Faculty Notes

COSTAS D. LALLAS, MD, FACS

Sidney Kimmel Medical College and the Department of Urology, Thomas Jefferson University, are pleased to announce the next “Nathan Lewis Hatfield Professor of Genito-Urinary Surgery,” is Dr. Costas Lallas. Dr. Lallas is Professor and Vice Chair for Education in the Department of Urology at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College. He completed medical school at Jefferson/SKMC and general surgery and urology at Duke. After a fellowship in minimally invasive urologic oncology at the Mayo Clinic, he returned to Jefferson in 2005.

Dr. Lallas has dedicated his career at Jefferson toward education, and was promoted to Vice Chair of Education for the Department of Urology in 2014 for these efforts. He holds leadership positions in both UME and GME, serving as the Director of Medical Student Education in the Department, the Associate Program Director for the urology residency, and the Co-Director for the Endourology Society fellowship. He is a Block Director for Phase 1 and is a Course Director for 5 courses throughout all three phases of the SKMC medical school curriculum, JeffMD. Recognizing his significant role in surgical education, Jefferson named Dr. Lallas the Director of Surgical Simulation for the Rector Clinical Skills and Simulation. With his participation, the simulation center was accredited by the American College of Surgeons as a Level I Comprehensive Education Institute, one of 96 in the nation. More recently, with the merger of the Einstein Health Network into the Jefferson Enterprise, he was appointed the Einstein Urology Residency Program Director.

The Hatfield Professorship was originally established in 1944 with the original gift from the estate of Dr. Henry Reed Hatfield (Jefferson/SKMC 1881) in honor of his father. Previous Hatfield Professors include Drs. David M. Davis, Theodore Fetter, Paul Zimskind, S. Grant Mulholland and most recently Dr. Demetrius Bagley, who passed away in January of 2022. The selection for this Professorship was made by an external group of former Jefferson trainees who hold academic appointments in other medical schools.

A formal on campus ceremony will be held early 2023 to acknowledge Dr. Lallas’s achievement. Dr. Mark Tykocinski, President of Thomas Jefferson University and SKMC Dean will be the keynote speaker.

Additional congratulations are extended to Dr. Lallas who has been selected for Associate Membership in the American College of Surgeons Academy of Master Surgeon Educators. The mission of the Academy of Master Surgeon Educators is to play a leadership role in advancing the science and practice of education across all surgical specialties promoting the highest achievements in the lifetimes of surgeons. The goals of the Academy include defining megatrends in surgical education and training, steering advances in the field, fostering innovation and collaboration, supporting faculty development and recognition, and underscoring the critical importance of surgical education and training in the changing milieu of healthcare. Dr. Lallas was selected by a competitive nomination process involving only Fellows in the American College of Surgeons who are committed to excellence in Surgical education at all levels of surgical training. We are proud to have Dr. Lallas a member of this elite group.

And yet more news on Dr. Lallas’s busy year. In July, he became program director for the Einstein Residency as the program undergoes a transition due to their loss of faculty. Lastly, in October 2022, he became the new president of the Mid-Atlantic Section of the American Urologic Association (MA-AUA). Details of the MA-AUA Meeting when he took charge during the annual meeting in New Orleans can be found on page 26.

JEAN LLENADO, DO, FACOS Vice-Chair for Regional Urology

Jean Llenado, DO, FACOS, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Urology, has been appointed Vice Chair for Regional Urology. Currently, Dr. Llenado serves as the Physician Director of the South Philadelphia Campus that includes Methodist and the Navy Yard Urology operations. She also provides care in our Jefferson New Jersey Cherry Hill office. In her new role, she will be a member of the Department of Urology’s newly reorganized Executive Committee (formerly the Chairman’s Advisory Committee) to provide insight and guidance into our expanding regional practice locations across the Delaware Valley. In addition, Dr. Lallas has appointed her the director for the popular SKMC URO 452 Outpatient Urology Rotation at the Navy Yard. Dr. Llenado is a graduate of the UMDNJ School of Osteopathic Medicine with her residency at the UMDNJ School of Osteopathic Medicine in Cherry Hill, NJ.

Dr. Llenado joined the Department of Urology at Sidney Kimmel Medical College as a fulltime faculty member in 2000.

