Department of Surgery

Chairman's Message
A welcome from Surgery Chairman
Joseph B. Zwischenberger, MD

About the Surgery Department

Nearly 70 faculty and 130 staff members in the UK Department of Surgery are committed to caring for patients, training the next generation of doctors and researchers, and seeking a better understanding of disease and injury. The UK Department of Surgery comprises six divisions and one section. Read More...

Surgery Education Awards

On Saturday, May 12, 2012, at the College of Medicine graduation ceremony, Dr. Paul Kearney received the award for best Clinical Faculty Teacher from the Class of 2012. This marks the second year in a row that Dr. Kearney has won this award.

In addition, for the third year in a row, our surgery clerkships were given the award for best clinical rotation in the medical school.

Dr. Deborah Erickson Honored by Faculty of 1000

Dr. Deborah Erickson, Division of Urology in the Department of Surgery, has been informed that her recent article, “Gene Expression Analysis of Urine Sediment: Evaluation for Potential Noninvasive Markers of Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome,” Journal of Urology (Epub Ahead of Print, 2011 December 16) has been selected and evaluated by Warren Hill, a Member of the Faculty of 1000 (F1000), which places her work in their library of the top 2% of published articles in biology and medicine. The Faculty of 1000 is a database of post-publication peer reviews of articles published in more than 3,000 peer-reviewed journals. (See http://f1000.com/ for more information.) Congratulations, Dr. Erickson!

Dr. Sibu Saha Named the American Lung Association in Kentucky’s 2011 Lung Health Champion

Congratulations to Dr. Saha who has been named Kentucky's American Lung Association 2011 Lung Health Champion! The award was presented during the 11th Annual Breath of Life Galla on November 4th.

Dr. Saha, a Cardiothoracic Surgeon at the University of Kentucky, has been chosen as this year's 2011 Lung Health Champion because of his lifelong contributions to the fight against lung disease through an extensive career in thoracic surgery and research. Dr. Saha has called Kentucky his home since 1976. It is where he and his wife, Rebecca, have raised their two children, Rani and Shubin. On behalf of the many grateful patients in Kentucky who have benefited from his work, the ALA in Kentucky is proud to honor him with this prestigious award.

The American Lung Association in Kentucky congratulates Dr. Saha on his selection as Lung Health Champion. Dr. Saha epitomizes the American Lung Association's mission to improve lung health and prevent lung disease, and we appreciate all that he has done and will do for our cause in the future.

Watermelon Reduces Atherosclerosis in UK Study

(LEXINGTON, Ky.) Oct. 27, 2011 — In a recent study by University of Kentucky researchers, watermelon was shown to reduce atherosclerosis in animals.

The animal model used for the study involved mice with diet-induced high cholesterol. A control group was given water to drink, while the experimental group was given watermelon juice. By week eight of the study, the animals given watermelon juice had lower body weight than the control group, due to decrease of fat mass. They experienced no decrease in lean mass. Plasma cholesterol concentrations were significantly lower in the experimental group, with modestly reduced intermediate and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations as compared to the control group.

A measurement of atherosclerotic lesion areas revealed that the watermelon juice group also experienced statistically significant reductions in atherosclerotic lesions, as compared to the control group.

“Melons have many health benefits,” said lead investigator Dr. Sibu Saha. “This pilot study has found three interesting health benefits in mouse model of atherosclerosis. Our ultimate goal is to identify bioactive compounds that would improve human health.”

The study was conducted by Sibu Saha, UK Department of Surgery; Aruna Poduri, UK Saha Cardiovascular Research Center (UK Saha CRVC); Debra L. Rateri, UK Saha CVRC; Shubin Saha of Purdue University; and Alan Daugherty, Director, UK Saha CVRC.

2011-12 College of Medicine Academic Awards

Dr. Sibu Saha is the recipient of two Abraham Flexner Master Educator Awards, one for Educational Leadership and Administration, the other for Educational Innovation and Curriculum Development. (Dr. Saha also received an Abraham Flexner Master Educator Award last year for Outstanding Teaching Contribution.)

Dr. Andrew Bernard is the recipient of the Clinical Clerkship Teaching Award and Dr. Jennifer Whittington is the recipient of the Clinical Housestaff Teaching Award for outstanding teaching in the third-year clerkship.

And, for the fourth year in a row, students have selected the Department of Surgery as the recipient of the Clerkship of Excellence Award for outstanding third-year clerkship. The award acknowledges the clerkship which offers the most outstanding medical education experience by third year medical students. The $1000 award is placed in an Office of Medical Education account for use by the Surgery Department for educational materials and other educational endeavors. Congratulations to Drs. Saha, Bernard, and Whittington and to all contributors to the success of the Department’s third-year clerkship!

Dr. Andrew Pulito Receives Schwartz Award

Dr. Andrew R. Pulito, Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics, has received the Richard W. Schwartz Leadership in Education Award. The Award was established in 2010 in memory of Richard W. Schwartz, M.D., MBA, professor of Surgery and Commonwealth Professor of Physician Leadership. Faculty in the Department of Surgery who have met the following criteria are eligible to receive this “lifetime education award”: acknowledged for his or her contributions to medical student and resident education, and nationally acknowledged expertise in surgical education as demonstrated by primary or senior authorship in peer reviewed journals focusing on education while a faculty member at UK. Congratulations, Dr. Pulito!

From the Dean’s Newsletter : UK Plastic Surgery Faculty Named Top Surgeons in Lexington

The Department of Surgery’s Plastic Surgery faculty have been selected as the top plastic surgeons in Lexington, Kentucky by the International Association of Healthcare Professionals (IAHCP).

Henry C. Vasconez, MD; Daniel H. Stewart, MD; Brian D. Rinker, MD; Lesley Wong, MD; and James Y. Liau, MD will be spotlighted in the renowned publication, The Leading Physicians of the World. The UK Plastic Surgery faculty will join other highly accomplished international surgeons. In addition, a biography of each of the surgeons will appear in the publication in a section recognizing doctors of excellence.

“Plastic surgery at the University of Kentucky always strives to provide excellence in patient care, education and research,” said Henry Vasconez, MD, Chief of Plastic Surgery and Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics. “It is, however, nice to receive recognition for our efforts by organizations such as the IAHCP.”

     
      Henry Vasconez, MD                      Daniel Stewart, MD

     
         Brian Rinker, MD                        Lesley Wong, MD

        James Liau, MD

UK HealthCare Celebrates 500th Pediatric Heart Surgery

Dr. Mark Plunkett, the pediatric heart surgeon who helped establish the Kentucky Children’s Heart Center at the University of Kentucky in July of 2008, performed the 500th heart surgery on Feb. 15, 2011. “We have come a long way in a relatively short time, and this milestone just highlights our progress in delivering excellent health care to the children of Kentucky,” said Plunkett. “We have assembled an outstanding team dedicated to covering all aspects of care for these children with heart defects, and we look forward to future growth of the program.”

The 500th patient, Elijah Chaney of Richmond, Ky., was two weeks old and weighed five pounds when he underwent surgery to repair his severely narrowed aorta. The surgery was performed by Plunkett and his colleague, Deborah Kozik, DO, Assistant Professor of Surgery. He was cared for by members of the Kentucky Children’s Heart Center and was discharged five days later.