Newsletter  - Spring 2007

Welcome to the Department of Surgery Newsletter. We hope you find this information helpful.

From Where l Sit............
Richard L. Gamelli, MD, FACS

The signs of spring are all around us here in Chicago.  The surest of these is the opening of the baseball season.  The Sox have their home opener on April 2 and all of the southsiders have visions of another World Series.  We are all trying to forget last year's finish.  For our department, similar sentiments abound.  The match went very well for students applying in surgery as it did for our surgical residency. Three of our own Loyola students matched into our six categorical slots. They along with the three outside candidates that we were successful in matching with give us an excellent entering class of surgical residents.  Five of our six chief residents have secured fellowship positions for the coming year and one is awaiting the plastic surgical match.  With all six of our chief residents slotted to go onto fellowships, it has truly been an excellent year for our department and its surgical training program.  To add to this, two of current surgical residents will receive the PhD at the spring graduation. Things continue to change dramatically here on campus.  The skeleton of the addition to the main hospital is pretty much in place.  Within two years there will be nine new operating rooms and 64 more beds.  This represents the first real upgrade to the inpatient facility since the 1980’s when the Russo pavilion and tower that Dr. Freeark spearheaded was built.  It will give this department a great opportunity to expand its services and add new faculty.  Our plans for growth are well underway. We are in an active recruiting phase for faculty in Trauma and Critical Care, Peripheral Vascular Surgery and Pediatric Surgery.  We are also expanding our Research Division with a firm commitment from the school of medicine under the leadership of Dean Lee to add three more positions in surgical research within the Burn and Shock Trauma Institute.   Each of these opportunities brings new challenges and a fair amount of work to get the right fit.  We also have new leadership at the helm of the Medical Center with Dr. Paul Whelton having succeeded Dr. Anthony Barbato.  Tony had been the leader of this medical campus for the last few decades. We are all learning a new style of leadership, but one that is directed at continuing to move us forward. This provides another level of opportunity as well as excitement as we go into this new academic year.  One thing that is certain about an academic medical center, particularly our own, is that the one constant is change.  With the change of leadership and the passing of Dr. Freeark who had served as Chair of this Department for twenty five years, we recognize that the responsibility squarely rests with us to improve and grow. We are going about doing just that, and this department looks forward to another year of growth and building our people and programs.

Feature Articles

Call for Nominations for “The Juan Angelats, MD Service Award”

In the Fall 2006 Department of Surgery Newsletter, Dr. Gamelli announced the establishment of the “The Juan Angelats, MD Service Award.”    We are now seeking nominations for this prestigious award.  Letters calling for nominations for “The Juan Angelats, MD Service Award” were mailed on March 15, 2007 to Department of Surgery faculty, staff, alumni, fellows, residents, and emeritus faculty.   

The award is open to Department of Surgery faculty, staff, alumni, fellows, residents, and emeritus faculty that have demonstrated a patterned long-term behavior of service. 

The goal is to announce the recipient of this year’s award at the Department’s annual farewell and welcome dinner in June.   All nominees must be submitted by  Friday, May 4, 2007,  to allow the selection committee ample time to review all submissions.     

Should you have any questions regarding this prestigious award and the nomination process, please feel free to contact: Tim O’Hern (708)327-2707, email: tohern@lumc.edu, or Karen Pyrz  (708)327-2679   email: kpyrz@lumc.edu

Resident Project Service Award

In addition to the establishment of the Juan Angelats Service Award, a second award was announced in the Department of Surgery Fall 2006 Newsletter, the  “Resident Service Project Award.”    Emails went out on March 13, 2007 to all current residents and fellows calling for proposals for this prestigious award.  The recipient of this year’s award will be announced at our annual farewell and welcome dinner in June.   This is a unique and exciting opportunity for residents to develop a project that will enhance their clinical experience, and give back to the underserved social community.  The award is open to all current residents and fellows in good standing. 

Should you have any questions regarding this award, please feel free to contact Kim Echert, (708) 327-2335 or email:  kechert@lumc.edu

Clinical Spotlight

Intra-Abdominal Organ Transplantation Building
Referrals and Growth
John J. Brems, M.D.

When John J. Brems, M.D. first came to Loyola University Health System (LUHS) in 1997, his main job was to build a hepatobiliary program that included liver transplantation. Since then almost 200 liver transplants have been performed. “We are very proud of the entire multidisciplinary team responsible for liver transplantation and the commitment of the institution to the program,” explained Dr. Brems, who is the director of Intra-Abdominal Organ Transplantation at LUHS.

Of particular note are the survival statistics for LUHS liver transplant patients, the latest tabulated from July 2003 through December 2005. The one-year survival rate is 90 percent and 86 percent for three-year survival, rates that match or exceed national averages as determined by United Network for Organ Sharing, according to Dr. Brems.

