Newsletter  - Winter 2007

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

With the death of Dr. Robert J. Freeark on December 13, 2006, our department and medical center has not only lost a long-time member of our faculty but one of the pillars of our success.  Bob was known for many great accomplishments during his tenure as chair of the Department of Surgery which spanned 25 years.  He took our department from a fledgling department with no recognition and a medical center that was not sure of the direction it needed to proceed and built one of the premier clinical departments in the nation.  Bob’s department became recognized for its clinical excellence and the many talented members of his department who played leadership roles in American surgery such as William Baker, Jack Pickleman, Herbert Greenlee, Frank Folk, Robert Mason, Ray Warpeha, Fred Littooy and Frank Harford to name a few.  The Surgical Residency under Dr. Freeark flourished and trained nearly 200 chief residents during his tenure. 

My introduction to Bob Freeark occurred during the fall of 1989 when I was asked to come to Loyola. Bob had a vision of building a research institute in alignment with a clinical program.  The notion of translational research had not yet become common in any ones’ mind but that’s exactly what Bob had in his own mind.  He had spent a sabbatical year visiting premier trauma and burn centers and had come up with the concept that patient care could only be improved by linking what happen at the bedside to the laboratory and finding ways to improve patient care.  Bob’s commitment and support of the building of our Burn and Shock Trauma Institute during its early and fragile formative years was critical to the successes we enjoy today.    

Having the opportunity to follow in Bob’s footsteps as chair, now for eleven years, has convinced me more than ever of his wisdom, judgment and fairness. Bob was passionate about Chicago and the Chicago Bears and, on most days, the Cubs. He was always focused on Loyola and what it needed to do next if it was to continue be a successful academic medical center. His vision for Loyola went beyond that of the Department of Surgery. Over the years, Bob’s key investments were in people.  His support was not only philosophically and emotionally but financially as he often helped those outside of the department because it was the right thing to do. Researchers in basic science or a graduating resident wanting to do a fellowship could count on Bob for his support of their career.  

Bob always gave the best to his patients and was totally dedicated to their care as well as to the training and education of students and residents.  He continued to amaze me when I would walk into our conference room and see the chalk talk that Bob had just given our students on gastric physiology.  What was diagramed on the board was well beyond what any senior resident and many of the junior faculty likely knew. 

I could not have had the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of a greater chair than Bob Freeark.  His support throughout my tenure was one of encouragement and compliment.  Bob’s advice was always well reasoned, balanced and added another level of clarity to the decision that needed to be made.  

If the success of a man is gauged by the successes he allows others to achieve, Bob Freeark’s career is one of spectacular success. Medical students, surgical residents, fellows, practicing surgeons, and their patients continue to benefit today.  They will do so for decades to come because of his leadership and commitment to excellence.

 

Feature Articles

Midwest Surgical Association Meeting

The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan served as the location for the 49th Annual meeting of the Midwest Surgical Association from August 6 – 9, 2006.  Numerous faculty members and residents from the Department of Surgery attended the meeting and presented their research work and discussed the scientific presentations of their colleagues.  The meeting represented an outstanding blend of stimulating scientific presentations and an enjoyable social program that involved members and their families.  There's nothing quite like a dinner in the dining room of the Grand Hotel.  The last night of the meeting we dined on the porch at Fort Mackinac, which, overlooks the Straits of Mackinac, the Mackinac Bridge, and Mackinac City.  The view of the moon rising was spectacular.  As you can see, our department was well represented by many members and their families at this meeting.

The Department of Surgery has realized a long-standing goal to give special recognition to our surgical residents who have graduated and gone on to make their mark in the world.  On December first, the “Surgical Residents Through The Years” wall was established in the department.  The wall is located in the hallway adjacent to the reception area.  The cherry wood and corian scrolls that comprise this wall are engraved with the names of surgical residents starting with the year 1970 and going through our past graduating year, June 2006.  At the completion of each academic year, the names of the graduating residents will be added to the wall.  This wall is truly an impressive tribute to those that have graduated from our surgical residency program.

Department of Surgery Annual Cocktail Reception

The Department of Surgery hosted its Annual Cocktail Reception on Tuesday, October 10.  The event was held at the Chicago Cultural Center in the Yates Gallery.    The Gallery overlooked Chicago’s Millennium Park, and the view was absolutely spectacular.  Attendees were entertained by the sounds of the Stu Hirsh Trio and treated to a variety of food stations and dessert tables.  With the American College of Surgeons 92^nd. Annual Clinical Congress being held in Chicago, the event was attended by many of our alumni and former faculty.    If comments that our Administrative team received are any indicator, the evening was a major success.   You may want to take a moment to check out the photos from the evening to see if you recognize anyone.  

Clinical Spotlight

Thomas J. Esposito, M.D., M.P.H., a Loyola trauma and critical care surgeon since 1991, wears many hats, but you might not expect the ones he wears in his free time: chef and Santa.  Esposito has been called “a culinary artist of Italian dishes” and enjoys making pizza in a wood-burning oven in his basement bistro. 

As for Saint Nick, Esposito explained “for two years running, now, I’ve played Santa in a PetSmart store, helping raise money for a dog rescue group my wife is involved with.” 

If animal rescue is a passion of Julie, his wife of four years, trauma surgery is his passion.

“It’s more than a job…. It’s an adventure,” said Esposito, professor of surgery at the Stritch School of Medicine and chief of the trauma section in the Department of Surgery. “It’s challenging and diverse. You get to do it all.” 

Calling himself “part policy advocate, part educator, part clinician and part researcher,” Esposito is also director of the Injury Analysis and Prevention Programs for the Burn and Shock Trauma Institute of Loyola University. Additionally, he travels the country as a speaker, trauma center reviewer and consultant to government and private injury related agencies, law firms and trauma systems. 

The nationally and internationally recognized trauma expert’s diverse interests fall into three main areas: injury control, trauma systems and acute care surgery.

Injury control

“Injury is probably the biggest problem facing this nation,” Esposito said. “It’s the leading cause of death and disability for those below the age of 44 in this country and … is responsible for the greatest proportion of all U.S. health care expenditures.”

One major hurdle to reducing injuries is that injury generally is not viewed as a disease that can be prevented. All injuries are controllable, according to Esposito, who does not use the word accident.

“We need to use the same types of strategies for reducing injuries that were used for [encouraging] smoking cessation,” he said.

