Department of Surgery News and Stories

Elizabeth J. Kovacs, PhD, professor of GI, trauma, and endocrine surgery, has been named vice chair of research in the CU Department of Surgery.  

Greg Glasgow | March 07, 2023

Each year, since 1987, the President of the United States has issued a proclamation designating the month of March as Women’s History Month. It is significant that the leadership of our country recognizes the importance of reaffirming the historical accomplishments of women with this annual proclamation.

Generations of women have endured hardships, exclusion, and discrimination and despite these challenges have furthered equity and equality in our communities. As a nation, we have made great strides in medicine, technology, social justice, and much more through their unwillingness to surrender their dreams and goals.

We would like to take this time to highlight a few of the great women and their work in the CU Department of Surgery. 

Department of Surgery | March 01, 2023

Carotid artery blowout, while rare, is a life-threatening surgical emergency with a mortality rate approaching 60%.

Rachel Sauer | January 13, 2023

The University of Colorado Department of Surgery had an excellent year in 2022. We posted more than 75 great stories that highlighted the research, patient care, and education done this year by faculty, students, researchers, and staff in the department. 

Department of Surgery | December 19, 2022

In the course of her research, Jamie Burke, a student in the University of Colorado School of Medicine, learned that at least 50% of patients surveyed at a safety net breast surgical oncology clinic were uncomfortable interpreting their own medical results.

Rachel Sauer | December 16, 2022

An innovative device designed to secure gastrostomy buttons recently won the Shark Tank challenge at the 2022 North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) annual meeting.

Rachel Sauer | December 09, 2022

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.

Greg Glasgow | November 14, 2022

Lymphedema is a chronic disease that causes lymphatic fluid to build up in the body, especially in the legs, arms, genitals, face, neck, and chest wall. It can be painful, debilitating, and have significant negative impacts on a person’s quality of life.

Rachel Sauer | October 28, 2022

Blood transfusion is a vital and lifesaving intervention in a broad range of scenarios, from trauma response to cancer treatment. However, it is not entirely without risk.

Rachel Sauer | October 24, 2022

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. 

Greg Glasgow | October 17, 2022

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. 

Greg Glasgow | September 21, 2022

Pediatric patients did not experience a significant difference in pain levels following ureteral stent removal between those who took a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicine before the procedure and those who didn’t, new research reports.

Rachel Sauer | September 15, 2022

Research recently published in JAMA Surgery demonstrates that living-donor liver transplant (LDLT) recipients gain an additional 13 to 17 life-years following their surgery compared with patients who remain on the donor waitlist.

Rachel Sauer | September 06, 2022

Liver transplant surgery is a vital and life-saving procedure, but it also is associated with a high rate of postoperative complications. As many as one in four liver transplant patients will return to the operating room (R-OR) within 48 hours of their initial surgery.

Rachel Sauer | August 24, 2022

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.  

Greg Glasgow | August 23, 2022

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. 

Greg Glasgow | July 05, 2022

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. 

Greg Glasgow | June 17, 2022

Patients who come from socially vulnerable backgrounds are at greater risk for complications following colon surgery, recently published research has found.

Rachel Sauer | May 27, 2022

Through analyzing post-operative outcome data for more than 5.5 million patients, Helen Madsen, MD, found that patients who are overweight or obese are at increased risk for post-operative infection, blood clots, and renal complications.

Rachel Sauer | May 25, 2022

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, intensive care unit (ICU) beds were in limited supply, and the pandemic only exacerbated this growing concern. Since the pandemic began, ICU resources have been in such demand that clinicians across the United States and world have struggled to meet the need.

Rachel Sauer | May 24, 2022

It’s not unusual for students to enter medical school with ideas about paths they’d like to pursue in medicine. Those ideas can evolve over time as they delve into course work and clinical rotations, but the initial interests that guided them to medicine in the first place can be significant.

Rachel Sauer | May 20, 2022

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.  

Greg Glasgow | May 13, 2022

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. 

Greg Glasgow | May 11, 2022

The skills that Ryan Gupta, MD, learned during his master of business administration (MBA) studies aren’t necessarily the skills usually associated with vascular surgery: how to understand financial statements, how to conduct market research, how to make difficult decisions about resource allocation.

Rachel Sauer | April 15, 2022

A tool designed to help surgical trainees practice skills such as knot tying, suturing, vascular and bowel anastomoses, and other techniques has helped eliminate barriers to simulation resources.

Rachel Sauer | March 16, 2022

From Silly Putty to the microwave oven, there is a long history of consumer products “accidentally” discovered during the scientific discovery process. 

Greg Glasgow | February 03, 2022

While both patients and clinicians prioritize information transparency, a 21st Century Cures Act requirement for the immediate release of test and lab results is proving more controversial, according to recently published survey results of clinicians and patients.

Rachel Sauer | January 21, 2022

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.

Greg Glasgow | January 06, 2022

For the 50 years of his career, Ernest Moore, MD, a distinguished professor of surgery, has been eager to go to work ­­– not just caring for patients or the challenges of the operating room, but for the myriad paths of research he has pursued since he was an undergraduate.

Rachel Sauer | December 20, 2021

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.

Greg Glasgow | December 17, 2021

The University of Colorado Department of Surgery's commitment to improve every life was spotlighted numerous times by faculty, staff, trainees, and students throughout 2021.

Department of Surgery | December 16, 2021

There’s a significant body of research on opioids ­­– how they’re metabolized, how they react with other drugs, the physiology of addiction, and how they’re prescribed, among the many areas of focus.

Rachel Sauer | October 27, 2021

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.

Greg Glasgow | October 19, 2021

Ideas and innovation don’t always co-exist with convenience. On the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, the road to a novel mask design to address the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic took some unexpected twists and turns.

Rachel Sauer | September 08, 2021

Of all the lessons she learned during the eight-week Medical Student Summer Research Program (MSRP), Rose Castle, a rising second year at the University of Colorado School of Medicine who is interested in pursuing general surgery, drew her main takeaway outside the operating room.

Rachel Sauer | August 10, 2021

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.

Greg Glasgow | July 12, 2021

Opioid prescribing preferences and practices among surgical residents and faculty differ, according to a new study published in the journal Surgery.

Valerie Gleaton | July 06, 2021

The University of Colorado School of Medicine Department of Surgery hosted its Resident and Fellowship Graduation at Denver Botanic Gardens on June 11.

Valerie Gleaton | June 16, 2021

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.

Greg Glasgow | June 14, 2021

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.  

Valerie Gleaton | June 03, 2021

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.

Greg Glasgow | May 26, 2021

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.  

Valerie Gleaton | April 28, 2021

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.

Greg Glasgow | April 07, 2021

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.

Department of Surgery | February 05, 2021

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.

Department of Surgery | January 13, 2021

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.

Department of Surgery | January 06, 2021

In a normal year, vascular surgeons would never postpone surgeries for patients with aortic or carotid disease or other conditions.

Department of Surgery | December 30, 2020

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.

Greg Glasgow | December 07, 2020

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.

Department of Surgery | October 01, 2020

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.”  

Department of Surgery | September 23, 2020

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.

Department of Surgery | November 01, 2018

Dr. Richard Schulick, Chair of the Department of Surgery, has been named Director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center.

Department of Surgery | June 29, 2018

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.

Department of Surgery | April 02, 2018

The health hazards of smoking have been documented for decades, but research on “vaping,” the smoking of electronic cigarettes, is still in its infancy.

Department of Surgery | January 27, 2017

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.

Department of Surgery | March 22, 2016

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.

Department of Surgery | April 02, 2014