a nonprofit that provides peer-to-peer counseling for those living with cardiac diseases.
Popp estimates he has met with more than 2,000 people with serious heart conditions from all walks of life.
Read full article...
| | Submit Personal Announcements | |
Have a life event you would like in the newsletter? A new marriage, a new child, a birthday?
We have created this form for you to share such events with your colleagues in the newsletter!
Click here to submit!
(Please submit the month of the occasion)
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Notice to Researchers:
NNIH to require SciENcv for Common Forms - May 2025
At the May 2024 Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) meeting, the NIH announced a significant update regarding biosketches and Current and Pending Other Support (CPOS). Effective May 2025, both documents will be required to be generated using SciENcv. Additionally, the ORCID ID will serve as the persistent digital identifier (PDI) in accordance with NSPM-33. The format for these documents will align with the OMB-approved "Common Forms."
This update has been anticipated for several years, particularly as the National Science Foundation (NSF) has already made SciENcv a requirement. Now is the time for academic units to develop a plan to assist faculty with this transition.
Action Steps:
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Assessment of Resources: Within OVPRI and VCU Libraries, we are evaluating additional guidance resources, including an expansion of the VCU Libraries' Researcher Support page.
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SciENcv Help Manual: NIH currently offers a SciENcv Help Manual that outlines how to populate fields through various methods, including manual data entry, existing biosketches, and external systems like ORCID.
NSF Biosketch Overview:
For context, the NSF biosketch is a required component of NSF proposals, summarizing an individual's professional qualifications, experience, and accomplishments. It typically includes:
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Personal Statement: An overview of the individual's background and expertise.
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Positions and Honors: A list of past and current positions and any awards received.
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Products: Significant contributions to the field, such as publications and patents.
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Synergistic Activities: Engagement in broader impacts and community involvement.
Please note that the NSF has specific formatting guidelines for the biosketch, including page limits and font requirements. Compliance is essential for proposal submissions.
Support for Clinical Faculty:
To facilitate this transition for our clinical faculty, we request that all clinical faculty add the following individuals as delegates in SciENcv:
Thank you for your attention to this important update. We appreciate your cooperation as we prepare for these changes.
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Lily Warden
CME Coordinator
VCU Department of Surgery
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How long have you been with Surgery?
I moved to Richmond in 2017 for undergrad and have worked at VCU since 2021. My last role was focused on continuing medical education for infectious disease and public health topics.
Describe your role in your own words.
As the CME Coordinator for the Department of Surgery, my job is to help clinicians create effective continuing education activities for their audience. This involves event management, marketing, curriculum design, admin duties, and more! Continuing medical education is a sector that has a lot of potential but is often not fully understood or used to its full potential, so I’m happy to help the department navigate these activities.
Most exciting and/or challenging part of your position?
Most exciting part of the position so far is the excitement from others. I’ve had a few people let me know that they want to work with me on an event that they’ve wanted to do for a while but haven’t been able to yet. I’m looking forward to bringing these ideas to fruition.
What do you do for fun outside of work?
I’m currently working on my master’s in educational leadership where I’m studying adult education, instructional design, and similar topics, so a lot of my “free time” is spent on grad school. When I get true free time though, I love to hang out with friends, bake, exercise, and listen to podcasts!
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Crohn’s Colitis Take Steps Walk
Sunday, May 4th, 2025
2:00PM (Check-in)
Byrd Park
Join the division of Colorectal Surgery and their team, the 'Colon Crusaders', as Dr. Jaime Bohl will be honored as the “Honored Medical Professional”.
This event is part of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s largest nationwide fundraising event, to raise awareness and funds to accelerate research, advance treatments, and provide programs and support to improve the quality of life for those living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
We invite any medical students, residents, fellows or faculty to join us at this important event!
See image below for more details
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Research Day
Thursday, May 22, 2025
MMEC Learning Theater
Reception: Wednesday, May 21
Featured Speaker: Richard Schulick, MD, MBA
| | | Department of Surgery | Virginia Commonwealth University | (804) 828-7874 surgweb@vcu.edu | | | | |
