Education Update

NEW EDUCATION PROGRAM LEADERSHIP

Jared White, M.D., has been named the new General Surgery Program Director. Dr. White has served as Associate Program Director since joining MUSC in 2019. He has a special interest in innovations in general surgery resident education.Colleen Donahue, M.D., assumes the role of Associate Program Director. Previously, she led the residency simulation program.The Department is extremely grateful to Christian Streck, M.D., who led the General Surgery Residency Program since2015. Under Dr. Streck’s leadership, our General Surgery Education Program experienced unprecedented growth.During his tenure, our categorical general surgery resident compliment increased from 5 to 8 residents per year and more opportunities were created for residents to be in the lab with dedicated research time, increasing from two spots to five.And, consistently, our graduates’ Oral Board Pass Rates are100%. The Department thanks Dr. Streck for his dedication and enthusiasm in developing a robust General Surgery Resident Education Program that is now one of the top programs in the Southeast. We are excited to announce Dr. Streck has been named the Vice Chair of Education, beginning in FY24. The Department thanks Dr. Talley for her many years of service and wishes her much success in her new role as Senior Associate Dean for GME and CME for the College of Medicine.

SURGERY CLERKSHIP

Jeffrey Sutton, M.D., has been named the new Surgery Clerkship Director. Dr. Sutton has a strong interest in medical education and during his surgical oncology fellowship he earned a certificate in Medical Education. He previously served Associate Program Director, working alongside Mathew Wooster, M.D., who has led the Medical Student Clerkship program since 2019.During Dr. Wooster’s tenure, he greatly improved the student evaluations with curriculum changes and feedback structure.He consistently improved the surgery clerkship students scorecard on their overall educational experiences over a four-year period. In the 2022 calendar year, the MUSC surgery clerkship program student reporting exceeded the national average of all medical school student reporting in the good / excellent rating (MUSC: 83.2%; National Average: 81%). Remarkably,he was able to achieve these results during the COVID-19 pandemic, navigating significant challenges including gown shortages and virtual classrooms

FUTURE SURGICAL LEADERS PROGRAM

Now in its third year, the Future Surgical Leaders Program (FSL) has expanded to include an academic niche professional development program for our residents and fellows. Eleven longitudinal pathways were created by departmental faculty experts and presented to residents and fellows for selection this past fall. The Pathways program was well-received and aims to jump start the careers of our graduates.Nearly 20 surgery programs across the U.S. have joined us to create a Leadership Academy Collaborative to institute this innovating program.

GRADUATION 2023

In June, a black-tie dinner was held at the Gaillard Center to celebrate our graduates and welcome them into the Curtis P. Artz MUSC Surgical Society. The evening was filled with expressions of gratitude from the graduates to their families mentors, faculty, staff and peers for their support and exceptional training experiences provided to them. The evening was also an opportunity to celebrate Christian Streck, M.D., who led the General Surgery Education Program over the past eight years.

SC NC ACS MEETING

During the 2023 South Carolina and North Carolina Chapters of the American College of Surgeons Joint Annual Meeting,we had a record number of abstract submissions and several MUSC surgical residents and medical students took away top honors. Congratulations to all of our award winners and student and resident presenters across the General Surgery, Committee on Trauma, and Commission on Cancer Sessions.

MACELYN BATTEN, D.O., PGY-3, NAMED TO CLASS OF VA QUALITY SCHOLARS

Macelyn Batten, D.O., PGY-3, was named to the Charleston VA Health Equity and Rural Outreach Innovation Center (HEROIC) 2023class of VA Quality Scholars. The Charleston VA Health Equity and Rural Outreach Innovation Center is one of 18 nationally funded VA Health Services Research & Development Centers of Innovation aimed at improving Veterans’ health and related healthcare needs through novel interventions.

DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY AWARDS CEREMONY

The Department of Surgery Annual Awards Ceremony recognizes exceptional faculty and trainees for their outstanding achievements in patient care, education and research. The department was honored to have Patrick O’Neill, M.D.,Affiliate Associate Professor of Surgery, present the Awards Ceremony Lecture.Dr. O’Neill provided an insightful talk, “Heroes and Antiheroes.”

SURGERY RESEARCH RECOGNITION DAY AND ERIC R. FRYKBERG, M.D., LECTURE

Surgery Research Recognition Day showcases the exceptional research work in which our residents, medical students and graduate students participate. It also provides an opportunity for our trainees,faculty and researchers to learn from world-class experts during the annual Eric R. Frykberg, M.D., Lecture. This year, Julie Ann Sosa,M.D., chair of Surgery at the University of San Francisco was the invited Eric R. Frykberg, M.D., Lecturer.

DISTINGUISHED VISITING LECTURE SERIES

The Education Division hosts lectures delivered by nationally and internationally recognized experts in their respective field. This year,several prominent speakers engaged with faculty and trainees during the invited lecture series and Grand Rounds. To see the full list of our invited speakers, and the titles of their talks, visit our website.