Department of Surgery Annual Report | 2020 by UC Davis Health

Department of Surgery 2020 ANNUAL REPORT

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2020 ANNUAL REPORT

Introduction

Department of Surgery

At a glance

clinical divisions

1,708

107

fellows

13.2

3.8

annual NIH Research Funding

Department of Defense research funding

ACGME–accredited surgical residency programs

ACGME fellowship programs

women faculty

33.7 million

annual research funding

residency applications

million

active contracts/awards

current interns and residents

faculty

million

ranking for surgery per Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research

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UC Davis Health Department of Surgery

To our colleagues in medicine: 2020 will go down in the books as a year filled with many firsts, not only at home, but around the world and here in the Department of Surgery. Yet I am proud to report, and to demonstrate in the pages that follow, that our team continued to flourish even through the chaos. Despite the pandemic’s many challenges for academic medicine, we delivered a higher volume of surgical care by harnessing — and helping to inform — best practices for protecting our patients and care teams. All the while, we continued training the next generation of skilled surgeons and driving advancements in practice through research. Collaboration with our health system leadership, colleagues in national professional organizations, and others combined with personal dedication created the paths for navigating this “new normal” — and for continuing to provide the best, most innovative care to the patients we serve. Working together, we were able to accomplish a significant body of notable achievements that will serve as sources of inspiration to help carry us through 2021. Among them: ■

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The successful separation of the UC Davis Children’s Hospital’s first set of conjoined twins (Granger Wong, M.D.). The continued growth of our robotic surgery portfolio, including Northern California’s first robotic mitral valve repair (Bob Kiaii, M.D.). The creation of a new Hepatic Artery Infusion (HAI) Program for patients with liver metastases from colorectal cancer (Sepideh Gholami, M.D.).

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ACS/STS verification as a Thoracic Surgery Center of Excellence (Lisa Brown, M.D.). Involvement in COVID-19 preclinical research and clinical trials (David Cooke, M.D., Rachael Callcut, M.D. and Kent Lloyd, D.V.M., Ph.D.). Solidification of our commitment to expand our research portfolio with the creation of three new Vice Chairs for Research positions, for a total of four research divisions (Sean Adams, Ph.D., Rachael Callcut, M.D., Tina Palmieri, M.D. and Aijun Wang, Ph.D.).

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One of our highest annual kidney transplant volumes (Richard Perez, M.D. and Junichiro Sageshima, M.D.). TCAR Center of Excellence recognition for our Vascular Center (Matthew Mell, M.D.). The launch of our Center for Alimentary and Metabolic Science, focused on metabolic dysregulation (Sean Adams, Ph.D. and Mohamed Ali, M.D.). FDA approval for myelomeningocele fetal stem cell therapy and clinical trials (Diana Farmer, M.D. and Aijun Wang, Ph.D.). Across-the-board growth in residency applications, with particular increases in vascular and plastics (Edgardo Salcedo, M.D., David Leshikar, M.D., Misty Humphries, M.D., Granger Wong, M.D., Gary Raff, M.D., Juanita Braxton, Ph.D. and the education department).

I hope you enjoy learning more here in our second annual report. As always, we are grateful for your support of our mission to serve our Northern California region and beyond. Sincerely,

Diana Farmer, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.R.C.S.

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2020 ANNUAL REPORT

Faculty and Clinicians DIVISION OF BURN SURGERY AND RECONSTRUCTION

DIVISION OF CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY

David Greenhalgh, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Bob Kiaii, M.D., F.R.C.S.C., F.A.C.S.

Emeritus Chief, Burn Surgery Professor Helen Marian Bart Endowed Professorship in Burn Care

Chief, Cardiothoracic Surgery Professor

Kiho Cho, D.V.M., Ph.D. Professor (Research)

Tina Palmieri, M.D., F.A.C.S. Chief, Burn Surgery Professor Director, Firefighters Burn Institute Burn Center at the University of California, Davis

Kathleen Romanowski, M.D., F.A.C.S. Assistant Professor

Soman Sen, M.D., F.A.C.S. Professor

ADULT CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY

GENERAL THORACIC SURGERY

Sabrina Evans, M.D. Victor Rodriguez, M.D.

Section Head, General Thoracic Surgery Associate Director, Cardiothoracic Robotics Program Associate Professor

Director, Aortic Center Professor

Lisa Brown, M.D., M.A.S.

Assistant Professor

Curtis Wozniak, M.D. Visiting Assistant Professor

David Tom Cooke, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Assistant Professor

Luis Godoy, M.D. Assistant Professor

J. Nilas Young, M.D., F.A.C.S. Chief Emeritus, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery Professor

PEDIATRIC CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY Gary Raff, M.D., F.A.C.S. Section Head, Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery Surgical Director, Pediatric Heart Center Professor

Amy Rahm, M.D. Surgical Director, Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit Associate Professor

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UC Davis Health Department of Surgery

DIVISION OF COLORECTAL SURGERY

DIVISION OF FOREGUT, METABOLIC AND GENERAL SURGERY

Elizabeth Raskin, M.D.

Mohamed Ali, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Chief, Division of Colorectal Surgery Associate Professor

Chief, Foregut, Metabolic and General Surgery Director, Minimally Invasive Surgery Professor

Wissam Halabi, M.D., F.A.C.S. Assistant Professor

Shushmita Ahmed, M.D.

GASTROINTESTINAL SURGERY Hung Sy Ho, M.D., F.A.C.S. Earl Wolfman Endowed Professor General Surgery

Visiting Assistant Professor

Jonathan Pierce, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Jane Alston, M.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.S.

Associate Clinical Professor Associate Residency Program Director Surgical Director, Center for Virtual Care

Visiting Assistant Professor Entrepreneur in Residence, Office of Entrepreneurship and Industry Alliances

Victoria Lyo, M.D., M.T.M. Assistant Professor

Hazem Shamseddeen, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.A.S.M.B.S. Associate Professor

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2020 ANNUAL REPORT

Working together, we were able to accomplish a significant body of notable achievements that will serve as sources of inspiration to help carry us through 2021. Diana Farmer, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.R.C.S., Chair, Department of Surgery

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UC Davis Health Department of Surgery

DIVISION OF PEDIATRIC, GENERAL, THORACIC AND FETAL SURGERY

DIVISION OF PLASTIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY

DIVISION OF SURGICAL ONCOLOGY

Shinjiro Hirose, M.D., F.A.C.S.

GENERAL PLASTIC SURGERY

Richard Bold, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Chief, Division of Pediatric, General, Thoracic and Fetal Surgery Vice-Chair, Department of Surgery Director of Pediatric Surgery, Shriners Hospitals for Children – Northern California Director, UC Davis Fetal Care and Treatment Center Professor

Granger Wong, M.D., D.M.D., F.A.C.S. Chief, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Professor

Lee Pu, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.S. Professor

Heath Charvet, M.D. Visiting Assistant Professor

Alana Beres, M.D.C.M., M.P.H. Associate Professor

Erin Brown, M.D. Director, Pediatric Surgical Oncology Assistant Professor

Diana Farmer, M.D., F.A.C.S. Chair, Department of Surgery Surgeon-In-Chief, UC Davis Children’s Hospital Distinguished Professor and Pearl Stamps Stewart Endowed Chair of Surgery Co-Director, Surgical Bioengineering Laboratory Professor

Jonathan Kohler, M.D., M.A. Associate Professor Medical Director, Pediatric Trauma

Gary Raff, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Chief, Division of Surgical Oncology Executive Vice Chair, Finance Physician-in-Chief, UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center Medical Director, UC Davis Cancer Care Network Isabelle J. McDonald Endowed Professor of Cancer Research Professor

HAND PLASTIC SURGERY Clifford Pereira, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.R.C.S. (Eng)

SARCOMA Robert Canter, M.D., F.A.C.S. Professor

Associate Professor

MELANOMA

Chetan Irwin, M.D.

Amanda Kirane, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Assistant Professor

Andrew Li, M.D. Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor

BREAST SURGERY Candice Sauder, M.D., M.Ed., F.A.C.S. Assistant Professor

ENDOCRINE SURGERY

Section Head, Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery Surgical Director, Pediatric Heart Center Professor

Michael Campbell, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Amy Rahm, M.D.

Claire Graves, M.D.

Surgical Director, Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit Associate Professor

Payam Saadai, M.D., F.A.C.S. Director, Pediatric Colorectal Program Assistant Professor

Section Head, Endocrine Surgery Associate Professor

Assistant Professor

HEPATOBILIARY SURGERY Sepideh Gholami, M.D., F.A.C.S. Assistant Professor

Minna Wieck, M.D. Assistant Professor

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2020 ANNUAL REPORT

Faculty

DIVISION OF TRANSPLANT SURGERY

DIVISION OF TRAUMA, ACUTE CARE SURGERY AND SURGICAL CRITICAL CARE

Richard Perez, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Joseph Galante, M.D., F.A.C.S.

David Leshikar, M.D.

Chief, Division of Transplant Surgery Medical Director, Transplant Center Director, Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Program Professor

Chief, Division of Trauma, Acute Care Surgery and Surgical Critical Care Medical Director, Perioperative Services Trauma Medical Director Professor

Ho Phan, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Naeem Goussous, M.D.

John Anderson, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Assistant Professor

John McVicar, M.D. Professor

Neal Mineyev, M.D. Assistant Professor

Junichiro Sageshima, M.D., F.A.C.S. Surgical Director, Living Donor Kidney Transplant Program Professor

Associate Program Director, General Surgery Residency and Surgical Critical Care Fellowship Assistant Professor

Professor

Section Head, Acute Care Surgery Professor

Tanya Rinderknecht, M.D.

Ian Brown, M.D., Ph.D.

