Volume 31 | January 10, 2020
Surgical Notes
2019 Edward A. Wayne Medal
"Edward A. Wayne Medals were awarded to Ramona S. Neifeld and James P. Neifeld, M.D. The Edward A. Wayne Medal was established in 1971 to honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions or provided exemplary services to VCU.

James Neifeld joined the faculty of the VCU School of Medicine as an assistant professor in surgical oncology in 1978 and later served as chair of the Department of Surgery for more than 10 years. As a registered nurse, Ramona Neifeld worked in oncology and volunteered at St. James the Less Free Clinic. The Neifelds are longtime donors to the Massey Cancer Center and the School of Medicine. In 2011, they established the Herbert S. and Elinor C. Neifeld Scholarship in Medicine in honor of James’ parents. Passionate supporters of VCU Athletics, the Neifelds created the Neifeld Family Scholarship for Golf and supported construction of VCU Athletics’ Basketball Development Center and the VCU golf practice facility at First Tee. For years, James hosted the annual Janney Invitational College-Am golf tournament benefiting the VCU golf program."

To continue reading this story from the December 2019 Commencement, click here .

Congratulations, Dr. and Mrs. Neifeld!
ACS Committee on Trauma Paper Competition
Congratulations to General Surgery resident Nina Wickramaratne, MD (PGY3) for taking first place at the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma Regional Resident Competition.

At the competition, Dr. Wickramaratne competed against other trainees from Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Virginia. She will join other regional winners at the national finals in Chicago.

Well done, Dr. Wickramaratne!
VA-ACS Cancer Paper Competition
Congratulations to Yahya Alwatari, MD (PGY2) for being named the Clinical Science winner at the Commission on Cancer Resident Paper Competition.

As winner, Dr. Alwatari will attend the 2020 annual meeting in May where he will present his paper titled, "Five-Year Experience with VATS Segmentectomy for Lung Tumor Resection Shows Improving Outcomes and Superiority Over Thoracotomy."

The annual meeting for the Virginia chapter of the American College of Surgeons will be held in Williamsburg, Virginia at the Kingsmill Resort.

Congratulations, Dr. Alwatari!
In Case You Missed It
Miss the latest edition of 12th and Marshall ?

Check it out here .

12th & Marshall is the twice yearly magazine for alumni as well as faculty and friends of our medical school.
Trainee Meet & Greet
Meet Dr. Nils-Tomas McBride (PGY6)! Dr. McBride joined VCU and the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery 4 months ago as a fellow. His goals for fellowship include learning how to manage the most complex patients and he appreciates the opportunity to continue playing a role in student and resident education.

When asked about the most challenging part of being a fellow at VCU, he was quick to answer: "The most challenging part of my role here at VCU has been transitioning from a community hospital where I met my wife [and] knew everyone's name to an institution where I meet 10 new people every day. The trade off is there were clearly limits to what could be done there while here, the possibilities are endless.

What gives him the greatest satisfaction? "A job well done, whether its a well closed incision, an efficiently completed operation, a smooth postoperative course, or residents and medical students demonstrating what they've learned."

Outside of work you can find Dr. McBride spending time with his wife, taking advantage of the many parks and historical landmarks around the city, and being entertained by their adorable kitten. Fun fact! Dr. McBride isn't new to the area. He graduated from University of Richmond in 2006 where he also played football.
Monthly Wellness Note
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VCU RAMSTRONG has a pretty full schedule for their January Well-Being program.

Topics include overcoming emotional eating, being a compassionate colleague, and no-sweat pilates.

To see the full schedule, click here .
Upcoming Events
2020 VBS Spring Meeting
March 27 - March 29, 2020
Kingsmill Resort
Williamsburg, Virginia

Click here to register or for more information
Research Open Forum
Monthly, 2nd Mondays
4:00 - 5:00 PM
West 16 Conference Room (16-103)

All are encouraged to attend!
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Have a story to tell? Contact jessica.carey@vcuhealth.org
Top Photo : Katie Golob & Nikki Meador at ACS 2019 (Taken by Nikki)
Department of Surgery | Virginia Commonwealth University | (804)828-7874 | surgweb@vcu.edu