Second-year medical student Jameson Weiner’s award-winning ERAS research was recently featured in PM360, a magazine for marketing decision makers in the pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device industries. The report came as a result of Weiner’s presentation at the American Surgical Congress in Jacksonville, Florida, last month.

Dr. Courtney BalentineThe Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery’s Courtney Balentine, M.D., has received a GEMSSTAR R03 research grant totaling $111,375 from the NIH for his “Pilot Study of Dissemination and Implementation of a Virtual Acute Care for the Elderly Program on a Gastrointestinal Surgery Unit.”

At Dean Selwyn Vickers’ annual State of the UAB School of Medicine address on Wednesday, the Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery’s Daniel Chu, M.D., was named a 2018 James A. Pittman Jr., M.D., Scholar. The Pittman Scholars program was created to recognize the contributions of junior faculty and support the recruitment and retention of highly competitive scientists and physician-scientists.

The Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery’s Daniel Chu, M.D., has received an appointment as a UAB PCOR K12 Scholar in the UAB K12 in Patient Centered Outcomes Research Career Development Program.

Professor
Division Director of GI Surgery
Selwyn M. Vickers, M.D., F.A.C.S. Endowed Chair

Areas of Interest
colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, diverticular disease and anorectal pathology, health care disparities research, Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS), microbiome research

Dr. Shannon CarrollThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has again selected UAB as a medical center for the Crash Injury Research Engineering Network (CIREN) Program. The current award is $2.3 million over a period of five years, and the Division of Acute Care Surgery’s Shannon Carroll, M.D., serves as the principal investigator. The mission of the CIREN is to improve the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of motor vehicle crash injuries to reduce deaths, disabilities, and human and economic costs. UAB has served as a medical center for CIREN since 2010.

Associate Professor
Program Director, General Surgery Residency
Marshall Urist, M.D., Endowed Professor

Areas of Interest
minimally invasive GI surgery, foregut and anti-reflux, abdominal wall hernias, surgical education

Zachary BurnsMedical student Zachary Burns, mentee of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery's Robert Dabal, M.D., was recently selected as one of the UAB Department of Pediatrics Russell Cunningham Memorial Research Scholars for Summer 2018.

The UAB Department of Surgery recently established a new research unit to design and conduct clinical trials. 

Dr. Colin MartinThe Division of Pediatric Surgery’s Elizabeth Beierle, M.D., and Colin Martin, M.D., recently received financial awards from the Cannonball Kids’ cancer Foundation and the American Surgical Association Foundation, respectively.

UAB Division of Surgical Oncology Director and James P. Hayes, Jr., Endowed Professor in Gastrointestinal Oncology Vikas Dudeja, M.D., FACS,has received additional research funding from the Department of Defense totaling $2,119,086.

Eight faculty from the UAB Department of Surgery were initiated into the American College of Surgeons as fellows at the ACS 2019 Clinical Congress in San Francisco, California, on Oct. 27. (Photo by Brenessa Lindeman)

UAB Department of Surgery faculty, staff and trainees traveled to San Francisco, California, last month for the American College of Surgeons 2019 Clinical Congress, as well as a number of other national society meetings.

Congratulations to the following faculty members, as well as the divisions of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery and Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy, for being named to the following endowed chairs:

Professor
Vice Chair, Basic Research
Director for Gastrointestinal Biology Research
Champ Lyons Endowed Chair in General Surgery
Distinguished Professor in the Heersink School of Medicine

Areas of Interest
brain development and plasticity, neurotransmitters, substance abuse

UAB Department of Surgery Professor and Associate Vice Chair of Research James George, Ph.D. has been awarded the Anderson Innovation Award for COVID-19 in Kidney Diseases, made possible by an generous donation from the Anderson Family.

Assistant Professor
Primary Practice Location: Whitfield Regional Medical Center, Demopolis

Areas of Interest 
global surgery, rural surgery, health informatics, genetic epidemiology

Assistant Professor

Areas of Interest 
progression from immune homeostasis that leads to permissive dysplasia in colitis-associated cancer and novel avenues for its prevention, diagnosis, and treatment

Assistant Professor
Co-Director, Women in Surgery

Areas of Interest
colon, rectal, and anal cancer; surgical management of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis; diverticulitis; benign anorectal disorders; robotic and minimally invasive surgery

Professor
Vice Chair, VA Affairs
Associate Chief of Staff, VA Surgical Services
Director, Minimally Invasive Surgery at Birmingham VA
Assistant Program Director, Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship

Areas of Interest
foregut and bariatric surgery, achalasia, gastroesophageal reflux disease, hiatal or paraesophageal hernias, morbid obesity and metabolic syndrome, role of the microbiome in obesity, outcomes research

Professor

Professor
Associate Vice Chair, Basic Research
Program Co-Director, Future Surgeons and Scientists Investigating Oncology (FUSSION)
Associate Director, Physician Scientist Development Office (PSDO)
Assistant Program Director for Resident Research, General Surgery Residency Program
Strange Family Endowed Professorship in Surgical Sciences Research

Areas of Interest
colon and rectal surgery, intestinal surgery

Assistant Professor
Member, Institute for Cancer Outcomes & Survivorship
Leader, Colorectal Cancer Management Team for the O’Neal Cancer Service Line 
Co-Director, Short-Term Research Experiences Advancing Medical Students (STREAMS)

Areas of Interest
clinical interests include colon, rectal, and anal cancer; hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes (i.e. Lynch syndrome, familial adenomatous polyposis); surgical management of inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease); pelvic pouch surgery; diverticulitis; rectal prolapse; benign anorectal disorders; enterocutaneous fistula; minimally invasive surgery; re-operative surgery

research interests include hereditary colorectal cancer; ostomy care; health inequities; quality of care

Assistant Professor in the Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery Renata Jaskula-Sztul, Ph.D., has received a two-year, $381,830 National Institutes of Health (NIH) NCI R21 grant. This is her second R21 grant award for 2020.

Assistant Professor

Areas of Interest
gastrointestinal surgery, general surgery, outcomes research

Professor
John H. Blue Chair of General Surgery
Cancer Network Director, O’Neal Cancer Service Line
Interim Program Director, UAB Colorectal Surgery Fellowship

Areas of Interest
colon cancer, rectal cancer, anal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, benign conditions of colon, rectum and anus, endoscopic treatment of colonic disease, chemoprevention

The American Transplant Congress (ATC) awarded Cozette Killian, M.D. MPH, General Surgery Research Resident and UAB Transplant Epidemiology and Analytics in Medicine (TEAM) lab member, the Young Investigator Award.

Dr. James KirklinThe Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery's  James K. Kirklin, M.D., director of The James and John Kirklin Institute for Research in Surgical Outcomes, gave two talks at the 21st Annual Update on Pediatric and Congenital Cardiovascular Disease last month in Scottsdale, Arizona. During the Feb. 22 session, "Surgical Strategies for Complex Conditions," Kirklin spoke on aortic valve repair, and during a Feb. 24 plenary session, he delivered the 18th Annual C. Walton Lillehei Memorial Lecture in Cardiovascular Surgery. C. W. Lillehei, M.D., is considered the father of open heart surgery due to his pioneering efforts in the field, beginning at the University of Minnesota as long ago as 1954.

James K. Kirklin, M.D.,Dr. James Kirklin director of the Kirklin Institute for Research in Surgical Outcomes and professor of cardiothoracic surgery at UAB, will present at a joint symposium of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation at the STS 54th Annual Meeting on Jan. 30 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Dr. Jayme LockeThe Division of Transplantation’s Jayme Locke, M.D., recently received an R01 grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health for her research, “CKD Risk Prediction among Obese Living Kidney Donors.” The roughly $3.3 million award will be distributed over the course of five years.

Rhiannon Reed, Dr.P.H., an epidemiologist in the lab of the Division of Transplantation’s Jayme Locke, M.D., was recently awarded an intramural grant from the Gulf States Health Policy Center for her project, “Population Health and Regional Disparities in Organ Access and Utilization.”

Dr. Raoud Marayati wins first place at the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB Research Retreat on Oct. 11, 2019. (Photo courtesy of the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB)

General surgery resident Raoud Marayati, M.D., won first place last week at the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center’s 21st annual Research Retreat. Marayati took home the award for best research poster in the Clinical Residents and Fellows Category for her project, "PIM3 Kinase Promotes Tumor Growth and Metastasis in Hepatoblastoma.”

UAB general surgery research resident Dr. Raoud Marayati presents “Novel Retinoic Acid Derivative Induces Differentiation and Growth Arrest in Neuroblastoma” at the American Academy of Pediatrics 2019 National Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans, Louisiana, Oct. 25-29. (Photo by @RMarayati via Twitter)

UAB general surgery research resident Raoud Marayati, M.D., won the Rosenkrantz Award for Basic Science Research at the American Academy of Pediatrics 2019 National Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans, Louisiana, Oct. 25-29. The AAP national conference is the premier venue for pediatric health care professionals to collaborate and allows attendees to engage in interactive, hands-on workshops, as well as pediatric-related plenary sessions.