Edgardo Salcedo, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Assistant Professor

Rachael Callcut, M.D., M.S.P.H., F.A.C.S. Vice Chair, Clinical Science Director, Trauma Research UC Davis Health Interim Chief Research Informatics Officer (CRIO) Associate Professor

Christine Cocanour, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Assistant Professor

Surgical Director, Center for Simulation and Education Enhancement Interim Vice Chair of Education, Department of Surgery Associate Professor

David Shatz, M.D., F.A.C.S. Professor

Garth Utter, M.D., F.A.C.S. Professor

Section Head, Surgical Critical Care Professor

Rachel Hight, M.D., F.A.C.S. Visiting Associate Professor

Gregory Jurkovich, M.D., F.A.C.S. Vice Chair, Clinical Affairs and Quality Donant Endowed Chair in Trauma Medicine and Trauma Research Professor

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UC Davis Health Department of Surgery

DIVISION OF VASCULAR AND ENDOVASCULAR SURGERY

RESEARCH Sean Adams, Ph.D. Vice Chair, Basic Science Scientific Director, Center for Alimentary & Metabolic Science Professor

Rachael Callcut, M.D., M.S.P.H., F.A.C.S. Vice Chair, Clinical Science

K.C. Kent Lloyd, D.V.M., Ph.D. Matthew Mell, M.D., M.S. Chief, Division of Vascular Surgery Pearl Stamps Stewart Endowed Professor Medical Director, Vascular Center

Nasim Hedayati, M.D., M.A.S., F.A.C.S., R.P.V.I. Medical Director, UC Davis Vein Center Professor

Misty Humphries, M.D., M.A.S., R.P.V.I., F.A.C.S. Program Director, Vascular Integrated Residency Program Program Director, Research Experience in Surgery (RESURG) Associate Professor

Director, UC Davis Mouse Biology Program Associate Director, UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center Professor

Tina Palmieri, M.D., F.A.C.S. Vice Chair, Clinical Trials

Aijun Wang, Ph.D. Vice Chair, Translational Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Co-Director, Surgical Bioengineering Laboratory Associate Professor

JOINT APPOINTMENTS

Mimmie Kwong, M.D. Assistant Professor

Steven Maximus, M.D. Assistant Professor

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING Alyssa Panitch, Ph.D. Professor

William Yoon, M.D. Assistant Professor

PUBLIC HEALTH SCIENCES Miriam Nuño, Ph.D. Associate Professor

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2020 ANNUAL REPORT

Faculty

New Faculty Sean Adams, Ph.D., M.S. Professor Vice Chair for Basic Research, Department of Surgery Director, Center for Alimentary and Metabolic Science

Dr. Adams serves as the founding scientific director of the department’s Center for Alimentary and Metabolic Science (CAMS) research group, with an emphasis on multidisciplinary research into metabolic conditions. Dr. Adams holds an M.S. in marine sciences from UC Santa Cruz and Ph.D. in nutritional sciences from the University of Illinois. He completed two postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Barcelona, Spain and UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. Most recently, Dr. Adams was professor and chief of the Developmental Nutrition Section in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and director of the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center (ACNC), one of six national USDA-funded human nutrition research centers and the single largest biomedical research program in the state. Prior to ACNC, Dr. Adams was the research leader for the Obesity and Metabolism Research Unit at the USDA-ARS Western Human Nutrition Research Center, and adjunct associate professor in nutrition at UC Davis. Shushmita Ahmed, M.D. Visiting Assistant Professor Foregut Surgery

Dr. Ahmed is a graduate of UC Irvine and received her medical degree from the Stanford University School of Medicine. She completed a general surgery residency at Stanford University Medical Center, and a fellowship in minimally invasive surgery at UC Davis Health. She is board certified by the American Board of Surgery in general surgery.

Dr. Ahmed is a general surgeon with advanced training in laparoscopic and robotic surgery. She is experienced with both primary and revisional bariatric surgery, complex foregut operations and hernia procedures. Her academic interests include patient and provider education surrounding obesity and bariatric surgery, as well as perioperative outcomes following bariatric surgery. Rachael Callcut, M.D., M.S.P.H., F.A.C.S. Director Trauma Research, Vice Chair Clinical Science, UC Davis Health Interim Chief Research Informatics Officer (CRIO) Associate Professor Trauma Research

Dr. Callcut graduated from Case Western Reserve University and received her medical degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. She completed her M.S.P.H. and surgical residency at the University of Wisconsin, and a fellowship in surgical clinical care and trauma from the University of Cincinnati. She is board certified in general surgery and surgical critical care by the American Board of Surgery. Dr Callcut comes to UC Davis from UC San Francisco where she was an associate professor of surgery, UCSF trauma surgeon, ZSFGH director of data science and advanced analytics, and program director, SmarterHealth artificial intelligence program. Dr. Callcut also serves through a joint appointment as the director of data science for the Center for Digital Health Innovation based at UCSF. Dr. Callcut is a double board certified surgeon specializing in general surgery, trauma, and surgical critical care. She also directs a NIH- and DOD-funded research lab. Dr. Callcut is an internationally renowned expert in artificial intelligence and health services research. In addition to maintaining an active clinical practice in trauma and critical care, Dr. Callcut serves as the department’s Vice Chair of Clinical Science and director of trauma research.

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UC Davis Health Department of Surgery

Luis Godoy, M.D.

Claire Graves, M.D.

Assistant Professor Thoracic Surgery

Assistant Professor Endocrine Surgery

Dr. Godoy graduated from UC Davis and earned his medical degree from the UC Davis School of Medicine. He completed his cardiothoracic surgery residency at UC Davis Health and is certified in that field by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. Dr. Godoy specializes in the surgical treatment of malignant and benign thymus, lung, and esophageal disease, with special interest in minimally invasive thoracic surgery including VATS, robotic surgery, and interventional bronchoscopy. His research interests involve surgical quality improvement and outcomes, clinical oncologic trials, and addressing disparities in thoracic oncology. He serves as assistant director of our cardiothoracic surgery residency programs. Dr Godoy serves as the department’s inaugural director of diversity and inclusion and has clinical interests in surgical treatment of malignant and benign thymus, lung, and esophageal disease.

Dr. Graves graduated from Yale University and earned her medical degree at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. She completed a residency in general surgery at New York Presbyterian Hospital – Columbia University and attended UCSF for a fellowship in endocrine surgery and a research fellowship in surgical innovation. She is certified by the American Board of Surgery and holds a certificate for da Vinci system robotic training. Dr. Graves’ clinical and research interests center around surgical treatment of disorders of the thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal glands, with special clinical interest and expertise in surgical innovation and minimally invasive techniques.

Naeem Goussous, M.D. Assistant Professor Transplant Surgery

Dr. Goussous attended the University of Jordan Faculty of Medicine and completed residencies in general surgery at Johns Hopkins University and St. Agnes Hospital. He completed the University of Maryland for a fellowship in abdominal transplant and is certified by the American Board of Surgery. He is welltrained in abdominal multiorgan transplantation, with special interest in pancreas transplantation. His research interests as a fellow included hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence in liver transplant recipients.

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2020 ANNUAL REPORT

Faculty

Jonathan Emerson Kohler, M.D., M.A.

Victoria Lyo, M.D., M.T.M.

Medical Director, Pediatric Trauma Associate Professor, Department of Surgery

Assistant Professor Foregut Surgery

Dr. Kohler holds a M.A. in Health Communications from Emerson College and earned his medical degree from the University of Chicago. Dr. Kohler completed his residency in General Surgery at the University of Washington and his fellowship in Pediatric Surgery at the University of Chicago. Dr. Kohler is double-board certified in general and pediatric surgery and fellowship trained in pediatric surgery. His clinical interests include pediatric trauma and looking at ways to reduce the number of injured children who need operations, minimize opioid use after injuries and operations, and prevent injuries through education and advocacy. Dr. Kohler’s research centers on communications between physicians, parents, and patients. He is particularly interested in decision making and decision supports for rural physicians managing common pediatric surgical problems, such as umbilical hernias, opioid prescribing, and minor injuries. He has developed a number of connected learning solutions using telementoring, videos, and interactive teaching tools to improve communications between primary care providers and specialists, and between doctors and patients. Dr. Kohler is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Surgeons, and the American Pediatric Surgical Association.

After attending Wellesley College, Dr. Lyo earned her M.D. with distinction from UCSF, where she completed her general surgery residency. Her fellowship in advanced GI and minimally invasive surgery is from the Oregon Health & Science University, and her M.T.M. is from UC Berkeley. She is board certified in general surgery and certified on the da Vinci robotic platform. Dr. Lyo specializes in laparoscopic, robotic and open techniques to address obesity; foregut diseases; hernias; and gallbladder disease. Her research focuses on the interactions between the gut microbiome and human host, and how the microbiome contributes to obesity and wound healing. Neal Mineyev, M.D. Assistant Professor Transplant Surgery

Dr. Mineyev graduated from UC Berkeley and attended medical school at American University. His general surgery residency locations included Lenox Hill Hospital/Hofstra, and USC/Los Angeles County Hospital/Keck. USC’s Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center was the site of his postdoctoral oncology research fellowship, and Stanford his fellowship in abdominal transplant surgery. He is board certified in general and transplant surgery. Dr. Mineyev has special clinical interest and expertise in adult and pediatric liver, kidney, pancreas and multi-visceral transplantation; organ recovery and preservation; living donor surgery; hepatobiliary surgery; vascular access; and peritoneal dialysis access surgery. His research focuses on improving transplantation outcomes and increasing marginal organ utilization.

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UC Davis Health Department of Surgery

Elizabeth Raskin, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.A.S.C.R.S. Associate Professor and Chief Colorectal Surgery

Joining the department in January 2020, Dr. Raskin has spent the past year serving as the clinical director and interim chief of the Division of Colorectal Surgery, director of robotic surgical education, and as staff surgeon at the Northern California VA Hospital. She brings with her a robust background as clinician, educator and surgeonleader. Prior to UC Davis, Dr. Raskin was assistant professor of surgery in the division of surgical oncology at Loma Linda University and a member of the department of surgery at the Loma Linda VA Hospital. She also served as clinical assistant professor of surgery, division of colon and rectal surgery at the University of Minnesota. In addition to her academic experience, Dr. Raskin spent seven years in private practice. Dr. Raskin is double-board certified in general and colorectal surgery and fellowship trained in colorectal surgery, with clinical expertise focusing on the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease and on complex colon, rectal and anal conditions and cancers, using laparoscopic, robot-assisted and surgical techniques. She is also skilled in transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) and transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS). Her clinical interests include advancing robotic surgery, surgical education and developing technologies to improve surgical outcomes. Dr. Raskin is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, a member of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, and a member of the Society of Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons. She holds a B.S. in biology from University of Oregon and earned her medical degree from the University of Nevada. Dr. Raskin completed her internship and residency in general surgery at Tufts-New England Medical Center and her fellowship in colon and rectal surgery at the University of Minnesota colorectal program.

Minna Wieck, M.D. Assistant Professor Pediatric Surgery

Dr. Wieck graduated from Stanford and earned her medical degree at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine. After a general surgery residency at Oregon Health Science University, her fellowships included surgical research at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and pediatric surgery at the University of Chicago’s Comer Children’s Hospital. She is board certified in general surgery. As a pediatric general surgeon, Dr. Wieck specializes in providing surgical care for neonates, infants, children and adolescents with a wide range of conditions. Her clinical interests include pediatric trauma, congenital malformations, and endocrine disorders, and her research interests trauma, surgical education, and quality improvement.

