Monthly News Round Up

Lauren Hooker
April 29, 2022
News Roundup

MUSC doctors first at academic medical center to perform ‘game-changing’ new heart failure device procedure

Barotism trial

Drs. Jean Marie Ruddy, left, and Anne Kroman perform the new method of implanting the heart failure device.

Read full story

Revolutionizing anti-tumor T-cell production with carbon monoxide

Dr. Mehrotra

Dr. Shikhar Mehrotra's latest work reveals that exposing cancer-fighting T-cells to moderate stress early on better prepares them to deal with stress inside of the tumor.

Read full story

Keith Smalls has taken his heartbreaking life experiences and turned them into a force for good

 Keith Smalls

Read Keith's Story

Watch his TEDx Charleston video

Celebrating our newest endowed chair holders

Arman Kilic and Ravi Veeraswamy

Arman Kilic, M.D. and Ravi Veeraswamy, M.D., newly named endowed chairs in the divisions of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Vascular Surgery, were honored along with four endowed chair honorees in the MUSC Health Heart and Vascular Center: Daniel P. Judge, M.D., Daniel H. Steinberg, M.D., Ryan J. Tedford, M.D., and Jeffrey R. Winterfield, M.D. during the MUSC Department of Surgery and MUSC Health Heart & Vascular Center Endowed Chair Investiture Ceremony in the presence of nearly 100 family members, colleagues, leaders, and donors.

See all photos

Human Centered Design final pitch competition yields innovative ideas; Winning Team takes first place at MUSC Innovation Week Shark Tank event

Winners in HCD final pitch competition

Read full story 

Congratulations to our Golden Apple Award Winners and Nominees!

Andrea Abbott MD and Rupak Mukherjee PhD

Each year, the MUSC chapter of the American Medical Student Association and the College of Medicine hold the Golden Apple Awards to recognize outstanding faculty and residents at MUSC for excellence in medical student teaching.

Congratulations to our 2022 Golden Apple Award Winners:Andrea Abbott, M.D., MSCR - Faculty Award Winner and Rupak Mukherjee, Ph.D. - HRR Faculty Award Winner

Congratulations to all of our 2022 Golden Apple Award Nominees: Andrea Abbott, M.D., MSCR - Teacher of the Year Nominee, Rupak Mukherjee, Ph.D. - Medical Student Advisor Nominee, Raphael Parrado, M.D. - Resident Award Nominee, and Cynthia Talley, M.D. - Faculty Award Nominee. 

Faculty, Resident & Staff Recognitions:

  • Kevin Hughes, M.D. was named to the Board of Directors of the American Society of Breast Surgeons for a three-year term, effective April 8, 2022
  • Hongjun Wang, Ph.D. was named co-director for the SCTR Pilot Translational & Clinical Studies Program.
  • Heather Evans, M.D. MS was honored with the Physician Quality Partner of the Year Award, presented by the MUSC Quality Department. Dr. Evans was selected for her work with the Wound RPM program
  • Ian Bostock, M.D. was selected to the Society for Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Leadership Institute. Dr. Bostock was also selected to participate in the STS Task Forces for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and International Education.
  • A. Sharee Wright, M.D. received notification of a $25,000 Diversity Equity and Inclusion Award from OneMUSC funding.
  • David Mahvi, M.D. and the Glow Ink Solutions Team have been accepted to the VentureWell E-Team Program, which includes a grant award in the amount of $5,000 and attendance at the Pioneer Workshop for two student team members. The GlowInk Solutions team includes medical student Subina Saini and Family Medicine Resident Alan Snyder, M.D. PGY-1.
  • Ashley Hink, M.D. MPH presented at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine "Facilitating the Integration of Firearm Injury Prevention into Healthcare: A Workshop." She participated in a panel discussion on Barriers and Facilitators to Implementing Hospital-Based Firearm Injury Prevention Strategies in Urban and Rural Communities.
  • Sami Tarabishy, M.D. PGY-5 Integrated Plastic Surgery matched into the Cleveland Clinic post-graduate aesthetic fellowship, an American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery approved one-year fellowship. The renowned Cleveland Clinic fellowship, under director Dr. James Zins, is considered one of the top programs in the country for facial aesthetic plastic surgery.
  • Mario Figueroa, M.D. a general surgery resident at Rutgers University who is working in the Cardiovascular Surgery Research Lab under the mentorship of Jean Marie Ruddy, M.D. to gain training in basic and translational investigational techniques, won the Best Overall Presentation during the Association for VA Surgeons Annual Meeting. His project was selected from 16 submissions and was awarded $25,000 of laboratory support for the next academic year.
  • Macelyn Batten, DO PGY-1 was highlighted in the resident section of the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons Spring Newsletter.

