2022 Annual Report

Despite the ongoing pandemic and the continual challenges in the ever-evolving healthcare landscape, our commitment to our patients remains resolute. We continued to move forward as a department, making great strides in improving patient care throughout the state. With expanded clinics, new highly specialized providers, quality improvement programs, and innovative research, our surgeon scientists are addressing some of the most critical health care issues, creating a better future for South Carolinians.

Some particularly noteworthy departmental highlights from the past year include:

• unprecedented clinical growth across all divisions
• Pediatric Cardiac Surgery #4 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2022-2023 rankings
• tremendous progress in improving outcomes through artificial intelligence and design thinking, supported by a generous gift from Brigadier General Harvey W. Schiller, USAF Ret. Ph.D., and his wife, Marcia
• significant new leadership positions, providing a surgical voice at the table across the health care and university system an expanded
• future surgical leaders program to include pathways for residents to specialize
• our Cultural Dexterity, Well-being, and Faculty Development pillars all have established strategic initiatives and funding expanding our footprint in our good stewardship and citizenship through addressing gun violence in our community and across the nation
• and moving into the next fiscal year, expanding our citizenship through a new global surgery program.

These strategic initiatives and many more that you will read about in this report illustrate how the department is poised to shape the future of surgical care for our patients through scientific discovery, education, and surgical leadership.

I could not be prouder to be a part of this incredible group and the work we have accomplished this year.

Baliga,

Prabhakar Baliga, M.D.
Chair, MUSC Department of Surgery

The Department of Surgery’s clinical programs are recognized for excellence across a broad spectrum of surgical services for the treatment of highly complex diseases and are comprised of dedicated surgical innovators who are committed to advancing discoveries that are transforming patient care and health outcomes.

Over the past several years, the department has focused on strategic growth and recruitment, bringing world-class faculty to MUSC. With a 40% increase in our surgical providers over the past seven years, MUSC’s Department of Surgery has grown to meet the clinical needs of the community. Throughout this growth, our commitment to our patients remains resolute. With ten clinical divisions and countless multidisciplinary collaborations, we provide leading-edge care to thousands of patients each year.

With 17 new faculty recruited in the past two years and clinic expansion throughout the state, the department experienced significant growth across all divisions. This year, our WRVs exceeded 450,000.

Our growing team is expanding our clinical footprint in South Carolina. In addition to the outreach clinics established over the past few years and the growing popularity of Telehealth, this year, our surgical faculty are even more integrated within MUSC Health’s growth across the state, improving access to care and bringing the latest and most innovative, minimally-invasive surgical techniques shown to improve patient outcomes to all patients in South Carolina.

• MUSC Health - Lancaster received UNOS approval to initiate a kidney transplant program, making an immediate impact by offering renal failure patients a transplant option closer to home.
• We established a new affiliation at the Breast Care & Surgery Program at Beaufort Memorial Hospital, with the addition of breast surgical oncologist Tara Grahovac, M.D.
• Our vascular surgery division has expanded to the Columbia area. They now have clinic locations in Charleston, Beaufort, Georgetown, and Columbia.
• Our Cardiothoracic Surgery Division is a market leader in adult heart surgery for South Carolina. In FY-23, the division is expanding through a collaboration with Self Regional Healthcare Medical Center in Greenwood, SC with plans for more collaborations throughout the state. 

New Institutional Leadership 

Aligned with MUSC Healthcare and MUSC College of Medicine, our vision to excel as a leading academic surgical department remains clear. This year, several talented department members assumed essential leadership roles. The department also recruited a new faculty member to lead healthcare innovation. Each of these individuals is nationally recognized and brings to their new position valuable experience and extraordinary commitment.