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2020 ANNUAL REPORT

Faculty

Faculty Development: The SUCCEED Program Ensuring a strong foundation for success We are dedicated to recruiting, developing, and supporting a diverse group of faculty comprised of clinicians, educators, and scientists. We understand that to realize our vision of a department that leads in clinical care, research, education, and leadership, it is essential to invest in the personal and professional growth of each and every faculty member to ensure a strong foundation for a successful career in academic medicine.

To support this vision, we created a new Faculty Development and Wellness program. Under the leadership of Dr. David T. Cooke, Vice Chair for Faculty Development & Wellness, the department launched the SUCCEED Program. The purpose of the SUCCEED program is to provide mentoring and support for our faculty and provide them with an environment that maximizes their professional development. The SUCCEED Program is built on three pillars: Professional Development led by Dr. Michael Campbell Departmental Wellness led by Dr. Amanda Kirane Departmental Diversity and Inclusion led by Dr. Luis Godoy.

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UC Davis Health Department of Surgery

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Though the LAUNCH Committee, support and guidance is provided to new junior faculty as they begin their careers at UC Davis. Early career faculty meet individually with members of the committee during their initial academic year, with the aim of facilitating key professional relationships as well as other facets of academic development.

WELLNESS/WELL-BEING Each quarter the department offers “30-minute Mindfulness Fridays” workshops to address work-life balance. Recent workshops featured a four-part series led by Clinical Psychologist Dr. Vivienne Roseby on the way mindfulness can support mental health and well-being.

One of the best parts of the SUCCEED faculty development program is the oneon-one consultation with the Vice Chair and the interactive didactic sessions in which you get practical real-life examples.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION With California being the most diverse state in the nation, we understand the importance of diversity and inclusion. By amplifying the values of diversity, equity and inclusion, we make our department better. Through these values, we remain committed to creating a culture of inclusivity and with our recruitment efforts, support fostering a department that reflects the diversity of our community. A more diverse group of surgeons that reflects the community it serves means overall better care for the community.

Dr. David T. Cooke, Vice Chair for Faculty Development & Wellness, Dr. Luis Godoy, Departmental Diversity and Inclusion, Dr. Amanda Kirane, Departmental Wellness, and Dr. Michael Campbell, Professional Development. Photo – January 2020.

Dr. Sepideh Gholami, F.A.C.S., Assistant Professor

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Clinical care At a glance

clinical divisions

352

kidney transplants ranked #3 in California and the west and #7 nationally

American College of Surgeons designations: Level I Adult Trauma Center Level I Children’s Surgery Center Level I Pediatric Trauma Center Commission on Cancer, National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer

U.S. News & World Report nationally ranked: Cancer care Cardiology & Heart Surgery Pulmonology & Lung Surgery

U.S. News & World Report high-performing: Gastroenterology & GI Surgery Colon cancer surgery Lung cancer surgery Heart Failure care

Consistently ranked as one of the best hospitals both regionally and nationally, UC Davis is well known for the excelling in the treatment of patients with the most serious and challenging injuries and illnesses. For more than 50 years, the Department of Surgery has set the pace with patient-centered treatments, leading-edge research and mentoring the next generation of surgeon scientists and leaders. Our department has grown to be one of the leading surgical departments in the country, attracting diverse faculty and surgical leaders from around the globe. Through this growth, we continue to respond to community needs with the expansion of our specialty and subspecialty surgical care services. Our multidisciplinary approach combines the expertise of physicians from many specialties with the newest procedures and state-of-the-art technologies, all with an emphasis on quality and patient safety and improving surgical outcomes. The highly respected surgeons and surgical staff of the UC Davis Department of Surgery deliver innovative and expert clinical care to patients every day. Our team performs some of the most advanced surgeries in the world, from conjoined twin separations, complex cancer resections, kidney transplants, and minimally invasive and robotic surgery, to breakthroughs in translational research. We are proud of our department’s many accomplishments and are solidly committed to continue with finding ways to advance patient outcomes through pioneering new surgical treatments.

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UC Davis Health Department of Surgery

Heading off lung cancer at the pass Lung cancer is the number-one cancer killer of both men and women in the United States. UC Davis Health’s head of general thoracic surgery, David Tom Cooke, M.D., F.A.C.S., is working on multiple fronts to change that. In addition to offering UC Davis patients the latest minimally invasive techniques, such as laparoscopic surgery, video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) and robotic thoracic surgery, Dr. Cooke is also the founder and chair of the award-winning UC Davis Comprehensive Lung Cancer Screening Program. This innovative effort provides low-dose chest computed tomography (LDCT) technology to detect lung cancer early in its most treatable form in individuals at the highest risk for lung cancer. It addresses recommendations by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and serves patients with a multidisciplinary team of radiologists, thoracic surgeons, pulmonologists, pathologists, medical oncologists, primary care doctors, smoking cessation experts and radiation oncologists. Along the way, the program has received the American College of Radiation’s Designated Lung Cancer Screening Center recognition, and the Lung Cancer Alliance Screening Center of Excellence award.

Screening is a ‘game changer,’ especially in underserved communities UC Davis Health’s Section Head of general thoracic surgery, Dr. David Tom Cooke.

Dr. Cooke also serves as an evangelist for screening — and health equity — on the wider stage, both as a spokesperson for national organizations like the American Lung Association and through his own considerable professional social media presence. Through expert panel discussions, outreach events in underserved local neighborhoods, media interviews and Twitter posts, he and team members actively highlight the importance of early detection of lung cancer — as well as the current disparities in screening for it.

For example, Black Americans with lung cancer are less likely to be diagnosed at an early stage, less likely to receive surgical treatment, and less likely to receive any treatment compared to white Americans. But Cooke and the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center are actively working to increase screening in communities across Northern California through physician outreach, media, advertising and more. Screening, he noted in one such community talk last year, can “equalize the opportunity for care and cure.”

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2020 ANNUAL REPORT

Clinical Highlights

A first-ever separation of conjoined twins at UC Davis Children’s Hospital

Abigail and Micaela

After months of intense planning and practice, surgeons at UC Davis Children’s Hospital led by Dr. Granger Wong, craniofacial surgeon and Chief of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, successfully separated nine-month-old conjoined twins Abigail and Micaela Bachinskiy in a marathon surgery this past October. The two girls were craniopagus twins — born fused at the head, a condition that occurs approximately only once every 2.5 million births. The 24-hour surgery — the first separation of conjoined twins at UC Davis Medical Center — took place in a UC Davis Children’s Surgery Center operating room custom-built for the procedure’s high complexity.

Team members included more than 30 surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists and other key surgical staff, led by pediatric neurosurgeon Michael Edwards, M.D., Wong, director of pediatric anesthesiology Rajvinder Dhamrait, M.D., and Children’s Surgery Center nursing lead Aida Benitez, R.N. FIRST TASK: A SAFE DELIVERY Mom Liliya, 33, discovered she was pregnant with conjoined twins at 11 weeks gestation. Although initially told she would have to terminate her pregnancy, her doctor referred her to the UC Davis Fetal Care and Treatment Center, inland Northern California’s comprehensive fetal diagnosis and therapy center. Fetal MRIs there provided more details about the twins’ anatomic structures and informed the development of a set of manikin dolls, used to help identify positioning challenges. Delivery team members practiced other simulations and scenarios for months to prepare for the numerous possible risks: compromised airways, collapsed lungs, the need for a CPAP machine to aid in breathing or IV placement. CPAP headgear was custom-designed for each girl. Abigail and Micaela were born at UC Davis Children’s Hospital in December 2019, and spent seven weeks in the NICU before going home.

From VR goggles and 3-D printing to old-fashioned house calls, intensive planning makes a one-in-a-million surgery a success

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UC Davis Health Department of Surgery

Dr. Granger Wong, Chief of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (right) and Dr. Michael Edwards, pediatric neurosurgeon (left) prepare for surgery using 3-D models.

FROM VIRTUAL REALITY GOGGLES TO HOUSE CALLS Surgeons decided to separate the twins at nine months, both to keep shared blood vessels and organs from developing further and to allow for adequate tissue expansion for later coverage of the defect after separation. With a date scheduled, they began preparing in earnest for what may be the most complicated case of their careers. Along the way, they carefully tracked the twins’ growth through MRIs and CT scans. In June, Wong’s team placed custom-designed tissue expanders under the skin of the girls’ heads, to encourage enough skin growth for skull coverage upon separation. 3-D printing allowed generation of multiple models of the twins’ fused skulls, useful for precision planning and practice. Surgeons were also able to explore inside their heads with the use of mixed reality goggles, which offered an augmented view of the complex network of blood vessels to be detangled and separated. On the more traditional side, surgeons also made house calls to

the family, helping them avoid travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. ‘A CHOREOGRAPHED BALLET’ Finally, 10 months of preparation and practice became reality as a team of more than 30 surgical professionals embarked on the operation itself. With so many key players in one space, each with a distinct role to play, the team members were divided by color. Leaders Edwards, Wong, Dhamrait and Benitez donned black caps. Team Purple took care of Micaela, while Team Orange cared for Abigail; they donned surgical caps in either purple or orange for easy

visibility in the operating room. Surgical residents wore grey caps and could assist with either girl. Purple and orange masking tape were used to label equipment for the respective teams in the operating room. Dr. Wong made the initial incisions, created the design of skin flaps, removed the expanders, and reconstructed the skull and scalp after the twins were separated. Surgical challenges included dividing large veins and brain matter that connected the twins so they could have independent circulatory systems. The team performed a fistula ligation, a process that involved clipping and separating shared veins. The twins required five position changes — all posing potential complications — and blood transfusions. Twenty-four hours later, on Sunday morning, the previously joined twins were resting comfortably — and separately — in their room in the UC Davis PICU. Abigail and Micaela were able to face and see each other for the first time.

To view a six-part video series of the first-ever separation of conjoined twins at UC Davis Children’s Hospital, visit health.ucdavis.edu/children/ conjoined-twins.

Surgery team: Dr. Ping Song, plastic surgery chief resident; Dr. Michael Edwards, pediatric neurosurgery; Dr. Granger Wong, Chief of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery; and Dr. Joseph Firriolo, plastic surgery resident.

