March News Update

Message from the Chair

Colleagues,  ‌ ‌‌

During Women's History Month, as we reflect on the remarkable contributions that women have made to the field of medicine, I want to take a moment to celebrate the incredible impact that women in our Department have had. Your hard work, dedication, and passion not only advance the field of surgery but also inspire future generations of women medical professionals.‌

From groundbreaking research to exceptional patient care, your achievements are a testament to the strength and resilience that women bring to every aspect of medicine. Your leadership, expertise, and compassion are integral to the success of our Department, and I am honored to work alongside such talented individuals. Thank you for your continued dedication to excellence, and here's to the women who are shaping the future of medicine every day.‌‌

I hope you had time to enjoy some of the celebrations surrounding Match Day 2025! Congratulations to our program leaders for recruiting such an exceptional class. Thank you to all who were involved in the interview process and a special thanks to our program coordinators who worked tirelessly throughout the process to ensure another very successful match. ‌

Warm regards,‌

‌Baliga

Celebrating Our Women Surgical Leaders

In 1985, Carolyn Reed, M.D. joined as an assistant professor in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery and was the first woman in surgery at MUSC. She ascended to many leadership roles, including being elected President of the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association in 2006–2007, becoming the first woman to head a major thoracic surgical organization. She died on November 16, 2012, 2 months after undergoing a Whipple procedure for carcinoma of the pancreas. 

‌‌Dr. Reed was the mentor and advisor for numerous medical students, residents, and women faculty members not only at MUSC but throughout the United States. Standing on the shoulders of trailblazers like Dr. Reed, who paved the way for so many, we now have 26 women surgical faculty and 42 women surgical trainees who will now pave the way forward for the next generation of women in medicine.

We are proud of the exceptional women leaders who have risen to influential roles within our Department and MUSC, contributing greatly to the advancement of patient care, education, and research, as well as our cultural dexterity and wellbeing.

• Andrea Abbott, M.D., MSCR: Surgical Oncology Breast, Melanoma, and Sarcoma Section Chief; Medical Director of Quality in the Cancer ICCE; Medical Director of the Comprehensive Breast Program at Hollings Cancer Center; Dept. of Surgery Vice Chair of Personal Development and Wellbeing‌
• Denise Carneiro-Pla, M.D.: ‌Surgical Oncology Endocrine Surgery Section Chief‌
• Nancy Klauber DeMore, M.D.: ‌BMW Endowed Chair in Cancer Research, Vice Chair of Innovation and Entrepreneurship; Co-Leader HCC Developmental Cancer Therapeutics Research Program, Co-founder and Chief Science Officer, Innova Therapeutics, nationally recognized researcher (ranked in the top 22% NIH funding)‌
• Colleen Donahue, M.D.: ‌Dept. of Surgery General Surgery Program Director‌
• Heather Evans, M.D., MS: ‌Chief of Surgery Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, Dept. of Surgery Vice Chair, Veterans Affairs‌Ashley Hink, M.D., MPH: ‌Medical Director of the MUSC TTVIP‌
• Laura Hollinger, M.D.: ‌Secretary, MUSC Medical Executive Committee, Medical Director of the Pediatric ECMO Program‌
• Bernice Huang, M.D.: ‌Dept. of Surgery Medical Student Clerkship Program Director‌
• Lindsey Korepta, M.D.: ‌Dept. of Surgery Vascular Surgery Integrated Residency Associate Program Director‌Jean Marie Ruddy, M.D.: ‌Dept. of Surgery Vice Chair of Research, Medical Director of the Vascular Lab in the Heart and Vascular ICCE‌
• Cynthia Talley, M.D.: Senior Associate Dean for GME and CME, College of Medicine,  ACGME Designated Institutional Official‌‌
• Alicia Privette, M.D.: ‌Dept. of Surgery Surgical Critical Care Fellowship Program Director ‌Hongjun Wang, Ph.D.: ‌Co-scientific Director of the CCT, nationally recognized researcher (ranked in the top 10% NIH funding)‌
• Maggie Westfal, M.D.: ‌4th year Student Curriculum Program Director ‌Sharee Wright, M.D.: ‌Senior Associate Dean for Pathways, College of Medicine, Dept. of Surgery Vice Chair of Disparities Education and Cultural Dexterity

South Carolina Burn Center Team Members Appointed to Prestigious American Burn Association Committees

Several South Carolina Burn Center (SCBC) team members have been named appointed to several of the American Burn Association (ABA) committees for 2025; each will play pivotal roles in advancing the association’s mission to improve the lives of those affected by burn injuries. Read more on our blog.

