VCU Surgery Newsletter, October 2018

Volume 17 | October 5, 2018

Surgical Notes

From the Chair

Colleagues,

As many of you have heard, the Department of Surgery held its first strategic retreat at the VCU Rice Rivers Center where leadership from both within the department and across the institution joined together to discuss our vision for the next two years. We held panel discussions, conducted break out groups, and provided departmental updates surrounding education, wellness, research, and clinical care. I am excited for the vision we have identified for the department and our plan of action to get there.

To see pictures from the retreat, click here.

Thank you to everyone who participated and dedicated their time for this important meeting, and thanks to each of you for the roles you play in supporting our department's success.

Vigneshwar Kasirajan, MD

Mandatory Flu Shots

As members of an academic medical center, all employees (both VCU and VCUHS) as well as interns/students/volunteers are required to receive an annual flu shot.

VCUHS employees can attend one of the fast track clinics on campus.

VCU employees and students/volunteers can go to any local drug store or pharmacy to receive theirs.

For those who get their flu shots off campus, please send confirmation to Jessica Carey at jessica.carey@vcuhealth.org so that information can be added to your file.

Note that failure to receive a flu shot by the deadline can result in termination per VCUHS policy.

Questions? Contact Jessica or click here .

AACN Silver Beacon Award

Congratulations are due to Main 9 Central's Surgery Trauma Unit on receiving the Silver Beacon Award from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses . The Silver Beacon Award for Excellence lauds hospital units that employ evidence-based practice to improve patient and family outcomes and demonstrate continuous learning and effective systems to achieve optimal patient care.

Congratulations to Dr. James Whelan , Professor with the Division of Acute Care Surgical Services and Medical Director of the Trauma Unit along with the entire Main 9 Central team!

ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators

Dr. Rahul Anand , Associate Professor and Director of the General Surgery residency program, was inducted as an Associate Member in the American College of Surgeons Academy of Master Surgeon Educators.

As a regionally recognized ACS Fellow, Dr. Anand will join other members and the ACS Division of Education to " advance the science and practice of avant-garde surgical education and training."

For more information about the ACS academy, click here . Congratulations, Dr. Anand!

NRG Oncology

Dr. Harry Bear , Professor and Division Chair for Surgical Oncology, has been appointed as a Deputy Group Chair, Publications and Communications, with NRG Oncology .

As a deputy chair, Dr. Bear will join other leaders within NRG to review and report on activities within the assigned area to ensure compliance and alignment with the group by-laws. He will also support changes to and development of policies and procedures as they relate to NRG as a whole.

Dr. Bear's appointment will begin January 1, 2019. Congratulations!

VCU/VCUHS Leadership in Graduate Medical Education

Jennifer Quinney, Program Coordinator for the Surgical Critical Care Fellowship program with the Division of Acute Care Surgical Services recently received the VCU/VCUHS Leadership in Graduate Medical Education Program Coordinator Award. This award recognizes outstanding contributions made to medical education by residency and fellowship directors and their coordinators.

As a recipient, Jennifer was recognized at the School of Medicine 20th Annual Faculty Excellence Awards Program that was held on September 26th.

Congratulations Jennifer! Well done!

Partners in Healing

Dr. Julie Winkle , Associate Professor with the Department of Emergency Medicine and affiliate faculty with the Department of Surgery, was chosen by the Pastoral Care Department as one of the Partners in Healing for 2018.

This award recognizes team members who routinely go above and beyond to provide compassionate and holistic care for patients and their families in conjunction with the Pastoral Care team.

As a recipient, Dr. Winkle will be recognized at a formal celebration on October 25th.

Well done, Dr. Winkle!

Innovating Mobility Ideathon

Dr. Ashley Rosenberg, resident with the General Surgery Residency Program, participated in the Innovating Mobility Ideathon organized by the Toyota Mobility Foundation. The competition took place between August 29th and September 3rd in Kigali, Rwanda.

The event calls for novel and innovative ideas and solutions to enable the transportation of goods and people efficiently. Ashley worked with a team of young Rwandan technologists and the SAMU prehospital emergency ambulance service in Kigali to create a prototype for an application to transport patients faster and improve communications with dispatch and local hospitals.

Ashley and her team were selected as one of 15 teams to participate in the competition and pitch their idea from over 170 teams who submitted ideas. They were also one of the five teams selected to move to the final competition in October. If the team wins the final competition she will be awarded $10,000 towards the implementation of her application.

Ashley was interviewed by CNBC Africa regarding her efforts to improve patient mobility.

To read more about Ashley's incredible experiences in Kigali, check out her most recent blog post .

Best Teacher in Clerkship Award

Congratulations to Dr. Alan Rossi , Assistant Professor with the Division of Acute Care Surgical Services for being recognized by the Class of 2019 M-III Clerkship as the best teacher in the Surgery clerkship program.

Dr. Rossi was recognized at the School of Medicine 20th Annual Faculty Excellence Awards Program held in the Kontos Auditorium on September 26th.

Well done, Dr. Rossi!

