Remembering Walter Ingram

With his passing, Dr. Walter Ingram leaves a legacy of deep compassion for his patients, heartfelt commitment to quality improvement, endless devotion to imparting his knowledge to trainees, the obvious affection he held for the entire Grady family, and the satisfaction he gained from working with his colleagues and team members. All of these qualities were factors that contributed to his reputation as the region’s most storied burn surgeon. A commemorative reception honoring his life will be held on October 7, 2022, from 2-5PM in the Trauma Auditorium at Grady Memorial Hospital Hospital (room number GD017). 

Grady to serve as training site for Army trauma teams

Grady Memorial Hospital has become the latest site of the U.S. Army Military-Civilian Trauma Team Training (AMCT3), enabling military medical personnel to share knowledge and advances in combat casualty care and learn from their civilian colleagues at Grady’s Level 1 trauma center. The partnership was formalized during a signing ceremony at Grady on September 19. "The high volume of trauma patients we see here makes it an ideal location for our Army counterparts to train alongside us," says Elizabeth Benjamin, MD, PhD, trauma medical director at Grady. "This bidirectional education will enable us to treat some of the most critically injured patients."

VALOR grant to examine reduced access to organ donation care for veterans

"Veteran Access and Limitations to Organ Recovery (VALOR)" will seek to understand why patients at VAMCs are less likely to be organ donors than other patients, and to suggest improvements to rectify this disparity. Raymond Lynch, MD, will lead the investigation, and Katherine Ross-Driscoll, PhD, will be co-investigator.

Jessica Harding is co-investigator of a grant that will assess possible COVID-19/new-onset diabetes connection

"This study will aim to establish a longitudinal cohort of individuals across the life course — children, pregnant women, adults — who developed diabetes following SARS-CoV-2 infection in order to better understand the pathophysiology and clinical course of post-COVID-19 diabetes," says Jessica Harding, PhD. The study will be funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the NIH.

Emilie Warren awarded 2022 Rochfort Scholarship

General surgery resident Emilie Warren, MD, has been awarded the Winship Cancer Institute's 2022 Chester Rochfort Scholarship in Oncology, which will help cover partial salary, laboratory, or other research expenses or travel. Dr. Warren will be working to further characterize the tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte population as an adoptive T cell therapy in cholangiocarcinoma.

Charles Staley elected to American Board of Surgery for Complex Surgical Oncology

Charles Staley, MD, chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology, will serve a six-year term on the Complex General Surgical Oncology Board of the American Board of Surgery, and focus on defining the standards and expectations for formal certification of surgeons specializing in surgical oncology. Dr. Staley embodies the qualities that certification in CGSO signifies: leadership in multidisciplinary management of cancer, participation in multidisciplinary trials, and a practice firmly focused on complex and challenging cases.

Maria Russell to serve as interim chief quality officer for Winship

Following Dr. Charles Staley's departure from the position, surgical oncologist Maria Russell, MD, will serve as interim chief quality officer for Winship Cancer Institute while a formal search is conducted for a permanent replacement. In this role, she will work collaboratively with leadership on quality improvement processes in enhancing patient experience and promoting quality of care across Winship.

Virginia Shaffer elected councilor of the AAS

Colorectal surgeon Virginia Shaffer, MD, has been elected to the post of councilor of the Association for Academic Surgery. AAS councilors serve for two years on the AAS Executive Council, and also review applications for AAS grants and medical student and resident travel awards for the AAS Fall Courses. A member of the AAS since 2012, Dr. Shaffer has served in several positions in the organization, including co-chair of the Membership Committee.

RAS-ACS presents Outstanding Mentor of the Year Award to Laura Johnson

The Resident and Associate Society of the American College of Surgeons (RAS-ACS) has recognized Laura S. Johnson, MD, as the 2022 Outstanding Mentor of the Year. Dr. Johnson is the newly arrived medical director of the Burn Center at Grady Memorial Hospital and associate program director of the Department of Surgery's General Surgery Residency (see New Faculty listing below).

Faculty Excellence Awards

Christian Larsen, MD, DPhil, Steven Roser, DMD, MD, and Randi Smith, MD, will be among the honorees at the Celebration of Faculty Excellence on October 13, 2022. Dr. Larsen will receive the Lifetime Service Award for his years of significant service to the SOM through personal activities, influence, and leadership. Dr. Roser will receive the Mentoring Award for his guidance of trainees and early faculty in the domains of education, service, and research, while Dr. Smith will receive the Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award for ensuring that the climate of EUSOM is characterized by inclusivity and organizational equity through leveraging the varied attributes of diversity in our community.

Johanna Hinman to present abstract at APHA 2022 Annual Meeting and Expo

Johanna Hinman, MPH, MCHES, director of education and global surgery for the Emory Department of Surgery, will present her abstract "Global surgery and public health: Striving for equity" at the American Public Health Association's 2022 Annual Meeting and Expo in Boston, MA, November 6-9, 2022. 

Brendan Lovasik honored with 20th Annual ACS Resident Award for Exemplary Teaching

The American College of Surgeons Resident Award for Exemplary Teaching, sponsored by the ACS Division of Education, is given each year to recognize both excellence in teaching and to emphasize the importance of teaching in residents’ daily lives. The Department congratulates Dr. Lovasik for being selected for this prestigious award, and is gratified that the ACS has recognized his service and status as a rising star of academic surgery. 

