Sanger 9 Renovation Complete

The Christine B. & David E. Surgical Innovation Suite had its grand Opening early spring 2022. The suite embodies a rich, long-standing tradition of innovation at VCU and VCU Health. The space is occupied n Sanger Hall and has housed decades of landmark research, including the groundbreaking work of Richard Lower, M.D., and his research partner Richard Cleveland, M.D., who pioneered heart transplantation for the world. The lab’s surgical research & education center will be a surgical testing center that will aim to support FDA-sponsored testing of new devices and drugs for human development — creating a revenue stream to drive long-term financial security for the lab beyond grants and other funding. As well as the latest, most advanced surgical education and human simulation technologies to students, as well as courses for continuing medical education for faculty, staff, community professionals and industry partners.

The Cottrell Innovation Suite will continue the VCU Department of Surgery’s long-standing tradition of excellence in research, innovation, surgical education, and surgical testing.

Leadership Updates

Dr. Rahul Anand has been appointed the Vice Chair of Education for the Department of Surgery.

Clinically, Dr. Anand serves as an attending surgeon in the Division of Acute Care Surgical Services. He is board certified in both General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care. 

Dr. Jaime Bohl has been named Vice Chair of the Department of Surgery. 

As the Vice Chair of Surgery, she will lead our partnership with ambulatory leadership to increase and improve patient access and satisfaction. She will also focus on quality and safety in surgery.

Dr. David Turner appointed as Vice Chair for Research and Innovation. 

In this role he will oversee the strategy and operations for ORBIT along with Ms. Amanda Jabri.  Dr. Turner is a newly recruited Associate Professor in the Dept. of Surgery at VCU and a member of the Massey Cancer Center.

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Colon & Rectal Surgery 

Colon & Rectal Surgery would like to highlight some of their recent accomplishments:

• Obtained FDA approval to proceed with human trials of artificial sphincter 
• Dr. Bohl was appointed Vice Chair of the Department of Surgery 
• Dr. Emily Rivet was promoted to Associate Professor of Surgery and Internal Medicine 
• We obtained ACGME approval to start a new fellowship and we matched 
• Annette Dean who was RN in the Division successfully finished education and transitioned into NP role working both in clinics and as a first assist in the Short Pump ASC 
• Grand Rounds at Massachusetts General 
• Master Clinician- session hosted by the Center to Advance Palliative Care 
• Podium presentation at the American College of Surgeons Surgical Simulation Summit  
• Panel speaker at American College of Surgeons Quality and Safety Conference 
• Panel speaker at American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons annual meeting 

Congratulations to Alexander Simmonds, MD and colleagues for presenting at the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma!

A great demonstration of the Caliber of VCU surgical residency and the output of the ACSS Division/DOS

Dr. Simmonds' paper was titled: Early Surgical Stabilization of Rib Fractures for Flail Chest is Associated With Improved Patient Outcomes

Congratulations to Joseph Lewcun, MD, for 2nd place in the poster competition at Southern Regional Burn Conference!

Dr. Lewcun is currently a resident in the Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Residency Program.

His Poster was titled: Outcomes in SJS/TEN Patients Treated without Admission to a Verified Burn Center

Congratulations to Dr. Michael Aboutanos on receiving the Old Dominion EMS Alliance Regional EMS Council Award for Physician with Outstanding Contribution to EMS In recognition for Outstanding Leadership and Dedication in the Exercise of Prehospital Care.

Additionally, Dr. Aboutanos received 2022 Governor’s EMS Award for “Physician with Outstanding Contribution to Emergency Medical Services” (The Frank M. Yeiser Trophy). The award was given on behalf of the Governor by the State Health Commissioner Colin M. Greene, MD, MPH and Gary Brown, Director of the VA Office of EMS.

Congratulations to Dr. Devon Freudenberger on receiving the Scholar-in-Training Award for the 15th AACR Conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved and Poster Presentation acceptance.

Her research asked "Does race/ethnicity predict overall survival after aggressive surgical therapy for appendiceal carcinoma?"

New Chair of the Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Committee

Dr. Laura Boomer, MD, FACS, FAAP, Assistant Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics, is the new chair of the Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Committee for the Faculty Senate.

Abstracts, Publications, & Presentations

Devon Clemons Freudenberger, MD

"Milking the Truth: Faculty Perceptions of Breast Pumping Amongst Surgical Residents" has been accepted for Oral Presentation at the 18th Annual Academic Surgical Congress to be held February 7-9, 2023 in Houston, TX

Jad Khoraki, MD

The impact of race/ethnicity on pancreaticoduodenectomy outcomes for pancreatic cancer Yahya Alwatari MD, Catalina M. Mosquera MD, Jad Khoraki MD, Salem Rustom BS, Natalie Wall MD, Athanasios E. Sevdalis MD, Weston Stover MD, Jose G. Trevino MD, Brian Kaplan MD

Trends of utilization and perioperative outcomes of robotic and video-assisted

thoracoscopic surgery in patients with lung cancer undergoing minimally invasive resection in United States Yahya Alwatari, MD, Jad Khoraki, MD, Luke G. Wolfe, MS, Bhavishya Ramamoorthy, MD, Natalie Wall, MD, Christopher Liu, MD, Walker Julliard, MD, Carlos A. Puig, MD, and Rachit D. Shah, MD

Luriel Smith-Harrison, MD

Men's Health Interview - The Latest on Male Birth Control Options

Dr. Mohammed Quader

Wiley DOI: 10.1002/ccd.30230

Percutaneous approach to left ventricular assist device decommissioning. Francesco Moroni MD1 | Keyur B. Shah MD1 | Mohammed A. Quader MD2 | Katherine Klein MD2 | Melissa C. Smallfield MD1 | Kendall E. Parris RT1 | Zachary M. Gertz MD1

Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology Publish Ahead of Print

DOI: 10.1097/FJC.0000000000001290

Modulation of mitochondrial respiration during early reperfusion reduces cardiac

injury in donation after circulatory death hearts

Oluwatoyin Akande PhD,a * Qun Chen MD PhD,b,c * Renee Cholyway MD,a Stefano

Toldo PhD,a,b,c Edward J. Lesnefsky MD,b,c,d and Mohammed Quader MDa,c,d



Grants Funded

Dr. Michal Aboutanos has received several awards through, Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration Virginia Rural EMS Collaborative, Bureau of Justice Assistance/Department of Justice- VCU Community Gun Violence Prevention Framework, Office of Research on Women's Health/NIH/DHHS- Recovery In Motion: Treatment and Prevention Across the Intersection of Violence, Substance Abuse, and Pregnancy, and Office of the Secretary/DHHS-Military- Civilian Partnership for Trauma Readiness Grant Program/Mission Zero Act

Drs. Amy Grover and Emily Rivet received a NIH sub award in collaboration with the Department of Psychology at VCU titling: Racial Disparities in Pain Care: A Comprehensive Integration of Patient- and Provider-Level Mechanisms with Dyadic Communication Processes Using a Mixed-Methods Research Design

Dr. Kirsty Dixon has received funding from Department of Defense titling: Novel solTNF inhibitor improves outcomes in a mouse model of TBI-induced AD, Virginia Center for Aging- Understanding TBI as a risk factor in the development of Alzheimer’s Disease, 2022 Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Center - Understanding the relationship between TBI and neurodegenerative Disease, and CCTR- Understanding the relationship between TBI and amyloid beta and its effect on neuronal cell death

Dr. David Turner has recently received funding from NIH on Cause and Effect Relationships Between Glycation and the Ancestry Specific Tumor Stroma