Happy with the results to date, Dr. Brems is working to build the program further and to establish LUHS as the liver transplantation center of choice in the western suburbs of Chicago. “We have a great team of anesthesiologists, hepatologists, nurses and coordinators so the whole framework is in place,” he added.

“Patients require liver transplants due to end-stage liver disease,” said Dr. Brems, who is the John P. Igini, M.D., Professor of Surgery in the Department of Surgery of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.

“Hepatitis C is the indication for liver transplantation,” he noted. Most patients are unaware that they have been infected with hepatitis C, since it often has no symptoms other than fatigue. Some of these patients, who were infected before the blood supply was screened for the virus in 1990, may later develop end-stage liver disease. “Hepatitis C has reached epidemic proportions in the population,” Dr. Brems said.

He also has seen a “tremendous increase” in patients with primary and secondary liver carcinomas that require a liver resection. Sixty percent of patients with colon cancer will develop liver metastases, which  are treated with a liver resection.

Dr. Brems and his team are setting up a multidisciplinary clinic for patients with primary liver tumors, a group that presents a challenge since chemotherapy is not a treatment option. “These patients now can receive the best care possible from a seasoned team of hepatologists, surgeons and radiation oncologists,” he added. Using the latest research tools, Dr. Brems is exploring new ways to treat liver tumors more effectively.

He also is investigating how to increase the number of liver organs available for transplantation. “Currently, about 15-20 percent of our patients die before they receive a transplant,” Dr. Brems said. Now transplant surgeons are widening the pool of potential donors, by re-considering those labeled “marginal donors” in the past, such as people with “fatty livers,” as well as otherwise healthy older donors in the 60-85 age range, since livers are thought to be among the hardiest of the body’s organs. Another group of non-traditional liver donors may include those who have suffered cardiac death. Dr. Brems is studying how ischemic reperfusion may revitalize these livers with no ill effects.  

For more information about Intra-Abdominal Organ Transplantation, please call (708) 327-2539.

Since he came to Loyola University Health System (LUHS) in 1998, David R. Holt, M.D., F.A.C.S., has played a major role in Intra-Abdominal Organ Transplantation.   

As a vital member of the liver transplantation team, and director of kidney transplantation, he has played a key role in the development and growth of the liver and kidney transplant programs.  The kidney transplant waiting list has nearly doubled in the last 5 years, going from 350 to 600. As a result, LUHS now has the third largest kidney transplant waiting list in Illinois, according to Dr. Holt, who is associate professor of surgery in the Department of Surgery of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. Since its inception in 1997, almost 200 liver transplants have been performed and from 1988 through 2006, 988 patients have undergone kidney transplants at LUHS. 

Working to improve the lives of his transplant patients, Dr. Holt currently is involved in clinical trials of novel immunosuppressant drugs and regimens. He cites the new, more effective drugs as improving the survival and quality of life for transplant patients over the years. Other efforts have been used to increase the number of patients transplanted including the use of expanded criteria donors, a trend shared by kidney, liver, heart, and lung transplant programs. “As more people have been listed for transplantation, we have become more aggressive in using organs that were not considered in the past, creating more opportunities for transplantation,” Dr. Holt explained. 

Pushing the boundaries of what’s possible is part of Dr. Holt’s history. As a transplant fellow at Johns Hopkins Hospital, in Baltimore, MD, he was part of the team that first performed laparoscopic donor nephrectomies. This minimally invasive technique has resulted in less pain and shorter recovery times for kidney donors and can also be an incentive for people to donate a kidney.  In the future, it is possible that this minimally invasive approach may be used for living liver donors.  Dr. Holt has already performed laparoscopic liver resections for disease, which is relatively new in the country.  In addition to liver resection he also performs other procedures for treatment of liver tumors, such as radiofrequency ablation. 

Dr. Holt also serves as director of undergraduate education for the Department of Surgery. In this role, he is responsible for the clinical rotation of third- and fourth-year students of Stritch School of Medicine. In addition, he provides training for surgery and urology residents who rotate through the transplant unit of Loyola University Medical Center. 

Dr. Holt foresees future alternatives to immunosuppressive drugs – currently possessing potential risks for infection and cancer among other side effects– that will fool the immune system into thinking a transplanted organ is part of the body. He also thinks it is possible in the future for medical science to create organs – a liver or pancreas for example – through stem cells or other means. 

In the meantime, he is focused on the present and it looks very positive. “We are striving for a bigger and better program in Intra-Abdominal Organ Transplantation,” Dr. Holt added.  

For more information, please call (708) 327-2539.

Surgery In the News

Dr. Joehl Discusses “Acid Reflux”

Dr. Raymond J. Joehl, M.D. Professor of Surgery, Vice Chair of Education,
Program Director,  and Chief of Surgery, Hines VA Hospital was quoted in the winter 2006 issue of the  “Blue Medicare Rx Newsletter” in an article entitled: Acid Reflux Mocks Good Manners.