Esposito believes in a Public Health model of injury control based on an approach that involves all of the following strategies:

• Engineering: technical improvements, such as safety belts, air bags and smoke detectors
• Economic incentives and disincentives, for example, insurance premium discounts for drivers with no car crashes
• Enforcement and enactment of laws aimed at reducing injuries
• Education

Although Esposito educates about injury prevention in grade schools and elsewhere, he calls education the least effective method because many people, especially young people, disregard safety warnings and advice. He also works closely with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and other organizations to develop more effective injury control strategies.

Esposito laments that NHTSA will not be renewing its support of the Loyola Prevention Program due to federal budgetary constraints. He adds that intramural and extramural funding for the program have been surprisingly difficult to obtain, placing the program in serious jeopardy of extinction. “At this point, support from any source would be welcomed,” he says. 

Esposito co-chairs the physician-led traffic safety advocacy group End Needless Death on Our Roadways. The group is dedicated to decreasing the incidence of impaired and other dangerous driving behaviors. It advocates screening for alcohol abuse after every crash and treating substance abusers.

Injury control is something that every physician can be involved in, and not just by practicing safe driving themselves, he said. Doctors can be spokespersons and champions of injury prevention and control in their communities, hospitals, or professional organizations. They can lobby for health policy laws, such as better reimbursement for trauma and emergency care, funding for implementation of trauma systems, and compensation laws for victims of violent crimes or just participate in trauma care- which many surgeons are reluctant to do.

Trauma systems

Trauma surgeons should document their treatments and outcomes for trauma registries, said Esposito, who is medical director of Loyola’s trauma registry.

As one of 20 Level I trauma centers in Illinois, Loyola University Medical Center collects and submits burn and trauma data to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Using the data obtained from the registry, Esposito and his co-workers conduct research and publish trauma outcomes that assist in improving the treatment of trauma.

Loyola’s trauma center was the first in Illinois to be verified by the American College of Surgeons (ACS), and Esposito encourages other trauma centers to seek ACS verification and trauma systems to participate in the ACS trauma system evaluation program. He was instrumental in facilitating a recent independent evaluation of the Illinois state trauma system by the ACS.

Acute care surgery 

Esposito is no less passionate about his clinical work.

“He has dedicated his life to excellence in patient care and improving access to trauma care for injured patients,” said Fred A. Luchette, M.D., director, Division of Trauma, Critical Care and Burns, and also the Ambrose and Gladys Bowyer Professor of Surgery.

Indeed, Esposito is concerned about access for all emergency patients.  Changing trauma surgery into “acute care surgery” will, he believes, help surgeons to better respond to the needs of patients who present with an emergency condition.

In addition, Esposito is an outspoken advocate for the discipline of trauma surgery at a time when fewer physicians are choosing the subspecialty and its demanding lifestyle. He recommends broadening the trauma surgeon’s scope of practice to elective and emergency general surgery, trauma, and surgical critical care.

“We’re going to have to change the paradigm of  practice scope and practice lifestyle in order to attract more people into trauma surgery,” said Esposito, who completed both clinical and research fellowships in traumatology at the University of Maryland after his surgical residency at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Boston. He obtained his MPH and injury prevention credentials from the University of Washington.

“I’d like to see more people go into this field and lend their talents and spirit to the cause,” he said. “I think it's one of the noblest aspects of surgery. You are able to have an impact on society and its major public health problem.”

Although Esposito admits, as he gets older, that when he gets paged at 3 a.m. to consult on a “great case,” he thinks, “There are no great cases at 3 in the morning,” but in retrospect, after a little rest, changes his mind. “Two days later … it does somehow always end up being a great case and a great overall career.”

 

Surgery In the News

Faculty Named America's Top Doctors 

Three of the Department of Surgery’s faculty rank in the top 1 percent of America’s doctors, according to New York-based Castle Connolly Medical Ltd.’s new book, America’s Top Doctors, ™ (sixth edition).  The following faculty received this prestigious distinction.   

Dr. John J. Brems
Professor of Surgery
Division of General Surgery

America’s Top Doctors identifies leading physicians in the U.S. considered outstanding by their peers. Castle Connolly, www.castleconnolly.com, a publisher of national and regional consumer healthcare guides, surveyed tens of thousands of medical doctors in leadership positions and in private practice. The results name 5,000 physicians in more than 60 specialties and subspecialties, treating some 1,700 medical conditions and diseases.

Dr. Esposito interviews on local and national radio

Thomas J. Esposito, M.D., M.P.H., was interviewed on local & national radio and television stations in November.  Dr. Esposito is the Co-Chairperson of  “End Needless Death on Our Roadways” (END), a physician-led traffic safety advocacy group.  The topic for his interviews was “Ten States Make Deadly Fatal Fifteen List for Three Years Straight.”  This is an annual list of the 15 deadliest states in the country for impaired driving (Illinois ranks 13^th).   The “Fatal Fifteen” are states in which 41% or more of all traffic fatalities are alcohol related.   Dr. Esposito stated that,  “The biggest thing is to raise people’s consciousness… as to the preventability of a lot of these incidents.”    The key is to change people’s attitudes about driving under the influence, the same way years of anti-smoking campaigns and taxes have turned public opinion around to smoking.  For more information on END, visit their website: www.endneedlessdeath.org

Resident Corner

Being a Part of the Team
by Dr. Christine Gresik   

I remember as a medical student here at Loyola, receiving a lecture from Doctor Sheehan during which he said, “The key to being a good doctor is devoting as much time to each patient as each patient needs.”  It’s almost halfway through my internship now, and I finally realize that this is what practicing medicine is really all about … just not quite as literally.  Let’s face it; if patients always had their way, our morning rounds would turn into all day rounds as each would command the constant attention of the Service to attend to his needs.  It’s now that I realize what Dr. Sheehan was implying …we, as physicians, need to be there, not only for our patients’ medical needs, but also for the emotional, mental and spiritual concerns that arise in anyone requiring a surgical intervention.  I now realize how lucky I am, to be a part of a healthcare “team” as this is far too great a task for someone to accomplish on her own.    I am thankful for all the people that make my life so much easier by being there for the patients when I am unable.  

