|
Mission
The University of
Kentucky Chandler Medical Center Department of Surgery has three
principal goals: outstanding resident and medical student
education, excellent patient care, and high-quality research activities.
A Department on the Move
In his first 90 days as Chairman of the Department of Surgery, Dr. Joseph B. Zwischenberger has hit the floor running. Major initiatives and broad thematic changes are happening in every division and every departmental office. In broad terms, the Department of Surgery is focusing on retention of outstanding faculty, the mentoring of medical students and new surgeons, and strong research initiatives.
Each division in the department (
General Surgery,
Urology,
Pediatric Surgery,
Cardiothoracic Surgery,
Plastic Surgery,
Otolaryngology
and
Transplant
) is actively recruiting. Since Dr. Zwischenberger is a cardiothoracic surgeon by training, it is no surprise that the CT division has rapidly swelled with three new surgeons and two research professors already on the payroll. The new chief is
Dr. Mark Plunkett , a pediatric CT surgeon who comes to us from UCLA where he was Associate Professor of Surgery and Director of both Pediatric/Congenital Heart Surgery and the resident and fellowship training programs.
Dr. Hassan Reda was Staff Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Laredo Medical Center in Loredo, Texas and
Dr. Mark Bonnell comes to us from a fellowship in mechanical circulatory support and transplant at Utah Artificial Heart Program in Salt Lake City. The department is actively recruiting a pediatric otolaryngologist, a urology oncologist, a female urologist and a neurotologist.
Dr. Zwischenberger has become Director of the UK Transplant Program, an entity in which the Department of Surgery plays a prominent role. As Director, he will be regaining Medicare certification for heart and lung transplant and enhancing the kidney, liver and pancreas transplant programs.
The Surgery Department is building on its strengths in research. For example, in the Urology Division, Natasha Kyprianou, Ph.D. leads a dynamic lab that is focused on reversing cancer growth in the prostate. The department is encouraging faculty to block out time for research and to model their research programs after Silicon Valley startups where not only grant and seed money is sought but also venture capital. Successful “high risk/high reward” projects are the source of many breakthroughs in medicine and technology and our faculty will be collaborating with resources such as engineering, pharmacy, physiology and nanotechnology. We currently have an interdisciplinary in vivo program testing the efficacy of an artificial lung and already Dr. Zwischenberger has been awarded three seed grants.
The department is also establishing a closer interaction between the Research Committee and the Department Executive Council with the goal of expanding elements of our “top twenty” status. The Research Committee will present annual goals and plans to the Executive Council and a Director of Research will be appointed to liaise with the two groups. A program is in place where division chiefs identify academic incentives to enhance scholarly activity by increasing peer review of publications and presentations. As a result, peer reviewed publications have increased by 50% and national presentations increased by 31%. A new three-pronged initiative aimed at increasing academic productivity was implemented in April 2007.
The Research Colloquium has been revived by the Surgery Department on the third Tuesday of each month at the noon hour. The colloquia program covers basic clinical and translational research topics. Dr. Zwischenberger made the first presentation on the artificial lung and Dr. Deborah Erickson
of the Urology Division presented on interstitial cystitis. Dr. Victor Ferraris of the Cardiothoracic Division and Dan Davenport, Ph.D. addressed Outcomes Research, a look at hospital statistics and populations. The Research Colloquium is open to everyone in the Chandler Medical Center, but mostly it is attended by medical students, residents and faculty. Lunch is provided.
Mentoring residents and students is a priority of the department as well. Initiatives are in place to improve faculty feedback on the skills of students and residents and a practical skills lab for fourth year medical students has been developed. Junior faculty also have the benefit of mentoring and a new program has been established to engage division chiefs with the new tenure track faculty.
With the recent purchase of Good Samaritan Hospital, plans are in place to increase patient care at this resource. This may call for an increase in the number of residents to cover the load and manage all three hospitals: Chandler Medical Center, the VA Hospital and Good Samaritan. Both divisions of General Surgery and Urology are planning to occupy significant spaces at the Good Samaritan location.
The Department of Surgery is percolating throughout. While the long-term vision is top twenty status, we’re setting the stage for all good things to come to our department, to UK HealthCare and the University, and to patients in Kentucky who need us.
|