Gerry Smith, a surgical patient of Dr. Silver, died recently.   Mr. Smith wanted to write a book about his experience at Loyola.   Sadly, he died before that goal was accomplished.    His daughter, Kim Smith, felt strongly enough about her father’s wish that she took up the mission and wrote a public letter to the local newspapers.    Ms. Smith wrote, “My father, who is the publisher at Liberty Suburban Chicago Newspapers… often spoke of writing an article or even a book about his recent experiences.  There are a few topics and individuals he frequently mentioned that I would like to write about.”

Ms. Smith goes on to thank four different Loyola caregivers.   “First, my father wanted to say “thank you” to the nurses in High Dose, where he stayed during his bone marrow transplant… Second… his oncologist, Dr. Patrick Stiff…Third, my father’s surgeon,

Dr. Silver and his team, deserve a thank you.  They have taken numerous phone calls, dealt with our anxiety and done their very best for my father…  Lastly, and most importantly, the nurses on the fourth floor west of the ICU.” 

Ms Smith wrote. “We are grateful we had hope for the past several weeks and have not been tormented by “what ifs” … I cannot thank these people enough and would encourage them to continue to give their patients and their families hope.”

This touching letter illustrates how the doctors and nurses of Loyola Medicine impact the lives of everyone they touch.   Thank you to GateHouse Media, for their permission to quote excerpts from Ms. Smith’s letter.
 

Dr. Gamelli Interviewed on Evening News

Richard L. Gamelli, M.D., F.A.C.S., Chairman, Department of Surgery, Director; Burn & Shock Trauma Institute; Chief, Burn Center, was interviewed on WGN news on February 14, 2007 for their series “Painful Painkillers.”    Dr. Gamelli spoke about Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TENS).

Announcements

The Department of Surgery welcomes Ronald L. Guttu, D.D.S., M.S.D. to the Oral Health Center.  On February 1^st, Dr. Guttu joined the faculty as Professor of Surgery and Chief of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Dental Medicine.  Dr. Guttu will also be the Director of the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residency Program.  After almost 14 years of service to the Department of Surgery, Mark Steinberg, D.D.S., M.D. has resigned from these positions and will assume a part-time role in the Oral Health Center. 

Dr. Guttu received his dental degree from the University of Washington School of Dentistry, where he also completed his Oral Medicine Residency and received his Masters of Science in Dentistry. His Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery training was obtained at the University of Illinois-Chicago and at the Medical College of Virginia. He has been board certified in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery since 1990. 

Dr. Guttu joins us from Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin, where he served as the Director of their Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residency program since 2005. Prior to this appointment, he spent almost one year in Norway revising the oral surgery curriculum at the University of Bergen and establishing the first dental anesthesia program in Norway. Before his time overseas, Dr. Guttu was in private oral and maxillofacial surgery practice in Mount Vernon, Washington. He has also been the co-director of a volunteer dental project in Jamaica for over 18 years.  

Dr. Guttu is a member of multiple professional societies and is also a Fellow of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and a Fellow of the International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.  He has an active interest in anesthesia, pediatric oral and maxillofacial surgery, oral pathology and reconstruction, trauma, orthognathic surgery, dental implants and oral medicine. He is a welcome addition to our Oral Health Center.

Loyola University Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine, Department of Surgery is seeking a Pediatric Surgeon.  Candidates at all academic levels will be considered.  A highly competitive benefits package including institutional malpractice coverage, travel funds and salary commensurate with experience and time in rank is available.  The clinical practice is based at the Foster G. McGaw Ronald McDonald® Children’s Hospital in Maywood, Illinois.   This 545-bed hospital is licensed for 100 pediatric beds-50 in Neonatal ICU and 50 in the Pediatric Unit which include 14 Intermediate Care Beds and 12 ICU Beds.  The Ronald McDonald® Children’s Hospital of Loyola University Medical Center is a Pediatric Critical Care Center for Excellence as certified by the Illinois Department of Public Health.  Loyola University Health System’s $103 million medical center expansion is scheduled to be completed in phases beginning in early 2008 includes 12 new operating rooms for a total of 27.  For additional information, you may visit our website at www.luhs.org. 

Interested applicants should send a copy of their CV and a list of three individuals who can provide references by mail to: Steven DeJong, M.D., Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs, Department of Surgery, Loyola University Medical Center, 2160 South First Avenue, Maywood, IL  60153 or via e-mail at sdejong@lumc.edu . Loyola University Medical Center is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer.

Resident Corner

How To Be A Doctor
by Dr. Christine Gresik   

When I began my surgical internship, I was under the impression that I would become a bona fide operative surgeon by the end of the year.  However, while I am happy to report that I have had several opportunities to work on my “knot tying” skills inside of the OR this year, I am also aware of the vast amount of knowledge and surgical skills I am lacking. It’s a good thing it’s a five-year program! 