In the News:

  • In Gunfire's Destructive Wake, SC Hospital Helps Victims Pick Up the Pieces (The Post & Courier)
  • Thanks to Facebook, Resident Physician Receives Kidney from a Former High School Classmate (MUSC Advance Blog)
  • Turning the Tide Violence Intervention Program highlighted in ‘Fighting the Noble Fight’ Trauma Doctors Make Split-Second (Greenville Business Magazine)
  • MUSC Health Burn Center high performing in quality and survival outcomes (MUSC Catalyst News)

Latest Podcast: Colleen Donahue, M.D.: Women & Colon Cancer

Dr. Donahue in the ORColon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Although the risk of the disease is similar in both men and women, the myth that colon cancer is primarily a male disease seems to persist. Erin Spain talks to Colleen Donahue, M.D., about the prevention, diagnosis & treatment of colorectal cancer in women.

Staff Spotlight: Jessica Belger

Jessica BelgerJessica Belger, HR Assistant in the Department of Surgery, participated in the International Day Taiko Charleston drumming demonstration. Jessica and her husband have been part of the group for 9 years after seeing a flyer for a Japanese drumming interest workshop. They went to the workshop and were hooked! The group rehearses every week and performs across the low country at festivals, schools, and private events.

“After not being able to drum at the International Bazaar for a few years due to COVID, it was so much fun to be back performing for the MUSC community again,” said Jessica.

MUSC doctors first at academic medical center to perform ‘game-changing’ new heart failure device procedure

Barotism trial

Drs. Jean Marie Ruddy, left, and Anne Kroman perform the new method of implanting the heart failure device.

Read full story

Revolutionizing anti-tumor T-cell production with carbon monoxide

Dr. Mehrotra

Dr. Shikhar Mehrotra's latest work reveals that exposing cancer-fighting T-cells to moderate stress early on better prepares them to deal with stress inside of the tumor.

Read full story

Keith Smalls has taken his heartbreaking life experiences and turned them into a force for good

 Keith Smalls

Read Keith's Story

Watch his TEDx Charleston video

Celebrating our newest endowed chair holders

Arman Kilic and Ravi Veeraswamy

Arman Kilic, M.D. and Ravi Veeraswamy, M.D., newly named endowed chairs in the divisions of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Vascular Surgery, were honored along with four endowed chair honorees in the MUSC Health Heart and Vascular Center: Daniel P. Judge, M.D., Daniel H. Steinberg, M.D., Ryan J. Tedford, M.D., and Jeffrey R. Winterfield, M.D. during the MUSC Department of Surgery and MUSC Health Heart & Vascular Center Endowed Chair Investiture Ceremony in the presence of nearly 100 family members, colleagues, leaders, and donors.

See all photos

Human Centered Design final pitch competition yields innovative ideas; Winning Team takes first place at MUSC Innovation Week Shark Tank event

Winners in HCD final pitch competition

Read full story 

Congratulations to our Golden Apple Award Winners and Nominees!

Andrea Abbott MD and Rupak Mukherjee PhD

Each year, the MUSC chapter of the American Medical Student Association and the College of Medicine hold the Golden Apple Awards to recognize outstanding faculty and residents at MUSC for excellence in medical student teaching.