As much as I like to think that residents have the busiest and most chaotic job in the hospital, the fact is that nurses often work just as many hours and attend to each and every patients’ needs all day long.  Having a good relationship with the nurses ultimately grants the patient better care and expedites the road to recovery.  A positive partnership can make a call night a completely different experience.  Nurses can spare you the 0100 multivitamin refill request or the 0400 call letting you know that your patient’s potassium is stable, provided that you have a nice attitude, respect their role as valuable members of the team and, of course, complete your discharge paperwork in a timely fashion!  They really are a wealth of knowledge, and I have come to recognize the frequency by which I depend on their experience…let’s face it, most of the nurses have been working for far longer than I.   

Another member of the team that is not praised nearly enough is the social worker.  We were told the first day of internship that the discharge plan is to start the day that our patients are admitted.  For some patients, even this does not always allow an adequate amount of time.  I cannot give our social workers enough credit for the countless number of referrals for placement, phone calls to insurance companies, and wound vac requests that they place on a daily basis. 

Of course, there are many more to acknowledge for whom I am equally grateful.  In the future, when I reflect upon my residency … I hope that I will remember all of the people that touched my life during my education, and not just my attendings or fellow residents.  Rather, the nurses that fed me Thanksgiving dinner in the Burn Unit, the respiratory therapist that showed me how to set up my first ventilator, scrub nurses who took the time to teach me proper draping, pharmacists that help to clarify medication requests, chaplains that spend hours at a patient’s bedside, and on and on.  Not all of the learning I will do during residency will take place in the OR or by reading Cameron or Sabiston … I am certain that some knowledge can only be acquired by learning from the experiences of everyone on the “team.”

 

General Surgery Recruitment News …Winter 2006-2007

 To paraphrase a famous quote, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night” could stay our General Surgery applicants from attending a recent recruitment session.  Such was the case with our first recruitment event of the year held on Friday, December 1st.  Despite hundreds of flight cancellations amidst the first snowstorm of the season, 35 tenacious medical students made their way to the Department of Surgery to meet our program officials, faculty and residents.  Some had driven many hours, some had rearranged last-minute flights, and even one arrived at our Friday evening function without her luggage.  Yet, the event was overwhelmingly successful.  In spite of the challenging weather, our candidates showed their true mettle and presented themselves very positively.  Our faculty and residents deserve kudos, too, for coming out in force to show the Department of Surgery at its best. 

 A second recruitment day was held on Thursday, December 14th.  Happily, weather conditions were more favorable and again, we hosted 35 eager young recruits.  The entire Department of Surgery graciously handled the disruption of this event amidst the normal business routine, and once again, the feedback from our recruits was uniformly positive.

 Two additional General Surgery recruitment events are scheduled for mid-January.  At the conclusion of our recruitment season, we will have interviewed 115 of the best and brightest medical students in the country.  The faculty, residents, and staff have shone in our past events and our Department workspace has never been more beautiful.  The results of this will become evident in July as we welcome several bright young surgeons to join our ranks and build upon the fine tradition of training provided here at Loyola.       

General Surgery Recruitment Statistics – 12/21/06:

• 758 Applications Received in Total

• 336 Applications for Preliminary Surgery

• 654 Applications for Categorical Surgery

For Categorical Track: 

• 324 US Medical Colleges (LCME) Students/Graduates

• 21 Osteopathic Students/Graduates

• 308 International Medical Students/Graduates

• 26 AOA Members (at time of Application Submission – early Fall 2006)

• 158 Candidates Invited to Interview (Categorical)

For Preliminary Track:   

• 57 US Medical Colleges (LCME) Students/Graduates

• 5 Osteopathic Students/Graduates

• 273 International Medical Students/Graduates

• 0 AOA Members (at time of Application Submission – early Fall 2006)

• 23 Candidates Invited to Interview (Preliminary)

Accreditation News …

The Department of Surgery has undergone three site visits from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) within 2006.  As this is a very long process awaiting word from the various Residency Review Committees, the last of the accreditation decisions has just been received.  The programs reviewed this year were Plastic Surgery, Surgical Critical Care and Vascular Surgery. 

Research

Leading Research Explores Novel Cell-based Anti-bacterial Therapies

Publications/Presentations/Awards

Publications

Aranha, G.V., Aaron, J., and Shoup, M.C.:  “Critical Analysis of a Large Series of Pancreaticogastrostomy following Pancreaticoduodenectomy” Arch Surg 2006; 141:574-580. 

Aranha, G.V., Aaron, J.M., Shoup, M.C., and Pickleman, J.:  “Current Management of Pancreatic Fistula after Pancreaticoduodenectomy.”  Surgery 2006; 140: 561-569. 

Boehmer, E.D., Meehan, M.J., Cutro, B.T., Gomez, C.R., and Kovacs, E.J.:  2006. Aberrant TLR signaling in macrophages from aged mice. (ed., JD Schwarzmeier), The 6th  International Cytokine Conferences. Bologna, Italy, Monduzzi Editor, pp 31-34. 

Brewster, L.P., Bennet, B.K., and Gamelli,R.L.:  Application of Rehabilitation Ethics to a Selected Burn Patient Population’s Perspective.  J Am Coll Surg.  2006 Nov;203(5):776-771. 

Brown, K., Shoup, M.C., Abodeely, A., Hodul, P., Brems, J.J., and Aranha, G.V.:  “Central Pancreatectomy from Benign Pancreatic Lesions.” HPB 2006; 8:142-14. 

Carlson, A.P., Schermer, C.R., and Lu, S.W.:  Retrospective evaluation of anemia and transfusion in traumatic brain injury. J Trauma 2006 Sep;61 (3):567-71. 

Davis, K.A., Abodeely, A., Reed, R.L., Esposito, T.J., Santaniello, J.M., Poulakidas, S., and Luchette, F.A.:  Predictors of the need for nephrectomy after renal trauma.  J Trauma 2006 January; 60(1):164-170. 

Davis, K.A., Esposito, T.J., Reed, R.L., Santaniello, J.M., and Luchette, F.A.:  Nutritional gain vs. financial gain? The role of metabolic carts in the surgical ICU.  J Trauma 2006; 61:1436-1440.

Eckert, M.J., Davis, K.A., Reed, R.L., Esposito, T.J., Santaniello, J.M., Poulakidas, S., Gamelli, R.L., and Luchette, F.A.:  Ventilator-associated Pneumonia, like Real Estate:  Location Really Matters. J Trauma 2006 January;60 (1):104-110.

Eckert, M.J., Wade, T.E., Davis, K.A., Luchette, F.A., Esposito, T.J., Poulakidas, S., and Gamelli, R.L.:  Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia after Combined Burn and Trauma is due to Associated Injuries and not the Burn Wound. J Burn Care Res. 2006 July/August; 27(4): 457-462.

