Stanford General Surgery News Center
In the News
– SurgeryDr. Wapnir Receives Cancer Innovation Award
Dr. Irene Wapnir has received the Stanford Cancer Institute's Clinical Innovation Award. The $50,000 seed grant will fund her research project: “Extending Clinical Trial Access to Underserved Women with Ductal Carcinoma in Situ."
– SurgeryDr. Gurland Receives ASCRS Robotic Surgical Technology Grant
Dr. Brooke Gurland has been awarded a Robotic Surgical Technology Grant from the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS).
– SurgeryDr. Foster Recieves SPARK Award
Dr. Deshka Foster, a resident in the Division of General Surgery, has been selected as a finalist for SPARK Translational Research Program funding this year.
– SurgeryDr. Wren Elected ISS Fellow
The International Society of Surgery (ISS/SIC) Council has elected Dr. Sherry Wren as Fellow of the International Society of Surgery.
– SurgeryWeiser, Lifebox Awarded Gates Grand Challenge Award
Lifebox, the international safer surgery nonprofit, has received a Gates Grand Challenge Award with Dr. Tom Weiser as Prinicpal Investigator.
– SurgeryHail to the Chief: Dr. Lisa Knowlton
Dr. Lisa Knowlton was elected Chair of the Associate Member Council of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) earlier this year.
– SurgeryOR Team Wins Patient Safety Star Award
An OR team was the winner of Stanford Health Care's October 2020 Patient Safety Star Award. The team consisted of Dr. Sophia Turkmani-Bazzi, Dr. Will Watkins, Anne Marie Lycan RN, Don Williams RN, Monica Smith, and our own Drs. David Spain, Carlie Arbaugh, and Ioana Baiu.
– SurgeryHail to the Chief: Dr. David Spain
Dr. David Spain was elected President of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma in September 2019.
– ScopeReducing Surgical Site Infections in Low-Resource Settings
After an inspirational experience working with a family medicine doctor in Nepal as a medical student, Jared Forrester, MD, knew he wanted to spend more time focusing on global health during his surgical residency at Stanford Medicine.
– SurgeryDr. August Appointed to CSSP Education Committee
Dr. Auriel August has been appointed to the American College of Surgeons' (ACS) Cancer Standard Surgery Program (CSSP) Education Committee for a three-year term.
– ScopePost-Surgical Abdominal Adhesions: A Potential Cause and Possible Treatment
Postdoctoral scholar Deshka Foster, MD, PhD; plastic and reconstructive surgeon Michael Longaker, MD; and pathologist Gerlinde Wernig, MD, have identified a molecular pathway involved in adhesion formation in mice and humans, and found that inhibiting the activity of a protein called JUN can substantially reduce the formation of adhesions in a mouse model.
– SurgeryBiohub Fellowship Program Selects Dr. Stoltz
Dr. Daniel Stoltz has been selected by the Chan Zuckerberg (CZ) Biohub to participate in their Physician-Scientist Fellowship Program.
– SurgeryDr. Narayan awarded AΩA Fellowship
Dr. Raja Narayan has been awarded a 2020 Alpha Omega Alpha (AΩA) Postgraduate Fellowship. The fellowship provides $2,000 to support his research.
– SurgeryDr. Jaramillo Wins High-Value Innovation Challenge
Dr. Josh Jaramillo, a resident in the Division of General Surgery, has won the first annual Stanford High-Value Innovation Challenge for his proposal: "Reduction of unnecessary SICU admissions for rib fracture patients."
– SurgeryBariatrics Program Reaccredited For Highest Level of Care
Stanford's Bariatrics Program has been reaccredited for the next three years.
– News CenterTracking the movements, minds of surgeons to improve performance
Stanford scientist Carla Pugh has spent years developing wearable technologies for surgeons. Her goal: Use data to improve surgical decision-making.
– SurgeryDr. Norton Receives Goldman Sachs Grant
Dr. Jeffrey Norton, a professor in the Division of General Surgery, has been awarded a grant from the Goldman Sachs Foundation. The $200,000 in funds will support two years of research studying fibrosis in pancreas and breast cancers. Co-PI's on the grant include Drs. Michael Longaker, Deshka Foster, Irene Wapnir and Howard Chang.
– SurgeryDr. Taylor Matches With NCSP Fellowship
Dr. Kathryn Taylor, a general surgery resident, has been accepted to the National Clinician Scholars Program (NCSP). NCSP is a 2-year research and health policy fellowship.
June 14, 2019
Resident Accepted Into HSR Training Program
Dr. Kirbi Yelorda, a resident in the Division of General Surgeon, has been accepted into the Stanford-AHRQ Health Services Research Program. Supported by a grant from the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, trainees are not only supported financially but intellectually as well through a diverse coterie of mentors. General Surgery Residents Drs. Miquell Miller and Lindsay Sceats are also trainees in the program.
