Lauren Gallagher, MD, a fourth-year resident in the University of Colorado Department of Surgery, was recognized for her research by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma in March, winning first place in the organization’s annual Resident and Fellow Trauma Paper Competition during its annual meeting in Chicago.
Research Cardiothoracic Surgery Transplant Surgery Liver Transplant Heart Transplant
As waiting lists continue to grow for patients awaiting organ transplants including heart, liver, lung, and kidney, surgeons are looking for ways to increase the number of organs they can take from deceased donors to use in living recipients.
Community Plastic Surgery Global Health
A recent two-week trip to perform craniofacial surgeries and other procedures at multiple hospitals in Vietnam gave residents in the University of Colorado Department of Surgery and students at the CU School of Medicine an up-close-and-personal look at the emerging field of global medicine.
Research Education Trauma GITES
Two residents from the University of Colorado Department of Surgery took home top honors in the resident paper competition at the annual meeting of the Western Trauma Association, which took place February 25 through March 1 in Snowmass, Colorado.
Research Students Stomach Cancer
Cancer researchers know that the Epstein-Barr virus causes certain types of stomach cancer, but what is less understood is if the unique molecular makeup of EBV-related stomach cancers makes them more responsive to certain cancer medicines.
The University of Colorado Burn and Frostbite Center has again been verified by the American Burn Association (ABA) in a process that occurs every three years. According to the ABA, verification is “an indicator to government, third-party payers, patients, families, and accreditation organizations that the center provides high-quality patient care to burn patients from the time of injury through rehabilitation.”
Can a lumpectomy patient’s chances of needing to return for a second surgery be reduced if the results of the operation are analyzed in real time, while the patient is still under anesthesia?
The University of Colorado Department of Surgery continues to move up on the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research Rankings of National Institutes of Health Funding, an annual ranking of the NIH funding allotted to researchers at medical schools and their departments.
If doctor’s orders require you to sit on the couch for a few days, you might as well do it when you can watch the country’s top college basketball teams take the court to battle for the NCAA title.
Research Patient Care Lung Cancer Cardiothoracic Surgery
Are surgeons giving patients unrealistic expectations about recovery after robotic lung surgery? That’s what CU Department of Surgery faculty member Robert Meguid, MD, MPH, and surgery resident Adam Dyas, MD, set out to discover after realizing the guidance they were offering patients might be based on outdated or anecdotal information.
As a native Spanish speaker working in pediatric surgery at Children’s Hospital Colorado, José Díaz-Mirón, MD, knows what a difference it makes when a surgeon can communicate with a patient in their native tongue.
Community Cardiothoracic Surgery Awards Transplant Surgery
Five faculty members in the University of Colorado Department of Surgery were honored in January as part of the University of Colorado Hospital Medical Staff Awards. The awards are given annually by UCHealth, one of the surgery department’s partner hospitals.
Research Clinical Trials Cardiothoracic Surgery
February is American Heart Month — the perfect time to remind women that their risk of cardiovascular disease is just as high as that of men.
The research portfolio at the University of Colorado Department of Surgery has expanded with the recent arrival of Jessica C. Cardenas, PhD, a researcher who is studying mechanisms of and therapeutics to prevent thrombotic and inflammatory complications — such as blood clots — in patients with traumatic injuries and acute critical illness.
Research Press Releases Health equity GITES Leadership
The University of Colorado Department of Surgery is putting a greater focus on health equity with the appointment of Catherine Velopulos, MD, to the new role of associate vice chair of health equity and health services research.
As an associate professor of urology in the University of Colorado Department of Surgery, Nicholas Cost, MD, was used to treating children with urologic cancers such as bladder cancer and kidney cancer. But when he began receiving referrals of children with other types of cancer who were having urinary tract issues, he became curious. Was there something about cancer treatment that was causing these young patients to develop lower urinary tract dysfunction?
Press Releases Plastic Surgery Leadership Global Health
Phuong Nguyen, MD, professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery in the University of Colorado Department of Surgery, has been named the department’s first vice chair of global surgery.
Researchers from around the country gathered on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus earlier this month to share their latest findings on the relationship among alcohol use, immunity, and inflammation.
Research COVID-19 Vascular Surgery
The COVID-19 pandemic afforded medical researchers a rare opportunity. Since many hospitals delayed scheduled operations at the height of the health crisis, there was an unprecedented opportunity to study the effects of delayed surgeries to make recommendations for future pandemics, natural disasters, or other widespread health emergencies.
