Department of Surgery News

Amy G. Fiedler, M.D., will be joining our faculty as a Cardiac Surgeon and Assistant Professor of Clinical Surgery in the Department of Surgery. Dr. Fiedler comes to UCSF from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where her clinical practice is focused in heart failure and transplantation and mechanical circulatory support. Dr. Fielder is a graduate of Georgetown University, where she received both her Bachelor of Science in Biology and her Master's degree in Microbiology and Immunology. For medical school, Dr. Fiedler attended The George Washington University and completed both her general [...]

The UCSF Center for Health Equity in Surgery and Anesthesia (CHESA), in collaboration with the ZSFG Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Department and the Collaborative for Surgical Health Outcomes, Research, and Equity (C-SHORE), is seeking proposals for research, education, or policy projects that address any aspect of health equity related to surgery, anesthesia, nursing, and perioperative care for domestic populations. This year's theme is "Perioperative Health Disparities in the Bay Area." This call for proposals seeks to support innovative strategies that reduce health disparities in the [...]

Dr. Jason Smith, a native of San Francisco, has joined our department as a Professor of Clinical Surgery and as the Surgical Director of Heart Failure and Mechanical Circulatory Support. He is a cardiac surgeon with experience in ischemic and valvular heart disease, complex aortic surgery, endocarditis, and complex re-operative surgery. His primary career focus is on the surgical management of heart failure, cardiac transplant, and mechanical circulatory support.  In heart transplantation, Dr. Smith has been involved in increasing access to heart transplants through improving donor [...]

On Wednesday, April 13th, Dr. Kukreja and her team conducted our 1000th lung transplant. This is an enormous milestone and congratulations to Dr. Jasleen Kukreja and her team, the UCSF Lung Transplant program, and the UCSF Division of Adult Cardiothoracic Surgery. Their relentless dedication, selfless contributions and unmatched patient care are only a few reasons that contribute to the achievement of this milestone. About the UCSF Lung Transplant Program The UCSF Lung Transplant Program is a true multi-disciplinary collaboration that includes surgeons, pulmonologists, nurses, pharmacists, [...]

The UCSF Lung Transplant Program provides comprehensive care for patients before and after lung transplantation. Since our founding in 1991, we have given more than 700 patients with advanced lung disease the chance at a longer, more active life. We perform about 50 transplants each year. Our program has established a reputation for accepting challenging, complex cases. Despite this, the survival rate for adults who receive a lung transplant at UCSF consistently exceeds the national average, according to the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR). Outcomes data is available [...]

REMINDER,Our Haile T. Debas Diversity Scholarship application is NOW open. Created to build diversity, equity, inclusionand belonging in surgery. It provides a stipend of $2,500, towards expenses.Apply: http://ow.ly/2pap50I7ov7

The first beating heart mitral valve repair on the West Coast was performed by Tom C. Nguyen, MD, chief of UC San Francisco's Division of Adult Cardiothoracic Surgery, and his surgical team in September 2021. The HARPOON™ Beating Heart Mitral Valve Repair System was used for the procedure as part of the RESTORE clinical trial. Case study: patient with severe mitral regurgitation  In July 2021, a 60-year-old man suffering from severe mitral regurgitation (MR) with mitral valve prolapse and a ruptured chord was referred to the UCSF Heart and Vascular Center. The patient had a history of new [...]

Tobias Deuse, M.D. and Sonja Schrepfer, M.D., Ph.D., were awarded the UH3 Supplement Grant worth $260,009 to continue their work on how spaceflight changes the immune system and stem cell niche. To better understand the relevance of the astronauts' experience to human health — both on the ground and beyond — NIH's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) partnered with the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory (ISS National Lab) to send tissue chips, a research technology that reflects the human body, into space. The ISS National Lab and NASA partnered to [...]

Melissa H. Coleman, MD, was the one of the eight recipients of the John A. Watson Faculty Scholar, the Dean's Diversity Fund. This diversity grant is named after John A. Watson, PhD, a pioneer for diversity, an inspiring mentor, and a tenacious scientist. During his tenure as dean of admissions in the 1970s, he rapidly increased the number of women and minority students in the entering medical school classes.  Dr. Coleman is an assistant professor of surgery and the associate program director of the UCSF Thoracic Surgery Residency Program. She is committed to fostering a culture of [...]

The annual Association For Surgical Education (ASE) meeting took place from April 29th – May 1st. 2021, and throughout the three days, several research presentations were presented. 14 of those presentations were given by our team members, and we couldn't have been prouder. Below are the topics of the presentations and every person who was involved in each. At UCSF, we are deeply committed to Surgical Education and wanted to highlight all who've given their time to intense research and making sure we continue to move forward. Thank you!   PP64: THIRD-YEAR MEDICAL STUDENT PERCEIVED KNOWLEDGE [...]

