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.
Bringing new attention to breast cancer in younger women and the importance of risk assessment, actress Olivia Munn, 43, announced Wednesday that she had been diagnosed with the disease last year. Munn said she has undergone four surgeries in the past 10 months, including a double mastectomy.
Heart Transplant Center Transplant Surgery Cardiology Heart Transplant
Tim Daly doesn’t mince words when he talks about the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus team that gave him a new heart: “I’m pretty fortunate that I ended up here with these people. They made me a winner.”
Colorectal Cancer Ovarian Cancer
Cancers located in the abdomen — including colorectal cancer, appendix cancer, gastric cancer, and gynecologic cancers such as certain types of ovarian cancer — can be difficult to treat with traditional chemotherapy when the tumors spread beyond the organ in which they originated.
The University of Colorado School of Medicine is proud of our faculty's work that contributes to UCHealth's annual rankings on the U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals. These rankings are important as many students, residents, faculty, and patients consider these rankings when deciding where to train, practice and receive care.
The news that actor Adan Canto — known for his roles in "Designated Survivor" and "X-Men: Days of Future Past" — died earlier this month at age 42, after a battle with appendix cancer, is raising awareness of the relatively rare disease.
Research Pancreatic Cancer Surgical Oncology
Chemotherapy is a useful treatment to try to get systemic control in pancreatic cancer. Currently, however, chemotherapy is mostly administered in patients whose tumors are more difficult to remove surgically because of where they are in the anatomy.
Pancreatic Cancer Cancer Surgical Oncology Whipple procedure
It’s been just over four years since Jim Page entrusted his fate to a University of Colorado Cancer Center surgical oncologist after being diagnosed with precancerous cysts in his pancreas. Four years since he underwent the surgery that he credits with saving his life.
Research Plastic Surgery Retina
Doctors in New York this month announced the world’s first successful whole-eye and partial face transplant, a feat Kia Washington, MD, professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, says sets the stage for further advancement in the field and shows promise that patients may one day regain vision after an eye transplant.
This November, Stomach Cancer Awareness Month allows us the opportunity to learn more about gastric oncology and dispel anxieties around the disease. While stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, accounts for a little over 1% of all new cancer cases per year, outcomes can be improved with prevention and earlier detection.
Actress Suzanne Somers, best known for her iconic role as Chrissy Snow on the 1970s and ’80s sitcom “Three’s Company,” died October 15 after a 23-year struggle with breast cancer. Somers was 76.
Research Philanthropy Breast Cancer Magazine Surgical Oncology
At age 47, Wendy Johnson finally started jumping horses.
Though she had long been interested in the activity — watching her daughters take part in it on the competition field and at the family’s home in Conifer, Colorado — the thought of actually being the one on the back of the graceful beast, guiding it through midair and over a series of obstacles, had always scared her.
A struggle with breast cancer, however, changed her perspective completely.
Patient Care Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Urology
James Bird gets emotional talking about it. How he qualified for a clinical trial that, in his view, preserved his manhood after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in late 2022.
“The day I went in to see if I qualified, there were 10 other guys out there in the lobby who didn’t get into the trial,” he says. “I felt so sorry for them. One of the technicians who was involved with the trial told me he was getting calls from all over, from guys begging to get in. That’s how important this is.”
“I got lucky that I suck at golf. I threw my back out playing a sport that people usually enjoy in khakis.”
University of Colorado Cancer Center member Marco Del Chiaro, MD, PhD, division chief of surgical oncology, is coordinating a new effort to standardize global diagnosis and treatment efforts for cystic tumor of the pancreas. More frequent than solid lesions, cystic tumors are usually detected incidentally and are often asymptomatic.
Denver-area magazine 5280 released its list of top doctors for 2023, and CU School of Medicine faculty members continue to be ranked among the best. Congratulations to the more than 200 CU School of Medicine faculty members honored with the title "Top Doctor."