As I reflect on this past year, (which has gone by remarkably quickly!) it fascinates me to realize how I have grown into my role as a physician.  My main objectives at the beginning of this year were to get through call without any tragedies, expedite discharges, making sure that all TPN orders were in by noon and befriending all of the nurses in PAT.  Despite seeming like mediocre tasks, I now realize that in the midst of the entire scurry of those first few months I actually learned something! I have gained the confidence and knowledge to diagnose critical illnesses, treat complex medical conditions, analyze lab data and develop strategies to prevent complications.  At the same time, I realize that I have learned the majority of this information outside of the operating room…so am I learning the correct items pertinent to my future profession? 

I recently had a discussion with one of the second year residents about my frustrations of spending so much time outside of the OR. I was assured that my feelings were normal and that no one walks away from internship feeling like a well-trained “surgeon.”  Rather, the main objective of internship is to learn how to be a “doctor.”  Looking back at those main objectives I had at the beginning of the year and thinking about what is important to me, I now realize that is exactly what has happened to my entire class.  It’s refreshing to answer a page with confidence, possessing a deeper understanding of certain disease processes, and to have the capability of developing a plan for the patient based not only on medical knowledge, but also experience. I also find myself becoming more of a teacher to the medical students rather than a peer and cannot wait to share my experience as an intern to our incoming class of interns this summer. 

I guess that knowledge gained is in the eye of the beholder. I may not know how to perfectly manage a perforated diverticulum in the operating room, but I am confident I could still be a wonderful doctor for that patient, providing many of their needs outside of the OR. Surgeons in general are much more than operating machines.    That is one of the key lessons to learn as a surgical intern. If I take advantage of the experience I will have during the remainder of this year and focus on learning the pathology, biochemistry, pharmacology and microbiology of surgical processes…maybe next year I’ll be handed the scalpel a little more often!
 

Teaching and Learning

As surgeons, we are expected to be the captain of the ship, and are frequently constructing the clinical options for patients during their most vulnerable times.  Obviously, this leads to many stressful discussions in which appropriate clinical acumen and interpersonal skills are critical to an optimal outcome.   Unfortunately, many of us do not learn how to conduct these conversations until after completing residency and even then through the process of trial and error.  Understanding the applicability of these skills to surgical residents, our Department of Surgery in partnership with the Surgical Service of Edward J. Hines Jr. VA  Hospital (Drs. Temeck, Joehl, Sachdeva, Littooy) and the American College of Surgeons, Division of Education (Drs. Sachdeva, Risucci, and Patrice Blair) developed a structured education module that challenges residents’ technical and interpersonal skills after an adverse intraoperative event.

 This module exposes second year residents to an operating room scenario which includes an adverse event, and this is followed by disclosure of this event to a standardized actor, who portrays the patient’s spouse. Technical and interpersonal skill sets are evaluated by  residents, the standardized actor, and expert faculty.  Feedback is then grouped and returned to the participating residents.  We have shown this module to be challenging and realistic for residents (Am J Surg 2005;190(5):687-90).  Through such innovative approaches, we hope to improve our residents’ comfort and performance in difficult situations and move the acquisition of these important skills into the resident years.  This year our nine PGY-2 residents participated in this module, and although evaluations are not complete, overwhelmingly, the residents found the module both challenging and educational. 

We think that this project is a valuable addition to the variety of “hands on” learning opportunities that our Department of Surgery provides as adjuncts to our training. It has provided our department with the opportunity to work with the College on novel approaches to improving resident education.  We aim to use this module and others like it as educational exercises for our junior resident curriculum on a recurrent basis.
 

Under the supervision of Dr. J. Santaniello, the general surgery residents participated in a daylong course to enhance their skills at performing hand sewn bowel anastomosis. Many surgical residents have commented that most anastomosis are now done with staplers and they wanted to be able to practice hand-sewn techniques in a life-like model outside of the operating room.   The day started with a presentation/lecture which went over the relevant surgical history pertaining to bowel anastomosis and the various techniques.  Dr. Santaniello gave his input on the techniques he favors.  Lunch was provided and the merits of various techniques were discussed.  Finally, the residents went to the pig lab and were divided into groups with senior residents guiding junior residents.  After all the residents had completed a few anastomosis, other procedures were done including splenectomy and distal splenorenal shunts.  The day received rave reviews from the residents who participated.  We hope to expand this experience next year to incorporate laparoscopic procedures.  Any alumni who wish to participate in the next event would be welcomed. 

GME Committee Representative

 Dr. Luke Brewster has been elected by his fellow surgery residents to serve as their representative to the institutional Graduate Medical Education Committee.   Effective immediately.