Professional Medical Coders Day

In recognizing the incredible contributions of medical coders to improving healthcare in the United States, Governor Dr. Ralph Northam declared October 5, 2018 as Professional Medical Coders Day in the State of Virginia.

As such, the Department of Surgery celebrated our very own Surgical Coding Team, led by Ray Hudson, Medical Coding Supervisor.

We appreciate our Surgery Coding Team and are proud of the valuable work they do each and every day to support the success of the Department of Surgery. Kudos to each of you and Happy Professional Medical Coders Day!

NIH Clinical Trial

Dr. Jaime Bohl , Associate Professor and Division Chair for Colorectal Surgery, has been awarded funding for her clinical trial in conjunction with Cellf Bio, LLC.

The funding from this award will support the FDA IND for the human trial of the stem cell biosphincter collaboration with Wake Forest.

The funding for this project will be awarded effective September 2018 through August 2019.

Congratulations Dr. Bohl!

Urology Written Boards

Congratulations to the following team members from the Division of Urology's residency program for passing their written boards:

Eugene Bell, MD

Sarah Krzastek, MD

Funding Opportunities

2018 Commercialization Fund

Innovation Gateway will award up to $50,000 per project and up to $150,000 in total as part of the Fall 2018 Commercialization Fund. The awards are intended to de-risk and advance VCU inventions to a more mature stage and thus improve their chances of being out-licensed and brought to market.

OVPRI is excited to announce the opening of the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Fall 2018 Commercialization Fund . The Commercialization Fund has been established to support translational research and inventions created at VCU that have the potential to be commercialized and benefit society.

A total of $150,000 in funding is available for awards up to $50,000 per project. The awards are intended to de-risk and advance VCU inventions to a more mature stage and thus improve their chances of being out-licensed and brought to market.

Application opens on September 10, 2018 and closes on October 10, 2018.

Link to Apply: https://innovationgateway.vcu.edu/inventors/cof/

Pauley Heart Center:

The program strives to provide as many pilot grants (up to $40,000 each) as possible to proposals that meet three criteria – an innovative idea to improve cardiovascular health, a project that is feasible in 12-18 months, and that leads to an extramural grant submission within 18 months.

Instructors, Assistant Professors and Associate Professors are invited to apply for grants to improve cardiovascular health. Faculty members that have an appointment at the Veterans Administration or other institutions affiliated with VCU are eligible if they also have an appointment with the VCU campus Multidisciplinary applications involving collaboration of different departments and/or schools will be viewed favorably. The synergy between different areas within or outside the Center should be highlighted in the proposal.

Letter of Intent are due by September 26 ^th , full application due October 17 ^th . Instructions are attached.

The letters of intent should include the project title, list of all investigators, and 2-3 sentences regarding the hypothesis to be tested. The purpose of the letters of intent are to identify reviewers with expertise in the topics included within the submitted applications.

Virginia Catalyst translation research:

The Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corporation (VBHRC), now known as Virginia Catalyst, is now accepting applications for the ninth round of its grant program. Virginia Catalyst funds help fund the development and commercialization of life science projects that address major unmet needs for improving human health, along with creating jobs and economic activity. Virginia Catalyst awards these funds to help accelerate translational research in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The awards, which range from $200,000 to $800,000, help fund collaborative efforts between industry and Virginia research universities with the goal of:

Funding innovative, collaborative, translational research projects that elevate the level of sponsored research at Virginia’s universities and have the potential to significantly improve human health and create high value jobs in the Commonwealth
Accelerating commercialization of Virginia research university inventions and discoveries and to achieve competitive critical mass through robust collaborations of Virginia research universities and industry

Letters of intent (LOI) must be received by November 15, 2018 at 5:00 PM EST.

Projects that meet funding criteria will be invited to submit a full application. Awards will be announced in March 2019.

The LOI submission form and application template, as well as grant criteria, are available on the Virginia Catalyst web site.

A Department of Surgery Halloween

Surgery Staff Feature

Meet Jinfeng Han, clinical coordinator for the Department of Surgery's Office of Research, Biomedicine, Innovation, and Technology (ORBIT).

Jin has been with Surgery for almost ten years. When asked about her favorite part of working with Surgery, she responded: "We have the unique challenge of working on multiple projects concurrently. I'm motivated when there is a strict deadline. Though it can sometimes feel as if there is too much work and not enough people to get the work done, I know that we are a strong team and that we can count on each other. Esprit de corps is what I find most satisfying about my job. With our director, PIs and team, we accomplish more productive and effective research."

During her spare time, Jin enjoys participating in Chinese Traditional Dancing (as pictured), reading, and volunteering at a senior living community.

Monthly Wellness Note

Ever heard of Shinrin-yoku? We haven't either but it's the newest mind-body trend sweeping the nation.

From Japanese culture, the term Shinrin-Yoku literally means "forest bathing." The objective of Shinrin-yoku is to provide all participants the opportunity to slow their minds and bodies while taking in the world around them using all five senses.

To learn more, check out the latest CommonHealth newsletter from Virginia's Department of Human Resource Management.