The Division of Transplantation’s Assistant Professor Takayuki Yamamoto, M.D., Ph.D., was recently awarded funding from the Department of Defense Joint Program Committee 6 Combat Casualty Care Research Program and the office of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs.

During the recent 2020 Academic Surgical Congress, Melanie Morris, M.D., was elected publication chair for the Society of University Surgeons and five other faculty were named members.

The UAB Department of Surgery gathers for a photo while attending the 15th Annual Academic Surgical Congress in Orlando, Florida, Feb. 4-6, 2020.

The Division of Plastic Surgery’s Timothy King, M.D., Ph.D., MSBE, FAAP, FACS, was recently awarded by the Association for Academic Surgery’s Publication Committee for Best Overall Manuscript Submission by an AAS Member for his manuscript entitled, “Differences in ‘Highly-Cited’ and ‘Lowly-Cited’ Manuscripts in Plastic Surgery.”

Cozette Kale, M.D., MPHUAB general surgery research resident Cozette Kale, M.D. MPH, recently received the Young Innovator Award from the American Society of Transplantation for the abstract “Waitlist-Conditioned Transplant Rate is Not an Appropriate Metric for Benchmarking Access to Kidney Transplantation.” Cozette is both grateful and excited for the opportunity to present @UAB_TEAM’s impactful work.

The Division of Transplantation’s Mark H. Deierhoi, M.D., and Saulat S. Sheikh, MBBS, as well as the Division of Plastic Surgery’s Timothy W. King, M.D., Ph.D., MSBE, FAAP, FACS, were recently invited to join the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.

Laura V. Bownes, M.D.UAB general surgery research resident Laura Bownes, M.D. was recently awarded a Postdoctoral Travel Award by the Office of Postdoctoral Education.

Dr. Raoud MarayatiUAB general surgery research resident Raoud Marayati, M.D., was recently awarded the Bertram M. Marx Student Research Endowment Travel Award. This award, established by the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, supports research activities of graduate students seeking a Ph.D. degree in areas related to cancer, including travel to professional conferences.

The UAB Department of Surgery gathers for a photo while attending the 14th Annual Academic Surgical Congress in Houston, Texas, Feb. 5-7, 2019.

As the UAB Department of Surgery prepares for the 15th Annual Academic Surgical Congress next month in Orlando, Florida – where UAB is again hoping to win the ASC abstract submission contest with a total of 112 abstracts – we’ve made available a spreadsheet of presenters (with times & room locations) who are affiliated with UAB or who have authored presentations affiliated with our UAB Surgery faculty.

Dr. Mark A. Pattershon

The Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy’s Mark Patterson, M.D., and Benjamin Pearce, M.D., are two of only twenty surgeons recently chosen as participants in the inaugural Leadership Development Program of the Society for Vascular Surgery, a program developed in collaboration with the Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Society, and the Society for Clinical Vascular Surgery.

Dr. Catherine C. Parker

Two Department of Surgery faculty members recently were awarded the Champ Lyons Outstanding Clinician Award: The division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery’s Catherine C. Parker, M.D., associate professor, Vice Chair of Patient Experience, and Co-Director of UAB Women in Surgery Program, and the Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy’s Benjamin J. Pearce, M.D., associate professor, Director of the Vascular Surgery Integrated Residency and Fellowship Programs, as well as the William D. Jordan Endowed Professor in Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy.

Four faculty members have been named associate vice chairs within the Department of Surgery:

Dr. Panayotis VardasUAB cardiothoracic surgeon Panayotis Vardas, M.D., was recently appointed as a member of the Career Development Committee for the Eastern Cardiothoracic Surgical Society. The ECTSS aims to enhance the standards of patient care through research and thoracic surgical training programs.

Dr. Colin Martin

UAB pediatric surgeon Colin Martin, M.D., FAAP, FACS, was recently selected by the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Surgery Executive Committee to serve as vice chair of their Publications Committee.

UAB biomedical sciences Ph.D. candidate Rachael Guenter recently won for her oral research presentation at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Division 15 competition at the 2019 AIChE Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida, Nov 10-15.