It is a well-known fact that trainees within our Department of Surgery work VERY hard to further their education and provide quality care to our patients.  But just as they are dedicated to their profession, they are successful, too, in their activities away from work.  Below is just a sampling of the wide variety of activities and interests reported by some of our residents and fellows: 

Knitting, sewing (need to exercise my hand skills in a fun and artistic way!), reading, traveling, and, of course, the one and only “working out”, attending movies, exhibitions, all of which come only after catching up on my sleep! 

-         Irene Sheynman, DDS, General Dentistry Residency

Spending time with my high-school sweetheart who happens to be my husband, taking ski trips together, cooking, knitting and quilting.  I am far more “domestic” than you might think!

-         Melissa Hulvat, MD, General Surgery Resident

Surgery, surgery, and “um”, more surgery – like a good resident, I don’t do anything but surgery. 

-         Jason Smith, MD, General Surgery Resident

Private pilot (single engine planes), triathlons, weight lifting, beach volleyball, and hanging out with friends. 

-     Mark Keldahl, MD, General Surgery Resident

Quilting, baking, adventure racing, and running. 

-         Micah Sinclair, MD, General Surgery Resident

I love to see live music, am an avid bicyclist. and enjoy reading and writing.  I LOVE bowling, spending time with friends, and enjoying good food and spirits now and then.

-         Shawn Obi, DO, General Surgery Resident

Skyscrapers – I love skyscraper architecture and have a large database where I keep adding photos.  My goal is to photograph all 518 skyscrapers (over 500 ft.) in the US.  I currently am 82% complete with 428 photos.

Numismatics – “coin collecting” for the layman.  I focus mainly on US coins and hope to complete a type set (one coin of each design made by the US from 1793 to present).

                                                -   Kip Melstrom, MD, Surgery Research Resident  

New Residency and Fellowship Recruits - July 2007

The Department of Surgery is pleased to welcome the following individuals to our training programs beginning in July

Faculty Member’s Studies on Alcohol-Induced Bone Loss Advance Orthopaedic Research

Innovative Studies Find Possible Key to Better Wound Healing

 Loyola basic science researchers studying burn injury have uncovered findings that may lead to the development of a way to improve wound healing. And a Loyola surgical resident is helping make it happen. 

Douglas E. Faunce, Ph.D., assistant professor of surgery, has been studying the role that natural killer T cells (NKT cells) play in the immune suppression that occurs after burn injury. He and his laboratory technicians, Julia Tulley, M.S., and Jessica Remus, M.S., compared genetically engineered knockout mice that lack NKT cells against normal wild-type mice and observed considerably improved wound healing in NKT cell-deficient mice. Dave Schneider, M.D., currently a third-year surgical resident, saw the results of their experiment.  

“The burn wound in the mice without NKT cells looked dramatically different,” Schneider said. “It definitely healed better than in the other type of mice.” 

What Schneider saw was so important that he said, “I knew I had to work with Dr. Faunce. It was worth spending the time in research.” 

Now Schneider is performing a two-year research fellowship in Faunce’s lab at the Burn and Shock Trauma Institute of Loyola University. His fellowship is funded by the Department of Surgery’s T32 institutional research training grant from the National Institutes of Health. Loyola is one of only 22 institutions in the country, and the only one in Illinois, that received the NIH postdoctoral grant for training and laboratory experience in research related to trauma and burn science.  

Schneider and Faunce were able to replicate the wound healing results in mice with an excisional wound, a better model for wound healing than burns. “Wounds in animals that lack NKT cells have 30 to 50 percent faster healing,” he said.  

Unique focus

Faunce called the research that Schneider has continued “a potential revolutionary advance in the field of wound repair.” 

“He is studying a mechanism that dramatically accelerates wound closure without causing hypertrophic scars,” Faunce said. “The unique thing about Dave’s research is that he is the first to approach manipulating a specific cell type rather than a single growth factor or inflammatory mechanism. He may be changing multiple factors, because he is creating a different microenvironment within the wound. That’s probably why his approach is so successful.” 

Schneider and Faunce hypothesize that, under normal circumstances, NKT cells limit the speed and extent of the local inflammatory response, likely during the initial phase of wound healing. 

“These cells seem to be the brakes on early inflammation,” Schneider explained. “We have measured differences in wound healing as early as 12 hours in mice.” 

Schneider is studying ways to modify NKT cells, by blocking their activation. In both mice and humans, NKT cells are activated by the CD1d antigen-presenting molecule, the only immune cell to do so. 

Clinical implications 

This molecular pathway in mice will, Schneider believes, translate to patients. His work holds promise for the many patients with delayed or altered wound healing, such as those with diabetes or vascular disease, elderly patients and smokers. Burn patients also could benefit, he said. 