On a cold winter’s day, few things are as inviting as a warm roaring fire. But if you have toddlers in the home, it’s best to leave your gas fireplace off and watch a festive yule log on TV instead.
As the child of a mother who immigrated to the U.S. from Peru, Jonathan Hills-Dunlap, MD, MPH, was aware at an early age of the disparities that exist within the health care system.
Research Plastic Surgery Liver Transplant
Is there a biomarker that can predict which patients will develop dangerous infectious complications after receiving a liver transplant? Nalu Navarro-Alvarez, MD, assistant professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery in the University of Colorado Department of Surgery, says yes.
The Society for Basic Urologic Research (SBUR) has named Alison Xie, PhD, an assistant professor in the Division of Urology in the University of Colorado Department of Surgery, one of its Young Investigators for 2023. The SBUR Young Investigator Awards are given to SBUR members who are under the age of 45, within five years of their first faculty position, and have made significant contributions to urologic research. Xie accepted her award at the organization’s annual meeting in October.
Fetal surgeons at the University of Colorado Department of Surgery already are among the busiest in the country when it comes to repairing myelomeningoceles (MMC), defects in a developing spine while the baby is still in the womb. MMC is a type of spina bifida that, if not treated, can lead to physical and intellectual disabilities.
Maria Baimas-George, MD, MPH, first noticed it early in her residency — doctors, and surgeons in particular, aren’t always the best at explaining complex medical issues to young patients.
Research Heart Transplant Surgery
New research by Syed Shahyan Bakhtiyar, MD, a surgical resident in the University of Colorado Department of Surgery, may help surgeons make more informed decisions about heart transplant surgery for their patients.
It was one of the most dramatic moments in “Bachelor” franchise history. And it wasn’t about a love triangle or an early departure or who would get a rose — it was about whether contestant Sam Jeffries could go to the bathroom.
Jamie Shatz went to school to become a physician assistant (PA), but once she graduated, she knew she needed more training to pursue the job she really wanted: a surgical PA.
Offering new options for men and women with incontinence issues, the Functional & Reconstructive Urology (FRU) Section in the University of Colorado Department of Surgery is studying two new devices that offer alternatives to polypropylene mesh, pump-operated systems, and other surgical therapies for incontinence that have been in use for the past 30 years.
Research Education Equity Diversity and Inclusion
Though many medical residency programs have begun using holistic review to evaluate candidates — a process that looks at qualities such as leadership, research aptitude, and volunteerism to get a more well-rounded view of an applicant than grades and test scores can provide — some administrators are still wary that a holistic process may not result in a qualified candidate pool.
Community Transplant Surgery Liver Transplant
Aiming to increase the number of living liver donors by making liver donation surgery easier and quicker to recover from, the University of Colorado Department of Surgery recently performed its first robotic hepatectomy (surgery to remove a portion of the liver) from a living donor. Using a surgical robot to perform the procedure results in a smaller incision, less scarring, less pain, and a faster recovery for the donor.
For all the differences between males and females, here’s one Alison Xie, PhD, wasn’t expecting.
Their work developing a set of guidelines for the general surgery residency program in the University of Colorado Department of Surgery led faculty members Nicole Christian, MD, MSCS, and Shannon Acker, MD, to write an editorial on how important it is for surgery training programs to support the young parents in their ranks.
Research Press Releases Community
Mitchell Cohen, MD, has been named associate vice chair of basic and translational research in the University of Colorado Department of Surgery.
Community Cardiothoracic Surgery
This week, Denver Broncos wide receiver KJ Hamler announced that he had been diagnosed with pericarditis, or inflammation of the heart. Hamler said he started feeling chest pain while working out prior to Broncos training camp.
Even before the robot, the University of Colorado Department of Surgery was leading the way when it comes to mitral valve surgery. Morbidity and mortality outcomes for mitral valve repair at CU are well below the national average. In 2019, CU surgeons began using a minimally invasive approach to repair leaky heart valves that affect blood flow in the body and can lead to congestive heart failure.
The tears flowed almost as freely as the thank-yous at Friday night’s graduation ceremony for residents and fellows in the University of Colorado Department of Surgery.