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Clinical Highlights

Fetal surgery service grows with the community New facilities and clinics help bolster a unique regional role A new space and new satellite clinics are helping to complement and enhance the capabilities of the UC Davis Fetal Care and Treatment Center — inland Northern California’s first comprehensive multidisciplinary fetal diagnosis and therapy center, and one of only a handful in California to specialize in fetal surgery. Led by Shinjiro Hirose, M.D., F.A.C.S., Chief of the Division of Pediatric General, Thoracic and Fetal Surgery, the center

offers advancements in surgery and maternal-fetal medicine that allow for multiple avenues of intervention — including in utero or in real time during the birthing process. An extensive research program also includes stem cell and tissue engineering for several fetal diseases. In 2020 the center moved to new, expanded space on UC Davis Health’s Sacramento medical center campus, with new rooms for fetal echocardiogram and high-resolution ultrasound. UC Davis Health also added Prenatal Diagnostic Center (PDC) clinics at off-campus locations in Sacramento and Stockton, with services that include comprehensive counseling, genetic screening, and diagnostic testing such as chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and

amniocentesis. The move creates a more convenient way for high-risk patients to receive maternal-fetal medicine services from the university’s board-certified perinatologists, Dr. Hirose says, as well as seamless access to the fetal surgery center if needed. The Fetal Care and Treatment Center itself focuses on providing highly specialized care under one roof across the prenatal, birth and postnatal periods. Consultative services include genetic counseling, high-risk prenatal care and delivery planning, and fetal and neonatal surgical consults. Surgical interventions include imageguided and needle-based interventions, fetoscopic procedures, open-fetal surgeries and ex-utero intrapartum treatment (EXIT), as well as neonatal cardiothoracic surgery. The unique service is made possible by the breadth and depth of expertise and infrastructure at UC Davis Health. UC Davis Children’s Hospital was the first hospital on the West Coast — and only the fourth in the nation — to earn verification as a Level I Children’s Surgery Center from the American College of Surgeons. The children’s hospital is also home to: ■

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A high-risk antepartum and birthing center The region’s only nationally ranked Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) A comprehensive fetal and pediatric heart center, and A Magnet-designated nursing team, whose fetal care staff earned a team award from the DAISY Foundation in 2020 for going above and beyond the traditional role of nursing in identifying and meeting patient and family needs.

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UC Davis Health Department of Surgery

The Fetal Care and Treatment Center itself focuses on providing highly specialized care under one roof across the prenatal, birth and postnatal periods.

Conditions we diagnose and treat: Spina bifida (myelomeningocele) Monochorionic twin syndromes Twin–twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) Twin reversed arterial perfusion syndrome Lower urinary tract obstruction (LUTO) Sacrococcygeal teratomas (SCT) Amniotic band syndrome Congenital heart defects Hydrops Fetal anemia Gastroschisis and omphalocele Congenital diaphragmatic hernia Facial and intracranial anomalies Dr. Shinjiro Hirose, Chief, Division of Pediatric, General, Thoracic and Fetal Surgery and Director, UC Davis Fetal Care and Treatment Center

GI obstructions Lung lesions (CPAM/CCAM/BPS) Neck masses

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Clinical Highlights

Robotic surgery growth and advances continue

New Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery performs first robotic mitral valve repair in the region

Dr. Bob Kiaii, Chief, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery

Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery Bob Kiaii, B.Sc., M.D., F.R.C.S.C., F.A.C.S., performed Northern California’s first robotic mitral valve repair this past fall, as one of the initial cases at UC Davis Health to leverage his long expertise in advancing minimally invasive cardiac surgery techniques. Dr. Kiaii is known internationally as a leader in innovative minimally invasive cardiac procedures, including robotic-assisted heart surgery. He performed a number of pioneering operations before arriving last year from Canada’s Western University, including the world’s first roboticassisted surgeries for aortic valve replacement for aortic valve stenosis, right atrial perforation repair, and left atrial appendage ligation for atrial fibrillation. Although he’s also completed numerous robotic-assisted mitral valve repairs in his career, that procedure had not yet been performed on a patient in Northern California. The 39-year-old that Dr. Kiaii successfully treated for a leaking mitral valve was released on the Friday after his Monday surgery, three to five days sooner than open-chest surgery.

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UC Davis Health Department of Surgery

Bob Kiaii, B.Sc., M.D., F.R.C.S.C., F.A.C.S.

Colorectal surgery highlights

Expanding and enhancing robotic surgery options were key reasons for Dr. Kiaii’s recruitment at UC Davis, and he’s working to further develop the university’s robotic-assisted, multi-vessel hybrid bypass/revascularization program for coronary artery disease. Expanding and enhancing robotic surgery options were key reasons for Dr. Kiaii’s recruitment at UC Davis, and he’s working to further develop the university’s robotic-assisted, multi-vessel hybrid bypass/revascularization program for coronary artery disease. He also plans to leverage the hybrid team approach for other procedures as well, such as ablations for cardiac arrhythmia, lead placement, and treatment of valvular disorders. UC Davis surgeons already have access to leading-edge robotic technology, including the state’s first da Vinci SP robotic surgery system. Last year Kiaii also performed UC Davis’ first videoscopic mitral valve surgery, providing a new option between open-heart surgery

and clipping via catheterization. All UC Davis Health mitral valve patients are now screened for minimally invasive surgical repair, with transcatheter mitraclip procedures reserved for patients who aren’t good surgical candidates. At UC Davis Dr. Kiaii has also introduced his techniques set for Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS), designed to allow suitable patients post-minimally invasive hybrid cardiac procedures to discharge sooner than the typical length of stay of 7–10 days. The protocol involves measures such as extubation in the operating room, advancement in pain management, and early ambulation.

2020 was a year of tremendous growth for the Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, now led by master surgeon and renowned robotic educator Elizabeth Raskin, M.D., F.A.C.S. She has been a practicing colorectal surgeon since 2008 and specializes in the latest minimally invasive surgical interventions, with more than 400 robotic colorectal cases performed. In addition to leading the division, she will also oversee our Robotic Surgical Education Program where she will train up-andcoming surgeons on the latest robotic surgery techniques. The division’s mission centers around precision surgical care with the latest innovations for both benign and malignant colorectal conditions. Under Dr. Raskin’s leadership, services grew in complexity and volume this past year, with excellent outcomes and a series of noteworthy accomplishments that included: ■

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Reaccreditation by the Commission on Cancer’s National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC), as one of nine centers nationwide and two in California to meet the standards Expansion of minimally invasive platforms with an increased focus on robotic surgery, and development of a robotic surgery teaching and training curriculum The establishment of multidisciplinary treatment teams for inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer Implementation of an enhanced recovery program to reduce post-operative inpatient stays, pain, opioid use, and healing time

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Clinical Highlights

Despite the COVID pandemic, a busy year for transplantation UC Davis Health will continue its decade-long position among the nation’s highest-volume transplant programs.

The UC Davis kidney program remains one of the nation’s largest Despite the novel coronavirus pandemic’s impact on both organ donation and transplantation nationally, UC Davis Health’s kidney transplant program has experienced one of its busiest years ever. For 2020, the program completed 352 kidney transplants. This high volume accomplishment was due largely to Drs. Richard Perez and Junichiro Sageshima dedication of operating every other day for the entire year. It means that UC Davis Health will continue its decade-long position among the nation’s highest-volume kidney transplant programs. UC Davis has performed between 200 and 402 adult and pediatric transplants each year since 2011, and reached the overall 4,000-transplant milestone in 2018. Patient outcomes also consistently meet or exceed the national average.

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UC Davis Health Department of Surgery

CONTINUED INNOVATION WITH EXTENDED-CRITERIA ORGANS As always, utilization of challenging deceased-donor kidneys — a hallmark of the UC Davis program — played a part. Recent publications have demonstrated successful utilization of donor kidneys with acute injury, chronic neurological disease and viral infections. And faculty have published on several aspects of a series of kidney transplants from small pediatric donors, which is unique and the largest reported in the medical literature (see sidebar). Improving organ preservation, to facilitate better outcomes after deceaseddonor transplantation, is another research focus. UC Davis currently utilizes hypothermic machine perfusion in many patients who undergo deceased donor kidney transplantation, and has also developed a model of normothermic perfusion to preserve and repair kidneys ex vivo prior to transplantation, as outlined in recent publications (see sidebar).

HIGHLIGHTS: EXTENDEDCRITERIA ORGAN RESEARCH  Short- and Long-term Outcomes of Kidney Transplants From Very Small (≤15 kg) Pediatric Donors With Acute Kidney Injury. Troppmann C, et al. Transplantation. 2020  Urologic complications after transplantation of 225 en bloc kidneys from small pediatric donors ≤20 kg: Incidence, management, and impact on graft survival. Fananapazir G, et al. Am J Transplant. 2020  Pediatric en bloc kidney transplantation from very small (≤10 kg) donation after circulatory death (versus brain death) donors: Single-center matched-pair

OUTREACH, TESTING PLAY A ROLE One reason for 2020’s strong volume was an increase in organs within the region, according to UC Davis Transplant Center Director Melissa Bein, who noted expanded outreach by local procurement organization Sierra Donor Services. UC Davis’ Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine also contributed by creating strong in-house COVID-19 testing capability early in the pandemic. When three deceased-donor kidneys became available in mid-March, for example, 12-hour shifts by lab and transplant teams allowed the organs to be tested within hours and used.

TRANSITIONS AND EXPANSION The program also welcomed two new surgeons, Neal Mineyev, M.D., from Stanford and Naeem Goussous, M.D., from the University of Maryland. Both are well-trained in abdominal multiorgan transplantation, and have special interest in pediatric transplantation (Mineyev) and pancreas transplantation (Goussous). Plans for 2021 include continued growth of the kidney transplantation program, says Chief of Transplant Surgery Richard Perez, with a specific focus on expanding the living donor transplant program. The division will also continue research on organ preservation and optimizing clinical outcomes.

analysis of 130 transplants. Troppmann C, et al. Am J Transplant. 2018  Barriers to live and deceased kidney donation by patients with chronic neurological diseases: Implications for donor selection, donation timing, logistics, and regulatory compliance. Troppmann C, et al. Am J Transplant. 2019  Donor Characteristics, Recipient Outcomes, and Histologic Findings of Kidney Allografts With Diffuse Donorderived Glomerular Fibrin Thrombi. Gao G, et al. Transplantation. 2019  Impact of Willingness to Accept Hepatitis C Seropositive Kidneys Among Hepatitis C RNA-Positive Waitlisted Patients Sageshima J, et al. Transplantation. 2018

HIGHLIGHTS: EX VIVO ORGAN PRESERVATION RESEARCH  Use of Hypothermic Machine Perfusion to Identify Anatomic Variation Before Transplantation of a Pancake Kidney: A Case Report. Galganski LA, et al. Transplant Direct. 2019  Combined Ex Vivo Hypothermic and Normothermic Perfusion for Assessment of High-risk Deceased Donor Human

Richard V. Perez, M.D., Transplant Surgery Chief

Kidneys for Transplantation. Kabagambe SK, Transplantation. 2019

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Research

We continually seek to optimize patient care and outcomes via leading-edge research led by professors and research staff. We conduct medical research in both clinical and laboratory settings in all of our surgical divisions.

