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

Herbert Chen, M.D., is the chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), the Surgeon-in-Chief of UAB Hospital and Health System, and the senior associate dean for Academic Affairs in the UAB Heersink School of Medicine. He is a Surgery, Pediatrics, and Biomedical Engineering professor, and holds the Fay Fletcher Kerner Endowed Chair.

A native of Wisconsin, Chen received his undergraduate degree from Stanford University and began his medical education at the Duke University School of Medicine, graduating in 1992. He completed his surgical residency in general surgery at Johns Hopkins in 1999, along with a postdoctoral research fellowship in 1997 and a surgical oncology and endocrinology fellowship in 2000. Dr. Chen came to UAB from the University of Wisconsin, where he was the Layton F. Rikkers, M.D., chair in Surgical Leadership, chair of the Division of General Surgery, vice chair of Research for the Department of Surgery and professor in the departments of Surgery, Biomedical Engineering and Pediatrics.

His clinical interests include endocrine surgery and he is a pioneer in radio-guided parathyroid surgery. Dr. Chen’s clinical interests include endocrine and neuroendocrine disease with a focus on minimally invasive endocrine surgery. He has one of the largest experiences with radioguided parathyroidectomy (MIRP), and performs high volume thyroid and adrenal surgery. He is the American Cancer Society MEN2 Thyroid Cancer Professor.

Dr. Chen's lab studies thyroid and neuroendocrine cancers and has received over $36 million in extramural funding. Dr. Chen’s laboratory focuses on the role of cellular signaling pathways in the differentiation and growth of neuroendocrine (NE) tumors including carcinoid, pancreatic islet cell, pheochromocytoma, and medullary thyroid cancer.

Dr. Chen is the Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Surgery. He has held several leadership positions in major academic societies including President of the Society of Asian Academic Surgeons Foundation, President of the Association for Academic Surgery, President of the Society of Clinical Surgery, President of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons (AAES). President of Surgical Biology Club II, and President of the AAES Foundation.

Dr. Chen has mentored over 130 faculty, post­doctoral fellows, residents, medical students, and undergraduates in his lab. He has published over 670 original research and review articles and has edited 28 textbooks. He is well-known for his passion for teaching and mentoring the next generation of surgical leaders. Dr. Chen has also been recognized as a champion of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

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