Champions of Clinical Learning Environment

The Surgery Department at McGovern Medical School is proud to have four esteemed faculty members recognized as the 2023 Champions of the Clinical Learning Environment. These exceptional doctors have been acknowledged for their dedication to creating a positive and professional learning environment for medical students during their third-year clerkship rotations.

The Champions of the Clinical Learning Environment award is a testament to the faculty's shared commitment to providing a challenging yet compassionate learning experience. The recognition stems from the feedback received from McGovern students, who have praised these faculty members for impacting their educational journey.



Among the outstanding awardees, three medical school faculty members stood out for their exceptional dedication, as they have received this honor for four consecutive years since the award's inception. These remarkable doctors are Gabriel Aisenberg, MD, a professor in the Department of Internal Medicine; Emma Omoruyi, MD, MPH, an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics; and Saleem Khan, MD, a professor in the Surgery Department.

The 2023 Champions of the Clinical Learning Environment awardees from the Surgery Department are as follows:

• John Cowling, MD, Assistant Professor
• David Hall, MD, Associate Professor
• Todd Huzar, MD, Associate Professor
• Saleem Khan, MD, Professor (awarded annually since 2020)

These faculty members are praised for their influence on learners and their positive impact on patients and the overall clinical environment.



Congratulations to all that were recognized.

Dr. Wandling Appointed Assistant TMD

Dr. Michael Wandling, Assistant Professor of Surgery, has been appointed Assistant Trauma Medical Director at the Red Duke Trauma Institute at Memorial Hermann Hospital-Texas Medical Center (MHH-TMC). He comes to this position with significant experience in performance improvement, which is a critical component of the trauma program. He also is a former American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Scholar, during which time he worked closely with Dr. Avery Nathens, Director of the ACS Trauma Quality Improvement Program. He will join Dr. Michelle McNutt on the leadership team; she has been the Trauma Medical Director at the Red Duke Trauma Institute at MHH-TMC and the MHH Trauma Service Line since 2016.

Fox to Chair-Elect Faculty Senate

We're thrilled to announce that Dr. Erin Fox, PhD, will take on the role of chair-elect for the McGovern Medical School Faculty Senate starting September 1, 2023. Dr. Fox is an Associate Professor in the Division of Acute Care Surgery and the Assistant Director of the Center for Translational Injury Research (CeTIR). She has served on the Faculty Senate since 2019. As the driving force behind setting educational standards at our school, faculty senators play a significant role in shaping graduate medical education policies, molding medical student learning experiences, and tending to faculty matters.

ATLD Regional Conference

Advances in Teaching and Learning Day (ATLD) is a regional conference designed to showcase research and innovations in teaching, learning, and technology. This interdisciplinary meeting is a venue for faculty of higher education in the Health Sciences to come together, share ideas, and network in this rapidly changing time in academia. This year, it took place on July 28th at the Cooley Center, where Dr. David Kim, Assistant Program Director of the General Surgery Residency, presented his work titled “Helping You Help Yourself: Improving ABSITE Scores by Utilizing a Question Bank.”

SSRF Efficacy Studied in New Research Paper

Recent research from David Meyer, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Surgery, has been published in the Annals of Surgery, studying the effectiveness of surgical stabilization of rib fractures (SSRF).

Patients suffering from rib fractures, which tend to be particularly painful and present a higher risk of secondary issues such as pneumonia and longer hospital stays, were randomized to two separate treatments. The first group received usual care, which includes pain management and breathing exercises to keep the lungs expanded, while the second underwent usual care plus surgery using a technique similar to that used by orthopedic surgeons to plate the broken ribs and stabilize them.

“The project was triggered by a desire to find a better way than usual care to help patients with broken ribs and to resume their normal activities earlier,” the researchers said. “Data leading to the research included existing evidence from randomized trials which suggested a benefit to surgery, but in a narrower patient population.”

Read the full story…

In the first formal skills session, Dr. Stewart and Dr. Boyev took charge as they began formalizing a comprehensive skills curriculum for the residents. The initial focus was on junior residents (PGY 1s and 2s) who received training in knot tying, basic suturing, central venous catheter placement, and chest tube insertion. Senior residents played a vital role, assisting with peer teaching during the session.

To ensure consistent skill development, the sim center has been reserved for the last Monday of each month from July to September to facilitate the completion of the recurring yearly skills curriculum.

The success of this session would not have been possible without the leadership and support of Dr. Stewart, Dr. Boyev, and all the dedicated residents who contributed to the training session.

Surgeons Putting Patients First: Celebrating QI Successes at the ACS Quality and Safety Conference

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) held its annual Quality and Safety Conference July 10-13 in Minneapolis, Minnesota; the theme of the conference was “Putting Patients First”. The Departments of Surgery and Pediatric Surgery were well represented.

Presentations highlighted ongoing quality improvement projects at our university-affiliated hospitals:

• Urinary Tract Infection Documentation: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Quality Improvement (Presenter: Tamara Saunders, MD)
• Improving Clinic Efficiency in a County Hospital (Presenters: Marina Petsalis, MD and Danielle Mumford, MD)
• Improving the Pediatric Peri-Procedural Experience: What the Family Wants Us to Know (Presenter: Maximillian Selbst)

Additionally, several faculty moderated, presented, and facilitated panels and workshops. Dr. Michael Wandling, Assistant Professor of Surgery, presented in several sessions on the ACS Emergency General Surgery (EGS) Verification Program and associated registry. In particular, he highlighted work he had done as an ACS Clinical Scholar on the importance of including non-operative EGS cases in benchmarking. Dr. Jonah Stulberg, Associate Professor of Surgery and Vice-Chair of Research, moderated a panel on “Creating the Patient Surgical Home at Home: Improved Care and Experience through Wearable Technology, Telehealth, and Artificial Intelligence.” Dr. Lillian Kao, Professor of Surgery, participated in the equity track, focusing on equity as one of the six domains of quality. Additionally, she was one of the facilitators of the QI Basics Pre-Conference Workshop.