Though it affects around one in every 150 male births, chances are good you have never heard of hypospadias — a condition in which the penis, rather than having a hole at the tip through which urine passes, has a hole on the underside. It’s a condition that can cause issues with urination, as well as sexual function, if it isn’t corrected early.
From analyzing the effects of social vulnerability and health disparities on postoperative outcomes to mitigating the effects of trauma to evaluating new treatment modalities for pancreatic cancer, the research presented at the annual University of Colorado Department of Surgery Research Symposium on May 22 posed a plethora of new possibilities for patient care.
As a 4-year-old with severe asthma, Cheryl Meguid, DNP, MBA, formed a special bond with the nurses who took care of her in the hospital as she lay, isolated, in a special heated tent.
The American Urological Association (AUA) recently named Kerri Thurmon, MD, associate professor of urology in the University of Colorado Department of Surgery, as one of the recipients of its 2023 Young Urologist of the Year Award. The award is presented annually to recognize early-career association members for their efforts and commitment to advancing the development of fellow young urologists.
Research Plastic Surgery Pediatrics ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
A $1.9 million grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) will help researchers at the University of Colorado Department of Surgery and Colorado School of Public Health develop better treatment methods for children diagnosed with craniosynostosis, a present-at-birth condition in which a baby’s skull plates fuse together too early, before the brain is fully formed.
The relationship between alcohol use and burn injuries is a negative one in multiple ways. Not only are about 50% of adults who sustain burn injuries intoxicated at the time of injury, suggesting that alcohol use may have contributed to the incident, but alcohol use among burn-injured patients is associated with more severe complications, delayed recovery, and increased morbidity and mortality.
Community Cardiothoracic Surgery
Doctors are always trying to convince their patients to stop smoking, but it’s a concern that’s especially vital prior to surgery, due to the effects smoking has on the body.
If surgery is often seen as a male-dominated medical specialty, the stereotype goes double for the field of urology, with its focus on male concerns including erectile dysfunction, prostate issues, and vasectomies. A 2020 study from the American Urological Association, for example, found that women accounted for just 10.3% of all practicing urologists in the U.S.
Community Faculty Equity Diversity and Inclusion
In honor of Women’s History Month, Whitney Herter, PA-C, BS, a senior instructor in surgical oncology at the University of Colorado Department of Surgery, talked with Elisa Birnbaum, MD, professor of GI, trauma, and endocrine surgery, about her illustrious career.
Research Press Releases Faculty
Elizabeth J. Kovacs, PhD, professor of GI, trauma, and endocrine surgery, has been named vice chair of research in the CU Department of Surgery.
Awards Transplant Surgery Liver Transplant
Megan Adams, MD, surgical director of pediatric living donor transplantation at the University of Colorado Department of Surgery, has received the 2023 Pipeline Award from the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS).
Gallstones are one of the most common problems affecting Americans and are more common the older you get. When gallstones get stuck in the bile ducts, they can cause the gallbladder to back up with bile and become inflamed, often leading to a cholecystectomy, or removal of the organ altogether.
Community Cardiothoracic Surgery Equity Diversity and Inclusion
Christian Scott’s dream of working in the sports industry never materialized, but as administrative director for the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery in the University of Colorado School of Medicine, he still gets to work with an all-star team dedicated to being the best in its field.
Transplant Surgery Liver Transplant
2022 was a record-breaking year for the number of transplants performed by the organ transplant team at the University of Colorado Department of Surgery, with more than 300 kidney transplants, more than 130 liver transplants, more than 60 heart transplants, and 40 lung transplants performed over the past 12 months.
Patient Care Cardiothoracic Surgery
Patients receiving cardiac surgery are at higher risk for acute kidney injury following the procedure, which is why the University of Colorado Department of Surgery has implemented a new preoperative pathway to identify patients who are more likely to suffer acute kidney injury (AKI) following elective cardiac surgery and prevent that injury from occurring.
The University of Colorado Department of Surgery recently received accreditation for a new burn surgery fellowship that will allow aspiring burn surgeons to enter the field faster.
During his first year as a resident in the University of Colorado Department of Surgery, Ali Lilo, MD, felt the pressure.
Historically, the outlook has been grim for obese patients who need kidney transplants. Due to the physical requirements of the operation, those with a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or higher typically have been denied access to the life-saving procedure.
Cenea Kemp, MD, a general surgery resident in the Department of Surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, took home the award for Best Oral Cardiac Presentation at the annual meeting of the Eastern Cardiothoracic Surgical Society in October.
