Assistant Professor
Co-Director, UAB Women in Surgery
Chair, Wellness Committee
Areas of Interest
peritoneal surface malignancies, HIPEC, gastric cancer, small bowel cancer, colorectal cancer, health services research, palliative care
Biography
Dr. Kimberly Kopecky joined the UAB Division of Surgical Oncology in February of 2024. She obtained her medical degree from Harvard Medical School and completed her residency in general surgery at Stanford Hospital. Dr. Kopecky went on to complete two fellowships — studying hospice and palliative medicine at UW Health University Hospital and surgical oncology at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She also earned a Master of Medical Science in Clinical Investigation from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Selected Publications
Kopecky KE, Campbell TC. Renaming Palliative Cancer Therapies: Call It What It Is. Oncologist. 2024 May 3;29(5):367-368. doi: 10.1093/oncolo/oyae039. PMID: 38498046; PMCID: PMC11067813.
Ekaireb RI, Kopecky KE. Are we measuring what matters most? ACP completion among patients undergoing gastrostomy tube placement. Am J Surg. 2024 Jul;233:2-3. doi: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2024.02.003. Epub 2024 Feb 10. PMID: 38365556.
Tariq M, Kopecky KE. The canaries in the coal mine: Medical and surgical trainees. Am J Surg. 2025 Apr;242:116173. doi: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2024.116173. Epub 2025 Jan 6. PMID: 39799005.
Kopecky KE, Urbach D, Schwarze ML. Risk Calculators and Decision Aids Are Not Enough for Shared Decision Making. JAMA Surg. 2019 Jan 1;154(1):3-4. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2018.2446. PMID: 30326000.
Fitzgerald JE, Monton O, Kopecky KE. Textbook Outcomes 2.0-Using Data to Inform Preoperative Surgical Discussions. JAMA Surg. 2025 Oct 1;160(10):1045-1046. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2025.3077. PMID: 40864440.
Kopecky KE, Kapadia MR, Sobol C, Schwarze ML. How I Do It: Avoiding the Cognitive Trap Fundamentals of Surgery Curriculum. J Surg Educ. 2025 Nov;82(11):103689. doi: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2025.103689. Epub 2025 Sep 22. PMID: 40987233.
Kopecky KE, Monton O, Koti S, Arbaugh C, Purchla J, Bodd M, Rosman L, Johnston FM, Odom JN. Perioperative Expectations of Patients Undergoing Gastrointestinal Surgery for Cancer: A Systematic Review. Ann Surg Oncol. 2026 Feb;33(2):1417-1432. doi: 10.1245/s10434-025-18439-7. Epub 2025 Oct 14. PMID: 41087782; PMCID: PMC12765745.
Fitzgerald JE, Bechthold AC, Whitlow O, Monton O, Odom JN, Kopecky KE. Values elicitation among surgical oncologists: Findings from an international survey. Eur J Surg Oncol. 2026 Jan 9;52(3):111399. doi: 10.1016/j.ejso.2026.111399. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41539035.
Honors and Awards
- American College of Surgeons Faculty Research Fellowship Award (2025)
- Recipient of the Palliative Research Enhancement Project (PREP) Award, supported by the University of Alabama at Birmingham Center for Palliative and Supportive Care
- Society of Surgical Oncology Young Investigator Award (YIA), supported by the SSO and ACPMP Foundation
- SSAT Carol and Tom R. DeMeester Traveling Fellowship for Surgeons
- UAB Medicine’s top ambulatory providers
- John Kirklin Award for Enthusiastic Engagement in Academic Surgery, UAB
Education
Graduate School
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Master's in Clinical Investigation
Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Residency
Stanford Hospital and Clinics
General Surgery
Fellowships
UW Health University Hospital
Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellow
Johns Hopkins Hospital
Surgical Oncology Fellow
Contact Information
Campus Address
BDB D585
Phone
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