Randi Smith appointed Department of Surgery's Vice Chair of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Randi N. Smith, MD, MPH, has been appointed the inaugural Vice Chair of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the Department of Surgery. In this role, Dr. Smith will provide vision and leadership as the department enacts a national model for advancing multiplicity, egalitarianism, and a welcoming culture in the field of surgery.

J. David Vega named OPTN/UNOS Region 3 Associate Councilor

J. David Vega, MD, professor of surgery and director of the heart transplant program at Emory University Hospital, has been named associate councilor of Region 3 of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). He was appointed to this position by other transplant and organ donation professionals in Region 3, which encompasses Puerto Rico, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas. His tenure will begin in July 2022 and last through 2024.

Wendy Greene elected to the ACS Board of Governors

Wendy Greene, MD, professor of surgery and director of the Acute and Critical Care Surgery Service at Emory University Hospital, has been elected to the Board of Governors of the American College of Surgeons as a Specialty Society Governor representing the Fellows in the National Medical Association (NMA). In this position, Dr. Greene will serve as a direct communications link between the Fellows of the College and the members of the Board of Governors. She will serve an initial three-year term ending at the conclusion of the 2024 Clinical Congress.

Kenneth Cardona invited to serve on SPORE Review Panel

Kenneth Cardona, MD, Patricia R. Reynolds Professor in Sarcoma, professor of surgery in the Division of Surgical Oncology, and sarcoma disease team leader of Winship Cancer Institute, has been invited to serve on the Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) Review Panel for 2021. SPOREs are sponsored by the Translational Research Program (TRP) of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and typically evaluate clusters of applications in various cancer types. Dr. Cardona will be involved in evaluating the sarcoma studies most deserving of funding.

Mary Ann Garcia-Bowerman elected to Executive Committee of ARAS

Mary Ann Garcia-Bowerman, MBA, general surgery residency training program administrator, has been appointed to a four-year term on the Executive Committee of the Association of Residency Administrators in Surgery (ARAS). Executive Committee members serve as the liaison between the Association of Program Directors in Surgery (APDS) and ARAS membership, and are responsible for developing and coordinating the curriculum for the Annual ARAS Conference.

Faculty inducted into the Southern Surgical Association

During the 133rd Annual Meeting of the Southern Surgical Association, Joe Sharma, MD, was inducted into the organization as a new fellow. S. Scott Davis, MD, 
was also recognized for his 2020 induction (last year's meeting was canceled due to COVID), and Maria Russell, MD, was selected from this year’s applicants for induction in 2022.

Bariatric Midtown team wins GHA PHA Patient Safety & Quality Award

For the second year in a row, a team of Emory bariatric clinicians led by Melissa Majumdar, MS, RD, CSOWM, LDN, and Elizabeth Hechenbleikner, MD, won first place in the Georgia Hospital Association Partnership for Health and Accountability's 2022 Patient Safety & Quality Awards. Their project focused on implementing a postoperative bariatric surgery phone call intervention to reduce emergency department visits.

The Annals of Thoracic Surgery names Fawwaz Shaw Reviewer of the Year 

At the 2020 Annual Meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the editorial board of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery announced an inaugural Reviewer of the Year award. Later in the year, the board concluded that highlighting a winner in each of the three main disciplines — adult cardiac, general thoracic, and congenital heart surgery — was warranted for 2021. After reviewing the journal's 2021 reviewer metrics, the board has announced that Fawwaz Shaw, MD, assistant professor of surgery, is Reviewer of the Year in the field of congenital heart surgery. 

Mihir Shah wins Society of Asian Academic Surgeons' Junior Faculty Award

Mihir M. Shah, MD, assistant professor of surgery and associate director of the Complex General Surgical Oncology Fellowship, received a 2022 Junior Faculty Award from the Society of Asian Academic Surgeons (SAAS). The award includes a travel grant to attend the Surgical Investigators' Course at the Academic Surgical Congress, an annual joint meeting of the Association of Academic Surgery (AAS) and Society of University Surgeons (SUS), as well as a two-year appointment to the SAAS Scholarships Committee.