MIHIR S. SHAH, MD

The Department of Urology is pleased to welcome one of our former residents, Dr. Mihir Shah, back to Jefferson. Dr. Shah is a board-certified urologist with advanced fellowship training in urology.

He graduated with a Magna Cum Laude B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and was a merit scholar and inducted into the Honors Engineering Program. He received his medical degree from Rutgers University – New Jersey Medical School in Newark, New Jersey. Dr. Shah completed his urology residency at Jefferson, graduating as Chief Resident in 2019. Dr. Shah then went on to the University of Southern California Institute of Urology in Los Angeles where he was the Felix and Mildred Yip Fellow in Advanced Robotics, Laparoscopy and Urologic Oncology. While at USC, he studied under Dr. Indy Gill, one of the best known urologic robotic surgeons in the US. In 2020, he joined the Christiana Care Health System in Delaware. While at our Christiana affiliate, he was appointed Clinical Assistant Professor of Urology, SKMC, where he participated in our medical student urology rotation.

Dr. Shah has extensive training in complex open and robotic approaches for management of malignant and benign urological diseases including prostate, bladder, kidney and other urologic cancers. His other areas of focus includes minimally invasive treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) with a focus on the HoLEP procedure.

Dr. Shah’s research interests include health disparities in urologic malignancies, diversity and inclusion as well as improving medical student and resident education. Dr. Shah has an interest in global health initiatives to help provide urologic care to those under-served, and served on a surgical team that performed urologic surgery in Coya, Peru. He serves as a peer reviewer for several journals, and has published numerous research articles, book chapters and presented his research at several national meetings. He is a member of the American Urological Association, the Endourological Society and the Society of Robotic Urologic Surgeons. Dr. Shah enjoys spending time with his family and friends; cooking; traveling; golfing; playing basketball and tennis; and painting.

According to Dr. Gomella, Chair of Jefferson’s Department of Urology, “We are pleased to welcome Mihir back to Jefferson. He was an outstanding resident, and his robotic and oncology fellowship at USC, along with his practice experience at Christiana, have allowed him to further advance his clinical skills.” Dr.

Shah is available for general urology and specialty consultation at our Center City and Abington Hospital locations.

DEBORAH T. GLASSMAN, MD, FACS

Deborah Glassman, MD, FACS, was chosen as a “2022 Exceptional Woman in Medicine” award recipient. The award, sponsored nationally by Castle Connolly, is based on peer nominations and acknowledgment of outstanding accomplishments and dedication to the field of medicine. Exceptional Women in Medicine awardees have contributed to the advancement of healthcare through clinical care, research, community service, education and/or leadership.

Dr. Glassman also received a 2022 SKMC Dean’s Award for Excellence in Education. This award recognizes faculty who demonstrate superior effectiveness as a teacher and devote significant time/effort to teaching over a sustained period of time, or for faculty who demonstrate major contributions to an educational course, clerkship or program of training.

ALANA M. MURPHY, MD, FACS

Congratulations to Dr. Alana Murphy on receiving the inaugural Department of Urology Faculty Teaching Award. The recipient is selected by the residents in the Department of Urology to recognize outstanding contributions to our training program. Dr. Murphy also was the recipient of a 2022 SKMC teaching award. Dr. Murphy was also chosen as a “2022 Exceptional Woman in Medicine” award recipient. The award, sponsored nationally by Castle Connolly, is based on peer nominations and acknowledgment of outstanding accomplishments and dedication to the field of medicine. Exceptional Women in Medicine awardees have contributed to the advancement of healthcare through clinical care, research, community service, education and/or leadership.

PERRY R. WEINER, DO, MSc, FACOS

The American Board of Osteopathic Surgery, a division of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), has appointed Dr. Perry Weiner its new Chair of Urological Surgery. Dr. Weiner is Clinical Associate Professor of Urology and Director of Men’s Health at Jefferson. The Board of Osteopathic

Surgery is responsible for items such as achievement of key quality indicators for board performance, serving as subject matter expert for board-level exams and oversight and recruitment of urology specific board examiners among other responsibilities. The three-year appointment starts in 2022.

The September, 2022 issue of South Jersey Magazine presented their list of “Top Doctors.” Dr. Perry Weiner was a member of that group. He works in our Cherry Hill Office in addition to the Navy Yard.