At a glance

ranking for surgery per Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research

research divisions

1 #2 #

Snapshots in UC system

in California and Western States

33.7

million

annual research funding

million

research staff

principal investigators

research residents

13.2

million

Research

3.8

NOVEL SYNTHETIC VASCULAR GRAFT FOR HEMODIALYSIS APPLICATIONS Aijun Wang, Ph.D., completed a Technology Development Award from NIH/NHLBI, supported by the University of California Center for Accelerated Innovation (UC-CAI), to develop a novel synthetic vascular graft for hemodialysis applications. This project has been advanced to the initiation of startup company Vasobio, Inc. that recently received a national dialysis innovation award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and American Society of Nephrology (ASN) to improve kidney dialysis. The generous award stems from the KidneyX: Redesign Dialysis Phase 2 competition.

Department of Defense (DOD) funding

Dr. Aijun Wang

new contracts/awards

active contracts

annual NIH funding

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UC Davis Health Department of Surgery

Ian Brown, M.D., Ph.D. runs the Trauma Basic Science Lab.

ch TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH USING HUMANIZED MOUSE MODELS Through the UC Davis Mouse Biology Program (MBP), scientist and researcher Kent Lloyd, D.V.M., Ph.D., continues to work closely with research investigators across UC Davis using the mouse as a model organism to study, understand, and treat human disease. This past year, the MBP co-authored, acknowledged, and/or contributed to research reported in 195 peer-reviewed scientific publications, including in Nature and Science. In particular, the MBP conducts and participates in research studies to drive advances in the rapidly evolving landscape of genetic engineering in model organisms, including in areas related to improving the effectiveness and efficiency of novel Cas9 delivery methods using IVF, synthetic gRNAs, microinjection and electroporation of single stranded DNA oligos, humanization of alleles by replacement with human template DNA, fluorescent Cas9 reporters, 2-cell microinjection, and editing ES Cells using Cas9 protein. This work has led to a collaboration with scientists at the MIND Institute and the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC) to develop and test CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing in non-human primates. In addition, MBP scientists are working to rapidly develop novel humanized mouse models to study SARS-CoV-2 infection and treat COVID-19.

AGGIE SQUARE INNOVATION HUB PROJECT Dr. Wang has been working closely with Dr. James Kovach, UC Davis Health’s director of entrepreneurship and innovation, in planning for the Aggie Square project. Located on UC Davis’ Sacramento campus, the planned “innovation hub” project will house business partners and community-based programs, together with UC Davis innovation and research, to create a unique live/learn/work/play environment that values inclusion, entrepreneurship and creativity. Some specific elements include research facilities, office and mixed-use space, classrooms, housing, amenities, and new public space connecting the university with neighboring communities. More information: aggiesquare.ucdavis.edu

TRAUMA RESEARCH ■ Trauma Basic Science Lab: Dr. Ian Brown examines the intersection between coagulation and inflammation in the setting of acute severe trauma and how this interplay impacts outcomes through consequences of coagulopathy and endotheliopathy. NEW RESEARCH EDUCATION ELEMENTS ■ Hands-on biomedical training experience: Dr. Wang serves as one of the PIs on the UC Davis Office of the Provost-supported program “Quarter at Aggie Square (Q@AS).” The program takes students out of the classroom and into clinical arenas that deploy biomedical technology such as surgical suites and intensive care units.

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Research

Research efforts expand with three new research vice chairs for a total of four domain experts in surgical research Over the past decade, the Department of Surgery has seen continued growth in faculty research, with substantial growth in federal and private funding for basic science and translational medicine. In addition to a marked increase in clinical research, our National Institute of Health (NIH) portfolio has increased substantially, raising our ranking to one of the top departments of surgery. This past year our department research awards reached an unprecedented $33.7 million, with $13.2 million from NIH funding. In response to our expanding research portfolio and drive, our department created three new Vice Chair for Research positions. Our continued commitment to advancing surgical treatments and discovery has allowed us to successfully recruit world-class scientists into these roles to become the #1 department of Surgery in the UC system in NIH funding for 2020.

VICE CHAIR, BASIC SCIENCE: SEAN ADAMS, PH.D. Dr. Adams, a recognized speaker and advisor in metabolic research, is the founding scientific director of the Center for Alimentary and Metabolic Science (CAMS) research group established by the Department of Surgery. As scientific director, he champions the development of an integrated, state-ofthe-art research program that brings laboratory scientists, clinical scientists and clinicians together to advance the understanding and causes of metabolic conditions. The ultimate goal is to foster effective translation of fundamental research developments for improved patient outcomes. The CAMS will also conduct research and seek campus-wide partnerships relevant to nutrition, fitness, and “culinary medicine.” Dr. Adams’ personal research interests focus on identifying the molecular underpinnings of metabolic health by leveraging state-of-the-art methodology tools such as metabolomics and xenometabolomics. His research portfolio also includes research involving muscle lipotoxicity and fat metabolism, metabolite-associated inflammation, microbiome-host cross-talk, and exercise physiology. His output includes 80 invited national and international talks and 118 peer-reviewed scientific papers.

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UC Davis Health Department of Surgery

VICE CHAIR, CLINICAL SCIENCE: RACHAEL CALLCUT, M.D., M.S.P.H., F.A.C.S. Dr. Callcut is a general surgeon specializing in trauma, acute care surgery, and surgical clinical care. In addition to maintaining an active clinical practice, she leads a NIHand DOD-funded team of researchers that seeks to improve clinical decision support via the integration of biomedical “big data” and surgical data science into critical care. Dr. Callcut has a broad health-services research and data-science portfolio focused on clinical outcomes research in trauma and critical care, and is an investigator in ongoing multicenter clinical trials examining resuscitation outcomes. She has published numerous articles on the impact of regulatory issues in surgery, health care delivery, artificial intelligence/machine learning, advanced statistical techniques, cost-effectiveness, and the development of screening algorithms for clinical care. She has assumed the oversight of the Surgical Outcomes Group and also leads a lab investigating the role of inflammation and coagulopathy in critical illness and injury, and her group has specific expertise in novel therapies for treatment of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and COVID.

VICE CHAIR, CLINICAL TRIALS: TINA PALMIERI, M.D., F.A.C.S. Dr. Palmieri is a board-certified surgical intensivist and burn surgeon who specializes in the care of adults and children with burn injury or major skin-sloughing disorders such as toxic epidermal necrolysis. She has expertise in all aspects of burn injury, but focuses on critical care, acute injury management, and burn disasters. Her past Air Force service gives her a unique perspective on triage and prioritiesof-care development. Dr. Palmieri’s expertise in clinical trial methodology focuses on collaboration with diverse stakeholders to optimize outcomes; as such, she has led multicenter trials in blood transfusion and coagulation, complex burn/trauma and brain injury, artificial skin development, opiate pharmacogenomics, and burn outcomes. She has also led development of international burn care guidelines and burn disaster management guidelines, including for wildfire injuries. Finally, she is the director of the UC Davis Burn Data Coordinating Center, which has led multicenter burn trials for the American Burn Association Multicenter Trials Group.

VICE CHAIR, TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH, INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP: AIJUN WANG, PH.D. Dr. Wang co-directs the department’s Surgical Bioengineering Laboratory, a hub for faculty, residents, research fellows, graduate students, and others who conduct interdisciplinary research to engineer solutions for a full spectrum of surgical conditions and diseases. The laboratory also provides a rich environment for biomedical translational research, coupled with multipronged collaborations across campuses. The lab’s research program has been widely recognized and funded by extramural grants. Dr. Wang is an active researcher and strong advocate in promoting collaborative research across campuses (Davis and Sacramento), between schools/ colleges (e.g., Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Engineering) and departments (especially Surgery and Biomedical Engineering). Formerly a Dean’s Fellow in Entrepreneurship, Dr. Wang is currently serving as a Chancellor’s Fellow and has nine active patent applications submitted with one patent granted. His own research focuses on developing innovative tools, technologies, and therapeutics that combine molecular, cellular, tissue, and biomaterial engineering to promote tissue regeneration and restore function. His lab engineers and develops stem cells, extracellular vesicles, and extracellular matrices to treat surgical conditions and diseases. It also conducts IND (Investigational New Drug) enabling studies and participates in clinical trials.

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Research

Launching the first human in-utero stem cell treatment for spina bifida UC Davis Health’s Department of Surgery is in the process of launching the world’s first human clinical trial this year using stem cells to treat spina bifida. The historic effort will test an innovative approach — developed by Department of Surgery physician-scientists over the course of more than a decade — that combines in utero surgery and cellular therapy.

The Food and Drug Administration issued its approval last fall for clinical trials of the one-of-a-kind treatment, developed by a team led by Department of Surgery Chair Diana Farmer and by Aijun Wang, the department’s Vice Chair for Translational Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) followed in the winter with a $9 million grant award, allowing investigators to proceed with recruitment and launch. Spina bifida affects about 1,500 to 2,000 children each year in the U.S., and represents the most common cause of lifelong paralysis. The birth defect occurs when spinal tissue improperly fuses during the early stages of pregnancy, and commonly leads to a range of lifelong cognitive, mobility, urinary and bowel disabilities. The complex treatment being targeted by UC Davis involves mesenchymal stem cells and a form of biomaterial scaffold, creating a kind of stem cell “patch” that’s placed over the condition’s injury site in the womb during fetal surgery. Drs. Farmer and Wang are generating the mesenchymal stem cells, known to be among the most promising in regenerative medicine, from donor placental tissue, that is specifically engineered for neuroprotection and regeneration. The hope is to help human patients boost motor function and walk independently, particularly those with the severe form of the disease known as myelomeningocele. A DECADE-LONG PURSUIT Drs. Farmer, Wang and their research team have been working on their novel approach for more than 10 years. Over that time, animal modeling has shown

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UC Davis Health Department of Surgery

A stem cell treatment developed at UC Davis could reduce the lowerextremity paralysis associated with spina bifida, a birth defect of the lower spinal cord.