Professor
Vice Chair, Perioperative Services
Chief of General Surgery, Birmingham VA Hospital
Associate Chief Quality Officer, UAB Medicine

Areas of Interest
minimally invasive colorectal surgery, colon and rectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis), diverticulitis, and rectal prolapse

Dr. Melanie MorrisThe Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center has been awarded $85,000 by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Health Equity for a research project led by the Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery’s Melanie Morris, M.D., “Evaluating an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Program to Reduce Disparities in Surgical Outcomes for African American Veterans.”

Second-year medical student Jameson Weiner’s abstract, “The Association of Enhanced Recovery Pathway and Acute Kidney Injury in Colorectal Surgery Patients,” has been selected to receive the 2018 Association for Academic Surgery/Society of Black Academic Surgeons Travel Scholarship. Weiner’s abstract was one of the highest-scoring abstracts reviewed by SBAS and was based on the research he conducted last summer under the mentorship of the Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery’s Melanie Morris.

Assistant Professor

Areas of Interest 
gallbladder disease, abdominal wall hernias, health services research, surgical education, and bariatric surgery

Sixty-seven faculty, residents, medical students and lab members from the Department of Surgery will present their research at the 13th Annual Academic Surgical Congress next week in Jacksonville, Florida.

Clinical Assistant Professor
Primary Practice Location: Riverview Medical Center Gadsden

Areas of Interest 
robotic surgery, bariatric surgery outcome improvement, patient education

Assistant Professor

Areas of Interest
Health disparities, pain research

Dr. Abhishek ParmarThe Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery's Abhisek Parmar, M.D., has received a $60,000 2018 Career Development Award from the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons Research and Career Development Committee and the SAGES Board of Governors. This award was made possible through a grant from the SAGES Education and Research Foundation.

Associate Professor

Areas of Interest
gastroesophageal reflux disease, hiatal and paraesophageal hernias, abdominal wall hernias, gallbladder disease, resident education and health outcomes research

UAB Department of Surgery Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery Associate Professors Abhishek Parmar, M.D., FACS, Britney Corey, M.D, MACM, FACS, and Daniel Chu M.D., MSPH, FACS, FASCRS, have published a study on their experience with an enhanced recovery protocol for patients undergoing complex abdominal wall reconstruction.

Congratulations to the following UAB Surgery faculty who were named to endowed chairs at this week's Endowed Chairs and Professorships Reception:

The UAB Department of Surgery's Pre-College Research Internship for Students from Minority Backgrounds (PRISM) and Surgery Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) programs have announced summer participants for 2023.

Dr. Sushanth ReddyThe Division of Surgical Oncology’s Sushanth Reddy, M.D., has received a $40,000 ACS-IRG Junior Faculty Development Grant from the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center and the American Cancer Society for his project, “Convergent mechanisms underlying pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma.”

Associate Professor

Areas of Interest
health services research, biostatistics

Assistant Professor

Areas of Interest
laparoscopic and robotic minimally invasive general surgery, including foregut, bariatric surgery, and complex abdominal wall hernias

Dr. Bart RoseThe Division of Surgical Oncology’s  Bart Rose, M.D., M.A.S., has received a $20,000 Central Surgical Association Foundation Elsevier, Inc. Enrichment Award for his research proposal, “Targeted Treatment of Metastatic GI Neuroendocrine Tumors.” Rose will be officially recognized for receiving the award at the CSA 2018 Annual Meeting, March 15-17, in Columbus, Ohio.

Dr. J. Bart Rose delivers his testimony to the Senate Special Committee on Aging on Nov. 15, calling for greater federal funding for pancreatic cancer research.

UAB Pancreatobiliary Disease Center Director and surgical oncologist J. Bart Rose, M.D., MAS, recently testified on the state of pancreatic cancer at a Nov. 15 hearing with the United States Senate Special Committee on Aging.

Dr. Robert RussellThe Division of Pediatric Surgery’s  Robert Russell, M.D., has received a New Investigator Award from the Kaul Pediatric Research Institute for his project, “Coagulopathy Following Head Injury in Pediatric Trauma: From Bedside to Bench.” The award is for $35,000 per year for a two-year period.