Surgery Research Recognition Day and Eric R. Frykberg M.D. Lecture

Allan Douglas Kirk, M.D., is chairman of the department of surgery in the Duke University School of Medicine and surgeon-in-chief for Duke University Health System. He is the David C. Sabiston Jr. Professor of Surgery and a professor of immunology and pediatrics. He served as editor-in-chief for the American Journal of Transplantation from 2010 through 2020 and is now Editor Emeritus.

Kirk is an American transplant surgeon and physician, specializing in kidney and pancreas transplantation. He is internationally recognized for work in transplant immunology, serving as the inaugural chief of the Transplantation Branch for the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and principal investigator for multiple clinical trials, including the first-in-man experience with novel immunosuppressive agents. Kirk pioneered the use of costimulation pathway blockade to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients. 

In 2016, in honor of Dr. Eric Frykberg, an MUSC Surgical alumnus who built a brilliant and productive career that has made the practice of Surgery safer, better, and smarter, the MUSC Department of Surgery was honored to have the opportunity to dedicate Surgery Research Day in Dr. Frykberg’s memory. 

The Eric R. Frykberg Memorial Lectureship Fund is established in support of surgical education in the MUSC Department of Surgery.

Eric Robert Frykberg, M.D. received his medical degree from the Medical College of Virginia.  Dr. Frykberg’s postgraduate training was completed at New York University Medical Center and the Medical University of South Carolina, where he studied under renowned surgeon, Marion Anderson, M.D., after which he was stationed as a Staff Surgeon at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida.

After military service, he joined Raymond Alexander,  M.D. at the University of Florida College of  Medicine - Jacksonville and was Chief of the Division of General  Surgery at ShandsJacksonville Medical Center for his entire  career -- a career that has left an indelible mark on Surgical Resident Education. 

Dr. Frykberg, an MUSC alumnus, was the quintessential surgical scientist. He built a brilliant career that has made the practice of surgery safer, better and smarter. 

His work in vascular injury revised our thinking and, to this day, stands as a tenet in the management of vascular and, specifically, arterial trauma.

His work in the mass casualty arena likewise resulted in a series of courses in educational procedures that has indeed enabled us to be better prepared for both man-made and natural disasters.He was a founding member of the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST) and served as its President. 

He served as President of the EAST Foundation.  At his death, he was the appointed Governor to the American College of Surgeons (ACS) representing the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST).He was a major leader in the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, specifically in areas of violence prevention.  He was an elected fellow of the Southern Surgical Association (SSA) and the American Surgical Association.

2024 Surgery Research Day Poster and Oral Presentations

Congratulations to all who presented and contributed to such an impressive display of scholarship.  The winners for best presentations at the 2023 Surgery Research Day are:

Oral Presentation, Basic/Translational Category

Heather Holman

Effects of PTSD-Dependent Neurogenic Hypertension and Inflammation on Thoracic Aortic Wall Homeostasis

Mentor: Jeffrey Jones, PhD 

Oral Presentation, Health Services Category

Jennie H. Kwon, MD

Waitlist and Transplant Outcomes in Organ Donation After Circulatory Death: Trends in the United States

Mentor: Arman Kilic, MD

Best Poster

Ahmed Lotfy, PhD

Overexpression of PD-L1 in mesenchymal stromal/ stem cells improves the immunomodulatory properties and therapeutic effects in nonobese diabetic mice

Mentor: Hongjun Wang, PhD