Cleft and Craniofacial Team Brings 'All Smiles' to Tomball Family

Publications of Note

Chamely EA, Kao LS. Individualizing the recovery process through eHealth. Lancet Digit Health. Jul 5 2023. PMID: 37419844.

Jacobs MA, Schmidt S, Hall DE, Stitzenberg KB, Kao LS, Brimhall BB, Wang CP, Manuel LS, Su HD, Silverstein JC, Shireman PK. A Surgical Desirability of Outcome Ranking (DOOR) Reveals Complex Relationships between Race/Ethnicity, Insurance Type, and Neighborhood Deprivation. Ann Surg. Jul 14 2023. PMID: 37450703.

Schellenberg M, Koller S, de Moya M, Moore LJ, Brown CVR, Hartwell JL, Inaba K, Ley EJ, Keric N, Peck KA, Fox CJ, Rosen NG, Weinberg JA, Coimbra R, Martin MJ. Diagnosis and Management of Traumatic Rectal Injury: A Western Trauma Association Critical Decisions Algorithm. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. Jul 5 2023. PMID: 37405856.

Bello G, Lyles E, Owens S, Wilson AS, Westby RW, Evans W, Edmondson E, Lindsey TG 2nd, Falcone JL, Boyev A. Equal but Separate: The Slow Assimilation of Osteopathic Surgery Residents Two Years After the Unified Match. J Surg Educ. Jul 13 2023. PMID: 37453896

Boyev A, Prakash LR, Chiang YJ, Childers CP, Jain AJ, Newhook TE, Bruno ML, Arvide EM, Dewhurst WL, Kim MP, Ikoma N, Lee JE, Snyder RA, Katz MHG, Tzeng CD, Maxwell JE. Postoperative Opioid Use Is Associated with Increased Rates of Grade B/C Pancreatic Fistula After Distal Pancreatectomy. J Gastrointest Surg. Jul 19 2023 PMID: 37468733

Boyev A, Arvide EM, Newhook TE, Prakash LR, Bruno ML, Dewhurst WL, Kim MP, Maxwell JE, Ikoma N, Snyder RA, Lee JE, Katz MHG, Tzeng CD. Prophylactic Antibiotic Duration and Infectious Complications in Pancreatoduodenectomy Patients with Biliary Stents: Opportunity for De-Escalation. Ann Surg. Jul 3 2023. PMID: 37389897

Deboever N, Bayley EM, Eisenberg MA, Hofstetter WL, Mehran RJ, Rice DC, Rajaram R, Roth JA, Sepesi B, Swisher SG, Vaporciyan AA, Walsh GL, Bednarski BK, Morris VK, Antonoff MB. Lung Surveillance Following Colorectal Cancer Pulmonary Metastasectomy: Utilization of Clinicopathologic Risk Factors to Guide Strategy. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. Jul 24 2023. PMID: 37495170.

Hatton GE, Brill JB, Tang B, Mueck KM, McCoy CC, Kao LS, Cotton BA. Patients with Both Traumatic Brain Injury and Hemorrhagic Shock Benefit from Resuscitation with Whole Blood. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. Jul 24 2023. PMID: 37506356.

Paidisetty P, Sathyanarayanan S, Kuan-Pei Wang L, Slaughter K, Freet D, Greives M, Chen W. Assessing the Readability of Online Patient Education Resources Related to Neophallus Reconstruction. J Surg Res. Jul 26 2023. PMID: 37506428

GRAND ROUNDS

RESIDENT & STUDENT CORNER

Chief Resident Matches

As the last set of match results was released this month, we were proud to find that all four of our outgoing Chief Residents that applied for fellowship positions were successfully placed! A fantastic achievement as they continue to advance their careers, and we are very proud of all of them. With the other four of our chiefs going out into general practice or returning to military service, here are the four fellowship matches.  

Ashley Dawson - Cardiac Surgery at Emory

Naila Dhanani - Transplant Surgery at Vanderbilt

Nick Zhou - Thoracic Surgery at MD Anderson (4+3)

Nikki Harris - Breast Surgery at Moffitt Cancer Center

SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT

@UTPlastics / UTHealth Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery

Our new interns and independent residents had a blast at the 2023 Plastic Surgery Bootcamp!

A great weekend consisting of learning the foundations of the specialty and meeting future colleagues.

Thank you to @usfplasticsurgery for hosting the fantastic event!

Not all heroes wear capes… some wear helmets!

Here is an example of Dr. Greives and the team demonstrating what craniofacial surgery is all about: shaping superheroes by combining skill, creativity, and teamwork!

Featuring a young Captain Marvel🦸🏼‍♀️

The new academic year is off to a great start! We are so excited to welcome the new members of the UT Houston PRS family 🙏🏽

Editorial Team: Dr. Lillian S. Kao, Dr. Casey B. Duncan, Dr. Peter A. Walker, and Dr. Elias A. Chamely

For content submissions, email Sophia.M.Solis@uth.tmc.edu.