Trials for the in utero stem cell treatment begin this year, with help from a $9 million state grant. it capable of preventing the paralysis associated with spina bifida. It’s believed that the stem cells work to repair and restore spinal tissue, beyond what surgery can accomplish alone. Preliminary work by Drs. Farmer and Wang proved that prenatal surgery combined with human placenta-derived mesenchymal stromal cells, if held in place with a biomaterial scaffold, helped lambs with spina bifida walk without noticeable disability. When the team refined their prenatal surgery and stem cells technique for canines, the treatment also improved the mobility of dogs with naturally occurring spina bifida.

A $5.6 million CIRM grant followed in 2018 to support final preparations for human trials. The agency had provided an initial $2.2 million preclinical development award three years earlier. BUILDING ON FETAL SURGERY ADVANCES As a leader of the MOMS trial in the early 2000s, Dr. Farmer had previously helped to prove that in utero repair surgery reduced neurological deficits from spina bifida. Many children in that study, however, still required wheelchairs or leg braces.

She recruited Wang specifically to help take that work to the next level. Together, they launched the UC Davis Health Surgical Bioengineering Laboratory to find ways to use stem cells to advance surgical effectiveness and improve functional outcomes. Farmer launched the UC Davis Fetal Care and Treatment Center with fetal surgeon Shinjiro Hirose and the Children’s Surgery Center several years ago. Participants for the current spina bifida trial will be treated at those centers, with UC Davis Children’s Hospital and Shriners Hospitals for Children — Northern California providing follow-up care. Shriners has also helped fund related research, along with the National Institutes of Health.

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Research Highlights

Contributions to COVID-19 research STEM CELL CLINICAL TRIAL FOR A COVID-19 LUNG COMPLICATION UC Davis Health scientists have joined a landmark multicenter clinical trial to test whether mesenchymal stromal cells help reduce inflammation in the lungs of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), in hopes of giving extremely ill COVID-19 patients and others with the syndrome an increased chance of survival. Rachael Callcut, M.D., M.S.P.H., F.A.C.S., the Department of Surgery’s Vice Chair of Clinical Science and an associate professor, is co-managing participation in the phase III trial at UC Davis Health along with Timothy Albertson, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., chair of internal medicine and professor of pulmonology. MSC cells have shown potential benefits for treating ARDS lung failure in the laboratory, and safety trials were completed in 2015 and 2018. The current clinical trial will test if they can reduce inflammation and help damaged lungs to repair themselves. Mortality among trauma patients is three times higher in those who develop ARDS than those who don’t, and the mortality rate among COVID-19 patients with ARDS is at least 40%. Aside from

supportive care with lung-protective ventilation, there are virtually no treatments that reduce mortality. The U.S. Department of Defense and the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) are sponsoring the trial, led by UCSF pulmonologists. SURGERY OUTCOMES AND TIMING FOLLOWING SARS-COV-2 INFECTION Dr. Callcut is also participating in international multicenter research to glean more information about outcomes — and optimal timing — for surgical procedures following SARS-CoV-2 infection. The latest phase is the GlobalSurgCovidSurg Week study, a prospective cohort study conducted through the GlobalSurg initiative, a project of England’s National Institute for Health Research agency. The study’s name reflects that data collection occurs over seven days. Dr. Callcut is site principal investigator of the COVIDSurg Worldwide project examining the impact of COVID on surgical outcomes. Two earlier cohort studies through the organization — known as CovidSurg and CovidSurgCancer — captured outcomes on 36,000 patients across 1,005 hospitals in 86 countries. Those studies generally showed poor outcomes in patients

treated after COVID infection, but were limited by a lack of contemporary comparators. The follow-on GlobalSurg-CovidSurg Week study collects and compares mortality data about all elective and emergency patients having surgery, including comparator data from those without SARS-CoV-2 or postoperative disease. The primary aim is to determine the optimal timing for surgery following infection, while also exploring risk prediction and the impact of COVID-free surgical pathways. DEVELOPING COVID MOUSE MODELS In August, the NIH also granted $1.2 million to Dr. Kent Lloyd for an effort to create COVID mouse models for use in preclinical research studies.

Mice and rats are not naturally infected by SARS-CoV-2, which enters human cells by attaching to the ACE2 protein. Dr. Lloyd’s program aims to create “humanized” laboratory mice through CRISPR-Cas9 technology, harnessing it to precisely replace the genetic code for the mouse equivalent of ACE2 with the code for human ACE2. His team plans to do the same with other human proteins thought to play a role in COVID-19.

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UC Davis Health Department of Surgery

Early vaccine testing role The Department of Surgery also had an early role in pandemic research through professor and UC Davis Mouse Biology Program director Kent Lloyd, D.V.M., Ph.D., whose labs were the first at the university to begin testing on a potential COVID vaccine. In late April, Northern California biopharmaceutical company Verndari, Inc. announced that it would begin preclinical testing with the mouse program on immune response to the firm’s vaccine, which also involves a dermal patch delivery system. Dr. Lloyd, together with Dr. Kristin Grimsrud, amended an existing protocol for influenza to test the COVID-19 vaccine in rats, with university approval issued in less than 72 hours. Verndari began initial testing of a flu vaccine at the Mouse Biology Program in 2017, with help from university programs that offer support and research access to startups.

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2020 ANNUAL REPORT

Research Highlights

RESURG (Research Experience in Surgery) Program Our department’s selective clinical research internship program helps to train young research professionals while mentoring them in their professional and educational goals. Launched in spring 2019 with three students and two research projects, it’s since grown to include as many as 20 students and a variety of topics — including the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The program is a grassroots effort to develop a sustainable research experience for undergrads, says RESURG director Misty Humphries, M.D., M.A.S., R.P.V.I., F.A.C.S., and to give them experience with surgeons who are changing the face of surgery through their research. RESURG Clinical Research Assistants learn about and engage in clinical research, work with clinicians, and observe surgical procedures. Along the way, they assist with duties ranging from data collection to overall project assessment. Curriculum focuses on active learning and engagement in both the investigative and regulatory aspects of human-subjects research, such as ICH/ GCP education, FDA, and local regulatory knowledge. Particulars can range from compliance training to suture simulation to identifying research questions. As of late 2020, the program is assisting 16 physicians and 24 research studies. The year’s portfolio included a study about BMI’s effects on COVID-19 mortality, a quality analysis of pandemic telemedicine visits, and work on topics including critical limb ischemia, stem cells and trauma. On the web: health.ucdavis.edu/surgery/resurg.html www.instagram.com/ucdavisresurg facebook.com/resurg.ucdavis

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UC Davis Health Department of Surgery

Trauma violence interventions and research – our committment to the community Wraparound violence intervention program celebrates two years In addition to treating the consequences of violence in our emergency room and trauma center, the Department of Surgery works in multiple ways to reduce and prevent it among young people in high-risk communities. One

element of that effort, the UC Davis Health Wraparound Program, provides direct services for violently injured young people, while also helping through research to build valuable understanding about trauma recovery, violence involvement, and interventions. Led by Ian Brown, M.D., Ph.D., and Christy Adams, R.N., M.P.H., Ph.D., the Wraparound Program is a free service that supports the mental and emotional healing of young people ages of 13–26

who are admitted for wounds from gunshots, stabbings or assaults. The program provides support for patients who have left the hospital but are still recovering from their injuries. Wraparound started in 2018 in the Sacramento community of Oak Park, thanks to initial grant money from Kohl’s Cares, and has expanded to six other Sacramento neighborhoods with high rates of community violence. A nearly $1 million grant from the Board of State and Community Corrections last year will help support the program and augment its research efforts. Wraparound’s unique position within UC Davis Medical Center’s trauma center allows the program to serve as an entry point into a coordinated system of violence intervention and community-based recovery support services in Sacramento. Two trained intervention specialists offer the program’s patients up to a year of intensive post-discharge case management, including connections to community resources and mental health services, life-skills mentoring, and assistance getting back on track with education or employment. Research is baked into the program, both to inform UC Davis Medical Center’s ongoing violence-intervention efforts and the effectiveness of hospital-based violence intervention programs (HVIPs) overall. Researchers from the nationally recognized UC Davis Violence Prevention Research Program — the

nation’s first state-funded center for firearm violence research — are helping to conduct the mixed-methods effort, which seeks to gauge Wraparound’s effect on subsequent risk for violent re-injury or death within one year. Besides conventional indicators of program impacts, researchers are also tracking lesser-studied — but theoretically important — intermediate measures of mental health, socioemotional, behavioral, and attitudinal risk and resilience factors associated with trauma recovery and violence involvement. Methods include interviews, surveys, client records and activity reporting, and institutionand state-level public health injury surveillance systems. More information: health.ucdavis.edu/injuryprevention

The cost of violence-related trauma 6th leading cause of death for all age groups Disproportionally affects minority populations, especially teens and younger adults Recidivism rates up to 55%

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2020 ANNUAL REPORT

Education

Education At a glance

1,708

residency applications

1,190 general surgery

120

vascular surgery 62% increase

109

ACGME–accredited surgical residency programs

107

current interns and residents

62%

cardiothoracic surgery 10% increase

female residents

plastic surgery 56% increase

ACGME fellowship programs

military residents

fellows

289 32

Our four residency programs provide unparalleled clinical and operative experiences; robust didactic, simulation, and conference curricula; career development and mentorship; and many research opportunities. For more than 50 years, we have been committed to training “thinking doctors” versus “cookbook doctors,” and take great pride in the success of our graduates.

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GENERAL SURGERY RESIDENTS PGY 2

GENERAL SURGERY RESIDENTS PGY 1

John Arriola, M.D.

Jessica Guzman, M.D.

Randy Michael Cohen, M.D.

Medical School: Perelman SOM University of Pennsylvania

Medical School: Rowan University

Medical School: University of Oklahoma

Ryan Emery, M.D.

Alyssa Bellini, M.D.

Matthew Haskins, M.D.

Medical School: Western University

Medical School: Florida Atlantic University

Eliot Gagne, M.D.

Kathleen Doyle, M.D.

Medical School: Louisiana State University

Sarah Mann, M.D. Medical School: Kansas City University

Julia Riccardi, M.D. Medical School: Rutgers New Jersey

Colton Ryan, M.D. Medical School: Penn State University

Priya Suri, M.D. Medical School: University of Wisconsin

Leah Timbang, M.D. Medical School: UC Davis

PRELIMINARY RESIDENTS Alfredo Alcausin, M.D.

Medical School: Tufts University

Medical School: Emory University

Marco Grieco, M.D.

Rachel Ekaireb, M.D.

Medical School: Rocky Vista University

Medical School: UCSF

Clinton Harper, M.D.

Megan Gilbert, M.D.

Medical School: A.T. Still University–Health

Medical School: UC Davis

Ana Isabel Jacinto, M.D.

Leslie Hopper, M.D.