Emanuele, N., LaPaglia, N., Kovacs, E.J., and Emanuele, M.A.:  2006. Effects of acute and chronic ethanol administration on proinflammatory cytokines of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in male rats. Alcohol, in press.

Esposito, T.J.:  Rank and File Weighs in on Trauma and General Surgery Issues: Results from a Survey of ACS Fellows.  Bull AM Coll Surg. 91(9): 13-20, 2006.

Esposito, T.J., Crandall, M., Reed, R.L., Gamelli, R.L., and Luchette, F.A.:  Socioeconomic factors, medicolegal issues, and trauma patient transfer trends:  Is there a connection? J Trauma 2006; 61:1380-1388.

Esposito, T.J., Leon, L., and Jurkovich, G.J.:  The Shape of Things to Come:  Results From A National Survey Of Trauma Surgeons On Issues Concerning Their Future.  J Trauma 60:8-16, 2006.

Esposito, T.J., Rotondo, M.F. Barie, P.S., et al:  Making The Case For A Paradigm Shift In Trauma Surgery.  J Am Coll Surg. 202: 655-667, 2006.

Fitzgerald, D.J., Radek, K.A., Chaar, M., Faunce, D.E., DiPietro, L.A., and Kovacs, E.J.:  2006.  Acute ethanol exposure impairs the early inflammatory response during wound healing.  Alcoholism: Clin. Expt. Res., in press.

Gomez, C.R., Boehmer, E.D., Nomellini, V., and Kovacs, E.J.:  2006. Signal transduction in the aging innate immune system. Current Immunology Reviews, invited review, in press.

Gomez, C.R., Hirano, S., Cutro, B.T., Birjandi, S., Baila, H., Nomellini,V., and Kovacs, E.J.:  2006. Advanced age exacerbates the pulmonary inflammatory response after lipopolysaccharide exposure.  Crit. Care Med., in press.

Gomez, C.R., Plackett, T.P., and Kovacs, E.J.:  2006. Aging and estrogen: Modulation of inflammatory responses after injury.  Expt. Gerontol., in press.

Gosain, A., Matthies, A.M., Dovi, J.V., Barbul, A., Gamelli, R.L., and DiPietro, L.A.:  Exogenous pro-angiogenic stimuli cannot prevent physicologic vessel regression.  J Surg Res.2006 Oct;135(2):218-55.

Hurtuk, M., Reed, R.L., Esposito, T.J., Davis, K.A., and Luchette, F.A.:  Trauma surgeons practice what they preach:  The NTDB story on solid organ injury management. J Trauma 2006;61:243-255.

Kapur, U., Rubinas, T., Ghai, R., Sincacore, J., Yao, K.A., and Rajan, P.:  Prediction of nonsentinel lymph node metastases in sentinel node positive breast carcinoma, Annals Diag Path 2006 (in press).

Keldahl, M., Sen, S., and Gamelli, R.L.:  Gastric Rupture after Cardiopulmonary resuscitation in a burn patient.  J Burn Care Res. 2006 Sept/Oct; 27(5):757-9.

Miller, C.B., Malaisrie, S.C., Patel, J., Garrity, E., Vigneswaran, W.T., and Gamelli, R.L.:  Intraabdominal Complications after Lung Transplantation.  J Am Coll Surg. 2006 Nov; 203(5):653-660.

Patel, J., Dutta, S., Shoup, M.C., Pickleman, J., and Aranha, G.V.:  The impact of Clinicopathological factors on survival of patients with Gastric Cancer.  Poster Presentation.  47th Annual Meeting of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, Los Angeles CA, May 22, 2006.

Plackett, T.P., Colantoni, A., Heinrich, S.A., Messingham, K.A.N., Gamelli, R.L., and Kovacs, E.J.:  2006. The early acute phase response following burn injury in the mouse.   J Burn Care Res., in press.

Weilenberg, A., Demos, T.C., Luchette, F.A., and Bova, D.:  Cardiac Herniation due to Blunt Trauma: Early Diagnosis facilitated by computed Topography.  AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2006 Aug; 187(2): W239-40. 

Book Chapters

Esposito, T.J., Luchette, F.A., and Gamelli, R.L.:  Do we Really Need Neurosurgeons in the Trauma Center.  Advances in Surgery. Cameron J (Ed) 2006, vol 40; p40; pages 213-221.

Gentillello, L., Schermer, C., and Hungerford D.: Alcohol Interventions In Trauma Centers And Emergency Departments: Same Place, Different Services.  Alcohol And Injuries: Emergency Department Studies In An International Perspective.  World Health Organization: Geneva, in press.

Schermer, C.R., and Genitlello, L.M.:  "Alcohol Screening and Brief Interventions in Trauma Centers"  The Alcohol Research Group.” 

Editorials

Luchette, F.A.:  Editorial Commentary  on “Utility of Screening for Blunt Vascular Neck Injuries with Computed Tomographic Angiography.”  J Trauma 2006; 61: 215-216. 

Schermer, C.R.:  Editorial Commentary  on “Effectiveness of Brief Interventions after alcohol related vehicular injury: a randomized controlled trial.” J Trauma 2006; 61:532-533.

Presentations

Aaron, J.M., Shoup, M.C., Pickleman, J., and Aranha, G.V.:  Octreotide does not present pancreatic fistula formation following Pancreaticoduodenectomy. Poster Presentation.  Annual meeting – American Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association.  Miami Beach, Florida.  March 9-12, 2006.

 Aranha, G.V.:  Quality of Life:  Managing Symptoms.  Pancreatic Cancer Symposium, an event to create awareness.  April 7, 2006, Northwestern Memorial Hospital.  Chicago, Illinois.

Aranha, G.V.:  20th World Congress of the International Society for Digestive Surgery.  The Role of Interventional Radiologist in the Management of Complications following Pancreaticoduodenectomy.  November 30, 2006, Rome, Italy.

Aranha, G.V.:  20th World Congress of the International Society for Digestive Surgery.     Moderator:  Symposium on Management of Pancreatic Cancer.  November 30, 2006, Rome, Italy.

Aranha, G.V.:  A Technique for Pancreaticogastrostomy –Video Symposium.  20th World Congress of the International Society for Digestive Surgery.  Friday, December 1, 2006. Rome, Italy.

