NEWSLETTER January/February 2022
DIVISION SPOTLIGHT This year, we’re introducing a new feature – “Division Spotlight”. This section will highlight the research efforts of a different division each month and showcase their current research projects, research personnel, and accomplishments!
IN THIS ISSUE Division Spotlight Surgical Oncology Research Updates Awards & Accomplishments Publications Funding Opportunities Conference Schedule
UH RISES RESEARCH MEETINGS 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month, 2-4pm 7th Floor Conference Room / Zoom
The Division of Surgical Oncology had a fantastic year of academic accomplishments in 2021! In addition to the 58 manuscripts accepted for publication, we presented 61 abstracts at national meetings, the Academic Surgical Congress, American Society of Breast Surgeons, Society of Surgical Oncology, American College of Surgeons, Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract/Digestive Disease Week, American HepatoPancreato-Biliary Association, and San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; and regionally at the Midwest Surgical Association, Great Lakes Breast Cancer Symposium, and Case Comprehensive Cancer Center Disparities Symposium.
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DIVISION SPOTLIGHT
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Three of our faculty researchers highlight their favorite projects over this past year: Dr. Megan Miller
Dr. Lee Ocuin “Two papers focused on the low rate of clinical trial participation for HPB malignancies and racial and facility-based disparities in trial participation. Current research fellow, Mohamed Elshami, won the AHBPA/IHPBA Young Investigator Award using inverse probability treatment weighting to demonstrate that trial participation of patients with PDAC or HCC resulted in improved survival.”
“Our work on gender disparities in breast cancer
care published in Annals of Surgical Oncology demonstrated that men receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy less often than women for node-positive disease despite equivalent response to therapy. This suggests that men could undergo less aggressive surgery if this strategy was used for the same indications as in women, reducing morbidity, cost, and resource utilization. We also published an invited Author Reflections on this topic.”
In the surgical oncology basic science lab, we have continued to elucidate metabolic vulnerabilities in pancreatic cancer led by Dr. Jordan Winter’s team. Our work is currently under review at Nature Cancer. Dr. Rui Wang (Associate Professor) has uncovered the role of HER3 signaling in the tumor microenvironment of metastatic colorectal cancer, with findings under review at Molecular Cancer Research. Additionally, we are excited to be recruiting a NIH-funded track surgeon-scientist to join our division in 2022. To finish off the year, Dr. Luke Rothermel submitted a proposal on novel melanoma therapies for the National Cancer Institute Early Stage Surgeon-Scientist Program ($375k), and Dr. Richard Hoehn was awarded the American Cancer Society Internal Review Grant ($40k) to study health care disparities in Northeast Ohio. Congratulations to both!
Dr. Luke Rothermel “A major highlight of the year came in the publication of a JNCCN paper exploring the impact of low health literacy on surgical cancer patients. Even in a high-volume cancer center, patients with low health literacy were shown to require more post-operative resources when controlling for other variables. This result suggests that preoperative identification of these patients could facilitate proactive resource allocation to improve patient care.”
Surgical Oncology was also proud to take home all three awards at the Cleveland Surgical Society Research Competition in May 2021 with presentations by JJ Hue, MD (Allen Scholar), Lifen Cao, MD, PhD (Research Fellow), and Eleanor Keller (CWRU Medical Student) – a clean sweep!
RESEARCH UPDATES UH Surgery Research Day – May 25, 2022 Save the date for the annual UH Surgery Research Day on Wednesday, May 25, 2022! This event is tentatively planned as an in-person event. Schedule and location details will be distributed in the coming months. Residents, fellows, students, and research fellows are invited to submit a visual abstract to present as a quick shot at Research Day. Depending on the number of submissions, we hope to allow all submitted abstracts the opportunity to present. Top presentations as voted by a select panel will be awarded cash prizes.
Important Dates
Call for Abstracts UH Surgery residents, fellows, medical students, and research fellows are invited to submit a VISUAL ABSTRACT as a PDF using the online submission form by April 15, 2022, 11:59pm.
Online Submission Form Submission Guidelines: Maximum of one submission per presenter Abstracts previously presented at other conferences are acceptable Visual abstracts of those projects selected to present will be included in the event’s digital program “How to Make a Visual Abstract”
• Abstract submission opens: March 15, 2022 • Deadline to submit visual abstracts: April 15, 2022 • Notification of accepted abstracts: May 1, 2022 • UH Surgery Research Day: May 25, 2022 We are pleased to announce Andrea Hayes, MD, FACS, FAAP as this year’s keynote speaker. Dr. Hayes is a pediatric surgeon and Chair, Department of Surgery at Howard University. Dr. Hayes was the first African American female pediatric surgeon board certified in the United States. She is renowned for her work in hyper-thermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy for children (HIPEC) and influence in the field of sarcoma and sarcomatosis. Dr. Hayes is a past president of the Society of Black Academic Surgeons and a governor of the American College of Surgeons. Read more about Dr. Hayes.
UH RISES “AIR” Program The new “Accelerated Introduction to Research” program will launch in July 2022 with the aim of standardizing and improving the research trainee process across the Department of Surgery. The program will consist of a six-week immersive curriculum providing the basics of biostatistics, clinical research, professional development, and mentorship to Allen Scholars and Research Fellows. All incoming participants will be provided UH-issued laptops with pre-loaded statistical software.
