AWARDS

Memorial Hermann Katy Awards McKnight as Physician of the Year

Memorial Hermann Hospital of Katy has selected, Scott T. McKnight, MD, FACS, as Physician of the Year. Dr. McKnight is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery, Division of Elective General Surgery, Colon and Rectal Clinic of Houston. Congratulations, Dr. McKnight!

Hoang Awarded Diplomat of Obesity Medicine

Thuyvan N. Hoang, MD, Assistant Professor in Elective General Surgery, UTMIST has passed her American Board of Obesity Medicine Exam and is now a fellowship-trained diplomate of the ABOM. Dr. Hoang is the newest member of UTMIST with a focus on Obesity Medicine within the Center for Obesity Medicine and Metabolic Performance Center (COMMP). Dr. Deborah Horn, COMMP medical director, expressed excitement about Dr. Hoang's accomplishment and her goal to expand our services to Southeast and Memorial Hermann Orthopedics and Spine Hospital. “We are all looking forward to seeing Dr. Hoang’s success as part of the COMMP team.”

Memorial Hermann Southeast Names Cowling Chief of Surgery

John C. Cowling, MD, was appointed Chief of Surgery at Memorial Hermann Hospital Southeast effective January 1, 2023. Dr. Cowling is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery, Division of Elective General Surgery, UTMIST.

Farzaneh Banki, MD, Professor in the Department of Surgery at McGovern Medical School says “Dr. Cowling has done a fantastic job as a young surgeon building a very busy practice. He has gained the trust of referring MDs and has had great outcomes. We are proud of him.”

Congratulations to our 2022 Star Awardees

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 STAR Award recipients, including faculty and staff celebrating five, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, and 50 years of service.

Congratulations to all our awardees receiving a STAR Award this year.

DaShonda Boniaby, 5 years

Yanna Cao, 15 years

Jessica Cardenas, 10 years

Serena Cooper, 20 years

Sharon Courtney, 5 years

Elizabeth Delarosa, 5 years

Casey Duncan, 5 years

Doretha Johnson, 5 years

Lillian Kao, 20 years

David Kim, 5 years

Tien Ko, 15 years

Erik Marques, 20 years

Stephanie Marquez, 5 years

Maria Mata, 5 years

Debbie Nguyen, 15 years

Diana Nguyen-Tang, 10 years

Lizeth Nieto, 5 years

Michelle Scerbo, 5 years

Tung Shu, 5 years

Brad Snyder, 15 years

Martha Soto, 5 years

Kelly Turner, 5 years

James Wallace, 5 years

Run Wang, 20 years

Erik B Wilson, 20 years

EDUCATION

Khan Military Scholarships

The first Khan Military Scholarships were awarded in March 2022. This scholarship fund was started by Shane Jensen, MD, a former acute care surgery fellow, in honor of Saleem Khan, MD, Professor and Chief of Emergency General Surgery at McGovern Medical School. Dr. Khan has had a distinguished military career, having been deployed seven times between 2003 and 2009 to Iraq and Afghanistan. He has served in Operation Desert Storm. He is a decorated veteran who has been awarded the Bronze Star and Legion of Merit. He currently serves our community by providing high-quality emergency general surgical care and by training the next generation of surgical and healthcare providers. The intent of the scholarship is to honor and support military trainees pursuing a career in surgery. The fund is made possible by ongoing contributions by faculty and military trainees. The scholarship is given twice yearly. This year's scholarship awardees will each receive up to $1500 to support their pursuit of a surgical career:

Jan-Michael Van Gent, who is – Active Duty, Marine Corp – Surgical Critical Care Fellow

James B. Dickey – Active Duty, Captain US Army – General Surgery Resident

Ryan Yang – Active Duty, US Army – General Surgery Resident

Alex Mills – Active Duty, Captain US Army – General Surgery Research Resident

Joshua Jones – Veteran, US Navy– Medical Student

RESEARCH

Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma Annual Meeting

The Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST) held its 36^th Annual Scientific Assembly January 17-21 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. This was an opportunity to catch up with prior residents and fellows, disseminate work from our trauma team, and spend some time at Disney!

Presentations from McGovern Medical School included:

• Patients with Both Traumatic Brain Injury and Hemorrhagic Shock Benefit from Resuscitation with Whole Blood (Presenter: Gabrielle Hatton, MD, MS; Senior author: Bryan Cotton, MD, MPH)
• REBOA and Resuscitative Thoracotomy are Associated with Similar Outcomes after Traumatic Cardiac Arrest (Presenter: Ezra Koh, MD; Senior author: David Meyer, MD, MS)
• Hypofibrinogenemia Following Injury in 186 Children and Adolescents: Patient Characteristics, Transfusion Patterns, and Outcomes (Presenter: Justin Gerard, MD; Senior author: Bryan Cotton, MD, MPH)

SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT

uthealthhouston

Happy #LunarNewYear to our #UTHealthHouston community! Wishing all a happy and prosperous #YearOfTheRabbit.

mcgovernmed

WHITE COAT CEREMONY - Congratulations to the Class of 2026

mcgovernmed

Members of the Class of 2026 honor their first patients during the McGovern Medical School Cadaver Memorial Service Jan. 11. The service is held by first-year students after completing their Gross Anatomy course. #McGovernMedSchool

Editorial Team: Dr. Lillian S. Kao, Dr. Casey B. Duncan, and Dr. Peter A. Walker

For content submissions, email Sophia.M.Solis@uth.tmc.edu.