Aranha, G.V.:  20th World Congress of the Interventional Society for Digestive Surgery.  Current Management of Pancreatic Fistula following Pancreaticoduodenectomy.  December 1, 2006, Rome, Italy.

Brems, J.:  Invited Discussant at the Western Surgical Association Meeting in Los Cabos, Mexico.  “Right Hepatectomy for living donor liver donation vs. right hepatectomy for disease:  intraoperative and immediate postoperative comparison.”

Chu, H.B., Bhatti, A., Labropoulos, N., Aulivola, B., Hazelwood, K., Barros, M., Amaral, S., and Kalman, P.G.:  Correlation of superficial venous anatomy and reflux with clinical severity: What have we learned through routine duplex surveillance during the endovenous era? Midwestern Vascular Surgery Society (30th Annual Meeting, September 7-9, 2006), Cleveland, OH, Sep 7, 2006.

Esposito, T.J.:  Invited Speaker at the Annual Trauma Conference at St. Francis  Medical Center in Hartford, Connecticut.  “The Dark Side of Motherhood:  Domestic Violence and Injuries to the Pregnant Woman.”

Esposito, T.J.:  Panelist on the topic of state and local response to the IOM Report on Emergency Care in the U.S. as part of the “Future of Emergency Care Series: Regional Dissemination Workshop” sponsored by the Institute of Medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.   

Esposito, T.J.:  Faculty Member for an international course on Quality Improvement for Trauma Care sponsored by the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center at the University of Washington in Seattle.  Representatives from Ghana, Vietnam, Brazil, Romania, Mexico participated in the course.

Gamelli, R.L.:  Invited Speaker at the 12^th Annual San Antonio Trauma Symposium.  “Microbial Drug Resistance – Some New Thoughts about an old Problem.”

Gamelli, R.L.:  Presented at the 13^th Congress of the International Society for Burn Injuries in Fortaleza-Ceara´ Brazil. “New Antibacterial Therapies through Dynamic Pathogen Responses” and “Metabolism of Inhalation Injury.”

Gruenwald, N.D., Brems, J.J., Pierce, K., Aranha, G.V., and Borge, M.:  Excluded posterior right hepatic duct drainage after Roux-en-Y Hepaticojejunostomy.  Poster Presentation.  Annual Meeting American Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association, Miami Beach Florida, March 9-12, 2006.

Kalman, P.G.:  Philadelphia Vascular Symposium (14th Annual), Philadelphia, PA, Feb 24, 2006 - Feb 25, 2006.  Management of carotid aneurysms: Role of open surgical vs. endovascular repair.

Kalman, P.G.:  The World Congress of the International Union of Angiology (June 24-28, 2006), Lisbon, Portugal, Jun 25, 2006.  Mesenteric occlusive disease: A rational approach in deciding the safest intervention.

Kalman, P.G.:  The World Congress of the International Union of Angiology (June 24-28, 2006), Lisbon, Portugal, Jun 26, 2006.  Moderator: Optimal management of aortic aneurysmal disease.

Kalman, P.G.:  The World Congress of the International Union of Angiology (June 24-28, 2006), Lisbon, Portugal, Jun 26, 2006.  Moderator: Topical hemostatic agents: An international consensus forum.

Kalman, P.G.:  The Vascular Endovascular Issues Techniques Horizons (VEITH 2006 Symposium, sponsored by The Cleveland Clinic), New York, NY, Nov 16, 2006.  What is the best treatment for iliac occlusive disease?  Which lesion should be ballooned, which stented, which bypassed and which left alone?

Kovacs, E.J.:  “Gender differences in response to burn injury: mechanisms and treatment,” Symposium on Regulation of Inflammatory Responses: Influence of Gender/Sex, Bethesda, MD, September 2006.

Kovacs, E.J.:  “Aging alters innate immune responses after injury.” Symposium on Aging and Immune Responses, Society for Leukocyte Biology, San Antonio TX, November 2006.

Kovacs, E.J.:  Chair of Session II of the NIAID meeting on “Gender-related Inflammatory Disorders at Regulation of Inflammatory Responses: Influence of Gender/Sex,” Bethesda, MD, September 2006.

Kovacs, E.J.:  Co-Chair of Session 1 of the NIAAA Symposium entitled “Alcohol, Intestinal Bacterial Growth, Intestinal Permeability to Endotoxin, Medical Consequences, and Dietary Supplements ,” Rockville, MD, October 2006.

Kovacs, E.J.:  Chaired a Symposium on Aging and Innate Immunity at the Society for Leukocyte Biology, San Antonio, TX, November 2006.

Kovacs, E.J.:  “Alcohol, estrogen, and inflammatory responses after injury.” Integrative Neural Immune Program, Section on Neuroendocrine Immunology & Behavior, NIMH/NIH, Bethesda, MD, March 2007.

Kovacs, E.J.:  Chair of the Program Committee for “Alcohol and Shock 2007,” a Satellite Symposium at the4 Shock Society Meeting, Baltimore, MD, June 2007.

Kovacs, E.J.:  Member of the Program Committee for the Annual Meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism, Chicago, IL, July 2007.

Schermer, C.R.:  Speaker,  Detroit Trauma Symposium November 9, "Alcohol and Injury."

Schermer, C.R.:  Speaker,  Detroit Trauma Symposium November 10, "Palliative Care after Trauma."

Schermer, C.R.:  Invited teacher, Gainesville Florida February 2007. Brief Intervention Seminar.

Schermer, C.R.:  Speaker, Society of Trauma Nurses annual meeting March 2007  "Alcohol Screening and Brief Interventions."

Sherman, K.L., Obi, S.H., Aranha, G.V., Yao, K.A., and Shoup, M.C.:  Heparin coated stents do not protect cancer patients from cardiac complications following non-cardiac surgery.  Poster presentation.  Annual Meeting society for surgical oncology, San Diego, California, March 24-27, 2006.

Yao, K.A.:  Poster presentation at the Society of Surgical Oncology in Washington, DC, March 2007.  “Sentinel Lymphadenectomy in Breast Cancer Patients Greater than 70 years old.”  Dr. Melissa Hulvat, Resident, is the first author.

Yao, K.A.:  Speaker at the “From Bench to Bedside: Update from the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium,” San Antonio.  “Update on Breast Cancer Surgery.”

Yao, K.A.:  Presented  "BRCA in 2006: Management", Genetic Task Force, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center.

