May News Roundup

Transplant Surgeon Joseph Scalea, M.D. Joins the Department

Joseph Scalea, M.D. joins the MUSC Department of Surgery on May 30 as a Professor of Transplant Surgery and the inaugural Vice Chair of Innovation. At MUSC Health, Dr. Scalea will serve as Surgical Director of Kidney Transplant. He also has a leadership role as the Director of Hepatology, Nephrology, and Transplant ICCE Quality and Innovation. Dr. Scalea is an innovator and entrepreneur. He received international notoriety in 2019 for pioneering the use of drones for organ transplants, which was reported in JAMA-Surgery as well as the New York Times, NPR, CNN, and BBC. As the inaugural Vice Chair of Innovation, Dr. Scalea will lead expansion in commercialization and innovation to help translate innovative ideas from the laboratory to industry. Read full announcement

SCQSC Study shows shrinking the gap in surgical safety outcomes benefits older black patients in South Carolina

Preparing for surgery can be a scary, momentous occasion in any person’s life, but a greater chance of danger because of skin color should not be part of the equation. The South Carolina Surgical Quality Collaborative (SQC) was created in 2015 to level the playing field for surgical patients, and a recent study led by colorectal surgeon Thomas Curran, M.D., MPH shows that the effort is paying off for both black and white patients, decreasing complications for all patients and shrinking the racial gap in outcomes. Read the full article in the Spring Issue of Progressnotes

Nicolas Pope M.D. Named AATS Dwight Harken Research Scholar

 

Nicolas Pope, M.D., assistant professor of cardiothoracic surgery at MUSC, was named the American Association of Thoracic Surgery Dwight Harken Research Scholar from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2024. The AATS Foundation’s Research Scholarship is an early-career development award for young surgical scientists. It provides one early-career investigator with a two-year grant of $80,000 each year. Read More

T. Konrad Rajab, M.D. Received Award from Saving tiny Hearts Society

Pediatric cardiac surgeon T. Konrad Rajab, M.D. received a $75,000 award from the Saving tiny Hearts Society to support research titled Partial Heart Transplantation: a New Operation for Children Requiring Valve Replacement. The research team includes Jennie Kwon, M.D., cardiothoracic surgery resident, Minoo Kavarana, M.D., director of pediatric heart transplantation, Kristi Helke DVM, Ph.D., chair of the department of comparative medicine, Carolyn Taylor, M.D, director of the pediatric cardiac echocardiography lab, Deani Mcvadon M.D., pediatric cardiology fellow, and Marc Hassid, M.D., head of pediatric cardiac anesthesia. Read More. 

The Guardian: Does turmeric’s reputation translate into real healthbenefits?

Nancy DeMore, M.D. was interviewed by The Guardian on her clinical trial usingcurcumin in treating breast cancer. The clinical trial discussed in the news articleorginated from her work with Jack Arbiser in the mid 1990s when they were youngresearchers at Harvard Medical School exploring new treatment options for cancer.A cancer researcher for more than 30 years, Dr. DeMore's interest in curcumin reemergedrecently when she started a natural therapeutics program for breast cancerat MUSC. Read the Guardian Article

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

A nationally-recognized surgical leader, Dr. Baliga was honored with a nomination to serve on the on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Advisory Committee on Organ Transplantation (ACOT). The  ACOT is composed of experts who provide advice and make recommendations to the Secretary, HHS, on matters pertaining to organ donation, procurement, allocation, and transplantation; maximizing the number of deceased donor organs available for transplantation and supporting the safety of living organ donation proposed policies of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) and OPTN operations; along with providing expertise on the latest advances in the science of transplantation.

Faculty and Resident Recognitions

• Rana Pullatt, M.D. was an invited faculty for IFSO MENAC, the largest Bariatric Surgery meeting for the Middle East.
• The Chest Wall Injury team led by Evert Eriksson, M.D. was well represented atthe Chest Wall Injury Society annual meeting with a record number of abstracts and lecture presentations. A total of three lectures and six abstracts were presented, with Mujahed Laswi, M.D., Surgical Critical Care Fellow, receiving the award for Best Podium Presentation for his paper “Redefining the costal margin: A pilot study.” Additionally, Dr. Eriksson received the President's Award in recognition of outstanding efforts to build and engage CWIS membership and improve patient care through mentoring and research.
• The Division of Pediatric Surgery were also well represented at the American Pediatric Surgical Association annual meeting. Lucas McDuffie, M.D. was inducted as a new member; Christian Streck M.D. served as a session moderator and Laura Hollinger, M.D. moderated a session on ECMO variations in care.
• The Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery was well represented at the AATS annual meeting. Jennie Kwon, M.D. PGY-Research gave the Presidential Award Plenary Talk “Early Outcomes of Heart Transplantation Using Donation after Circulatory Death Donors in the United States.” Poster presenters included cardiothoracic surgeon Sanford Zeigler, M.D. and cardiothoracic surgery resident Alexander Ghannam, M.D. PGY-4.
• Jennie Kwon, M.D. PGY-Research was selected as the Philip Caves Award Finalist and presented at the Caves Award Session at the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation Annual Scientific Meeting.

SAVE THE DATES

Please mark your calendar for the following education events: 

• May 31, 7 - 8 a.m. BE 110: Inaugural Awards Ceremony with guest lecturer David B. Adams, M.D. Dr. Adams Grand Rounds topic is "Every Generation Is the Greatest Generation!" 
• June 14, 7 - 8 a.m. BE 110: Kredel-Springs Lecture - Guest Lecturer: Ronald J. Weigel, M.D. Ph.D., EA Cowell Jr. Professor of Surgery and Chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Iowa. 
• October 14 Surgery Research Recognition Day and Eric R. Frykberg. M.D. Lecture. Invited Lecturer is Julie Ann Sosa, M.D. MA, Professor and Chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco. 

Philanthropy In the News

Good Samaritan Kidney Donor Francisco Ramirez Continues to Give Back to Support the MUSC Living Donor Institute

In 2020, Francisco Ramirez volunteered to be a Good Samaritan kidney donor. Following his own donation, he began a kidney transplant chain through the MUSC Transplant Center with a total of three recipients and three donors. Mr. Ramirez then went on to create the Transplant Strong 6K Virtual Challenge races to honor those recipients and donors, bring awareness to the need for living kidney donors, and raise funds for the MUSC Living Donor Institute.Mr. Ramirez has raised a total of $1,240 for the MUSC Living Donor Institute, and continues to be a strong advocate for living donation.