June 4, 2019
Two General Surgery Trainees Awarded Excellence in Research Award from American College of Surgeons
Two General Surgery Trainees have won an Excellence in Research Award from the American College of Surgeons' 2019 Owen H. Wangensteen Scientific Forum.
Dr. Deshka Foster was awarded the excellence in research award in Surgical Oncology for the second year in a row. Her abstract is entitled “Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Persist but Show Decreased Fibroblast Activation Protein Expression after Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Human Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.” Dr. Foster is also a PhD candidate in Dr. Michael Longaker's Lab.
Dr. Charles Liu's abstract "Out-of-Pocket Spending by Surgical Patients Following Implementation of the Affordable Care Act Insurance Marketplaces" has been selected for an Excellence in Research Award for the category of Health Services Research.
June 4, 2019
Dr. Poultsides to succeed Dr. Norton as SurgOnc Chief
After almost 16 years, Dr. Jeff Norton will be stepping down as Chief of the Surgical Oncology Section. Dr. George Poultsides will be stepping into the position effective June 1, 2019.
May 24, 2019
Dr. Eisenberg Receives Merit Grant
Dr. Dan Eisenberg, an associate professor in the Division of General Surgery, was awarded a 3-year $750,000 VA HSR & D Merit Grant.
"Appropriate detection and management of obesity in veterans with spinal cord injury (SCI) relies on consistent measurement of body mass index (BMI) and proper interpretation of BMI when it is assessed," said Dr. Eisenberg. "Our goal is to assess the quality of guideline-concordant obesity screening in veterans with SCI who receive care in the Veterans Health Administration to understand why some VA facilities do better than others in screening and to evaluate the need for adjusted BMI-based morbidity risk zones for individuals with SCI."
May 24, 2019
Dr. Wren Invited to Serve on WHO Panel
Dr. Sherry Wren, a professor in the Division of General Surgery, has been invited to serve as a member of the World Health Organization's (WHO) Expert Advisory Panel on Surgical Care and Anaesthesia for a four-year term. According to the WHO website, panel members contribute "by correspondence technical information on developments in his or her field, and to offer advice as appropriate, spontaneously or upon request."
May 2, 2019
Dr. Kebebew new Editor in Chief of Thyroid, the official journal of the American Thyroid Associtation
Division of General Surgery Chair Dr. Electron Kebebew has accepted the position of the next Editor in Chief of Thyroid, the official journal of the American Thyroid Association. Dr. Kebebew has served as an Associate Editor at Thyroid since 2012. He will take over responsibility from current Editor in Chief Dr. Peter Kopp as of the January 2020 journal issue.
April 24, 2019
General Surgery Residency Program Appoints New Director
Dr. Marc Melcher has decided to step down from his role as Program Director of the General Surgery Residency Program. Click here for the full story.
April 22, 2019
Stanford Surgical Resident Featured in Forbes
For the fully story on Dr. August click here
March 14, 2019
Dr. Seib Joins Endocrine Team
Dr. Carolyn Dacey Seib will join Stanford Division of General Surgery as an Assistant Professor in the MCL effective April 28. Seib earned her medical degree at New York University before completing her residency at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Most recently, she was a clinical instructor at UCSF and Director of their Endocrine Surgery Clinical Immersive Experience (CIEx) rotation for 3rd-year medical students.
"We are delighted to have Dr. Seib join Stanford. She is a gifted surgeon and educator," said Chief of General Surgery Dr. Electron Kebebew. "We also look forward to her scholarly work impacting patient care on the endocrine service."
February 14, 2019
Asia Game Changers Awards West Honors Dr. So
Dr. Samuel So, director of the Asian Liver Center, has been chosen as a 2019 Asia Game Changer West Awards Honoree. Dr. So will officially be given the award at the Asian Game Changer West Gala on April 9. According to their website, the event "identifies and honors true leaders who are making a positive contribution to the future of Asia."
January 18, 2019
Dr. Staudenmeyer Joins MX Advisory Committee.
Dr. Kristan Staudenmeyer, an associate professor in the Division of General Surgery, was recently elected to the Manifest MedEx (MX) Advisory Committee. MX is California’s largest health information exchange. As a committee member, Staudenmeyer will provide MX with guidance on key decisions and policies and in turn will have unique access to the world of health information and policy.
January 14, 2019
General Surgery Residency Announces Clinical Collaboration with Intermountain Health
Starting in May, Stanford’s General Surgery Residency Program will include a new elective surgical endoscopy rotation with Intermountain Healthcare (IMH).
“The Stanford General Surgery Residency Program trains doctors to become the leaders and surgeons of the future,” said said Dr. Mark Ott, chief medical director at IMH. “Part of the surgical future is exposing all of us to a world where different healthcare systems collaborate to deliver even better care locally and at a distance.”