Faunce has developed an approach to modify NKT cell function, and he and Schneider plan to begin preclinical studies in a year. According to Faunce, the NIH training grant allows Schneider and other research fellows the hands-on experience to see how the therapies they use at the bedside are developed. “It’s not something you can get from a textbook,” he said.

Schneider is one of two Loyola surgical residents who have trauma and burn research fellowships through the NIH training grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. The other trainee is Gerard Abood, M.D., PGY-4 surgical resident. In addition, Kurt Melstrom, M.D., PGY-4, and Areck Ucuzian, M.D., PGY-3, are also conducting research fellowships through the Department of Surgery.

Satellite Symposium

The Burn & Shock Trauma Institute is a proud supporter of “Alcohol and Trauma 2007,” the Satellite Symposium of the 30^th Annual Meeting of the Shock Society.    It will be held in Baltimore, MD on Friday, June 8 and Saturday, June 9.    Elizabeth J. Kovacs, Ph.D.   (Combined insult of ethanol and burn injury trigger local and systemic inflammatory responses), and Carol R. Schermer, M.D., M.P.H. (The nuts and bolts of brief alcohol interventions for trauma patients) are among the invited speakers.

For information about the meeting, please contact Elizabeth J. Kovacs, Ph.D., (708) 327-2477 email:  ekovacs@lumc.edu.

Lindberg Award

This year’s annual American Burn Association (ABA) Meeting was held in San Diego, California from March 21^st – 23^rd, 2007.  During the Presidential Address and Award Ceremony, Department of Surgery research assistant professor, Kuzhali Muthumalaiappan, Ph.D. was presented with the Robert B. Lindberg Award. 

Robert B. Lindberg, Ph.D. (1914-1982) was an internationally recognized microbiologist. His research career spanned more than half a century.  This award, named in his honor, is presented at the annual ABA Meeting for the best scientific paper submitted by a non-physician.  Dr. Kuzhali Muthumalaiappan, known to her friends and colleagues as Dr. Kay Muthu, received the award for her paper entitled “Perturbed Bone Marrow Monocyte Development Following Burn Injury And Sepsis Promote Hypo-Responsive Monocytes.” 

Dr. Muthu joined the Burn and Shock Trauma Institute as a full-time faculty member in January 2006.  Prior to her appointment, she worked as a research associate in the Institute since 2001 where Ravi Shankar, Ph.D. served as her mentor.  Interestingly enough, Dr. Shankar was chosen as the recipient of the Robert B. Lindberg Award at the previous ABA Meeting in 2006 for his research paper entitled “Gene Transfer Treatment for Multi-Drug Resistant Acinetobacter Baumannii.” 

Congratulations to both Dr. Muthu and Dr. Shankar for shining the spotlight on us for two year’s in a row!

Publications/Presentations/Awards

Publications

Endorf, F.W. and Gamelli, R.L.:  Inhalation Injury, Pulmonary Perturbations And Fluid Resuscitation.  J Burn Care Res. 2007 Jan-Feb; 28(1): 80-3. 

Hurtuk, M.G., Shoup, M., Aranha, G.V., Devata, S., Brown, K.M., Oshima, K., and Pickleman, J.:  Should All Patients With Duodenal Adenocarcinoma Be Considered For Aggressive Surgical Resection.  Am J Surg 2007; 193: 319-325  

Leon, L.R. Jr, Villar, H., Leon, C., Psalms, S., and Aranha, G.:  The Journey Of A Foreign-Trained Physician To A United States Residency.  J Am Coll Surg 2007; 204: 486-494 

Plackett, T.P., Colantoni, A., Heinrich, S.A., Messingham, K.A., Gamelli, R.L., and Kovacs, E.J.:  The Early Acute Phase Response After Burn Injury In Mice.  J Burn Care Res. 2007 Jan-Feb; 28(1):167-172. 

Shankar, R., He, L.K., Szilagyi, A., Muthu, K., Gamelli, R.L., Filutowicz, M., Wendt, J.L., Suzuki, H., and Dominguez, M.:  A Novel Antibacterial Gene Transfer Treatment For Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter Baumannii-Induced Burn Sepsis.  J Burn Care Res. 2007 January/February; 28 (1):6-12. 

Books

Granick, M.S. and Gamelli, R.L.:  Surgical Wound Healing And Management.  Blackwell Publishing, February 2007.

Book Chapters

Gamelli, R.L.:  Surgical Management of Necrotizing Fasciitis. Surgical Wound Healing and Management.  Taylor and Francis Group LLC, February 2007.

Pruitt, B.A. and Gamelli, R.L.:  Burns.  Acute Care Surgery:  Principles and Practice.  Britt, L.D., Turnkey, D.D. and Feliciano, D.V.:  Springer, February 2007.
 

Commentaries

 Gamelli, R.L.: Cost-Utility Analysis Applied To The Treatment Of Burn Patients In A Specialized Center, Archives of Surgery, January 2007.