Trio of resident recognitions at 2022 GSACS Annual Meeting

General surgery residents Jesse Codner, MD, Goeto Dantes, MD, and Chase King, MD, represented the Department of Surgery with excellence at the 2022 Annual Meeting of the Georgia Society of the American College of Surgeons (GSACS). Dr. Codner was recognized for his academic productivity from 2020-2022 as the inaugural Georgia Quality Improvement Program (GQIP) Research Fellow under the mentorship of Joe Sharma, MD, medical director of the GQIP. Dr. Codner is pictured left with Dr. Sharma and GQIP director Gina Solomon, MHA, BSN, RN.

Dylan McLaughlin garners Robert Smith Resident Award

Dylan K. McLaughlin, MD, MSc, PGY-3 Emory integrated vascular surgery resident, received the Robert B. Smith, III, MD, Resident Award for best resident/fellow presentation from the Georgia Vascular Foundation (GVF) at the 10th Annual Georgia Vascular Society (GVS) Scientific Sessions.The Smith Award spotlights the significant contributions of residents and fellows to their fields of research, and is named in honor of emeritus Emory vascular surgeon Robert B. Smith, III, MD, who received the first GVF Lifetime Achievement Award for his dedication to training residents and fellows in the field of vascular surgery.

Emory DOS DEI Travel Awards issued for SBAS 2022 

General surgery residents Emma Crichton, MD, Goeto Dantes, MD, and Jeroson Williams, MD, received Travel Awards from the Department of Surgery DEI Committee, which allowed them to attend the 32nd Annual Meeting of the Society of Black Academic Surgeons, September 15-18, 2022, at Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA. The $1,000 awards sponsored their annual membership dues and registration fees for the meeting.

Ben Hazen wins Resident Paper Competition at USU Trauma Day

General surgery chief resident  Benjamin Hazen, MD, won the Trauma Resident Paper Competition in the clinical science category for his presentation "Whole blood use during massive transfusion in civilian trauma patients." His project mentors were Christopher Dente, MD, and Jonathan Nguyen, DO. The award will allow Dr. Hazen to present the paper at the 8th Annual Excelsior Surgical Society (ESS) Symposium, to be held during the American College of Surgeons 2022 Clinical Congress. As the military chapter of the ACS, the ESS serves as both an on-ramp to membership in the ACS as well as an off-ramp for surgeons as they separate from the military and transition to civilian practice.

Abdl-Rawf Al-Nowaylati, MD
Assistant Professor of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Dr. Abdl-Rawf Al-Nowaylati received his MD degree from the University of Jordan in 2010. He started his general surgery residency at the University of Rochester, then moved to San Francisco for his plastic and reconstructive surgery residency at the University of California. He completed his plastic and reconstructive microsurgery fellowship at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. His practice is largely focused on breast reconstruction, and his primary practice location is Emory University Hospital Midtown.

Joshua L. Chan, MD
Assistant Professor of Surgery, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery

Dr. Joshua Chan received advanced fellowship training in thoracic transplantation and mechanical circulatory support at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He previously completed his cardiothoracic surgery fellowship at Stanford University and general surgery residency at Cedars-Sinai. During his postdoctoral research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health, he published in the areas of xenotransplantation, stem cell therapy, and myocardial revascularization.

Daniel A. Cuzzone, MD
Assistant Professor of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Dr. Daniel Cuzzone received his medical degree from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in 2009. He then completed his plastic and reconstructive surgery residency at the Hansjorg Wyss Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, NYU SOM. During his residency, Dr. Cuzzone completed a research fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center under the direction of Babak Mehrara, MD. His craniofacial fellowship was done at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.  

Clara R. Farley, MD

Assistant Professor of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology

Dr. Clara Farley provides comprehensive surgical care for patients with breast cancer and breast disease. She joins us after completing her clinical fellowship in breast surgical oncology at the UT MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Her general surgery residency was at Emory. She has received numerous awards and honors, including the Resident Excellence in Teaching Award, Emory, 2021; J.D. Martin Resident Award, Emory, 2018-2019; Administrative Research Fellow, Emory, 2016-2018; and the Elkin Fellowship Award, Emory, 2016.

Gabriela Garcia Nores, MD

Assistant Professor of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Dr. Gabriela Garcia Nores received her MD degree in 2009 from the Universidad San Martin de Porres, Facultad de Medicina Humana, Lima, Peru. Her general surgery residency was completed at NYU Medical Center, during which she did a two-year research fellowship in the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Her plastic surgery residency was done at the Emory University School of Medicine, followed by a microvascular reconstruction fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania.

Laura Johnson, MD

Acting Associate Professor of Surgery, Trauma/Surgical Critical Care at Grady Memorial Hospital

Medical Director, Grady Memorial Hospital Burn Unit

Dr. Laura Johnson received her MD degree from the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, completed her general surgery residency at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., and did her fellowship in trauma and surgical critical care at Emory University School of Medicine. Prior to joining Emory in 2022, she held positions at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Medstar Washington Hospital Center, and the Children's National Medical Center.

Steven C. Kim, MD

Assistant Professor of Surgery, Division of Transplantation

After receiving his MD degree from Emory University School of Medicine in 2013, Dr. Steven Kim remained at Emory and completed his general surgery residency and a two-year postdoctoral research fellowship, the latter funded by an American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS) Resident Scientist Scholarship. He then attended the University of Wisconsin from 2020-2022 for his abdominal transplant surgery fellowship, during which he also conducted research funded by an ASTS Fellowship in Transplantation Grant.

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