As the Director of Jefferson’s Men’s Health Program, Dr. Weiner has been very busy participating in a variety of activities to promote Men’s Health initiatives. On March 8, 2022, Dr. Weiner presented at a Men’s Health Overview program held at the Kennedy Fitness Center in Washington Township, NJ (see page 44). In one of Jefferson’s Online Health Nexus webinars, Dr. Weiner participated in a Men’s Health session dedicated to describing symptoms that men should not ignore. (www. thehealthnexus.org/strange-symptomsmen-shouldnt-ignore/

PAUL CHUNG, MD, FACS

Several of Dr. Chung’s recent research projects were considered to be so significant they were featured on the covers of two urology Journals this past year. The characterization of bulbar urethral strictures using contrast enhanced ultrasound in collaboration with the Department of Radiology was featured on the January 2022 cover of The Journal of Urology. His work in the molecular characterization of urologic prosthetic infections was featured in the February 2022 cover of The Journal of Sexual Medicine. In addition you can read about Dr. Chung’s pioneering space station research on page 4 and the ED research program on page 5.

Dr. Chung was also asked to weigh in on the increasing interest in vasectomy. In addition to his Jefferson Health Nexus piece (www.thehealthnexus.org/what-you-need-toknow-before-getting-a-vasectomy/), he was interviewed by WHYY public radio. The public radio piece was picked up by several news outlets across the United States (www.wesa.fm/health-sciencetech/2022-09-12/in-a-post-roe-americapennsylvanians-consider-permanent-birthcontrol-procedures).

Drs. Brownstein,Gomella and Hubosky Endowed Professors Recognition

Drs. Hubosky, Brownstein and Gomella along with other Thomas Jefferson University professors and guests at the 2022 Endowed Professorship Dinner.

The Jefferson Biennial Endowed Professorship dinner was held on Tuesday November 1, 2022 at the Loews Hotel. The event celebrates the legacy of Jefferson’s benefactors and illustrious faculty. One of the highest honors the university can bestow on faculty, endowed professorships enable Jefferson to recruit and maintain the highest level of scholars and endowed executive positions. As of 2022 Jefferson proudly counts 105 endowed positions. Jefferson’s first endowed professorship was the Samuel D. Gross Professorship in Surgery established in 1910.

The Department of Urology is proud to have the following endowed positions: Dr. Leonard Gomella, The Bernard W. Godwin Jr. Professor of Prostate Cancer, Dr. Scott Hubosky, The Demetrius H. Bagley Jr. Professor of Urology and Dr. Ken Brownstein, The Harold A. Honickman Physician Director of Jefferson Signature Services. With the formal induction ceremony scheduled for February 2023, Dr. Costas Lallas will join the ranks of our Department of Urology endowed professorships when he officially becomes the next Nathan Lewis Hatfield Professor of Genito-Urinary Surgery (see page 34). For a complete list of Thomas Jefferson University professorships, and information from the Office of Institutional advancement how interested benefactors can support new professorship opportunities please visit online: Jefferson.edu/ Professorships.

Whitney Smith, MD, TV News Interview

On July 29, 2022, Dr. Whitney Smith, Assistant Professor in the Department of Urology, was featured on the Fox 29 Good Day Philadelphia show. She completed a fellowship in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery (FPMRS) at Wake Forest Wake University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. FPMRS addresses treatment of pelvic floor disorders which include urinary incontinence, vaginal prolapse, and pelvic pain. Whitney discussed overactive bladder and the role of BotoxTM in the management of this condition. She also brought models and instruments to show how the intravesical BotoxTM is administered. Our Jefferson marketing feedback is that this was a very popular story.

Best Wishes to Dr. Edouard Trabulsi, New Chair at Einstein Philadelphia

In September 2022, Edouard Trabulsi, MD, MBA, FACS, became Chair of Urology at Einstein Philadelphia. In this role, he will help facilitate the transition of Einstein Health urology clinical and residency programs as it becomes part of Jefferson Health. Dr. Trabulsi, specializing in Urologic Oncology, served in many roles at Jefferson, the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. In 2015, he was appointed Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Urology, and his academic appointment at Sidney Kimmel Medical College will continue as will some of his ongoing research projects. Ed completed his residency at Jefferson in 2001 and went on to a Fellowship in Urologic Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He returned to Jefferson in 2004 as assistant professor and rose to the rank of professor. We wish Dr. Trabulsi well in this new role leading the Department of Urology at Einstein.