Patient Care Community Pancreatic Cancer Multidisciplinary Clinic
Barb Spanjer lay on the floor of her office. She had never been so tired. Her stomach and left side ached, and the pain under her left shoulder blade was relentless. She had seen her doctor a couple of times that autumn of 2017, but the medicine for the ulcer he suspected she had wasn’t working. She had been too tired and too busy running the construction company she and her husband, Steve, owned to follow up with the doctor. But it was getting harder to ignore the symptoms. Something just wasn’t right.
Patient Care Colorectal Cancer
For Doug Scanlon, last year’s Walk to End Colon Cancer was a victory lap. This year, it’s more like a homecoming.
For the past four years, University of Colorado Cancer Center member Sarah Tevis, MD, has focused her research on the psychosocial outcomes of breast surgery for women with breast cancer — specifically comparing patient-reported outcomes three and six months after receiving a lumpectomy (surgery in which just the tumor and some of the surrounding cells are removed) and a mastectomy (surgery to remove the entire breast).
Patient Care Colorectal Cancer GITES
Sean Ryan did everything right.
Ryan’s father died of colorectal cancer when he was just 45, so Ryan knew he was at high risk for the disease. When he turned 50, he made plans to get a screening colonoscopy. (In 2021, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force lowered the recommended screening age for colorectal cancer from 50 to 45 for men and women at average risk for colorectal cancer.)
Patient Care Community Kidney Cancer Urology
To start with, there was his usual schedule of national travel for his job as a Wall Street journeyman – he was always flying somewhere. Add to that moving to Castle Rock from San Francisco, plus a love for concerts and baseball games and whatever else life offers, and it’s no wonder that Lincoln Yersin was feeling run down.
But this run down? This exhausted? He went to see his primary care provider in San Francisco a few times, had a few tests, and the diagnosis was stress.
Research Pancreatic Cancer Surgical Oncology Transplant Surgery
Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) are cystic lesions that can form by the ducts of the pancreas. They generally are asymptomatic and discovered in the course of testing for other conditions.
Awareness Bladder Cancer Urology
In its early stages, bladder cancer can be easy to ignore or write off as something it isn’t – a UTI, a bladder infection, or other conditions that are commonly treated with an antibiotic.
Research Pediatric Cancer Kidney Cancer Urology
A longstanding approach to surgeries for children with kidney tumors has been an abundance of caution.
Community Awareness Urology Testicular cancer
Testicular cancer is a highly treatable cancer that isn’t always easy to talk about.
Patient Care Esophageal Cancer
Nathan Hammond knew things were getting bad when his doctors had to put the feeding tube in.
Research Surgical Oncology Awards
For her innovative research on how cannabinoids affect the tumor immune microenvironment in melanoma, University of Colorado Cancer Center member Camille Stewart, MD, has been named to the 2023 cohort of the National Cancer Institute’s Early-Stage Surgeon Scientist Program (ESSP). The National Cancer Institute coordinates the United States National Cancer Program and is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Patient Care Pancreatic Cancer Surgical Oncology Multidisciplinary Clinic
Before receiving a pancreatic cancer diagnosis eight years ago – a diagnosis that resulted from persistent self-advocacy – Carolyn Degrafinried spent one awful weekend wondering if she was losing her mind.
Community Breast Cancer Surgical Oncology
For women with dense breasts, getting a mammogram to screen for breast cancer can be something of a double whammy. Not only is cancer more difficult to detect in dense breasts, but dense breasts also are a risk factor for developing breast cancer in the first place.
Education Pancreatic Cancer Surgical Oncology
When surgeons from the Netherlands needed help establishing a national program for patients with hard-to-treat pancreatic cancer, they knew just whom to turn to: Marco Del Chiaro, MD, PhD, professor and division chief of surgical oncology in the University of Colorado Department of Surgery.
Research Philanthropy Esophageal Cancer
Funding from the Paul R. O’Hara Seed Grant Fund at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus will allow CU Cancer Center member Akshay Chauhan, MD, to explore new methods of detecting and treating esophageal cancer.
As the first one in his family to go to college, Josue Estrella had to navigate his own way through his undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan, where he first developed his interest in medicine.