Surgical patients under the care of clinicians at the University of Colorado Department of Surgery are at lower risk of complications brought on by an aspiration event, thanks to a new patient safety protocol led by the Office of Quality & Clinical Effectiveness of the Department of Surgery, as reported by Viviane Leite Abud, MD, a quality and executive leadership resident in the department.
Why are older people at higher risk for lung injury, especially after trauma? The answer may lie in the macrophages, the immune cells that live in the air spaces of the lungs.
That pain when you walk could be more serious than you think. It could be a sign of peripheral artery disease (PAD), a condition in which a narrowing of the arteries results in reduced blood flow to the arms or legs. When the arms or legs — PAD typically affects the legs — don't receive enough blood flow to keep up with demand, it can cause pain when walking and other symptoms. PAD is usually a sign of a buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries, known as atherosclerosis.
A new research study by Danielle Abbitt, MD, a resident in the University of Colorado Department of Surgery, shows that a protocol that started as a necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic has evolved into a time-saving step for patients recovering from surgery.
Community Cardiothoracic Surgery
A new enhanced recovery protocol for patients undergoing lung resection surgery performed by faculty members in the University of Colorado Department of Surgery is resulting in patients going home sooner, experiencing less postoperative pain and complications, and taking fewer opioid drugs to manage their pain.
One of the most common surgical procedures worldwide is the repair of inguinal hernias, hernias that occur in the groin. An inguinal hernia is tissue — sometimes intestinal tissue — that bulges out of a weak spot in the abdominal wall, below the belt line. Men are far more likely than women to get inguinal hernias, and the surgery is typically a low-risk, outpatient procedure.
Research Plastic Surgery Veteran and Military Health
Soldiers and others who receive severe injuries to the hands and face often can benefit from a type of transplant known as vascularized composite allograft (VCA) — the transplantation of multiple tissues, including muscle, bone, nerve, skin, and blood vessels, as a functional unit (such as a hand or face) from a deceased donor to a recipient with a severe injury.
Solid organ transplants — heart, lung, liver, and kidney — are resource-intensive operations that require patients to take immunosuppressive drugs after the procedure to keep the body from rejecting the new organ.
Research Patient Care Plastic Surgery Pediatrics
Kristen Lowe, DDS, MS, an assistant professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery in the University of Colorado School of Medicine, has received a grant from Align Technologies, the company that makes the Invisalign tooth-straightening system. The grant will support Lowe in developing more efficient ways to treat infants with cleft lip and palate.
Education Faculty Surgical Oncology
Camille Stewart, MD, assistant professor of surgical oncology in the University of Colorado School of Medicine, is leading general surgery residents on valuable training with new robotic surgical equipment that is becoming more and more common in the world of medicine.
For John Iguidbashian and Alejandro Suarez-Pierre, general surgery residents in the Department of Surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, the research started as a way to give patients who were eligible for lung transplants more accurate information about their life expectancy after the surgery.
Patient Care Community Mental Health
Men looking for information on their physical and sexual health often turn to the internet, where low testosterone is a commonly searched — and commonly misunderstood — topic.
The dangers of using electronic cigarettes are well known when it comes to the potential for addiction and lung injury, but new research published in the Journal of Surgical Research finds another cause for concern when it comes to e-cigarettes: the potential for the vaping devices to explode during use.
Why are older adults more likely to get seriously ill or even die from pneumonia? It turns out the cause may have as much to do with the gut as it does with the lungs.
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee in the CU School of Medicine Department of Surgery (DOS) has made great strides over the past year, working toward the department’s goal of becoming the most diverse, equitable, and inclusive department of surgery in the country by 2030.
Patient Care Community Pediatrics Urology
For children with urologic disorders, the relationships they form early on with their urologists often turn out to be among the most important connections of their young lives.
As cooking is the number-one cause of all home fires, this year’s Burn Awareness Week — February 6–12 — has as its theme “Burning Issues in the Kitchen.”
Research Patient Care Plastic Surgery
From Silly Putty to the microwave oven, there is a long history of consumer products “accidentally” discovered during the scientific discovery process.
Patient Care Quality and Clinical Effectiveness
When they realized their number of patients with urinary tract infections caused by urinary catheters was tracking above the national average, urologic oncologist Janet Kukreja, MD, and Shannon Bortolotto, APRN, clinical nurse specialist at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital, knew they had to take action.