Dr. Mat Thakur Receives SKMC Pellini Award

Dr. Mat Thakur received the Michael and Melina Pellini Award at the Union League of Philadelphia on November 2, 2022, from Dr. Mark Tykocinski, SKMC Dean and President of Thomas Jefferson University. Congratulations to Mathew Thakur, PhD, FSNMMI, FNAI, FACNM, FICNM, FARR on receiving the 2022 “Michael and Melina Pellini Award for Innovation in the Biomedical Sciences” from Sidney Kimmel Medical College. The Pellini Award is given for the “elucidation/description of a specific discovery, technique, or instrument/device that has led to new concepts or approaches to experimentation or patient care”. Dr. Thakur’s pioneering work with his VPAC peptide is the basis of this award. Dr. Thakur is the Director, Laboratories of Radiopharmaceutical Research, Molecular Imaging and Biofluid Diagnostics and Professor of Radiology, Radiation Oncology and Urology. Dr. Thakur continues is work on the VPAC receptor in the urinary detection of prostate cancer through a joint NCI grant with the Department of Urology.

Dr. Kevin Kelly Next Chair of Medical Oncology Leadership Changes, Department of Urology

In December 2022, Dr. Mark Tykocinski announced that Dr. Wm. Kevin Kelly, Professor of Medical Oncology and Urology will be the next Chair of Medical Oncology at Sidney Kimmel Medical College. He also serves as Associate Director for Clinical Research for the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center and will continue in that role. Dr. Kelly is known nationally for his research on urological malignancies and his expertise in drug design and development. He and Dr. Gomella are Co-Directors of the Philadelphia Prostate Cancer Biome Project. As noted above Dr. Ed Trabulsi became the Chair of the Department of Urology at Einstein Philadelphia on September 15, 2022. Ed has been instrumental in our Departmental and SKCC efforts in the area of Urologic oncology and interdisciplinary collaborations. He has been our Vice Chair for Research and he will be missed in that role and we wish him well at Einstein. Also as previously noted Dr. Llenado will serve as our new Vice Chair for Regional Urology (see page 34). With Dr. Trabulsi’s departure, the Department of Urology has created two new research positions to direct our basic science and clinical research programs going forward. Dr. Ryan Mark has been appointed Vice Chair for Clinical Research and Dr. Matt Schiewer will serve as Vice Chair for Basic Science Research. These new positions will help align initiatives in both basic science and clinical research with the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center and allow increased departmental attention to nononcology clinical trials.

The Department of Urology has created two new research positions: Vice Chair for Clinical Research and Vice Chair for Basic Science Research.

Faculty Retreat

On Friday March 4, 2022, the Department of Urology held an all-day faculty retreat in the Experience Center Board Room, located on the 31st floor of the Jefferson Center at 1101 Market. The all-day program was the first faculty retreat held since before the pandemic. It provided an opportunity for all our full time clinical and research faculty to have input into the strategic plans for the department, our clinical and basic science priorities, and our approach to philanthropic initiatives. We also addressed in detail our current SKMC course offerings, and an analysis of our residency, fellowship and Men’s Health programs. Guest speakers included the architects of the Specialty Care Pavilion (now the Honickman Center), a philanthropy roundup by Stephen Smith, now Jefferson’s EVP & Chief Advancement Officer and Dr. Kenny Brownstein, Department of Urology Development Officer. In addition, there was a surgical APP lecture by Kiersten LeBar DNP, MMHC, CPNP-AC Senior Vice President, Advanced Practice Providers. Question and answer sessions were held with Dr. Ed Pribitkin, President, Jefferson Medical Group and Adam Messer, Vice President for PeriOperative services and the Jefferson Health Urology Enterprise. The day was topped off with a faculty Leadership skill session with Jefferson Executive Coach Lilly Linton titled “The Power of Feedback.” The March 4 Urology faculty retreat featured a tour of the Patient Experience Center, located in the Jefferson Center Building on Market Street. Here, Stephen Smith, now EVP & Chief Advancement Officer for Jefferson, explains some of the detailed features of the new Specialty Care Pavilion, now renamed the Honickman Center (see page 16).