Research Cancer Surgical Oncology
For many people who receive a cancer diagnosis, one of the first things they want is information – about the cancer itself, about treatment options, about side effects they may experience, about what it all means.
Innovation Patient Care Pancreatic Cancer
Bonnie Dahl knows chance and circumstance played key roles in halting her pancreatic cancer, one of the most deadly and insidious forms of the disease.
Former Denver Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman, 31, died Wednesday of a rare type of kidney cancer that disproportionately impacts young people who are Black with sickle cell trait or sickle cell disease.
A new multidrug treatment for patients with stage 4 melanoma has proven effective after a three-year clinical trial at the University of Colorado Cancer Center.
Research Community ATLAS Firearm Injury Prevention COMBAT TRIAD
U.S. Rep. Jason Crow visited the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus on Monday to learn more about current programs and research on the campus that address the U.S. military’s medical needs, including solutions in combat casualty care, critical and emergency care, surgical trauma, and acute mental health. The Center for Combat Medicine and Battlefield (COMBAT) Research hosted the visit that included additional CU leadership and research groups for a supportive discussion on current military medical challenges.
Prostate Cancer Magazine Urology
It was all his grandma’s doing, says University of Colorado Cancer Center member Paul Maroni, MD.
Patient Care Awareness Pancreatic Cancer Surgical Oncology
Laura Foote is now three years out from her pancreatic cancer diagnosis, thanks to a surgery performed by Richard Schulick, MD, MBA, director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center and chair of the Department of Surgery.
Research Patient Care Breast Cancer Plastic Surgery
Amanda Vegter did not have time for whatever it was that she felt on the side of her left breast.
She was six weeks into her fourth year of veterinary school, she had backpacking trips to go on with her boyfriend, walks to go on with her two dogs, plus plans for a summer externship in South Africa. She was busy and happy and it was probably nothing.
But that firm spot she first felt on her breast in January 2021 while working out at her boyfriend’s house didn’t just go away. Now she can look back and shake her head – of course it was breast cancer.
Innovation Patient Care Clinical Trials
Just as Invisalign® plastic aligners have revolutionized orthodontic treatment, a team at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus hopes its project using 3D printed plastic molds can transform cleft lip and palate care.
Students Scholarship Plastic Surgery
ARCS Foundation, a national nonprofit dedicated to supporting academically outstanding students in science, engineering, math, technology, and medical research, has awarded a $7,500 scholarship to Anna Lee, a second-year medical student at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
Prostate cancer is the second most common and deadly cancer in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimates that 1 in 8 men will receive a prostate cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. Treatment techniques range from aggressive therapies such as radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy to targeted therapies that treat only the affected cancer cells.
For children with pediatric-onset chronic conditions, the relationships they form early on with their doctors and care team members often turn out to be among the most important connections of their young lives.
Years later, when those youth are on the cusp of adulthood and required to transition to adult care, the doctor-patient relationship becomes even more important, and thoughtful transition of care is critical. The growing field of transitional care encourages collaboration among doctors to help young patients effectively manage the shift from pediatric to adult care, to encourage those patients to play a greater part in their own health care, and to improve health care systems to make those transitions more seamless.
The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a protein produced by the prostate gland. The PSA test is a blood test used to measure the amount of this protein found in the blood. Results are reported (ng/mL), which means nanograms of PSA per milliliter of blood. High levels of PSA have been found in men with advanced prostate cancer.
Community Awareness Breast Cancer
Each year, about 27,000 women age 45 or younger are diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States. Of those, about 4% are pregnant at the time of their diagnosis.
Research Patient Care Awareness Esophageal Cancer
Less than a year ago, Ken Herfert got a puppy and named her Bailey after the Colorado town where she was born.
This was a big deal for several reasons, including the responsibility of adopting a new family member, but perhaps the biggest was this: About six months after receiving a diagnosis of esophageal cancer in early 2018, Herfert’s oncologist in California told him he had maybe a year to live, maybe less.