We are thrilled to announce that on April 30th, 2021, Adnan Alseidi, M.D., Ed.M was formally inducted as the next President of The Association for Surgical Education during the ASE annual meeting. ASE is the global leader for surgical education across the continuum of education from medical students, residents, fellows, faculty development, and simulation. Dr. Alseidi has spoken about his recent appointment and is working on a considerable number of initiatives to be released over the next couple of years. These multiple avenues include Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, educator [...]

We are pleased to announce that Amar Nijagal, MD has been selected for the AASLD CTORA Award (American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases Foundation) for his proposal & work focused on hepatoblastoma. The award provides Dr. Nijagal with $200K of funding for 2 years and is intended to fund his research project entitled "Defining the role of tumor associated myeloid cells in pediatric hepatoblastoma." This is a vital stepping stone for his lab & continuing science. For more information on the ASSLD CTORA Award, please visit http://www.aasldfoundation.org/ 

The UCSF Department of Surgery held the 34th Annual J. Engelbert Dunphy Resident Research Symposium on Wednesday, April 14, 2021. The program honors the life and accomplishments of J. Engelbert Dunphy, M.D., a legendary surgeon and former chair of the UCSF Department of Surgery, by showcasing the scholarly work of residents, fellows, and medical students in the Department of Surgery. This year's virtual symposium featured one plenary session and three concurrent sessions, where over 40 learners had the opportunity to present their work. Jayme Locke, M.D., MPH, Professor of Surgery and the [...]

The UCSF Department of Surgery is pleased to host the 34th annual J. Engelbert Dunphy Resident Research Symposium, to be held virtually on Wednesday, April 14, 2021, beginning at 7:00am PDT. The program will showcase the research of residents, fellows, and medical students in the Department of Surgery, and honors the life and accomplishments of J. Engelbert Dunphy, M.D., a legendary surgeon and former chair of the UCSF Department of Surgery. The symposium will feature the 2021 Dunphy Professor Jayme Locke, M.D., MPH, who will present the Keynote Lecture, "Surgery, Science & Advocacy: [...]

The UCSF Department of Surgery has extended journal clubs to the virtual world. All fourth-year medical students are welcome to participate. The goal is to offer medical students applying for sub-internship programs a glimpse of the Department of Surgery's innovative academic profile, despite limited travel during the pandemic.  Virtual journal clubs will be held every two months. Discussions will be led by UCSF faculty, fellows and residents from various surgical subspecialties and will highlight new, emerging, or landmark scientific work. Quan-Yang Duh, M.D., Chief of Endocrine Surgery, [...]

The Department of Surgery warmly welcomes our new General Surgery Preliminary residents. We congratulate these new members of our program and look forward working with them as they launch their surgical careers.  UCSF Department Of SurgeryPGY-1 General Surgery Preliminary Residents (2021-22) Mishaal AliUniversity of Wisconsin Ahmad AljobehMayo Clinic  Rachel BorthwellUCLA Fara DayaniUCSF         Elizabeth GerzinaBaylor Grace HaHofstra/Northwell Iram ShafqatUCLA Ramsey SittaWayne State University

The UCSF Plastic Surgery Residency Program is pleased to announce three new categorical residents, the newest members of our UCSF Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery family. The class of 2028 is a diverse, talented group, ready to begin their journey to becoming innovative surgeons and leaders. We congratulate our new interns and look forward to their arrival at UCSF in June.  UCSF Department Of SurgeryPGY-1 Categorical Plastic Surgery Residents (2021-22) Greta DavisUCSD Oblaise MercuryEmory University Casey Tompkins-RhoadesUniversity of Pittsburgh

The Department of Surgery is pleased to introduce the General Surgery Resident Class of 2028! We congratulate our eight new categorical residents and are thrilled for them to join the UCSF Surgery family in June. It is an honor to have the opportunity to partner with these future leaders in surgery as they begin their training. UCSF Department Of SurgeryPGY-1 Categorical General Surgery Residents (2021-22) Alison BaskinUniversity of Michigan Kara FaktorUCLA Axel Gomez CasarezUCSF Sophia HernandezUCSF         Alexandra HighetUniversity of [...]

The UCSF Vascular Surgery Integrated Residency Program welcomes our new categorical resident comprising the class of 2026. We are honored to partner with an accomplished resident as she begins her journey to becoming an outstanding surgeon and leader in surgery. We congratulate our new intern and look forward to her return to UCSF Vascular in June. UCSF Department of Surgery PGY-1 Categorical Vascular Surgery Resident (2021-22) Iris Liu UCSF

We are pleased to announce that Deborah Stein, MD, MPH, FACS, FCCM has been elected the next President of the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST) at its virtual annual meeting this week. EAST is a distinguished organization with more than 2,600 members that provides a forum for the exchange of knowledge to advance the care and rehabilitation of the injured patient. EAST places emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration, scholarship, fellowship and developing leadership among young surgeons active in the care of the injured patient.  For more information on EAST, please [...]