Department of Surgery News

Zachary Matthay, M.D., a general surgery research resident, received the basic science award at the Northern California Chapter of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma Resident Research Competition, held virtually on October 21st, 2020. His presentation, titled "Leveraging the Catecholamine Response after Trauma: An Opportunity to Enhance Platelet Dependent Hemostasis?" examined the relationships between catecholamine surges after injury with platelet dependent hemostasis and viscoelastic clot strength in a cohort of trauma patients. The translational research study was [...]

Hillary Braun, M.D., a general surgery research resident, was recently named to the Declaration of Istanbul Custodian Group (DICG). The DICG is an international organization of transplant professionals whose purpose is to "promote, implement and uphold the Declaration of Istanbul so as to combat organ trafficking, transplant tourism and transplant commercialism and to encourage adoption of effective and ethical transplantation practices around the world". Dr. Braun's research time has been spent, in part, investigating the impact of travel for transplantation on the liver transplant system [...]

The UCSF Department of Surgery held the 33rd Annual J. Engelbert Dunphy Resident Research Symposium virtually on Wednesday, October 28, 2020. The program showcased the laboratory 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 a former chair of the UCSF Department of Surgery. This year's J. Engelbert Dunphy Visiting Professor, Melina R. Kibbe, M.D., FACS, FAHA, Professor and Chair of Surgery at UNC-CH, delivered an inspiring keynote presentation titled, "Conducting [...]

We pleased to announce that Ajay Maker, MD, FACS has been named the Chief of the new Division of Surgical Oncology in the Department of Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco. He will lead Surgical Oncology services, including breast, colorectal, endocrine, hepatopancreatobiliary, and melanoma/sarcoma surgery, at UCSF via the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, the VA of San Francisco, and our centers across the greater Bay Area. Dr. Maker comes to UCSF from his hometown of Chicago, where he is a tenured Professor [...]

The UCSF Department of Surgery is pleased to announce that third year UCSF medical student Mary Kathryn (Katy) Abel, A.B. was awarded the inaugural Thomas K. Hunt Memorial fellowship from the Division of General Surgery for her research project: "Optimizing outcomes in invasive lobular carcinoma of the breast: addressing barriers to clinical trial enrollment and personalizing therapy," with mentor Rita Mukhtar, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of General Surgery. Under the leadership of Hobart Harris, M.D., MPH and supported by the Division of General Surgery and the Department of [...]

The UCSF Department of Surgery will hold the 33rd annual J. Engelbert Dunphy Resident Research Symposium virtually on Wednesday, October 28th, 2020. The 2020 Symposium, originally scheduled for April 8th, will be held via Zoom for the safety of all participants. The Department is honored to host Dr. Melina R. Kibbe, M.D., Professor and Chair of Surgery at UNC-CH as the 2020 Dunphy Professor.  The J. Engelbert Dunphy Resident Research Symposium showcases the laboratory research of residents, fellows, and medical students in the Department of Surgery and honors the life and accomplishments [...]

The rapid emergence and spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is presenting challenges to medical clinicians not previously encountered in our lifetime. As the US Navy hospital ships are preparing to launch (USNS Comfort and Mercy) and governors are calling for military field hospitals to be used, there are several unanswered questions to be considered, such as who will staff these military installations, who will direct them, and what services will they provide. Many military medical clinicians are currently deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria, as well as other areas of the [...]

A recent study published in the British Journal of Surgery by Nichole Starr, M.D., MPH and a team of researchers at Lifebox, showed a dramatic reduction in the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs) after implementing Clean Cut, a quality improvement program that helps surgical teams address the causes of SSIs. The study, Outcomes Following Implementation of Clean Cut, an Adaptive, Multimodal Surgical Infection Prevention Program for Low Resource Settings: A Prospective Quality Improvement Study, showed a 35% reduction in the risk of SSI, based on the outcomes of more than 2,000 operations [...]

Hillary Braun, M.D., a general surgery research resident, was named the 2020 Bruce A. Luxon Emerging Liver Scholar by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). The Emerging Liver Scholars program selects 20 medicine or surgery residents who are interested in the study of liver diseases to participate in a curated program at the AASLD's annual Liver Meeting, which will be held virtually this year November 13-16, 2020. In addition to participation in the Emerging Liver Scholars program, Dr. Braun also received the distinction of being selected as the 2020 Bruce A. Luxon [...]

Native Americans are still here! Not just in the romanticized past, or in a troubled present where stereotypes of Indians abound (alcoholics, living only on reservations, stoic spiritual leaders, casino owners).    California has the largest Native American population in the country – a shocking statistic to most people. Why are land acknowledgments important? They recognize the past and present of Native American culture. They invite all of us to think about the ways in which we benefit from settler-colonialism. They inspire action by reminding us that colonization happened and is [...]