After a 30-year, off-and-on battle with metastatic breast cancer, Australian-born actress and singer Olivia Newton-John died on August 8 at age 73. Best known for her role as Sandy in the 1978 movie musical “Grease,” Newton-John also hit the music charts with singles like “Physical” and “Magic.”
When the 21st Century Cures Act went into effect in April 2021, health care organizations began releasing electronic health information (EHI) to patients immediately.
A new study released by the University of Colorado Cancer Center shows that more than 70 percent of breast cancer patients have reported changes that affect their sexual health during and beyond treatment.
Denver-area magazine 5280 recently published its list of top doctors for 2022. On this year’s list, CU School of Medicine faculty members continue to be ranked among the best. We're proud to congratulate the 193 CU School of Medicine faculty members honored with the title "Top Doctor."
Children’s Hospital Colorado is once again ranked among the top 10 children’s hospitals in the country by U.S. News and World Report. The magazine released its 2022–23 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings this week, and Children’s Colorado is ranked number 7 nationally and number 1 in the Rocky Mountain region and state of Colorado.
University of Colorado Cancer Center member Janet Kukreja, MD, assistant professor of urology in the University of Colorado School of Medicine, is taking part in this weekend’s Walk to End Bladder Cancer along with her office staff, fellow physicians, and even some of her patients. For this year’s “virtual” event, hosted by the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network to kick off Bladder Cancer Awareness Month in May, participants walk in their own cities at their own pace, sharing their progress with others around the country.
The future of cancer research and care got a little brighter on April 22 as more than 50 biomedical science students from Denver-area high schools came to the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus for Learn About Cancer Day.
The development of the anti-cancer immunotherapy drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors has improved treatment for many cancer patients, but patients with mucosal melanomas — melanomas that occur not on the skin but in the mucous membranes in the head, neck, eyes, respiratory tract, and genitourinary region — are particularly resistant to immune checkpoint inhibitors for reasons researchers don’t fully understand.
Research Melanoma Surgical Oncology
For years, surgery for patients with stage III melanoma — melanoma that has spread to the lymph nodes — involved removing those lymph nodes along with the primary tumor. Known as completion lymph node dissection (CLND), the surgery was meant to ensure that no cancer remained after surgery.
There were a lot of things Jim White thought he’d never do: stay in one place long enough to feel roots grow beneath his feet, meet the love of his life, have a child whose daily joy in discovering the world reignites White’s own joy.
Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Colorado School of Medicine still had many accomplishments to celebrate in 2021.
Education Community Students Medicine
Rebecca Henkind grew up seeing the example of her grandmother’s volunteer work with people experiencing homelessness – at the Flemington (New Jersey) Area Food Pantry and with Flemington Presbyterian Church’s shelter.
Research Faculty Pancreatic Cancer Funding
Some battles begin before a shot is even fired, with an army building bridges and grading roads, clearing and smoothing the path to make the invading force stronger and more effective.
Research Melanoma Surgical Oncology
Looking to improve methods to treat patients with sepsis, Richard Tobin, PhD, an assistant research professor of surgical oncology in the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and Laurel Hind, PhD, an assistant professor in the biomedical engineering program at the University of Colorado Boulder, are teaming up to study the role of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in sepsis.
Research Faculty Pancreatic Cancer Surgical Oncology
Two University of Colorado Cancer Center physicians have been recognized as world experts in in pancreatic neoplasms by the 2021 Expertscape rankings.
Patient Care Community Lung Cancer
It was just a cough – a nagging one, sure, but nothing too serious, Duane Cerniglia thought. Give it some time and it will go away.
Research Community Breast Cancer Magazine Surgical Oncology
When a woman receives a breast cancer diagnosis, she may have many questions about her immediate future – the stage of the disease, what treatment she’ll receive, where it will happen.
Patient Care Community COVID-19 CU Medicine Today
From the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, communities of color have been hit hardest by the worst public health crisis in the past 100 years.
Patient Care Colorectal Cancer Surgical Oncology
Erica Ramsthaler was only given three years to live when she was first diagnosed with colorectal cancer, but after transferring her care to the University of Colorado Cancer Center, she is thriving more than four years later.