Mark Lockett, M.D. was named Deputy Chief of Staff for Acute Care Services at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, where he previously served as Chief of Surgery. In this new leadership role, Dr. Lockett is responsible for supporting and managing departments that primarily provide acute care services including surgery, medicine, anesthesia, neurology,radiology, pharmacy, laboratory,and pathology, working closely with the VA Chief of Staff Chris Blasy, DO. He will also have an expanded role in the VA facility’s quality, value, and safety efforts. Dr. Lockett is a Professor of Surgery and ViceChair of Veteran’s Affairs in the Department of Surgery, and serves as the surgical lead for the South Carolina SurgicalQuality Collaborative.

Joseph Scalea, M.D. is a multiorgan transplant surgeon,innovator, and entrepreneur who joined MUSC in May. He was named the Executive Medical Director for MUSC Health Solutions, an organization that assesses and commercializes internal and early-stage external technologies. In this role, Dr.Scalea helps guide MUSCHealth Solutions’ strategic investments, and he guides technology development and implementation. Current investment activities include innovations in mobile-first patient-centered telehealth platforms, sleep science innovations, various MedTechconcepts, and a technology-leveraged concierge surgical care model for elite athletes. Dr.Scalea is a Professor of Surgery and Vice Chair of Innovation in the Department of Surgery.

Cynthia Talley, M.D. was appointed to serve as Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education (GME) for the College of Medicine. She assumed this role, reporting to Dr. Ben Clyburn, Senior Associate Dean for GME and CME Designated Institutional Official, on March 1, 2022. In this role, Dr. Talley will direct the Annual Program Evaluation (APE) process, reviewing all necessary items with regard to programs’ submission of the APE, responding to program or ACGME concerns, and assisting programs with missions, AIMS, action plans, and recommended strategies. Dr. Talley is a Professor of Surgery and Vice Chair of Education in the Department of Surgery.

Ravi Veeraswamy, M.D. was appointed to a new physician leadership group, serving as Associate Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for Surgical Services of MUSC Health -Charleston. He joins Dustin LeBlanc, M.D., Associate CMO, ATC and Emergency Medicine, Scott Russell, M.D., Associate CMO, Children’s, and Kristin Wise, M.D. Associate CMO, Adult Inpatient Care, who will all work closely with Carrie Herzke, M.D., CMO MUSC Health – Charleston. Last year, Dr. Veeraswamywas named the Chair of the Perioperative Executive Committee of the Charleston Division. His leadership and expanding roles facilitate optimal care of our patients and clinicians. Dr. Veeraswamy is Chief of Vascular Surgery and the Elliott-Robinson Endowed Chair of Vascular Surgery in the Department of Surgery.

Clinical Activity: 17,801 new patients, 13,354 surgical cases, 67606 outpatient encounters

Research Activity: 46 New Awards, $7.8 M extramural funding, 56 Clinical Trials, 43 Funded Faculty

Faculty, Staff and Trainees: 85 faculty, 75 Residetns, 4 Fellows, 5 Post-Docs, 37 Research Staff, 47 Managerial Support Staff, 55 APPs

Philanthropic Gifts: $3.2 M Philanthropic Contributions, 2 Newly funded Endowed Chairs, $1.^ M Department of Surgery new pledges

Andrea Abbott, M.D. MSCR Chair of the MUSC College of Medicine Faculty Council, Patient Safety and Quality Committee for the American Society of Breast Surgeons; Golden Apple Clinical Awards: Faculty Award winner 

Prabhakar Baliga M.D. Nominated to serve on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Advisory Committee on Organ Transplantation

T. Karl Byrne MD Distinguished Faculty Service Award

Thomas Curran MD MPH – Hollings Cancer Center Clinical Scholar for 2022-2024

 Denise Carneiro-Pla, M.D. Councilor of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons; Distinguished Moderator American Association of Endocrine Surgeons Annual Meeting

MUSC President David J. Cole, M.D. Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce Joseph P. Riley Leadership Award

Heather Evans, M.D. MS MUSC Physician Quality Partner of the Year Award

Virgilio George M.D. National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC) Education Governance Committee

Barry Gibney DO NCI K12 Paul Calabresi Career Development Award for Clinical Oncology

Ashley Hink, M.D. MPH College of Medicine Faculty Council

Kevin Hughes, M.D. Board of Directors of the American Society of Breast Surgeons

Arman Kilic, M.D. John M. Kratz, M.D. Endowed Chair in Cardiac Surgery and Research

Nancy Klauber-DeMore, M.D. Annals of Surgical Oncology Editorial Board; MUSC Hollings Cancer Center’s Developmental Cancer Therapeutics Program co-leader.