Abstracts

Gomez, C.R., Baila, H., Morgan, M.O., Oshima, K., Nomellini, V., and Kovacs, E.J.:  Elevated hepatic inflammatory response in aged mice given LPS.  Annual meeting of the Society for Leukocyte Biology, San Antonio, TX. November 2006. 

Gosain, A., Muthu, K., Jones, S.B., Gamelli, R.L., and DiPietro, L.A.:  Norepinephrine negatively modulates wound macrophage phagocytic function through alpha-and beta-adrenoreceptor-dependent mechanisms.  Abstract Presentation 2006 American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress. 

Hulvat, M., Yao, K.A., Rajan, P., Sarker, S., Norton, J., and Aranha, G.V.:  Sentinel Lymphadenectomy in Breast Cancer Patients >70yo, Society of Surgical Oncology, Washington, DC  March 2007. 

Karavitis, J., Ramirez, L., Messingham, K.A.N., Faunce, D.E., and Kovacs, E.J.:  Role of gonadal hormones after alcohol and burn injury. Alcohol and Immunology Research Interest Group Meeting, Maywood, IL, November 2006.

Kovacs, E.J.:  Aging, estrogen, and macrophages mediators after injury. Symposium on Aging Research in Immunology: the Impact of Genomics. Paris, France, September 2006. 

Kovacs, E.J.:  Gender differences in response to burn injury: mechanisms and treatment.  Symposium on Regulation of Inflammatory Responses: Influence of Gender/Sex, Bethesda, MD, September 2006. 

Kovacs, E.J., Meehan, M.J., and Boehmer, E.D.:  Aging causes defects in macrophage signaling that are limited to TLR-mediated pathways. Joint Meeting of the International Cytokine Society and the International Society for Interferon and Cytokine Research, Vienna, Austria August, 2006. 

Kovacs, E.J., Plackett, T.P., Nomellini, V., Boehmer, E.D., and Gomez, C.R.:  Advanced age alters innate immune response after injury. Annual meeting of the Society for Leukocyte Biology, San Antonio, TX. November 2006. 

Melstrom, K.A., Kuzhali, M., He, L.K., Smith, J., Szilagyi, A., Hassett, D., Gamelli, R.L., and Shankar, R.:  OxyR gene expression of Pseudomonas aeruginosa regulates bone marrow dendritic cell differentiation and function after burn sepsis.  Abstract Presentation 2006 American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress. 

Murdoch, E.L., Karavitis, J., Morgan, M.I., Ramirez, L., Shankar, R., Gamelli, R.L., Faunce, D.E., and Kovacs, E.J.:  Alcohol Acute ethanol exposure and burn injury: Clinically relevant models of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. Alcohol and Immunology Research Interest Group Meeting, Maywood, IL, November 2006. 

Murdoch, E.L., Karavitis, J., Morgan, M.I., Shankar, R., Gamelli, R.L., Faunce, D.E., and Kovacs, E.J.:  Ethanol exposure prior to burn injury increases susceptibility to Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) infection. Autumn Immunology Conference, Chicago, IL, November 2006. 

Muthu, K., Szilagyi, A., He, L.K., Jones, S.B., Gamelli, R.L., and Shankar, R.:  Adrenergic Stimulation Augments Innate Immunity through MØ Bacterial Phagocytosis and Killing.  Abstract presented at the 2006 Joint Meeting of the Society for Leukocyte Biology and the International Endotoxin and Innate Immunity Society. 

Nomellini, V., Faunce, D.E., Gomez, C.R., and Kovacs, E.J.:  Chemokine levels after burn injury in aged mice.  Autumn Immunology Conference, Chicago, IL, November 2006. 

Nomellini, V., Faunce, D.E., and Kovacs, E.J.:  Increased pulmonary inflammation in aged mice subjected to burn injury. Annual meeting of the Society for Leukocyte Biology, San Antonio, TX. November 2006. 

Sun, W., Burns, A.L., Kovacs, E.J. and DiPietro, L.A.:  Effect of ethanol exposure on endothelial responsiveness to VEGF.  Alcohol and Immunology Research Interest Group Meeting, Maywood, IL, November 2006. 

Awards and Honors

 Aranha, G.V.:  America’s Top Doctor for Cancer – Castle Connolly Guide – (2005). 

Aranha, G.V.:  Chicago’s Top Doctors – Castle Connolly Guide/Chicago Magazine – (2005). 

Aranha, G.V.:  Attending Of The Year – Loyola Stritch School of Medicine – Class of  2007 Teaching Award. 

Brems, J.J.:  America's Top Doctors for 2006 - Castle Connolly Medical Ltd.. 

Gamelli, R.L.:  America's Top Doctors for 2006 - Castle Connolly Medical Ltd.. 

Gamelli, R.L.:  Appointed Treasure for the International Society of Burn Injuries.  

Greisler, H.P.:  America's Top Doctors for 2006 - Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. 

Kovacs, E.J.:  Asked to join the Advisory Committee of the Emory University NIAAA-funded Alcohol and Lung Biology Training Program, P.I. David M. Guidot, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 2006. 

Kovacs, E.J.:  Served as a member of the Special Emphasis Panel, Inflammation and Aging, ZAG1 ZIJ-5 M1, NIH, Bethesda, MD. 

Kovacs, E.J.:  Invited to serve on the National Scientific Advisory Council, American Federation for Aging Research, New York, NY. 

Santaniello, J.M.:   Recently appointed Assistant  Director of the "Structure of the Human Body Course" (Gross Anatomy) for the first year medical school class.  

Grants and Funding 

Kovacs, E.J.:  “Alcohol and Immunology Research Interest Group Meeting.”  NIH, R13 AA016751-01 (Scientific Meetings Grant Application)  $17,750 (direct costs).  Period: 07/01/06 – 06/30/07. P.I.: Kovacs, E.J. 

Yao, K.A.:  Notch Signaling in Cutaneous Melanoma: A Pilot Study, PI: Yao, K.A., Harry J. Lloyd Charitable Trust Research Award, 5/0/05-4/30/06, $100,000. 

Yao, K.A.:  Characterization of Notch Signaling in Patients at High Risk for Breast Cancer, American Cancer Society Illinois Division, PI: Yao, K.A., 5/01/06-4/30/07, $100,000. 

Yao, K.A.:  Trauma List and Loyola List: A Pilot Project to Improve "Hand off" Communications and Workflow Efficiency, Central Surgical Association Surgical Enrichment Award, PI: Yao, K.A., 4/01/06-4/01/07, $10,000. 