UAB Professor of SurgeryIrshad H. Chaudry, Ph.D.,was recently awarded honorary membership to the European Shock Society. Chaudry was given this honor in recognition of his service and dedication to the ESS at the ESS Congress in Chania, Greece, Oct. 8-12.

UAB cardiothoracic surgeon Panayotis Vardas, M.D., has been selected to attend the inaugural Society of Thoracic Surgeons Leadership Summit. The course, “Leadership Beyond the Operating Room for Early Career Surgeons,” is designed to help develop the next generation of leaders in cardiac surgery.

Dr. J. Bart Rose delivers his testimony to the Senate Special Committee on Aging on Nov. 15, calling for greater federal funding for pancreatic cancer research.

UAB Pancreatobiliary Disease Center Director and surgical oncologist J. Bart Rose, M.D., MAS, recently testified on the state of pancreatic cancer at a Nov. 15 hearing with the United States Senate Special Committee on Aging.

Jayme Locke, M.D., MPH, has been named the director of the Division of Transplantation within the Department of Surgery at The University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Background

A Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) in Neuroendocrine Cancer (NE SPORE) is under further development at The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). An initial P50 application was submitted in September 2019 and is pending review. There is need to engage additional investigators and projects that have potential to strengthen an anticipated revised application. Therefore, an AMC21 Multi-Investigator Grant was awarded to continue the development efforts for this important grant and has resulted in this pilot program.

UAB pediatric surgeon Colin Martin, M.D., has been selected for the 2019-2020 James IV Association of Surgeons Travelling Fellowship program. The Association and the fellowship, generally considered one of the field’s more prestigious honors, boast a more than 50-year history of supporting international communication and collaboration among academic surgeons.

The UAB Medicine Office of Patient Experience and Engagement has awarded 11 Department of Surgery faculty and staff 2019 Patient Experience Excellence Awards:

Dr. Robert Russell

UAB pediatric surgeon and Children’s of Alabama Trauma Program Director Robert Russell, M.D., MPH, was elected treasurer of the Pediatric Trauma Society at the organization’s sixth annual meeting earlier this month in San Diego, California. Russell will serve a two-year term, which has already begun, and will be a member of the board of directors for PTS during his tenure as treasurer. 

Dr. Ammar Asban

UAB general surgery resident Ammar Asban, M.D., MAS, has been selected as one of the recipients of the 2020 STS Looking to the Future Resident Scholarship.

The UAB Department of Surgery recently established a new research unit to design and conduct clinical trials. 

UAB medical student Amaris Elston will receive a Student Diversity Travel Award from the Association for Academic Surgery to attend next year’s Academic Surgical Congress.

Eight faculty from the UAB Department of Surgery were initiated into the American College of Surgeons as fellows at the ACS 2019 Clinical Congress in San Francisco, California, on Oct. 27. (Photo by Brenessa Lindeman)

UAB Department of Surgery faculty, staff and trainees traveled to San Francisco, California, last month for the American College of Surgeons 2019 Clinical Congress, as well as a number of other national society meetings.

Dr. Brenessa LindemanUAB endocrine surgeon and Department of Surgery Wellness Officer Brenessa Lindeman, M.D., MEHP, FACS, has been selected to participate in Momentum’s Upward Early Career Leadership Program. 

UAB general surgery research resident Dr. Raoud Marayati presents “Novel Retinoic Acid Derivative Induces Differentiation and Growth Arrest in Neuroblastoma” at the American Academy of Pediatrics 2019 National Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans, Louisiana, Oct. 25-29. (Photo by @RMarayati via Twitter)

UAB general surgery research resident Raoud Marayati, M.D., won the Rosenkrantz Award for Basic Science Research at the American Academy of Pediatrics 2019 National Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans, Louisiana, Oct. 25-29. The AAP national conference is the premier venue for pediatric health care professionals to collaborate and allows attendees to engage in interactive, hands-on workshops, as well as pediatric-related plenary sessions.

Four Department of Surgery faculty members received promotions or tenure earlier this month.