Deepika Koganti accepted into the Grady Faculty Development Program for Clinical Teachers

Deepika Koganti, MD, assistant professor of surgery and associate program director of the Acute Care Surgery Fellowship, has been selected to participate in the 2022 Grady Faculty Development Program for Clinical Teachers. This three-month course was designed by two Stanford-trained facilitators, Dr. Reena Hemrajani and Dr. Richard Pittman. The goals of each seminar are to enhance teacher versatility, provide educators with an opportunity to analyze teaching, and to foster collegial exchange.

Steven Roser named an Atlanta magazine Top Dentist for 2022

Steven M. Roser, DMD, MD, DeLos Hill Chair and Professor of Surgery, has been selected by a vote of his peers to be included in Atlanta magazine’s 2022 list of Top Dentists. The list will appear in the March 2022 issue. Dr. Roser has been consistently selected for this list beginning in 2019. The research for the Top Dentists list was created by PRS (Professional Research Services) and is based on an online peer-review survey sent out to certified dentists within the Atlanta area. 

Owen Brown delivers top-rated quality improvement abstract at ASPS Annual Meeting

Plastic surgery resident Owen Brown, MD, was granted a live podium presentation for his top rated abstract, "A standardized perioperative protocol reduces breast reconstruction implant infections," at the 90th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons held in Atlanta. The abstract was also published in the October 2021 edition of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery – Global Open.

Caroline Medin and Jessica Keilson receive 2022 ASCO Merit Awards

Emory general surgery residents Caroline Medin, MD, and Jessica Keilson, MD, received Conquer Cancer Merit Awards from the Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology for the 2022 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium in San Francisco. These distinguished awards recognize fellows and trainees who are first authors on top-ranking abstracts selected for presentation at the annual symposium.

Chrystal Paulos leads studies of immunotherapy treatment for head and neck cancer patients

Chrystal Paulos, PhD, director of translational research for cutaneous malignancies at Winship Cancer Institute, led two new studies that could change the way oncologists treat oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma, the most common form of head and neck cancer. Her research partners included collaborators from Winship, MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, and UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Craig Coopersmith member of research team studying the use of AI to improve treatment for sepsis  

Craig Coopersmith, MD, director of the Emory Critical Care Center, has joined principal investigator Rishikesan Kamaleswaran, PhD, assistant professor in Emory's biomedical informatics department, and others in an investigation of the use of artificial intelligence to forecast therapeutic effectiveness and outcomes for patients with sepsis.

Rachel Patzer co-leads Atlanta-based sites of nationwide effort to study long COVID-19

Rachel Patzer, PhD, MPH, director of the Health Services Research Center, is one of three PIs leading the Atlanta hub for a nationwide study to identify why some people have prolonged symptoms (long COVID) or develop new or returning symptoms after an acute bout of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

11Alive story on transplant patient, the result of a rare condition, includes Bradley Leshnower

The Alive11 segment features the story of patient Jarrell Holmes, who suffered an aortic dissection and aortic root aneurysm resulting from Loeys-Dietz syndrome, a rare genetic disorder. He spent three months in Emory University Hospital and eventually had a heart transplant. Bradley Leshnower, MD, director of thoracic aortic surgery for Emory Healthcare, comments on Mr. Holmes’ course of treatment in the segment

Two inspiring 2021 summations

Department of Surgery 2021 Annual Report

The Department of Surgery's 10th annual report highlights stories that encapsulated our legacy of providing the best care, conducting innovative research, and training tomorrow’s best and brightest.

Health Services Research Center 2021 Annual Report

The HSRC's first annual report documents its efforts during another tumultuous year to advance healthcare access and outcomes for all patients and populations through advocacy, collaboration, research, and training.

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