Congratulations to our 2022 Golden Apple Award Winners:Andrea Abbott, M.D., MSCR - Faculty Award Winner and Rupak Mukherjee, Ph.D. - HRR Faculty Award Winner

Congratulations to all of our 2022 Golden Apple Award Nominees: Andrea Abbott, M.D., MSCR - Teacher of the Year Nominee, Rupak Mukherjee, Ph.D. - Medical Student Advisor Nominee, Raphael Parrado, M.D. - Resident Award Nominee, and Cynthia Talley, M.D. - Faculty Award Nominee. 

Faculty, Resident & Staff Recognitions:

  • Kevin Hughes, M.D. was named to the Board of Directors of the American Society of Breast Surgeons for a three-year term, effective April 8, 2022
  • Hongjun Wang, Ph.D. was named co-director for the SCTR Pilot Translational & Clinical Studies Program.
  • Heather Evans, M.D. MS was honored with the Physician Quality Partner of the Year Award, presented by the MUSC Quality Department. Dr. Evans was selected for her work with the Wound RPM program
  • Ian Bostock, M.D. was selected to the Society for Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Leadership Institute. Dr. Bostock was also selected to participate in the STS Task Forces for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and International Education.
  • A. Sharee Wright, M.D. received notification of a $25,000 Diversity Equity and Inclusion Award from OneMUSC funding.
  • David Mahvi, M.D. and the Glow Ink Solutions Team have been accepted to the VentureWell E-Team Program, which includes a grant award in the amount of $5,000 and attendance at the Pioneer Workshop for two student team members. The GlowInk Solutions team includes medical student Subina Saini and Family Medicine Resident Alan Snyder, M.D. PGY-1.
  • Ashley Hink, M.D. MPH presented at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine "Facilitating the Integration of Firearm Injury Prevention into Healthcare: A Workshop." She participated in a panel discussion on Barriers and Facilitators to Implementing Hospital-Based Firearm Injury Prevention Strategies in Urban and Rural Communities.
  • Sami Tarabishy, M.D. PGY-5 Integrated Plastic Surgery matched into the Cleveland Clinic post-graduate aesthetic fellowship, an American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery approved one-year fellowship. The renowned Cleveland Clinic fellowship, under director Dr. James Zins, is considered one of the top programs in the country for facial aesthetic plastic surgery.
  • Mario Figueroa, M.D. a general surgery resident at Rutgers University who is working in the Cardiovascular Surgery Research Lab under the mentorship of Jean Marie Ruddy, M.D. to gain training in basic and translational investigational techniques, won the Best Overall Presentation during the Association for VA Surgeons Annual Meeting. His project was selected from 16 submissions and was awarded $25,000 of laboratory support for the next academic year.
  • Macelyn Batten, DO PGY-1 was highlighted in the resident section of the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons Spring Newsletter.

In the News:

  • In Gunfire's Destructive Wake, SC Hospital Helps Victims Pick Up the Pieces (The Post & Courier)
  • Thanks to Facebook, Resident Physician Receives Kidney from a Former High School Classmate (MUSC Advance Blog)
  • Turning the Tide Violence Intervention Program highlighted in ‘Fighting the Noble Fight’ Trauma Doctors Make Split-Second (Greenville Business Magazine)
  • MUSC Health Burn Center high performing in quality and survival outcomes (MUSC Catalyst News)

Latest Podcast: Colleen Donahue, M.D.: Women & Colon Cancer

Dr. Donahue in the ORColon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Although the risk of the disease is similar in both men and women, the myth that colon cancer is primarily a male disease seems to persist. Erin Spain talks to Colleen Donahue, M.D., about the prevention, diagnosis & treatment of colorectal cancer in women.

Staff Spotlight: Jessica Belger

Jessica BelgerJessica Belger, HR Assistant in the Department of Surgery, participated in the International Day Taiko Charleston drumming demonstration. Jessica and her husband have been part of the group for 9 years after seeing a flyer for a Japanese drumming interest workshop. They went to the workshop and were hooked! The group rehearses every week and performs across the low country at festivals, schools, and private events.

“After not being able to drum at the International Bazaar for a few years due to COVID, it was so much fun to be back performing for the MUSC community again,” said Jessica.

About the Author

Lauren Hooker

Categories: Monthly News Roundup, News