Emma Lamping, a second-year student at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, has received a $5,000 “Emerging Scientist Award” from the Institute of Cannabis Research in Pueblo, Colorado, for her work on a research study comparing postoperative pain medication requirements and surgical outcomes after major abdominal surgery for the treatment of cancer between daily cannabis users and nonusers of cannabis.
Research Education Community Trauma GITES
Two general surgery residents at the University of Colorado School of Medicine — Margot DeBot, MD, and TJ Schaid, MD — placed first and second, respectively, in the District 8 regional competition for the 2022 American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Trauma Paper Competition in early December. DeBot and Schaid are both T32 NIH research fellows in the CU Trauma Lab.
Patient Care Community Cardiothoracic Surgery
With two female cardiothoracic surgeons in its ranks, the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine is ahead of the curve when it comes to gender representation in the field. By one recent estimate, just 8% of cardiothoracic surgeons in the country are female.
Research Patient Care Press Releases
The U.S. Department of Defense is funding a study by Arek Wiktor, MD, associate professor of GI, trauma, and endocrine surgery and interim medical director of the UCHealth Burn and Frostbite Center – Anschutz Medical Campus, to aid in treatment of military and civilian burn patients.
Research Patient Care Vascular Surgery
Clinical pathways are a vital tool in providing patients with high-quality, standardized care, as well as improving the value of health care. But they are only helpful if physicians actually use them.
Matthew Bartley, MD, MS, has gone viral (as in trending in the world of social media).
Research Patient Care Community
Patients’ rights advocates scored a major victory in April, when a provision went into effect that allows patients immediate access to all information in their medical records, including physician notes and test results. The change is part of the 21st Century Cures Act, which was passed by Congress in 2016 and continues to be updated.
The depth and breadth of the research happening across the Department of Surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine was on full display in Monday’s eighth annual Research Symposium. Sixteen residents — eight from clinical and health services and eight from basic and translational research — presented papers on topics ranging from salvaging tissue in patients with frostbite to how shock can affect someone with a traumatic brain injury. The event was held virtually due to the pandemic.
Patient Care Community Cardiothoracic Surgery
Bryan Raymond was very nearly just another grim entry on the ever-growing list of COVID-19 fatalities. But thanks to efforts by faculty members in the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Department of Surgery, Raymond is a COVID statistic of a different sort — the first person in Colorado to receive a lung transplant related to the virus.
For the past nine years, the Surgical Outcomes and Applied Research (SOAR) group at the University of Colorado School of Medicine has been conducting research on health services within the Department of Surgery. A large part of that research has to do with clinical outcomes for surgery patients and how patients fare — in the short term and the long term — after an operation.
As they look back on one of the most challenging years in their medical careers, members of the Department of Surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine remember the low points — the crowded emergency rooms, the delayed surgeries, the deaths from the disease — but they remember some high points as well.
As a resident in the Department of Surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Heather Carmichael, MD, was accustomed to the emotional remove doctors have from their patients. The distance that allows surgeons to cut into someone without hesitation or to deliver bad news without falling apart.
Education Community Plastic Surgery
The racial reckoning occurring in America in a year that saw the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and others touches nearly every aspect of society. From corporate boardrooms and HR departments to police forces and universities, assumptions are being questioned and priorities reexamined as we are reminded of the inequities that still exist for people of color.
Research Cancer Surgical Oncology
Medical cannabis was legalized in Colorado in 2000, but 20 years later, Camille Stewart, MD, isn’t able to prescribe it to her patients. Nor is she able to dictate the dosage or frequency with which patients take the drug.
UCHealth
February 22, 2024
“Wrestling is a difficult sport. It’s both a team and a one-on-one sport that requires endurance, strength, and mental toughness,” said Matthew Lorio, MD, professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery.
CBS4 Denver
February 02, 2024
Kia Washington, MD, professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery, is hoping she can help a Colorado man who was blinded seven years ago.
UCHealth
December 04, 2023
Janet Kukreja, MD, a University of Colorado School of Medicine urologic surgeon, is North America’s most prolific robotic cystectomist.
The Denver Post
November 21, 2023
So many Coloradans responded to a call to donate pieces of their livers that Children’s Hospital Colorado expects every child in need of a transplant this year will get one.
Greg Glasgow
