Department of Surgery News

On National Women Physicians Day, the Muriel Steele Society and the UCSF Department of Surgery honor the amazing team of women surgeons, scientists, learners, and staff that have made so many important contributions to improving the lives of our patients. About the Muriel Steele Society at UCSF The Muriel Steele Society is an inclusive community dedicated to inspiring, supporting, and promoting women surgeons so they can thrive at all stages of their careers. We will be hosting events throughout the year to foster a strong community of allies and to achieve the goal of continued excellence [...]

The Department of Surgery is excited to announce that Joseph Cuschieri, MD, FACS, Professor of Surgery at UCSF and current Trauma Medical Director at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (ZSFG), will be the Division Chief of Surgery at ZSFG starting January 2023. Dr. Cuschieri has been serving as the interim Division Chief of Surgery since September 1, 2021.   Dr. Cuschieri earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Michigan and his MD from Wayne State University in Detroit. He completed his general surgery residency and surgical critical care [...]

UCSF Hosts First Lady Jill Biden to Discuss Breast Cancer Research By Elizabeth Fernandez First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden visits UCSF to speak with patients, researchers, and doctors as part of President Biden's Cancer Moonshot program. From left to right: Alan Ashworth, MD, Paola Betancur, MD, Monica Bertagnolli, MD, First Lady Jill Biden, Ed.D, Kami Pullakhandam. Photo by Noah Berger First Lady Jill Biden, Ed.D, met with top UC San Francisco cancer leaders during a visit Friday to hear about UCSF's breast cancer research and progress on the National Cancer Moonshot. The visit was [...]

The Department of Surgery is excited to announce the appointment of Dr. Lucy Z. Kornblith as the Department's inaugural Director for Gender Equity!   Lucy Zumwinkle Kornblith, M.D., is an Assistant Professor of Surgery and Laboratory Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Her clinical practice includes trauma surgery, surgical critical care, and acute care surgery. Dr. Kornblith received a Bachelor's degree in Molecular Biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and her medical degree from the University of Colorado. In addition, she completed her General [...]

Fetal Therapy Offers Hope for Patients with Rare Genetic Disorders Toddler Thrives with Same Disease That Ended Siblings' Lives When Zahid and Sobia Bashir discovered their fetus had the same genetic disease that took the lives of two of their young children, they didn't hesitate to sign up for a promising but experimental new therapy. "I found out (the therapy) was a possibility and I was kind of in shock; I couldn't believe it," said Zahid Basir. "I only really started believing it when meetings were being set up to move it forward." The disease, [...]

Committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion UCSF and the Department and Surgery are committed to building a broadly diverse community, nurturing a culture that is welcoming and supportive, and engaging diverse ideas for the provision of culturally competent education, discovery, and patient care. Chancellor Awards for Diversity Chancellor Awards for Diversity recognize the outstanding efforts of individuals who demonstrate a strong dedication to diversity. Individuals recognized are leaders and pioneers in their respective fields and to the communities in which they serve. We are proud [...]

Three UC San Francisco faculty members are among the 100 new national members elected this year to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine. Membership in the NAM recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievements and commitment to service in the medical sciences, health care and public health. "This extraordinary class of new members is comprised of exceptional scholars and leaders who have been at the forefront of responding to serious public health challenges, combatting social inequities and [...]

The UCSF Department of Surgery is profoundly saddened to announce the passing of Dr. Orlo Herrick Clark. Dr. Clark was a beloved member of the UCSF Surgery Family and an internationally renowned endocrine surgeon. He completed his general surgery residency at UCSF in 1973 and spent his entire faculty career as a member of the UCSF Department of Surgery. In 1991 he was named Chief of Surgery of the UCSF/Mt. Zion Medical Center.   Dr. Clark was one of the founding members of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons and was the recipient of countless awards and accolades throughout his [...]

The UCSF Department of Surgery has partnered with The Association of Out Surgeons and Allies (AOSA) as the inaugural institutional supporter/member of AOSA. The AOSA is a newly formed organization of LGBTQ+ Surgeons and allies that promote acceptance, inclusion, and equity in the surgical specialties to further learner engagement, support individual clinicians and researchers, and build a community.    At UCSF Surgery, we have worked together to make diversity, equity, and inclusion a priority, expanding our Department through recruitment in many areas, including faculty, staff, and [...]

Muriel Steele Society's own co-chair, Dr. Lucy Kornblith, was nominated and selected as one of the Association of Women Surgeons Top 40 Under 40! This award recognizes outstanding women surgeons who are trailblazers in their field or who are making a significant impact with their actions. Congratulations, Dr. Kornblith!

A new UC San Francisco study sheds light on the diversity within the most common type of pediatric liver tumor and suggests a way forward for more precise chemotherapy treatment. The study, publishing in Nature Communications on August 25, used single-cell transcriptomic techniques to analyze hepatoblastoma specimens from infants and children under age four. From nine samples, the researchers identified five hepatoblastoma tumor signatures that may account for the heterogeneity in this cancer, and that may predict responses to chemotherapy treatments.

Congratulations to Dr. Adnan Alesidi who has been selected as a new member of The Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators. He will be inducted into the distinguished Academy on September 21, 2022 at the Sandler Neurosciences Center Auditorium.

The Muriel Steele Society congratulates Dr. Ashley Campbell, one of the General Surgery categorical interns, on her Dr. Patricia Numann Medical Student Award from the Association of Women Surgeons. The mission of the Patricia Numann Medical Student Award is to encourage and support an outstanding female medical student who is pursuing a career in surgery and recipients have demonstrated leadership potential or made significant contributions to surgery.   Dr. Campbell graduated from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine in June 2022. She has extensive global health [...]

Featured Video: "Day in the Life of a UCSF heart surgeon: Dr. Tom Nguyen"Follow along on a typical day with UCSF Medical Center cardiac surgeon Dr. Tom Nguyen who is the chief of the Division of Adult Cardiothoracic Surgery, UCSF Department of Surgery. To learn more about Dr. Nguyen on UCSFHealth, visit: https://www.ucsfhealth.org/providers/dr-tom-nguyenTo read Dr. Nguyen's bio on the Department of Surgery, click here.

Innovation Means Shorter Hospital Stays, Fewer Complications Cardiothoracic surgeons at UC San Francisco have performed the first robotically assisted mitral value surgery in San Francisco. The surgery was recently performed on a 63-year-old patient who had mitral valve prolapse. Mitral valve surgery is performed when the heart's mitral valve needs to be repaired. Traditionally, mitral valve surgery required opening the chest and putting the patient on heart-lung bypass to keep blood circulating during surgery. Since 2016, UCSF surgeons have been performing minimally invasive mitral valve [...]

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 [...]