Medical School: Loma Linda University

Daisy Manzo, M.D. Medical School: UC Davis

Kevin Lee, M.D.

Angelica Marrufo, M.D.

Medical School: University of Colorado School of Medicine

Medical School: UC Davis

Alisha Provost, M.D.

Medical School: UC Davis

Medical School: Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine

Nolan Andres, M.D.

Christen Scaggs, M.D.

Medical School: Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic medicine

Collin Black, M.D. Duke University

Lisa Choe, M.D. Medical School: Temple University

Medical School: Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University

Medical School: University of Pikeville Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine

Samy Ramadan, M.D. Medical School: University of Vermont College of Medicine

Alexis Woods, M.D. Medical School: David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Stephanie Scarmella, M.D. Medical School: Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Bradley Watkins, M.D. Medical School: Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

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2020 ANNUAL REPORT

Education

GENERAL SURGERY RESIDENTS PGY 3

GENERAL SURGERY RESIDENTS PGY 4

RESEARCH RESIDENTS Jacob Burns, M.D.

Nathan Butler, M.D.

Lindsay Bach, M.D.

Medical School: University of Florida

Medical School: West Virginia SOM

Medical School: West Virginia University School of Medicine

Jennifer Geiger, M.D.

Abdul Hassan, M.D. Medical School: UC San Diego

Elise Hill, M.D. Medical School: University of Iowa

Alexandra Johns, M.D.

Lauren Coleman, M.D. Medical School: University of New Mexico SOM

Alicia Gingrich, M.D. Medical School: University of Kansas

Medical School: The Ohio State University SOM

Melissa Grigsby, M.D.

Kara Kleber, M.D.

Medical School: Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

Medical School: Boston University

Rafael Lozano, M.D.

Timothy Guenther, M.D.

Medical School: University of Missouri-Kansas

Medical School: University of Nebraska Medical Center

Siobhan Luce, M.D.

Sean Judge, M.D.

Medical School: University of Nevada School of Medicine

Nicole Moore, M.D. Medical School: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Jacquelyn Yu, M.D. Medical School: UC Davis

Medical School: University of Michigan

Gillian Hoshal, M.D. Medical School: Michigan State University

Nikia McFadden, M.D. Medical School: University of Pennsylvania

Lauren Perry, M.D. Medical School: Emory University School of Medicine

Trevor Plescia, M.D. Medical School: UC Irvine

Ashly Ruf, M.D.

Medical School: Creighton University

Medical School: University of Missouri

Amanda Phares, M.D.

Elan Sherazee, M.D.

Medical School: UC Davis

Debi Thomas, M.D. Medical School: Keck School of Medicine of USC

Kyle Thompson, M.D. Medical School: University of Texas, Houston

Kaeli Yamashiro, M.D. Medical School: A.T. Still University

Medical School: Uniformed Services University Health Services

Michaela Simoncini, M.D. Medical School: Drexel University College of Medicine

Sarah Stokes, M.D. Medical School: SUNY Downstate

Isabelle Struve, M.D. Medical School: UC Davis

GENERAL SURGERY RESIDENTS PGY 5 Carl Beyer, M.D.

Jonathan Lin, M.D.

Medical School: Temple University School of Medicine

Medical School: Medical College of Wisconsin

Jessica Bowman, M.D.

Medical School: Rush Medical College

Medical School: University of Kentucky

James Clark, M.D. Medical School: Rush University

Laura Galganski, M.D. Medical School: University of Louisville School of Medicine

Christina Theodorou, M.D. Medical School: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Jennifer Olson, M.D. Linda Schutzman, M.D. Medical School: University of Kentucky

Marguerite Spruce, M.D. Medical School: University of Missouri – Columbia

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UC Davis Health Department of Surgery

CARDIOTHORACIC RESIDENTS

PLASTIC SURGERY RESIDENTS

Amir Sarkeshik, D.O., 5th Year Resident

CHIEF RESIDENTS

Medical School: Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine

Anna Xue, M.D., 4th Year Resident Medical School: University of Washington School of Medicine Seattle, WA

Nataliya Bahatyrevich, M.D., 3rd Year Resident

Medical School: Medical College of Virginia

Charleston Chua, M.D. (PGY 8)

Jeremy Bolin, M.D.

Ping Song, M.D. (PGY 6)

Medical School: University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine 5th YEAR RESIDENTS

Sanam Zahedi, M.D. (PGY 7)

Sarah Chen, M.D., M.S., 2nd Year Resident

Matthew Zeiderman, M.D. (PGY 5)

Medical School: Florida State College of Medicine

Medical School: UC Davis

Medical School: University of Louisville School of Medicine

Serena Pham, M.D., 1st Year Resident

4th YEAR RESIDENTS

SURGERY FELLOWS BURN SURGERY

John Andre, M.D. CRITICAL CARE

Charles Fredricks, M.D. (ACS Surgery) Justin Mandell, M.D. Anamaria Robles, M.D. Isabelle Struve, M.D. Emily Tibbets, M.D. (ACS Surgery) Courtney White, M.D. MIS SURGERY

Marissa Mendez, M.D. Doris Kin, M.D.

Connor Caples, M.D. 2015–2021 Vascular Surgery Resident M.D. 2015 Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS)

Medical School: Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University

Medical School: UCSF

VASCULAR SURGERY RESIDENTS

Yunfeng Xue, M.D. (PGY 4) Medical School: UT Houston McGovern Medical School

Jonathan Weyerbacher, M.D. (PGY 6)

2016–2022 Vascular Surgery Resident M.D. 2016 Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS)

Joel Harding, D.O. 2017–2023 Vascular Surgery Resident D.O. 2017 Edward Via College of Medicine

Austin Holmes, M.D. 2018–2023 Vascular Surgery Resident M.D. 2018 UC Davis

Cara Pozolo, M.D. 2018–2024 Vascular Surgery Resident M.D. 2017 Michigan State University

Kathryn DiLosa, M.D.

Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine

2019–2024 Vascular Surgery Resident M.D. 2019 Louisiana State University SOM New Orleans

1st–3rd YEAR RESIDENTS

Matthew Vuoncino, M.D.

Joseph Firriolo, M.D. (PGY 3) College: University of New South Wales

Dattesh Dave, M.D. (PGY 2) Medical School: UC Irvine

Matthew Farajzadeh, M.D. (PGY 1) Medical School: Tel Aviv University, Sackler School of Medicine New York Program

2019–2025 Vascular Surgery Resident M.D. 2019 Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS)

Nikunj Donde, M.D. 2020–2025 Vascular Surgery Resident M.D. 2020 Indiana University School of Medicine

Gregory Brittenham Jr., D.O. 2020–2026 Vascular Surgery Resident D.O. 2019 Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences

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2020 ANNUAL REPORT

Faculty news Endowed Faculty

Sean Adams, Ph.D. was named research director of the Center for Alimentary and Metabolic Sciences.

Richard Bold, M.D.

Richard Bold, M.D. completed his Master of Business Administration.

Isabelle J. McDonald Endowed Professor Diana Farmer, M.D.

Pearl Stamps Stewart Endowed Chair David Greenhalgh, M.D.

Helen Marian Bart Endowed Professorship in Burn Care Gregory J. Jurkovich, M.D.

Donant Endowed Chair in Trauma Medicine and Trauma Research

Ian Brown, M.D. received a UC Davis Health Nursing Excellence “Friends of Nursing” Award. Lisa Brown, M.D. received a certification from the American College of Surgeons/Society for Thoracic Surgeons General Thoracic Surgery Verification Program.

Matthew Mell, M.D.

Pearl Stamps Stewart Endowed Professor Hung Sy Ho, M.D.

Earl Wolfman Jr Endowed Professorship

Rachael Callcut, M.D. was named American Association for the Surgery of Trauma representative to the Coalition for National Trauma Research (CNTR). Robert Canter, M.D. was awarded a five year multi-PI award for NIH T32 UC Davis Oncology Training Program and successfully renewed a multi-PI award for NIH U01 Moonshot awarded for canine immunotherapy.

David Cooke, M.D. was inducted as American College of Surgeons Associate Member of the Academy of Master Surgeon Educators™; received a 2019 UC Davis Deans’ Award for Excellence in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion; received a UC Davis Medical Center Leadership Award for Outstanding Faculty Leader Inside and Outside of the Operating Room; and received the UC Davis Joan Oettinger Memorial Award for outstanding research in cancer. Diana Farmer, M.D. was selected as a regent in the American College of Surgeons. She also is a 2020 U21 Award recipient, given by the Universitas 21 Network, for global leadership, contributions to internationalization in higher education and the global impact of her research work. Sepideh Gholami, M.D. was accepted into the UC Davis Master of Advanced Study in Clinical Research Fellowship program; and is entering the K12 Program (NCI) for a translational career in immune modeling of metastatic colon cancer. Gholami was also awarded the Association for Academic Surgery’s (AAS) Joel J. Roslyn Faculty Research Award.

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UC Davis Health Department of Surgery

Luis Godoy, M.D. received a Resident Professionalism Award from the UC Davis School of Medicine; and received a Resident Excellence in Medical Student Education Award. Wissam Halabi, M.D. was recognized by the American Society of Colon & Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS) in their April 2020 ASCRS Young Surgeon News Spotlight. Misty Humphries, M.D. was accepted as a fellow in the second cohort of the NSF-funded Aspire Alliance’s Institutional Change Network (IChange) IAspire Leadership Academy; and was appointed to the Editorial Review board for the Journal of Vascular Surgery and the program committee for the SVS Vascular Annual meeting. Gregory (Jerry) Jurkovich, M.D. was honored by the American College of Surgeons and presented with the Scudder Oration in Trauma at the ACS annual meeting; and has been recognized as a UC Davis Distinguished Professor.

Kent Lloyd, D.V.M., Ph.D. was appointed as a member of the Preclinical Working Group for the NIH Foundation ACTIV Program.

FACULTY PROMOTIONS Ho Phan, M.D.

Professor Misty Humphries, M.D.

Matthew Mell, M.D. was elected to membership in the American Surgical Association. Gary Raff, M.D. was named the new program director of the I-6 residency program; and was the recipient of a faculty teaching award.

Associate Professor Amy Rahm, M.D.

Associate Professor

NEW EMERITUS FACULTY Christoph Troppmann, M.D. Kathrin Troppmann, M.D. Michael Wong, M.D.

Amy Rahm, M.D. was named an Interprofessional Teaching Scholar 2020–2022 (ITSP). Candice Sauder, M.D. was accepted into the UC Davis Master of Advanced Study in Clinical Research Fellowship program.

Dr. Amy Rahm

David Shatz, M.D. completed his term as president of the Western Trauma Association.

