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The UAB Cardiothoracic Surgery research team has co-authored a study published in Annals of Thoracic Surgery Short Reports, titled "Oral Diltiazem Prophylaxis for Atrial Fibrillation in Patients Undergoing Robotic Lobectomy."

The UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery is proud to announce the recent international accreditation of the bariatric surgery services it offers at the UAB Hospital-Highlands campus.

In a recent UAB MedCast episode, UAB Division of Endocrine Surgery Assistant Professor Jessica Fazendin, M.D., Associate Professor Brenessa Lindeman, M.D., MEHP, and UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery Professor John Porterfield, M.D., provide updates on hyperthyroidism.

The UAB Department of Surgery had much to celebrate in 2024 - from innovations in patient care, to cutting-edge research, to welcoming new faculty members and trainees.

Diane Rosato, administrative associate for the UAB Division of Pediatric Surgery, will be retiring at the end of 2024 after 24 years with the division. Rosato has been the constant, dedicated presence keeping the division functioning smoothly and efficiently, and she looks back fondly at her time at UAB.

With great sadness, the UAB Department of Surgery shares the news of the passing of Dr. Enrique Gongora, who died Tuesday after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Robert Russell, M.D., professor in the Division of Pediatric Surgery and director of Children’s of Alabama’s trauma program was selected for Central Committee on Trauma (COT) membership. The membership comprises a total of three years, beginning in March 2025.

UAB General Surgery Resident Tejeshwar Jain, M.D., received an Excellence in Research Award at the 2024 American College of Surgeons (ACS) annual meeting for his project entitled “Targeting a developmental pathway improves chronic pancreatitis in murine models.”

UAB Division of Surgical Oncology Assistant Professor Kimberly Kopecky, M.D., MSCI, completed the 2024 UAB Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) immersion training earlier this year.

UAB Department of Surgery Division of Transplantation Assistant Professor Saulat Sheikh, M.D., FACS, has been selected for the UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine Argus Award for Best Clinical Skills Scholar in CRISP (Clinical Reasoning and Integrated Skills Program).

UAB chemistry Ph.D. candidate Piyasuda Pukkanasut, M.S., and research fellow Zhixing Song, M.D., each received an Outstanding Trainee Poster Award at the American Thyroid Association (ATA) Annual Meeting.

UAB Department of Surgery congratulates the following faculty members who were selected for American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress leadership positions:

UAB Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery Assistant Professor Andrea Gillis, M.D., MSPH, has been selected for the O’Neal Invests Catalyst Award. This funding initiative offers $50,000 in support for one year.

UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery Strange Family Endowed Professor in Surgical Sciences Research Karin Hardiman, M.D., Ph.D., has been selected for membership into the Surgical Biology Club II.

UAB Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy Professor Division Director Adam Beck, M.D., was featured on UAB’s MedCast Podcast to discuss non-fluoroscopic imaging and its potential in endovascular surgery.

UAB Division of Breast & Endocrine Surgery Clinical Assistant Professor Katelin Holmes, D.O., recently graduated from UAB Medicine’s LEading Advancing Developing (LEAD) program.

The UAB Department of Surgery was honored to recognize the 10 inaugural recipients of the Moore-McDougal Staff Excellence Awards in Surgery.

In 2018, the UAB Department of Surgery named the very first recipients of the Champ Lyons Outstanding Clinician Award. Every year since, a faculty award committee selects the awardees based on their contribution to patient care, clinical case volume, outcomes, teaching, service on hospital committees, and patient and resident evaluations.

The UAB chapter of the Trauma Survivors Network (TSN) has begun offering support groups for survivors of traumatic injuries.

The UAB Department of Surgery and the Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery are honored to welcome a new faculty member: Robert Laverty, M.D.

UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery Assistant Professor Robert Hollis, M.D., MSPH, and UAB Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Assistant Professor Patricia Ajayi-Fox, M.D., have been awarded a $120,000 grant for colorectal cancer screening by the Alabama Department of Public Health's (ADPH) Cancer Prevention and Control Division for the third consecutive year.

UAB Department of Surgery Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Education Brenessa Lindeman, M.D., MEHP, has been selected as a recipient of the prestigious James IV Traveling Fellowship for 2024-2025.

UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery Director Daniel Chu, M.D., MSPH, joined UAB MedCast to discuss Enhanced Recovery Programs (ERPs) and how they benefit patients receiving surgery at UAB.

Will Colley and Mya Smith, who both completed summer research in the UAB Department of Surgery, have been awarded best poster awards in the UAB Medical Student Research Day (MSRD) and the 2024 Cancer Research Symposium.

This year, more than thirty members from the UAB Department of Surgery were recognized for their excellence based on patient feedback.

UAB Department of Surgery Fay Fletcher Kerner Chair Herbert Chen, M.D., has been featured by UAB MedCast to explain the signs, symptoms, and potential complications of parathyroid disease. Chen specializes in endocrine surgery -- focusing on thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal gland disorders.

The UAB Pancreatobiliary Disease Center (PDC) is honored to welcome seven new faculty members from across the UAB medical campus to its faculty.

UAB Department of Surgery Professor Karin Hardiman, M.D., Ph.D., and Associate Professor J. Bart Rose, M.D., MAS, have been invited by the University of Cape Town Division of General Surgery to travel to the institution as visiting professors.

UAB Pancreatobiliary Disease Center Director and Division of Surgical Oncology Associate Professor J. Bart Rose, M.D., MAS, has been awarded a $1.2 million grant from the Veterans Administration (VA) for his study, "Targeting induced surface calreticulin as a tumor agnostic therapeutic approach." The grant is expected to begin in April 2025 and last up to September 2028.

The UAB Department of Surgery is honored to welcome six new faculty members: Samantha Baker, M.D., MSHPEd, Amy Fernow, D.O., Preston Hewgley, M.D., Mercy Nilda Jimenez, M.D., James Sahawneh, M.D., and Yong Tan, M.D.