Presentations

Aranha, G.:  University of Omaha.  Complications of Pancreaticoduodenectomy.  Visiting Professor.  March 21, 2007. Omaha, Nebraska.

Brems, J.J:  Presented “Indicators for Liver Transplantation” at the Liver Disease Symposium sponsored by the American Liver Foundation in Chicago.

Brems, J.J:  Invited to present at Grand Rounds at the University of Illinois.  “Transplantation and Hepatitis C.”

Gamelli, R.L.:   Presentations on “Funding Clinical Trials”, “Process and Benefits of Burn Center Verification” and participated in a symposium on burn care at the American Burn Association Annual Meeting in San Diego. 

Gamelli, R.L.:   Moderated a correlative session on “Critical Illness-Critical Science.” American Burn Association Annual Meeting in San Diego. 

Shoup, M.C.:  Moderated a poster session on “Outcomes in Surgical Oncology” at the Society of University Surgeons in Phoenix, Arizona.
 

Abstracts

Bennett, B.K., Farrell, R.T., and Gamelli, R.L.:  Financial Barriers to Inpatient Post Acute Burn Care.  Abstract presented at the 39^th Annual American Burn Association Meeting 2007. 

Farrell, R.T., Aleem, R., and Gamelli, R.L.:  The Relationship of Body Mass Index and Functional Outcomes in Patients with Acute Burns.  Abstract presented at the 39^th Annual American Burn Association Meeting 2007. 

Farrell, R.T., Bennett, B.K., Gamelli, R.L., and Mitchell, N.:  Impact of Social Support on Discharge Disposition and Functional Outcomes in Patients with Acute Burns.  Abstract presented at the 39^th Annual American Burn Association Meeting 207. 

Gosain, A., Muthu, K., Gamelli, R.L., and  DiPietro, L.A.:  Norepinephrine Suppresses Wound Macrophage Phagocytic Efficiency via Camp and PKA.  Abstract presented at the 2^nd Annual Academic Surgical Congress 2007. 

Mosier, M.J., Gamelli, R.L., Halerz, M.M., and Silver, G.M.:  Microbial Contamination in Burn Patients Undergoing Urgent Intubation as Part of their Early Airway Management.  Abstract presented at the 39^th Annual American Burn Association Meeting 2007. 

Muthu, K., He, L.K., Melstrom, K., Szilagy, A., Gamelli. R.L., and Shankar, R.:  Perturbed Bone Marrow Monocyte Development Following Burn Injury and Sepsis promote Hypo-Responsive Monocytes.  Abstract presented at the 39^th Annual American Burn Association Meeting 2007. 

Pham, T.N., Klein, M.B., Gibran, N.S., Hunt, J.L., Gamell, R.L., Silver, G.M., Tompkins, R.G., and Herndon, D.N.:  Influence of Early Beta-Blocker and Oxandrolone on Adult Outcomes in a Multicenter Clinical Study.  Abstract presented at the 39^th Annual American Burn Association Meeting 2007.

Grants & Funding

Shoup, M.C.:  Received $30,000 in funding from Riviera Country Club for research in evaluating T cells and their regulation in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Shoup, M.C.:  Opened a single institution, investigator initiated trial entitled “A pilot study of dendritic cell injection following chemoradiation for locally advanced pancreatic cancer.”  The first patient has completed the study and is doing well without progression of disease.

Meetings

Aulivola, B.:  Served on the program committee for the Winter meeting of the Peripheral Vascular Surgery Society held in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. 

Shoup, M.C.:  Inducted as a new member into the Society of University Surgeons and was named the Loyola representative to the society.  She also has served as the Loyola Representative for the AAMC course “Enhancing Team Effectiveness.”

Former Faculty News

Dr. Kimberly A. Davis has been appointed Vice Chairman for Clinical Affairs for the Department of Surgery at Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, effective February 1, 2007. 

Dr. Davis moved to Connecticut in March 2006, after eight years with the Department of Surgery, where she served as the Section Chief of Surgical Critical Care, the Medical Director of the Surgical Intensive Care Unit, and the Program Director of the Surgical Critical Care Fellowship.    

As the Vice Chairman for Clinical Affairs, Dr. Davis will serve as a single contact point for all clinical issues for the Department of Surgery, including those crossing multiple departmental, sectional and service lines.  In addition to this new appointment, Dr. Davis,  Associate Professor of Surgery, is the Chief of the Section of Trauma, Surgical Critical, and Surgical Emergencies.

Alumni News

We are always happy to hear what is going on in the lives of our alumni.  The following came to us via email.  If you would like your story to appear in future issues of our Newsletter, please feel free contact us at surgnews@lumc.edu to share your life “after”  Loyola. 