December 6, 2018
Dr. Wren Receives WISA #SheforShe Award
Dr. Sherry Wren was the inaugural recipient of the #SheforShe award from the Women Surgeons in Africa (WISA) for supporting the development of women surgeons in the region.
"I was totally surprised and super excited about this," said Wren. "It has been incredible to see the growth of women surgeons in the COSESCA region."
COSECSA is the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa. This year, 13% of surgery trainees are women—the highest percentage to date.
November 5, 2018
2 General Surgeons Awarded Seed Grants
The Department of Surgery has awarded 6 surgeons grants as part of the new Seed Grant Program. Two of them are from the Division of General Surgery: Drs. Dan Azagury and Marc Melcher were each given between $10,000 and $50,000 to fund their research for the next 12 months.
"The quality of the abstracts submitted was outstanding," said Vice Chair of Basic and Translation Research Dr. Geoffrey Gurtner. "We had 33 submissions and probably 20-25 of them were worthy of funding. We are very disappointed that we could not fund more."
October 24, 2018
Dr. Foster Wins ACSCC Excellence in Research Award
Dr. Deshka Foster, a professional development resident in the Division of General Surgery, received the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress Excellence in Research Award. The award is given to the top scoring abstracts submitted for presentation at the Congress. Dr. Foster won in the surgical oncology category for her abstract "Clonal Analysis of Local Fibroblasts in Wound Healing and Tumor Stroma."
October 8, 2018
ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators Selects Three Stanford Surgeons
Three Stanford Surgeons were selected to join the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Academy of Master Surgeon Educators: Dr. Jim Korndorffer, vice chair of education, Dr. Jim Lau, director of the Goodman Surgical Education Center, and Dr. Carla Pugh, director of the Technology Enabled Clinical Improvement Center. The academy was created in 2014 "to recognize and assemble a cadre of Master Surgeon Educators of national and international renown who will work closely with the ACS Division of Education to advance the science and practice of avant-garde surgical education and training." Drs. Lau and Pugh were inducted as part of the inaugural class.
October 1, 2018
Dr. Spain Voted President-Elect of AAST
Dr. David Spain, chief of Stanford's Acute Care Surgery Section, was voted president-elect of The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST). Dr. Spain will assume the presidency at the end of the AAST business meeting in September 2019 and will preside over the 2020 meeting in Hawaii.
"This is a great testament to his leadership and impact on the field," said Department of Surgery Chair Dr. Mary Hawn.
September 11, 2018
Dr. Staudenmayer Appointed to HCRT Study Section for AHRQ
Dr. Kristan Staudenmayer, an associate professor in the Division of General Surgery, has been appointed to the Health Care Research Training (HCRT) Study Section for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The study section reviews research training and career development grants.
"[This appointment] is a testament to her outstanding work and being a thought leader in the field," said General Surgery Division Chief Dr. Electron Kebebew.
September 6, 2018
Dr. Hong Receives Immunology T32
Dr. Wan Xing Hong, a professional development resident in the Division of General Surgery, was awarded an Immunology T32 from the National Institutes of Health to study immunotherapy in solid tumors. The grant is for approximately $49,000 for 1 year, with the option to apply for renewal.
"I will be studying neoadjuvant application of locally administered immunotherapy in solid tumors, starting with the triple negative breast cancer mouse model," said Hong. "As a general surgery resident, I frequently help care for patients suffering from a variety of different tumors; these experiences really drive home the clinical relevance of the questions that we ask each day in lab."
September 4, 2018
Dr. Zak Joins General Surgery
Dr. Yulia Zak will join the Division of General Surgery's Bariatric and Minimally Invasive Surgery section as a Clinical Assitant Professor effective December 1, 2018. Dr. Zak graduated from Stanford's General Surgery Residency Program in 2014 before completing her fellowship in MIS at Massachusetts General Hospital. Most recently Dr. Zak was a member of the faculty at Mount Sinai.
August 27, 2018
Dr. Kopecky Wins AΩA Postgraduate Fellowship
General Surgery Resident Dr. Kimberly Kopecky was awarded a 2018 Alpha Omega Alpha (AΩA) Postgraduate Fellowship for her project titled: Interactive Communication Curriculum for Surgical Residents. Kopecky will receive $2,000 over the next two years to support her research.
July 16, 2018
Dr. Chandler Receives Funding From CHRI
Dr. Julia Chandler, a professional development resident in the Division of General Surgery, has been named the Ernest and Amelia Gallo Endowed Postdoctoral Fellow by the Child Health Research Institute (CHRI). Chandler will receive $105,000 to support her study "Improving Care for Pediatric Trauma Patients: Screening and Secondary Prevention for Post-Traumatic Stress."