Patient Care Awareness Breast Cancer Surgical Oncology Plastic Surgery
Kirsten Stewart was just putting on lotion, like she does every morning after her shower. That particular morning, though, she noticed something different: a lump that hadn’t been there before and that definitely wasn’t normal. She was only 30 years old.
Community Pancreatic Cancer Surgical Oncology
Actor Willie Garson was probably best known for his role as Stanford Blatch on “Sex and the City,” playing one of Carrie Bradshaw’s New York-savvy best friends.
Jonathan Fox happily entered his 50s with his identity, stress outlet and social life entwined in a heart-healthy activity – cycling – that would easily propel him into his golden years.
Innovation Patient Care Pancreatic Cancer Surgical Oncology
After suffering from painful bouts of pancreatitis for more than a decade, Christina Gonzalez felt resigned to a seemingly endless cycle of procedures.
The doctors she saw initially didn’t seem too concerned, but 22-year-old Ella Neal knew something was seriously wrong. A persistent, unusual abdominal pain was keeping her up at night and distracting her from her studies at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Patient Care Pancreatic Cancer Surgical Oncology
Richard Schulick, MD, MBA, director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center, becomes close with all of his patients, but he has a special bond with Gerry Turner, one of Schulick’s surgical patients for pancreatic cancer.
Innovation Press Releases Pancreatic Cancer Magazine
The most important factor predicting the survival of pancreatic cancer patients is whether the cancer can be surgically removed (whether the cancer is “resectable”). The answer isn’t always clear.
Each year, Denver-area magazine 5280 publishes its list of top doctors. On this year’s list, which came out last week, CU School of Medicine faculty members continue to be ranked among the best. We are proud to congratulate the 138 CU School of Medicine faculty members honored with the title Top Doctor.
Comedian Kathy Griffin, 60, shared the news with the world Monday via Twitter: She was about to undergo surgery for stage I lung cancer.
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.
Opioid prescribing preferences and practices among surgical residents and faculty differ, according to a new study published in the journal Surgery.
Matthew Bartley, MD, MS, has gone viral (as in trending in the world of social media).
On June 28 the University of Colorado School of Medicine’s Center for Advancing Professional Excellence (CAPE) hosted the third installment in its virtual community event series “Being _____ On Anschutz Medical Campus.” The goal of the series is to connect with the Anschutz community and amplify diverse voices through candid conversations with members of underrepresented groups. Previous events centered on the Black and AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) communities.
Though people most often think of melanoma as affecting the skin, the cancer can occur anywhere in the body where pigment-producing melanocyte cells are found. That includes mucous membranes in the head, neck, eyes, respiratory tract, and genitourinary region.
Research Patient Care Education Community
The University of Colorado School of Medicine Department of Surgery hosted its Resident and Fellowship Graduation at Denver Botanic Gardens on June 11.
U.S. News and World Report released its 2021–22 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings this week. Children’s Hospital Colorado ranked number 6 nationally and placed seven pediatric specialties in the top 10, including a number-one ranking for gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery. Children’s Colorado is affiliated with the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Together, the institutions are a national center for clinical care and medical research.
Research Innovation Patient Care
“To give someone their senses back feels really satisfying,” says Kia Washington, MD, director of research and professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. “To restore form and function in the hand, or restore someone’s vision, appeals to me because you can really change people’s lives. You can change the way they see the world.”
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.
Research Patient Care Community Burn GITES
Last month, the University of Colorado Burn Center underwent the American Burn Association (ABA) Survey, a verification process that occurs every three years. The Burn Center has achieved continual verification since its first ABA Survey in 1998, and that trend continues this year. The Burn Center received its verification confirmation on May 19, 2021, to continue through April 2024.
The University of Colorado School of Medicine Hooding & Oath Ceremony took place Friday, May 28, 2021, at 9 a.m. Due to ongoing COVID-19 precautions, the in-person ceremony was limited to the 184 members of the class of 2021, their personal CU School of Medicine faculty hooders, and up to two vaccinated guests each. The event was also livestreamed for friends and family members unable to attend in person.
