We are saddened to hear of the passing of Dr. Walter Lawrence. Dr. Lawrence served on faculty with the Department of Surgery for over 30 years and was the founding director of the Massey Cancer Center. Even post-retirement, he remained incredibly active on campus, continuing to support the education of our residents and trainees. Dr. Lawrence touched so many lives and we know his amazing contributions to VCU will be felt for years to come. Our deepest condolences to the family and many friends of Dr. Lawrence.

Congratulations to Dr. Jad Khoraki on getting his most recent study published! Per-oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is a relatively new minimally invasive surgical approach to treat achalasia or other esophageal motility disorders (through an upper GI endoscopy, no abdominal incisions). The study which is now published in Surgery reports estimates of procedure utilization in, complication rates, length of stay, and cost of POEM compared to the standard laparoscopic approach (Heller myotomy) using nationally-representative data from the National Inpatient Sample. Read about the study and their findings here.

The American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer and Committee on Trauma held their annual physician in training paper competition on November 4. Surgical residents Yannis Reissis, Natalie Wall, Daniel Scheese and Yahya Alwatari gave excellent presentations at the event. Congratulations to Daniel Scheese who won the award for best clinical paper for his submission "Chest vs Neck Anastomotic Leak Post Esophagectomy for Malignancy: Rate, Predictors, and Comparison of Outcomes".

Congratulations to Adam Goodreau, MD, for matching into the Craniomaxillofacial Surgery Fellowship at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, Ontario.

Congratulations to Bhavishya Ramamoorthy, MD, for being awarded a Surgical Oncology Research Fellowship at the National Cancer Institute. The position involves six months of clinical service and one and one-half years in the laboratory.

Dr. Ramamoorthy is currently a PGY2 in the General Surgery Residency program and will return following her Fellowship.

Congratulations to both Dr. Goodreau and Dr. Ramamoorthy

We are proud to announce that CD Anthony Herndon, MD, Children’s Hospital endowed Professor and Co-Surgeon in Chief of CHoR, has been elected to Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Pediatric Urology for a 4 year renewable term. This is the premiere International journal representing most Pediatric Urologists worldwide and has an an affiliation with societies from 6 continents. In addition and separate to this, he will also serve as President of the Society of Pediatric Urology for 2022. Congratulations, Dr. Herndon!

Congratulations to Dr. Jennifer Salluzzo for being appointed as the FLS Champion! The FLS Champion will assist Susan Haynes and Dr. Patricia Lange in training and preparing our GS residents for FLS testing. FLS (Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery) is a required certification for all general surgery and OB/GYN trainees. The Center for Human Simulation and Patient Safety is an approved FLS test site and provides testing for VCUHS surgical trainees, as well as additional trainees from other residency programs.  

November's guest speaker featured Dr. David Lanning, Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics and Co-Surgeon-in-Chief at CHoR.

Monday, November 22 – 12 to 12:30 pm

A slower 30-minute practice focused on active stretching of muscles and opening of connective tissue. Release built up tension, prevent injury, increase blood flow to muscles, and increase long-term flexibility. No equipment requirements, though a yoga mat is recommended. Register here.

In a time of chaos and uncertainty, our 30-minute guided meditation will provide a sense of calm, peace, and balance, while improving attention, focus, and ability to work through stressful circumstances. Participating in guided meditation is the perfect way to take a moment for yourself and recharge for the rest of your day! Register here.