Susan G. Komen®, the world's leading breast cancer organization, recognized two widely respected and innovative breast cancer researchers this week, announcing that Donald McDonnell, Ph.D., and Laura Esserman, M.D., have been selected as this year's recipients of the Brinker Awards – Komen's highest scientific honor. This year's Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction in Clinical Research will be presented to Laura Esserman, M.D., M.B.A., Director, Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center, Alfred A. de Lorimier Endowed Chair in General Surgery, Professor of Surgery and Radiology, University of [...]

We are pleased to announce the appointment of three new Associate Residency Program Directors for our general surgery residency program: Rita Mukhtar, MD as Associate Residency Program Director for Curriculum; Wen Shen, MD, MA as Associate Residency Program Director for Resident Professional Development; and Lan Vu, MD as Associate Residency Program Director for Assessment. All three appointments will be effective January 1, 2021. As the Associate Residency Program Director for Curriculum, Dr. Mukhtar will be primarily responsible for the curriculum of the general surgery residency program. [...]

Valerie Weaver, Ph.D., Professor of Surgery in the Departments of Surgery, Anatomy, and Bioengineering & Therapeutics Sciences, and Director of the Center for Bioengineering & Tissue Regeneration, is the recipient of a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Outstanding Investigator Award (OIA) (R35), supporting a 7-year $6.7M grant for Dr. Weaver's project entitled, "Tissue mechanics reprograms the tissue to malignancy and metastasis." This NCI Outstanding Investigator Award provides long-term support to experienced investigators with outstanding records of research productivity and [...]

We are pleased to announce that Joseph Cuschieri, MD, FACS, currently Professor of Surgery at the University of Washington, has been appointed the next Trauma Medical Director at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (ZSFG), commencing March 1, 2021. He also will be a Professor in the Department of Surgery. Dr. Cuschieri currently serves as the Associate Medical Director of Surgical Services at Harborview Medical Center, and Program Director for the Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at the University of Washington. His national service has included active roles in the [...]

Hueylan Chern, M.D., Associate Professor of Surgery and Director of the UCSF Surgical Skills Center, has been inducted into The Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators Class of 2020. The Academy's core value is "supporting the people who advance the education mission of UCSF by fostering an organizational culture that values education and accelerates advances in teaching and learning to improve health with an emphasis on community, diversity, advocacy, service, and innovation." Dr. Chern follows in the footsteps of past Department of Surgery inductees into the Academy including Drs. [...]

We are excited to announce that Tom C. Nguyen, MD, FACS, FACC has been named the new Chief of the Division of Adult Cardiothoracic Surgery and the Helen and Charles Schwab Distinguished Professor of Surgery in the Department of Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco.  Dr. Nguyen comes to UCSF from the University of Texas Houston (UT-H), where he is Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Chief of Cardiac Surgery, Director of Minimally Invasive Valve Surgery, and Co-Director of Structural Heart Disease.    At UT-H, Dr. Nguyen flourished in a productive practice, with more than [...]

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Ryutaro Hirose has been named the inaugural Vice Chair of Clinical Operations and Value in the Department of Surgery. In his new role, Dr. Hirose will foster excellence and integration of our clinical practices within the UCSF Health System and its partners, and he will work together with surgical leaders at ZSFGH and the SFVA for clinical program development. He will promote efficient, cost effective, and accessible patient care, working to maximize revenues and ensure that faculty and staff have the systems and support they need to do their jobs [...]

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Elizabeth Wick will serve as the inaugural Vice Chair of Quality and Safety for the Department of Surgery. As Vice Chair, Dr. Wick will be responsible for oversight of the Department's quality and patient safety enterprise, focused in the perioperative space. She will collaborate with UCSF Health and the School of Medicine, managing interactions with other departments, centers and programs to promote collaboration that is focused on quality and patient safety.  Dr. Wick is a professor of surgery and Co-Chair for our Department's Research Committee.  She [...]

It is with deep gratitude that we announce Dr. Hobart Harris will be stepping down as Chief of the Division of General Surgery, effective August 31, 2020. Dr. Harris has served as Chief of General Surgery with distinction since 2002. He also served in the capacity of Vice-Chair of the Department from 2002-2008 and 2013-2018. He will continue as a Professor of Surgery and active faculty member.  Dr. Harris has received regional and national recognition for his clinical expertise, as evidenced by his leadership roles and reputation in the clinical field of surgery.  Nationally, he has a robust [...]

General surgery resident Elizabeth Lancaster, M.D. and Surgery Education Office Administrative Director Rachelle Bresnahan each received the UCSF Excellence and Innovation Award in Graduate Medical Education (2019-20) at a virtual GME reception on June 15th. Award recipients have demonstrated a commitment to advancing graduate medical education at UCSF through educational and clinical quality improvement, service excellence, and innovation, and have demonstrated excellence in:  Educational leadership at UCSF or nationally; Participation in innovative GME-related [...]