Yao, K.A.:  Notch Signaling in Cutaneous Melanoma and Breast Carcinoma, Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center Clinical Research Development Grant, 8/01/05-8/01/06, $20, 000.

Meetings

The Department of Surgery was represented at the American College of Surgeons’ 92^nd Annual Clinical Congress held in Chicago, October 2006 by the following faculty: 

Aranha, G.V.:  Invited Discussant:  Movie Classics from the Past:  Pancreatic Cysts, 1953 ACS Clinical Congress, Charles B. Puestow.   

Brems, J.J.:  Invited Discussant:  “ Proteasome Inhibitor PS-341 Inhibits NFkB and Ameliorates Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Orthotopic Liver Transplant with a Steatotic Graft.” 

Gamelli, R.L.:  “After Major Injury Regulatory T-Cells Reduce Inflammation and Mortality from a “Second Hit.”” 

Gamelli, R.L.:  “Norepinephrine Negatively Modulates Wound Macrophage Phagocytic Function through Alpha- and Beta- Adrenoreceptor-Dependent Mechanisms.”  

Gamelli, R.L.:  “OxyR Gene Expression of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Regulates Bone Marrow Dendritic Cell Differentiation and Function Following Burn Sepsis.” 

Luchette, F.A.:  “Open Pelvic Fractures:  Need to Divert?”

Reed, R.L.:  “Is Hypothermia After Major Injury Protective or Harmful?” 

Shoup, M.C.:  “Palliation For Pancreatic Cancer.” 

Yao, K.A.:  “Sentinel Node Biopsies for Thyroid and Other Malignancies.” 

The following faculty represented the Department of Surgery at the  American Association for The Surgery of Trauma’s 65^th Meeting held in New Orleans -  September 2006. 

Esposito, T.J.:  “An Update of Trauma Surgeon Compensation : Survey of AAST and EAST.” 

Esposito, T.J.:  “Trauma Center Salaries and Financial Reports:  How do you make trauma centers financially viable?” 

Esposito, T.J., and Luchette, F.A.:  “Neurosurgical Needs in The Pediatric Trauma Population.” 

Esposito, T.J., Santaniello, J. M., Gamelli, R. L., and Luchette, F.A.:  “Protein Supplementation after Injury:  How Much is Enough?” 

Esposito, T.J., Santaniello, J. M., Gamelli, R. L., and Luchette, F.A.:  “A Prospective Comparison of Routine CXR vs. Clinical Judgment for The Determination of Adequate Central Line Placement.” 

Reed, R.L., Luchette, F. A., Esposito, T.J., and Gamelli, R. L.:  “Recalibration of the abbreviated injury scale (AIS) severity score using the national trauma data bank (NTDB) improves mortality prediction.”

Alumni News

Accomplished Surgeon-Scientist Recalls Loyola Residency’s “Excellent Clinical Training”

Much of what Tien C. Ko, M.D. learned as a surgical resident at Loyola University Medical Center helped to fuel his success as a high-achieving surgeon, teacher and researcher at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. 

Ko, who served his surgical residency at Loyola from 1986-1991, is an associate professor in the Departments of Surgery, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), where he cares for patients and teaches. Appointed to the Chela and Jimmy Storm Distinguished Professorship in Surgical Research, he also performs basic science research and serves as the director of Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction Core facility in the Sealy Center for Cancer Cell Biology at UTMB. 

After he graduated in 1986 from the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine, Ko narrowed his choices for residency programs to Chicago. “I interviewed at 5 or 6 programs in Chicago,” Ko said. “My top choice was Loyola because I thought the surgery residents seemed happiest there and received excellent training as well.” 

“I was used to UCLA, which had a very large student body,” the surgeon added. “At Loyola, the attending physicians and residents seemed to know each other very well, more than most other places.”  

Through more personalized attention and dedication to teaching, Loyola attending physicians imparted a strong tradition of clinical excellence, Ko explained. “The attending physicians were great role models. They challenged you to make decisions. Their standards for clinical practice were very high,” he said. 

“By the end of the residency, I was very well trained clinically. I also developed strong judgment skills,” noted Ko. “In many residencies, the attending physicians will tell residents what to do. At Loyola, we were given opportunities to make decisions.” He also benefited from a wide variety of cases and health-care settings by rotating through Loyola and other hospitals in the Chicago area and Louisville, Kentucky.  

Through mentorship with key Loyola physicians during his residency, Ko narrowed his career to academic medicine with a focus on gastroenterological surgery and related basic science research. In particular, he has investigated how proteins affect cell development and their impact on diseases of the gut, such as colon and liver cancer. 

Since his residency, Ko has pursued research that has resulted in hard-to-get National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants, either as an individual or as part of the large research team at UTMB. Currently, he is principal investigator on an NIH-funded project studying growth regulation in surgical diseases of the gut. Ko also is participating in 2 multi-year NIH training grants, as well as NIH studies exploring gastrointestinal endocrinology. From 1994 through 1999, Ko received the National Cancer Institute’s Clinical Investigator Award. 

To date, the busy surgeon-scientist has authored or co-authored 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals, 7 reviews and chapters, and 42 abstracts. In addition, Ko has given more than 70 oral presentations and invited talks, and has made more than 40 poster presentations.   In 2001, Dr. Ko was elected President of the Association for Academic Surgery. 

Ko also is dedicated to educating future physicians. He has participated in the surgical clinical rotation for UTMB medical students in their third-year clerkship and fourth-year elective. Ko also teaches the courses “GI Hormones and the Coordination of Nutrition” and “Abdominal Workshop” to second-year medical students.  

In working with UTMB surgery residents, Ko remembers what was most useful to him during his time at Loyola. While he enjoys teaching, the surgeon also acknowledges its challenges. “I try to encourage residents to think for themselves. Rather than just memorizing facts, I push them to think critically, to make good judgments,” Ko said. 

“I encourage them to be detectives and to use the physical exam to get clues from their patients,” the surgeon noted. “No matter how long you have been practicing medicine, you can always improve upon those skills.”  

On a personal note, Ko enjoys keeping up with friendships that began during his residency at Loyola. “It was an excellent place for clinical training and forming long-lasting relationships with colleagues,” he added.

Looking to hear from you

We are always happy to hear what is going on in the lives of our alumni.    The following two stories 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. 

