Vermont Medicine Magazine
DEPARTMENT OF Surgery ~ 2012 Annual Report
Selected Highlights
- Several faculty members are serving in national leadership roles. Marion Couch, M.D., Ph.D., is president of the Society of the University Otolaryngologists, and Mark Plante, M.D., was sworn in as president-elect of the American Urological Association — New England Section.
- The Transplant Team with their colleagues in nephrology won a national Bronze medal for quality outcomes in kidney transplant and a gold medal for organ donation.
- Several faculty members assumed leadership roles at the University. Ted James, M.D., was selected as a Macy Scholar for innovation in education. Dr. James was also selected to be director of the Clinical Simulation Lab. Margaret Tandoh, M.D., was appointed assistant dean for diversity and inclusion at the UVM College of Medicine. Frank Ittleman, M.D., became an associate vice president for the UVM Medical Group.
Marion Everett Couch, M.D., PhD., M.B.A., Interim Chair
The Department of Surgery had an outstanding year as we demonstrated continued excellence in our mission of providing stellar education, research, innovation, and quality care for our patients.
Over the past year, our department grew to 96 faculty members in 15 divisions and five residency programs. Many divisions recruited outstanding new faculty members, including Mariah McNamara, M.D., Donald Leopold, M.D., Louis Merriam, M.D., Eric Sargent, M.D., Jack Ellis, M.D., Houman Hemmati, M.D., Ph.D., Kevan Sternberg, M.D., and Jon Paul, M.D.
For the second year in a row, our department won the Departmental Award for Excellence in Teaching, voted by the graduating medical class. Peter Cataldo, M.D., was selected Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Faculty Member of the Year. Our Chief Resident, Dr. Vinnie Masie, won AOA Resident of the Year. John Fortune, M.D., was named Surgery Teacher of the Year.
Our research efforts were very productive. Urologist Gerry Mingin, M.D., continued with his National Institutes of Health K08 Career Development Award, and Emergency Medicine physician Kalev Freeman, M.D., PhD., continued with his Career Development K08 award on traumatic brain injury, both with Mark Nelson, Ph.D., as their mentor. The UVM Medical Group (UVMMG) Senior Researcher of the Year award went to David Krag, M.D. Stephanie Pero, Ph.D., was awarded a Breast Cancer Research Foundation-AACR Grant for Translational Breast Cancer Research. Katarina Zvarova, M.D., Ph.D., continued her work on urinary bladder smooth muscle with her K01 award. Peter Zvara, M.D., Ph.D., led the effort to establish an institutional Tissue Bank. Brian Sprague, Ph.D., garnered numerous grants from the National Cancer Institute to study breast cancer screening. Daniel Bertges, M.D., with colleague Muriel Nathan, M.D., won a UVMMG research grant on insulin regulation to reduce complications.
The Heart Team lead the way for innovation with Joe Schmoker, M.D., and Frank Ittleman, M.D., teaming with cardiologists Harry Dauerman, M.D., and David Schneider, M.D., to provide a minimally invasive way to treat critically ill patients with aortic stenosis (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation). Also, after years of planning, the Hybrid Operating Room is under construction and will improve our ability to care for patients and train our residents.
Last modified January 25 2013 12:23 PM