Innovation Education Community
On May 19, 2021, more than 20 medical students from the University of Colorado School of Medicine, along with a handful of residents, fellows, and faculty members from the Department of Surgery, gathered in the home of Yihan Lin, MD, MPH, a cardiothoracic surgery fellow.
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.
Research Patient Care Esophageal Cancer Surgical Oncology Clinical Trials
Looking for better ways to treat patients with esophageal cancer, University of Colorado Cancer Center member Martin McCarter, MD, is investigating whether a new treatment sequence will result in better outcomes.
Gavi Roda’s journey to medicine was seeded at a young age but didn’t fully blossom until her teenage years. As a child, she traveled frequently with her parents, Veralex and Greg Roda. Her family crisscrossed the world and moved more than eight times, including living in Singapore for four years, before finding a home in Broomfield, Colorado.
When Sarah Massena joined the Center for Surgical Innovation (CSI) as executive director in 2007, she saw the role as an ideal way to merge her interests in science and business.
Fredric Pieracci, MD, MPH/MSPH, an associate professor in the University of Colorado School of Medicine Department of Surgery, is the senior author on a new paper published in Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases that details the results of a public health initiative to provide affordable bariatric surgery to uninsured Denver County residents.
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.
Patient Care Community Plastic Surgery
In the past, even relatively minor hand surgery was a major event. For patients, it required anesthesia and numerous hours at the hospital. And for hospitals and providers, it used up extensive material resources and time.
The Class of 2025, whose members arrive on campus in July to begin their first year of medical school, will usher in a new era at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. It will be the first class to experience a reimagined curriculum aimed at getting students into hospitals earlier and connecting them with patients in a more meaningful way, with a renewed focus on community engagement and social determinants of health.
Patient Care COVID-19 Vaccinations
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday recommended a nationwide pause on the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine because six women who received the vaccine have experienced a rare type of blood clot.
Over the past few years, Camille Stewart, MD, assistant professor of surgery in the Division of Surgical Oncology, has conducted research for the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) to examine unconscious bias within the organization. In her studies, Stewart examines unconscious bias and microaggressions by focusing on the subtle differences in introductions of speakers at professional meetings and conferences.
Patient Care Community Awareness Health equity Transplant Center
April is National Donate Life Month — an awareness month that encourages Americans to register as organ, eye, and tissue donors and that honors those who have saved lives through the gift of donation.
Research Awareness Pediatric Cancer Kidney Cancer
Although rare, kidney cancer is the third most common type of solid tumor affecting children. Thankfully, pediatric kidney tumors are generally treatable and most have high cure rates. Treatment outcomes depend on several factors including age, tumor type, staging, genetics, the overall health of the patient, and the risk of treatment side effects.
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.
Research Breast Cancer Surgical Oncology
Though breast cancer patients are now living longer than ever before, treatments for the disease can have wide-ranging effects on their long-term quality of life. Physical, social, and sexual wellbeing all can be impacted by radiation, chemotherapy, surgery, antiendocrine therapy and other challenges that go along with a breast cancer battle.
Education Community Faculty Diversity
Kia Washington, MD, looks back on her undergraduate experience as four years that helped to shape who she is. One of those years in particular stands out as not just formative, but transformative.
Patient Care Clinics Vascular Surgery
A new vascular surgery clinic opened in February on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, offering easy access for patients with venous disease, peripheral artery disease, and mesenteric and renal artery disease. The clinic also offers hemodialysis procedures for arteriovenous fistula and graft maintenance.
“Diversity and inclusion in medicine can save lives.” That was the message from Robert Higgins, MD, MSHA, director of the Department of Surgery and surgeon-in-chief at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
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.
Eighteen physicians, residents, and medical students from the University of Colorado School of Medicine presented on their research this week at the Academic Surgical Congress, an annual convention hosted by the Society of University Surgeons.