MUSC Surgery Sessions Podcast Series' New Episode Features Fred Crawford, M.D.

MUSC Surgery Sessions Podcast Series is our latest endeavor to celebrate and recognize our esteemed faculty and alumni whose expertise and innovative spirit helped shape the MUSC Department of Surgery and their respective fields. Please join us in our efforts to capture our rich history through the voices of some of the giants in the field by listening to the second episode with Fred A. Crawford, Jr., M.D., Chair Emeritus in the MUSC Department of Surgery.

Laura Hollinger, M.D., appointed Secretary of the Medical Staff Medical Executive Committee. Her appointment is a six-year term that involves two years as Secretary, two years as Vice President, and two years as President. 

M. Lance Tavana, M.D., and Cassidy Muir, M.D., PGY-2, were inducted into SC Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Chapter at MUSC. ‌AOA's mission is to be a voice for advocating the highest ethical standards in medicine, for exemplifying professionalism, for recognizing the importance of optimal patient care, and for emphasizing the need for continuing scholarship and academic achievements.

‌Heather Holman, M.D., Ph.D. candidate and researcher in the cardiovascular lab received the NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award, an Individual F31 Fellowship grant designed to support promising predoctoral students with the potential to develop into productive, independent research scientists.

‌Kristen Quinn, M.D., PGY-5 was named a finalist for the 2025 South Carolina Research Authority Applied Researcher of the Year. 

‌‌Stephany Kim, M.D., PGY-2 was awarded a Center for Global Health Spring Travel Grant.

Affair of the Heart Gala and Fundraiser – WCBD News 2 (Sharee Wright, M.D. talks with Carolyn Murray, News 2 anchor, about the importance of heart and vascular care and the significance of the "Affair of the Heart Gala and Fundraiser.")

‌Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month: Surgeon talks prevention, screening (Hollings News Center: Thomas Curran, M.D., MPH)

‌‌‌Mother and daughter, both with hereditary cancer risk, share how they made different choices with guidance from MUSC Hollings Cancer Center (Hollings News Center: Kevin Hughes, M.D., Andrea Abbott, M.D., MSCR)

‌Pediatric trauma team & heart and vascular teams work quickly to save girl hurt in snow-tubing accident (Catalyst News: Laura Hollinger, M.D., Ravi Veeraswamy, M.D., Chun Li, M.D.)

‌‌Teamwork saves girl whose peanut allergy led to anaphylaxis, cardiac arrest (Catalyst News: Laura Hollinger, M.D.) 

‌‌Surgeons patent new option for aortic arch repair in people with aneurysms (Catalyst News: Mathew Wooster, M.D., Sanford Zeigler, M.D., Adams Tanious, M.D., Ryan Gedney, M.D.)

Recent Publications

‌Challenging Legacy Burn Resuscitation Paradigms with Fluid Restriction and Early Plasma

‌Journal of the American College of Surgeons ‌

Kahn SA, Huff ML, Taylor J, O'Neill K, Hink AB, Mittal R, Bright A, Baliga P.

J Am Coll Surg. 2025 Apr 1;240(4):339-347. doi: 10.1097/XCS.0000000000001339. Epub 2025 Mar 17. PMID: 39902941.‌

‌Single-stage robot-assisted repair of symptomatic inguinal and Morgagni hernias in an adult male ‌

Journal of Minimal Access Surgery

‌Bertram, Sydney C.; Skidmore, Savannah H.; Akyeampong, Daniel ; Mallah, Mike M.; Fann, Stephen A.‌

‌Anatomy of the Interchondral Joints and the Effects on Mobility of Ribs

‌Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery

‌Akyeampong, Daniel MD; Hoey, Alexander MD; Patel, Arjun MD; Privette, Alicia R. MD; Ganske, William MD; Hallmark, John MD; Muir, Cassidy MD; Kubalak, Steven W. PhD;Eriksson, Evert A. MD, FACS, FCCM, FCCP‌‌

‌Recent Presentations‌

‌Rana Pullatt, M.D., gave a Grand Rounds at the Cleveland Clinic, where he also spoke at the Cleveland Surgical Society during his visit.‌

M. Lance Tavana, M.D., gave a Plastic Surgery Grand Rounds at his alma mater, the University of South Florida.‌‌

Eric Klipsch, M.D., PGY-3, presented at the General Thoracic Surgical Club during its 37th annual meeting.