Jean Marie Ruddy, M.D. American Heart Association Vascular Health Advisory Committee, NIH Proposal Academy

John McGillicuddy, M.D. American Society of Transplant Surgeons Transplant Accreditation & Certification Council Program Accreditation Committee 

Rupak Mukherjee, Ph.D. Golden Apple Preclerkship Awards: HRR Faculty Award Winner

 Nicolas Pope, M.D. American Association for Thoracic Surgery Dwight Harken Research Scholar

Rana Pullatt, M.D. Chair, International Development Committee American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery; American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Overall Program co-chair

T Konrad Rajab, M.D. Brett Boyer Foundation Discovery Award, Saving Tiny Hearts Society Award

Robert Sade, M.D. Expertscape World Expert in Philosophy.

Keith Smalls Charleston County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council Governance Committee; TEDx Charleston presenter

Christian Streck, M.D. Chair American Pediatric Surgical Association Trauma Committee; reappointed to the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma

David Taber, Pharm.D., BS American Society of Transplantation Distinguished Senior Career Award

Cynthia Talley, M.D. Associate Member, Academy of Master Surgeon Educators ; Vice-Chair of the American College of Surgeons Young Fellows Association, SC ACS President

Dirk Van der Windt, M.D. Ph.D. ASTS Natera cfDNA Faculty Research Grant

Ravi Veeraswamy, M.D. Elliott-Robison Endowed Chair in Vascular Surgery

Hongjun Wang, Ph.D. co-director for the SCTR Pilot Translational & Clinical Studies Program, American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) Islet Biology, Development, & Function Interest Group Leadership Team

 Sanford Zeigler, M.D Thoracic Surgery Foundation Nicholas Kouchoukos Award

In May 2012, Bob Richards was heading down the path of needing of a kidney due to polycystic kidney disease, an inherited condition that eventually leads to organ failure. Bob reached out to family and friends, sharing his need for a living donor. Ten people responded, and one was a perfect match – his niece, Roseann Richards-Hines. Less than a year later, he was the fortunate recipient of a living donor kidney from Roseann. And

Since that day, he has not stopped demonstrating his gratitude towards his niece and MUSC. Among his many expressions of appreciation, shortly after Bob’s kidney transplant, he and his wife, Kathy, initiated “The Roseann Richards-Hines Education and Research Fund” in Transplant Surgery with a generous monetary pledge to honor Roseann. The couple has been steadfastly committed to supporting the MUSC Living Donor Program through annual contributions to the fund – creating educational opportunities to help living donors and recipients and supporting leading-edge organ transplant research at MUSC.

Ten years later, Bob and Kathy continue to give back to MUSC. This year was Bob’s most significant gift ever. As part of a planned gift, Bob decided to contribute from his IRA’s Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) to the MUSC Foundation to continue to support the MUSC Living Donor Program. 

“Now that I turned 72 and have to take a required minimum distribution from my IRA, I had a conversation with Vera Ford, Director of Development in the Department of Surgery,” said Bob. “She guided me towards making a planned gift, using a Qualified Charitable Distribution from my IRA, which satisfies my required minimum distribution without increasing my taxes. It is a great tax-smart way to make an impact for something I’m passionate about – the MUSC Living Donor Program.” Bob set up a distribution of $50,000 per year over the next five years, with plans to repeat the same distribution for the next five years, with the goal to donate $500,000 over the next ten years.

“My wife and I have always had giving spirits, and after my transplant, we knew we wanted to support MUSC’s Living Donor Program. We have seen first-hand the impact of this fund, and that’s a very gratifying way to honor my niece and support MUSC’s efforts” he said.