Dean John J. Reilly, Jr., MD, highlighted some of the CU School of Medicine’s accomplishments over the past five years and outlined key initiatives moving forward in his annual State of the School address on January 13. He also spoke to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Research Quality and Clinical Effectiveness
Edward Jones, MD, MS, an associate professor of surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, is a nationally recognized expert on preventing operating room (OR) fires.
Research Patient Care Quality and Clinical Effectiveness
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought new attention to the safety of patients during surgery. But long before the concerns brought on by coronavirus, the CU Department of Surgery was working to make patient safety a priority.
In a normal year, vascular surgeons would never postpone surgeries for patients with aortic or carotid disease or other conditions.
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.
Awareness Pancreatic Cancer Magazine Surgical Oncology
Longtime “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek announced it to the world on March 6, 2019: Like 50,000 other Americans each year, he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
Skin Cancer Melanoma Surgical Oncology
If you live in or have visited Colorado, you most likely noticed that the state loves its outdoors. With 300 days of sunshine a year, many enjoy hiking, playing at a park or grabbing a craft brew on a patio. But with that love of sunshine comes an increased risk for skin cancer.
Knowing your family health history is one of the first steps to finding out if you may have a higher risk of cancer and might need early screenings. Ela Carta is no stranger to the struggles of having a family history of cancer. At the age of 30, Carta’s aunt, Audie, began urging Carta to get a mammogram. With a long family history of breast cancer and fibrocystic breast disease, Carta knew she had to be proactive with her health.
Research Publications Pancreatic Cancer Surgical Oncology
In the 1860s, French physician Armand Trousseau noticed that patients with a certain form of abnormal blood clotting often went on to be diagnosed with pancreas or gastric cancers. Unfortunately, at age 66 he noticed these same symptoms in himself and died of gastric cancer only a few months later.
Research Patient Care Community Prostate Cancer Urology
Although prostate cancer is treatable when found early, there are common fears that men share concerning prostate cancer.
“I hear from patients all the time stating they do not want to get tested and they do not want to know if they have prostate cancer. Due to the possible side effects associated with treatment,” says Paul Maroni, MD, associate professor in the Department of Surgery, Urology Division, program director of the Urologic Cancer Care Center and University of Colorado (CU) Cancer Center member.
Research Patient Care Community Prostate Cancer Cancer Urology
Growing up, Douglas “Bucky” Dilts was all too familiar with the dangers of cancer. “My mother ran a cancer tumor registry at St Joseph's Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia for over 25 years. She was always telling us about different types of cancer, so cancer was always at the forefront.”
For more than 25 years, 5280 magazine has asked physicians in the Denver area whom they would trust to treat themselves or a loved one. This year 21 of our surgeons in 12 specialties made the list.
Patient Care Community Plastic Surgery
As a young child, Jennifer Falomir-Lopez just wanted to look “normal” like all the other kids. She knew she was different but couldn’t explain to her friends why she looked different. Jennifer was born with a cleft lip and cleft alveolus.
The UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital Vascular Surgery Clinic has been named a TCAR Center of Excellence by Silk Road Medical, for the high quality of its care team and patient outcomes for transcarotid artery revascularization (TCAR) to treat carotid artery stenosis.
As the end of Men’s Health Month approaches, it is important to acknowledge that men often do not visit the doctor unless there is a serious issue or concern. In addition to exercising and a healthy diet, men need to make sure they are up to date on important health screenings to focus on preventative care and health maintenance.
U.S. News and World Report released its 2020-21 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings this week, placing three pediatric surgical specialties at Children’s Hospital Colorado provided by University of Colorado School of Medicine Department of Surgery faculty in the top 10, including No. 1 for gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery.
June 8, 2020 marked the graduation for general surgery residents within the Department of Surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, residents, family, friends, faculty and staff gathered together virtually to celebrate the completion of their programs and present awards.
Patient Care Pancreatic Cancer
“I hate cancer more than anyone,” says Richard Schulick, MD, director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center and chair of the Department of Surgery.
Steve Becker always looks forward to Veterans Day. He and his father, Don, both did hitches in the Navy, so it’s a special day they set aside to hang out and reflect on their service to the nation.