Amanda Kirane, M.D. received the American Society of clinical oncology (ASCO) career development award; and is completing a Ph.D. in immunology, as well as a K12 Award (NCI) for career development in immuno-oncology.

Aijun Wang, Ph.D. was named program director for the new pediatric surgery research program. Wang is also the 2020 recipient of the Dean’s Team Award for Excellence in Research, Chancellor Gary S. May’s Chancellor’s Fellow Award; and KidneyX Redesign Dialysis Phase 2 Award.

Mimmie Kwong, M.D. was accepted into the UC Davis Master of Advanced Study in Clinical Research Fellowship program.

William Yoon, M.D. was accepted into a Ph.D. program in the Department of Vascular Surgery, Uppsala University, Sweden.

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2020 ANNUAL REPORT

News and Notes

Remembering F. William Blaisdell

The former UC Davis surgery department chair was a founder of modern trauma care, and a medical education innovator.

The UC Davis community is remembering F. William Blaisdell, who led the UC Davis Department of Surgery in its formative years and is widely considered the founder of trauma care as a surgical specialty. Blaisdell died of natural causes in April at age 92. At UC Davis, Blaisdell chaired the Department of Surgery from 1978 through 1995, and established the comprehensive trauma center that is still the region’s only level I trauma center. He was board certified in general, thoracic, vascular and critical care surgery.

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UC Davis Health Department of Surgery

Under his direction, his UC Davis department became nationally recognized for innovative treatment approaches and research productivity. He launched a unique surgical education program to train military and civilian surgical residents side-by-side. He advanced principles of post-surgical treatment that revolutionized patient care nationwide. He also diversified the field of surgery by welcoming, training and advancing women. Because of Blaisdell’s dedication to medical education, the health sciences library on UC Davis’ Sacramento campus is named in his honor as the F. William Blaisdell, M.D., Medical Library. His extensive personal papers and research are available in the library’s archives and special collections, and his personal collection on Civil War medicine is available by appointment. “We are deeply grateful for Dr. Blaisdell’s vision and lasting legacy,” said Allison Brashear, M.D., M.B.A., dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine. “His passion for training world-class doctors and finding new, innovative ways to save and improve patients’ lives is central to our ongoing mission.” A career dedicated to world-class patient care and physician training Blaisdell was born in 1927 in Santa Barbara and raised in Watsonville, Calif. He earned bachelor’s and medical degrees from Stanford University, where his grandfather, father and an uncle earned medical degrees as well. His training included two years of service as a medical officer in the

“We are deeply grateful for Dr. Blaisdell’s vision and lasting legacy. His passion for training world-class doctors and finding new, innovative ways to save and improve patients’ lives is central to our ongoing mission.” Allison Brashear, M.D., M.B.A., dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine Korean War and a fellowship in cardiovascular surgery at Baylor University, where he worked with world-renowned heart surgeon Michael DeBakey. These experiences gave him expertise in bleeding control that is key in trauma care, and inspired him to advance trauma as a unique surgical specialty. He did so to fill the growing need to treat injuries due to accidents, gunshots, riots and substance use that became more common in the 1960s. He established the nation’s first dedicated, 24/7 trauma program at San Francisco General Hospital before doing the same at UC Davis Medical Center. Blaisdell set new standards in surgery and critical care medicine that improved wound and fracture treatment and reduced post-surgical infection, lung failure and DVT risk. He also invented new approaches for cardiac compression, liver and kidney trauma, and bypass procedures. Leadership throughout his field Blaisdell’s leadership extended throughout his field and includes serving as president of the Society for Vascular Surgery, American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, Michael E. DeBakey International

Surgical Society and Uniformed Services Medical School Surgical Society. He published hundreds of research papers, books and book chapters. He has been recognized with several awards, including distinguished service awards from the American College of Surgeons and State of California, and a Distinguished Alumni Award from Stanford University. “Our field has lost one of its leading spirits and minds who was known as much for his warmth as he was for his expertise,” said Diana Farmer, M.D., F.A.C.S., current chair of the surgery department at UC Davis. “One of the reasons I wanted to lead the surgical team at UC Davis was because of the program Dr. Blaisdell started here, the incredible doctors he trained and inspired, and his focus on putting patients before all else.” In addition to his time at UC Davis, Blaisdell held surgery leadership positions at two Northern California VA hospitals and San Francisco General Hospital. Blaisdell is preceded in death by his wife, Marilyn, and survived by their six children.

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2020 ANNUAL REPORT

Development

Development Dr. Charles F. Frey, A Living Legend Gives Back At UC Davis Department of Surgery, we have a rich history of attracting some of the brightest, most respected and internationally known surgeons to our faculty. One gleaming example of this is Dr. Charles Frey. With his remarkable career, scientific contributions in the field of pancreatic research, and namesake “The Frey Procedure,” he has become a legend in the field of pancreatic surgery. Charles Frederick Frey was born in New York City in 1929. He graduated from Amherst College in 1951 and attended Cornell University medical school to obtain an M.D. degree in 1955. He finished general surgery training at Cornell in 1963 during which time he completed two years in the United States Air Force as chief of surgery at Homestead Air Force Base. From 1964 until 1976, he rose to Professor of Surgery at the University of Michigan and at that time enjoyed a productive experience working with C. Gardner Child. Here he began to understand the impact of the extended distal pancreatectomy (duodenum-sparing almost total pancreatectomy). It was during this time that he started his seminal work on understanding how to disable pain caused by chronic pancreatitis.

In 1976, he joined the UC Davis Department of Surgery faculty where he established himself as a leader in the field by refining and extending the treatment of severe acute pancreatitis. In 1987, The Frey Procedure was published in the journal, Pancreas, as a new operation for chronic pancreatitis. The operation, featuring duodenal-preserving resection of the head of the pancreas combined with longitudinal pancreaticojejunostomy of the body and tail of the pancreas, continues to this day to be a popular surgical intervention used for chronic pancreatitis. In addition, Dr. Frey is well known as a founding member and chairman of the Pancreas Club and has published over 250 journal articles and presented over 350 lectures throughout the world. Dr. Frey and the Pancreas Club have become a household word among pancreatophiles. In 1997, Dr. Frey retired as Professor and Executive Vice Chairman of the Department of Surgery. We are honored to have a legacy like Dr. Frey as an emeritus faculty in our department and as a tribute to his lifelong dedication to understanding the pancreas, the Charles F. Frey, M.D. Lectureship was created through a generous charitable donation by Dr. Frey. Through this lectureship, we welcome distinguished visiting surgeon scientists to present their research contributions in field of pancreatic science and honor the legacy created by Dr. Charles Frey.

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Support the work of the Department of Surgery For more than 50 years, thousands of people have entrusted the UC Davis Department of Surgery to provide them with first-rate medical care. Many turn to us because of our well-established history of innovative leading-edge treatments and our reputation for attracting some of the finest surgical trainees and surgeons in the country. Over the past five decades we’ve built a strong, nationally recognized and ranked surgery program dedicated to advancing new standards of surgical care through research and pioneering treatments. Our success is furthered by philanthropic contributions from people like you. Here at the Department of Surgery, we don’t just work alone. Your support is essential to our continued discovery of insights, innovations and tools to improve human health.

Gifts from our alumni, patients and friends assist us with training in the latest surgical techniques, advancing surgical care through research discovery, and achieving the best possible outcomes for patients. When you make a gift to the Department of Surgery, you enhance our ability to make groundbreaking discoveries that directly and profoundly benefit patients and the community. For more information on how to make a gift to the UC Davis Department of Surgery, or to a specific physician or scientist within the department, please contact Dawn Rowe at 916-734-2620 or dmrowe@ucdavis.edu. We invite you to join us in advancing the future of health care.

UC Davis Department of Surgery Alumni Enrich your professional experience by reconnecting to your colleagues in the UC Davis Department of Surgery. As an active member of the alumni community, you have access to alumni events, meetings, and conferences. You’ll also find opportunities to keep learning from fellow UC Davis surgeons, and to help give back to the next generation. The UC Davis Department of Surgery alumni group consists of graduates of the UC Davis Department of Surgery residency and fellowship programs and former Department of Surgery faculty members. If you would like to join the UC Davis Surgery Alumni group and receive news and updates from the department, please visit or email us at ucdsaa@gmail.com.

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Referral and contact information

LEADERSHIP

SURGERY CLINIC LOCATIONS

Diana Farmer, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.R.C.S.

Surgery Clinic

Distinguished Professor and Pearl Stamps Stewart Endowed Chair Chair, Department of Surgery UC Davis School of Medicine Surgeon-in-Chief, UC Davis Children’s Hospital Co-Director, Surgical Bioengineering Laboratory

Cypress Bldg., Suite E 2221 Stockton Blvd. Sacramento, CA 95817 916-734-2680

UC Davis Medical Center

Vice Chair, Basic Research

4251 X St. Sacramento, CA 95817 916-734-2011

Richard Bold, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Plastic Surgery Clinic

Executive Vice Chair, Finance

3301 C St. Sacramento, CA 95816 916-734-7844

Sean Adams, Ph.D.

Rachael Callcut, M.D., M.S.P.H., F.A.C.S. Vice Chair, Clinical Science

David T. Cooke, M.D., F.A.C.S. Vice Chair, Faculty Development

Shinjiro Hirose, M.D., F.A.C.S.

UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center 2279 45 th St. Sacramento, CA 95817 916-734-5959

Vice Chair, Children’s Services

Transplant Clinic

Gregory Jurkovich, M.D., F.A.C.S. Vice Chair, Clinical Affairs

2315 Stockton Blvd. Sacramento, CA 95817 916-734-2111

Tina Palmieri, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Vascular Clinic

Vice Chair, Clinical Trials

Edgardo Salcedo, M.D., F.A.C.S. Interim Vice Chair, Education

Aijun Wang, Ph.D. Vice Chair for Translational Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship

4860 Y St., Suite 2100 Sacramento, CA 95817 916-734-3800

Fetal Treatment Center UC Davis Children’s Hospital 2315 Stockton Blvd. Sacramento, CA 916-794-2229

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Department of Surgery UC Davis School of Medicine 2335 Stockton Blvd. NOAB 6th Floor Sacramento, CA 95817

916-734-3528

ucdavissurgery

health.ucdavis.edu/surgery

ucdsurgeryinternal

surgerynews@ucdavis.edu

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Department of Surgery 2335 Stockton Blvd. Sacramento, CA 95817 916-734-3528 Referrals: health.ucdavis.edu/referrals 800-4-UCDAVIS (800-482-3284)

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