July 9, 2018
Dr. Choi AAST Receives Research and Education Foundation Scholarship
Division of General Surgery Resident Dr. Jeff Choi (PGY2) was the recipient of one of nine Research and Education Foundation Scholarships from the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST). The scholarship will facilitate Choi's attendance at the AAST's annual meeting.
"This year, the AAST annual meeting will be held in conjunction with the World Trauma Congress in San Diego, where I hope to learn more about trauma surgery and especially, connect with trauma surgeons from South Korea," said Choi.
July 6, 2018
Dr. Shelton Named Colorectal Surgery Section Chief
The Division of General Surgery's Dr. Andrew Shelton has been named Colorectal Surgery Section Chief effective immediately.
"Dr. Andy Shelton has served more than ably as the acting Colorectal Surgery Section Chief since Dr. Mark Welton’s departure one year ago," said General Surgery Chief Dr. Electron Kebebew in his announcement to the Division staff. "We look forward to his continued leadership and growth of the section."
June 22, 2018
2018 Surgery Interns Welcomed With Improved Boot Camp Curriculum
The 2018 Stanford Surgery intern boot camp is unlike any before it, with instructors employing a flipped- classroom model to accommodate all learning styles and expand instruction time.
“Historically, boot camps have lasted a week or four days but because interns have more and more competing interests—learning Epic, onboarding— the physical boot camp schedule has been compressed,” said Dr. Edmund Lee, a Stanford surgical education fellow and visionary behind the novel curriculum. “We asked ourselves: is there a better way?”
June 10, 2018
Stanford Surgery Graduates First IR Interns
For the first time in its history, Stanford Surgery will graduate interns into the field of Interventional Radiology (IR) on June 10, 2018.
“We’re treated exactly the same as how they treat all of the other interns,” said Dr. Lynne Bettinger, one of the three IR interns including Drs. James Hui and Stephan Leung. “I think a lot of people don’t even know that we aren’t general surgery residents.”
May 31, 2018
Faculty Recognized at Annual Stanford Medical Staff Awards Dinner
Several Division of General Surgery faculty members were recognized at the Annual Stanford Medical Staff Awards Dinner on May 31, 2018.
Former Division of General Surgery Chief Dr. Ralph Greco was presented a Lifetime Honorary Medical Staff Award while Clinical Associate Professor Dr. Martin Bronk received a Likelihood to Recommend Award. The Likelihood to Recommend Award is presented to physicians with Likelihood to Recommend top box scores in the 99th percentile, ranked nationally. Drs. Carl Bertelsen, Dan Azagury, Frederick Dirbas, George Poultsides, Jeffrey Norton, and current Department of Surgery Chair Dr. Mary Hawn all received Likelihood to Recommend Honorable Mentions. These physicians' box scores were in or above the 90th percentile, ranked nationally.
May 30, 2018
Residents, Faculty Honored at MD Program Teaching Awards
Three faculty members and two residents from the Division of General Surgery were honored at the 2018 MD Program Teaching Awards ceremony on Wednesday, May 30th.
General Surgery Residents Dr. Ioana Baiu (PGY2) and Dr. Laura Mazer (PGY5) received the Arnold P. Gold Foundation's Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award.
"As surgery residents, we are incredibly lucky to be working with brilliant and motivated Stanford students. This is an integral component of our training as future academic surgeons, allowing us to learn the basics of teaching and mentoring from very early on," said Baiu. "[My students] remind me every day how exciting and interesting my job is and inspire me to be a role-model and a better physician. I owe a large part of my training at Stanford to my students who teach me patience and provide me with an insatiable thirst for knowledge."
Clinical Associate Professor Martin Bronk and Clinical Professor Dr. James Lau both received the Award for Excellence in Promotion of Humanism. Lau also received the Arthur L. Bloomfield Award in Recognition of Excellence in the Teaching of Clinical Medicine along with Associate Professor of Surgery Dr. Kristan Staudenmayer.
May 17, 2018
Dr. Weiser Examines A Decade of the Surgical Safety Checklist
Dr. Thomas Weiser, an associate professor in the Division of General Surgery, was a lead author on the editorial "Ten Years of the Surgical Safety Checklist" published by BJS May 17, 2018. Dr. Weiser will also take part in the May #BJSconnect twitter chat on Thursday, May 24 at 11AM PST.
May 15, 2018
2018 Kountz Fellowship Awarded to Lawrence Brown
The 2018 Samuel L. Kountz Diversity Fellowship has been awarded to Lawrence Brown. Brown is an MD candidate at Meharry Medical School in Nashville, TN. He has an MPH from Yale University and an MHS also from Meharry.
May 13, 2018
Drs. Korndorffer and Morris Elected into ASA
Vice Chair of Education Dr. Jim Korndorffer and S-SPIRE Center Director Dr. Arden Morris were elected into the American Surgical Association as new members.