Each year 5280 magazine has asked physicians in the Denver area whom they would trust to treat themselves or a loved one. This year 24 of our surgeons in 12 specialties made the list.
Patient Care Community Trauma GITES
Trapped by a fire in her Aurora apartment building, Alina Miller was forced to jump from a fourth-story window to escape the flames. The fall left her with a broken back and a crushed foot.
Every year, Denver's 5280 Magazine polls doctors from the Denver metro area, asking whom they would trust if they needed medical treatment for themselves or a loved one. The results are collected and published in the magazine's annual "Top Doctors" issue.
Patient Care Pancreatic Cancer Cancer
Karen Possehl was diagnosed with cancer in November 2016. At the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, her doctor told her that the type of cancer she had was inoperable and wouldn't respond to radiation or chemotherapy. He expected her to live only a few more months.
Research Patient Care Community Sarcoma
The CU Sarcoma Clinic is pleased to welcome Breelyn A. Wilky, MD, to our multidisciplinary team. Dr. Wilky joined the Medical Oncology faculty in the cancer clinic on November 1, 2018.
Patient Care Community Trauma GITES
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and the American College of Surgeons have designated UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital a Level I trauma center, making it one of only five hospitals in the state with the highest capabilities for trauma care.
Dr. Frederick Grover, who brought lung transplantation to University of Colorado Hospital and served as Chair of the Department of Surgery from 2002 to 2012, brings his 27-year career at CU to a close this year. Having made countless contributions to our department over the years, he leaves yet another legacy upon his retirement: the Frederick and Carol Grover Endowed Chair in Surgery.
Research Patient Care Community
Dr. Richard Schulick, Chair of the Department of Surgery, has been named Director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center.
Research Patient Care Community
Every year, 14 million people around the world, including 1.7 million Americans, are diagnosed with cancer. One of the major challenges in fighting cancer is to understand and manipulate the response of the body's immune system to cancer cells. Recently, an area that has received growing attention and has shown promise in clinical trials is the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors.
A friendship between two couples that began over CU football games ended up saving a life—and leading to the promise of more lives saved in the future.
Research Patient Care Community
The health hazards of smoking have been documented for decades, but research on “vaping,” the smoking of electronic cigarettes, is still in its infancy.
The Division of Transplant Surgery is pleased to introduce two new faculty members.
Research Patient Care Community
The Society of University Surgeons (SUS) has awarded Dr. Ernest "Gene" Moore its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. Each year since 2005, the Society has conferred this award on a single surgeon who has made substantial contributions to surgical science over the course of a full career. Previous winners include Frank G. Moody, Ben Eiseman, and Patricia K. Donohoe.
In the course of his long career as a surgeon, Guillermo 'Bill' Aragón saved many lives, but that wasn’t enough for him. Dr. Aragón wanted to continue making a positive impact on the world after his retirement—and, if possible, even beyond his lifetime. This desire led him to endow the Aragón/Gonzalez-Gíustí Chair in Surgery at the University of Colorado.
The Department of Surgery is pleased to congratulate Thomas Robinson, MD, on his promotion to Chief of Surgery at the Denver Veterans Administration Medical Center.
Dr. Ben Eiseman, a longtime faculty member with our department, was a giant in 20th century surgery, beginning with his involvement in World War II from 1943-1946, following graduation from Harvard Medical School and internship at Massachusetts General Hospital. He spent 53 years of his career in Denver, beginning at the Denver VA Medical Center as Chief of Surgery in 1953, following which he was recruited to become the first Chief of Surgery at the University of Kentucky.
Research Patient Care Community
Joe and Jean Barban were so moved by the care they received at the Anschutz Medical Campus that they were inspired to give back so that others may benefit as well. Their gift of an endowed chair allows CU to recognize top faculty’s talents, hard work and achievements. In turn, the top faculty who hold endowed chairs and professorships elevate the entire university community: attracting other passionate teachers and scholars, igniting students’ curiosity and making ground-breaking discoveries that bring us closer to solving some of the most challenging problems we face today.
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