Peter Deveaux, M.D., FACS, Graduated 1999:  “I am a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where I am staff General Surgeon; Chief, Section of Colorectal Surgery; and Assistant General Surgery Residency Program Director.  I have deployed twice to Afghanistan and will be deployed to another warm country this summer or fall.”

“I am married to Lynn, and we have 4 beautiful boys: …  They are the best people in the world.  I passed my boards in Colorectal Surgery this year and am focusing on trying to get a residency program in surgery started here at Bragg patterned after the program at Loyola.  I feel fortunate every day that I trained at Loyola.”

Staff Corner

The MAGIS award is presented quarterly to employees who demonstrate exceptional MAGIS behavior – Respect – Concern – Care – Cooperation.  Each quarter, the MAGIS coordinator and the nominations sub-committee review all nominations and recommend nominees to the MAGIS Task Force for their final selection of five recipients for the award.  Angela Harris, Clerkship Coordinator of the Department of Surgery Office of Education, was chosen as one of the March, 2007 MAGIS Award Recipients.

Education Coordinator, Kimberly Echert’s, nomination read:

Angela Harris.  With a rescheduled suture class scheduled for students on a Monday, Angela came into the department late on Sunday night to check that the frozen pigs feet were appropriately thawed.  They were not.  She loaded them onto a cart, took them to her home at midnight, lugged the 40-lb. bag up three flights of stairs to her apartment, and proceeded to thaw them in her bathtub.  She then brought them back in on Monday and managed to set up for the course accordingly.

These efforts are all a result of her having to move this course from Hines to SSOM due to scheduling conflicts, which is saving our Department approximately $1200 per year in the process.  This is just one wonderful example of Angela's dedication to her work, to the Department and to our student programs.”

Angela was taken by surprise when John M.  Lee, M.D., Ph.D., Dean of the Stritch School of Medicine presented her with the award in January, 2007.  Angela was also honored at a luncheon at the end of March and presented with a recognition award package.  Her photo and the award nomination have been posted for the quarter outside of the Hospital Cafeteria.  Angela Harris certainly personifies the MAGIS spirit and qualities and is much deserving of this honor and recognition.

WALK. RUN. EMPOWER

WALK. RUN. EMPOWER. – This is the slogan for the Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization’s Race which is held each year on Mother’s Day.  We here in the Department of Surgery are very familiar with this phrase.  That’s because for the past 5 years – Mary Martinez, Senior Secretary for the Section of Pediatrics, has coordinated a team from the Department of Surgery to participate in this important fundraising event.  

Mary is continuing on this Mother’s Day tradition in 2007 by forming a team for the Y-ME Race which will be held this Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 13^th.  The 1 or 3 mile walk will begin at Chicago’s Grant Park at 9:00 am. 

Since 1991, Y-ME’s Mother’s Day Events have raised more than $26 million to help ensure that no one faces breast cancer alone. Mary Martinez has been very much a part of the continued success of this fundraiser.   We applaud her efforts in coordinating a team and soliciting donations to this important cause since 2003. 

Anyone interested in participating in the walk or making a donation for the Loyola Department of Surgery Team, should contact Mary via e-mail at mmart7@lumc.edu.

The Last Word

Medical Center Expansion Update

In December 2005, construction began on the $103 million medical center expansion.  The expansion is scheduled to be completed in phases beginning in early 2008.

The hospital expansion will include a new, centrally located two-story hospital lobby when construction is completed.  Other patient comforts will include separate elevators and corridors for patients and the public.

Construction includes the development of 176,000 square feet of new space and 60,000 square feet of renovated existing hospital space.

The new facility will contain:

• 12 new operating rooms for a total of 27 – As all of our surgeons in our Department well know, more operating rooms will allow the hospital to meet the increased demand.

• A new staff lounge, pharmacy and frozen section laboratory for diagnosing biopsies

• New pre-operative and recovery areas

• Comfortable space for families to consult with physicians

• Two new medical/surgical units with 64 private rooms for a total of 298 adult medical/surgical beds

• Conversion from double to single occupancy of some hospital rooms – to increase patient and family privacy – for a total of 568 licensed beds

• An inpatient MRI unit – eliminating the need to transport hospitalized patients

• New areas for non-invasive cardiac and peripheral vascular diagnostics

• Four new cardiac catheterization laboratories

• Three new electrophysiology laboratories

• Comfortable space for families to consult with physicians

• 64 private hospital rooms – Private rooms will allow patients more privacy and family members greater comfort in being at the bedside for extended hours; even overnight.

• The Center for Heart & Vascular Medicine also will be renovated as part of the medical center expansion. The center, created in 2004, provides an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to caring for inpatients and outpatients with vascular and heart disorders. The center will receive a new reception area, new areas for non-invasive cardiac and peripheral vascular diagnostics, four new cardiac catheterization laboratories and three new electrophysiology laboratories with room for one additional laboratory to accommodate growth.