Wellington Davis, M.D. former Plastic Surgery Fellow, Graduated June 2006:  “I'm in a Craniofacial Fellowship at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia...Will finish in June 2007...Currently  surviving the brushfires in Victoria and the worst drought in Australia's history also enjoying gourmet food and the sweet Australian lifestyle”

Dane Salazar, M.D., former Preliminary Surgery Resident, July 2005 - June 2006.  Dr. Salazar  was Intern of the Year 2006:  “I'm stationed at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia and my job is (sounds fancier than it is!) Flight Surgeon, 27th Fighter Squadron 1st Fighter Wing.  …the near future brings a deployment overseas.      I had the distinct pleasure of flying in F-16 Viper with the Virginia Air National Guard.  They will be transitioning to F-22 Raptors next year and coming down to Langley to join us.”

Staff Corner

The MAGIS Star Program was established at Loyola in February, 2001. The Latin word MAGIS, literally translated as "more," reflects one of the distinguishing characteristics of our Jesuit institution - the desire to do more.  This program was instituted so that members of management and/or the customers that we serve can recognize employees that they observed demonstrating MAGIS behaviors in their daily work efforts.  Since the implementation of this program, almost all of our staff has been rewarded with MAGIS stars and many have received multiple MAGIS ribbons.  Employees who collect a Star with five ribbons, have earned a Galaxy which allows them to redeem a prize of their choosing and they are honored at a luncheon each quarter.  Congratulations go out to the following recent Department of Surgery MAGIS Galaxy Winners – Gail Baron (Senior Secretary; General Surgery), Mary Martinez (Senior Secretary; Pediatrics), Cathy Monahan (Senior Secretary; Intra-abdominal Transplant), Colleen Tarasiewicz (Administrative Secretary; Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery) and Irene Zaura (Administrative Secretary; General Surgery).  All five of these employees were honored at the MAGIS Luncheon on October 23^rd. 

This past October, Loyola held its Annual Pumpkin Decorating Contest.  Once again, the Department sponsored a staff entry and as in years past – the department’s entry was one of the winners!  Congratulations go out to Gail Baron (Senior Secretary; General Surgery), Mary Martinez (Senior Secretary; Pediatrics), Jill McHugh (Administrative Secretary; Vascular Surgery), April Medrano (Senior Secretary; General Surgery & Trauma, Critical Care and Burns), Nancy Mullikin (Billing Coordinator), Cathy Palumbo (Senior Secretary; Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery), Marie Pantone (Senior Secretary; Office of Education) and Barb Reichardt (Senior Secretary; Trauma, Critical Care and Burns) for all their efforts in creating the Department of Surgery pumpkin submission which took 2nd place in the contest!    As 2nd Place Winners, they won a $40 gift certificate for pizza which they shared with the staff. 

In November 2006, Mary Martinez, Senior Secretary in Pediatric Surgery, was nominated and chosen to become a MAGIS Touch Facilitator.   While all of the Surgery Staff were more than qualified to serve as a MAGIS Facilitator, Mary stood out as someone more than deserving of this role.  Not only has Mary herself been a recipient of three MAGIS Galaxy Awards, she is one of the first people the staff turns to in the Department to boost morale.  She’s one of the staff who always pulls together the group to participate in the pumpkin contest....coordinates a potluck luncheon.....helps decorate the bulletin board monthly.....gets a team together each year to walk to raise money for Breast Cancer.....the list goes on and on.   She has also been awarded the Department of Surgery # 1 Award on three separate occasions.  Mary is currently undergoing training and will serve as a MAGIS facilitator throughout 2007 and 2008.  We are very proud of Mary and know she will be a shining reflection on the Department of Surgery in this special role. 

University Ministry asked departments throughout Loyola to put together a Thanksgiving Basket for the less fortunate. Gail Baron, Senior Secretary in the Division of General Surgery, generously volunteered her time and energy to coordinate this effort on behalf of the Department of Surgery.   She asked staff members for donations and she was able to purchase not one, but two gift baskets filled with non-perishable food items along with gift certificates for turkeys to provide two families within the community with food for the Thanksgiving holiday. 

Each month, at the Department of Surgery Support Staff Meeting, a member of the staff is chosen for the # 1 Award.  This award is a peer-determined award assigned by the person who held the award last.  The award originated as a way to recognize a member of our staff each month for going above and beyond.  The very first recipient of the award in January 2001, was Pam Ignarski; LAN Administrator for the Department of Surgery.  It was given to her by Surgery Administration, because, in Sheila Fiala’s words,   “… Pam is deserving of this award…for the assistance she gives to each of the staff, faculty, and residents on a daily basis.”  

This crystal piece, in the shape of the number one has been passed to just about every employee over the years since its inception.   Below is the list of employees who received the award during 2006. 

January – April Medrano; Senior Secretary, General Surgery
February – Kathy McMahon; Senior Secretary; Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
March – Kimberly Echert; Education Coordinator
April – Marie Pantone; Senior Secretary, Office of Education
May – Angelica Quezada; Senior Secretary, Administrative Office
June – Angela Harris; Clerkship Coordinator, Office of Education
July – Jackie Greer; Billing Coordinator
August – Nancy Mullikin; Billing Coordinator
September – Karen Pyrz; Billing Manager
October – Mary Martinez; Senior Secretary; Pediatric Surgery
November – Blanca Ramirez; Senior Secretary; Laparoscopic Surgery
December – Gail Baron; Senior Secretary; General Surgery


The Last Word
 

Dr. Schermer Completes the 29^th Chicago Marathon

Congratulations go out to Dr. Carol Schermer, Associate Professor of Surgery
Division of Trauma, Surgical Critical Care, and Burns for completing the 29^th Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 22, 2006.  Dr. Schermer is no novice when it comes to marathons.  When questioned about her previous experience, she stated that this was her 6^th marathon, however, it was the first in thirteen years.     She previously participated in marathons in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Long Beach, California.  

Dr. Schermer said it took her “forever” to train. Although, her opinion may differ, six months does not seem like an unreasonable length of time to train to run a distance of 24.6 miles.  

Dr. Schermer also graciously divulged her completion time, a little less than 4 ½ hours.    She added she will be competing in future marathons and is hoping to improve her time.

Department of Surgery Well Represented at Chicago Marathon

 Dr. Schermer was not the only member of the Department of Surgery to complete the Chicago Marathon.  Vidya Shankaran, M.D. and Micah Sinclair, M.D., both first year Residents in General Surgery, also achieved this distinct accomplishment. Congratulations to you!!