2021 – YEAR IN REVIEW Across all surgery divisions, there were 229 manuscripts published, 135 abstracts accepted to regional, national, and international conferences, and 10 grants accepted. Please note, data are obtained through PubMed-listed publications, publicly listed conference programs, and self-reported updates. If your division’s numbers do not accurately reflect productivity, please let us know at UHRISES@UHhospitals.org.
Surgery Division
Publications
Abstracts
Grants
Grant Funding
Bariatric
6
1
0
0
Cardiac
24
10
0
0
Colorectal
24
12
3
$807,550
General
12
3
0
0
Pediatric
6
5
0
0
Plastic
17
0
1
$18,800
Surgical Oncology
58
61
3
$75,000
Thoracic
42
13
0
0
Transplant
10
0
0
0
Trauma/Acute Care
6
1
1
$41,056
Vascular
24
29
2
$15,000+
TOTAL
229
135
10
$957,406
Selected Grants Awarded in 2021 Plastic Surgery • AO CMF Foundation, “Developing a novel platysma-pedicled bone flap for critical size mandible defects”; PI: Edward Davidson Surgical Oncology • American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant Pilot; PI: Richard Hoehn • GI SPORE Career Enhancement Award, “Pro-survival role of liver endothelium in HER3+ve pancreatic cancer”; PI: Rui Wang Trauma & Acute Care Surgery • EMS Board of Ohio, “Early palliative care practices in trauma”; PI: Amy Rushing Vascular Surgery • NIH R01, “A nonlinear membrane based analysis for estimating the rupture potential of abdominal aortic aneurysms”; Co-I: Vikram Kashyap
SURGERY RESEARCH IN THE NEWS A new tool in the fight against rectal cancer (CWRU Daily, December 2021) “Building on its success in applying artificial intelligence (AI) to medical imaging to enhance treatment of other diseases, a Case Western Reserve-led team next will test its approach with rectal cancer patients. Satish Viswanath, assistant processor of biomedical engineering, is collaborating on the research with Pingfu Fu, professor of population and quantitative health at Case Western Reserve. Clinical co-investigators on the project include physicians Sharon Stein of University Hospitals; David Liska, Andrei Purysko and Smitha Krishnamurthi of Cleveland Clinic; and Eric Marderstein of the VA Medical Center.”
AWARDS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS Allen Scholar, PGY2
Research Fellow
Recipient of the 2022 Looking to the Future Scholarship Program from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.
Matched at the Cleveland Clinic Florida for a Colon and Rectal Surgery Residency Program 20202023.
Assistant Professor, Surgical Oncology
Awarded an Institutional Research Grant Pilot ($25k) from the American Cancer Society.
Professor, General Surgery Recipient of the 2022 SAGES Distinguished Service Award from the SAGES Foundation
RECENT PUBLICATIONS Revascularization in Ischemic Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction: A Nationwide Cohort Study. Deo SV, … Elgudin Y, Kilic A, Rubelowsky J, … Sundaram V. European Journal of Heart Failure. 2022 Feb 4. PMID: 35119162.
Black race is independently associated with underutilization of preoperative chemotherapy in clinical stage T2 or higher gastric adenocarcinoma Elshami M, Hue JJ, Hoehn RS, Rothermel LD, Hardacre JM, Ammori JB, Winter JM, Ocuin LM. Surgery. 2022 Jan 3. PMID: 34991911.
Outcomes of Surgical Bioprosthetic Aortic Valve Replacement in Patients ≤ 65 and ≥ 65 Years of Age Kiaii BB, … Sabik JF 3 rd. Annals of Thoracic Surgery. 2022 Jan 19. PMID: 35065064.
ASO Author Reflection: Post-pancreatectomy Weight Trends Predict Recurrence and Survival Hue JJ, Winter JM, Markt SC. Annals of Surgical Oncology. 2022 Jan 25. PMID: 35076773.
Low-Dose Versus Standard Warfarin After Mechanical Mitral Valve Replacement: A Randomized Controlled Trial Chu MWA, … Markowitz AH, … Puskas JD, PROACT Mitral Investigators. Annals of Thoracic Surgery. 2022 Jan 28. PMID: 35101419. Post-Discharge Pain and Opioid Use After Cardiac Surgery: A Prospective Cohort Surgery Percy ED, … Pelletier M, Kaneko T. Annals of Thoracic Surgery. 2021 Dec. PMID: 34979139.
Effects of surgical approach on short- and longterm outcomes in early-stage rectal cancer: a multicenter, propensity, score-weighted cohort study Kethman KC, Bingmer KE, Ofshteyn A, Stein SL, Dietz D, Steinhagen E. Surgical Endoscopy. 2022 Feb 4. PMID: 35122149.
Commentary: Skills in flexible endoscopy are a valuable tool for GI surgeons Hashimoto DA, Marks JM. Annals of Surgery. 2021 Dec. PMID: 34879050.
Should Degree of Third Molar Eruption Influence Operative Management of Mandibular Angle Fractures? A Systematic Review Kotha VS, de Ruiter BJ, Knudsen G, Nicoleau M, Davidson EH. Craniomaxillofacial Trauma & Reconstruction. 2021 Dec.
ASO Author Reflection: Post-pancreatectomy Weight Trends Predict Recurrence and Survival Hue JJ, Winter JM, Markt SC. Annals of Surgical Oncology. 2022 Jan 25. PMID: 35076773. Weight Tracking as a Novel Prognostic Marker After Pancreatectomy Hue JJ, Ocuin LM, Kyasaram RK, Shanahan J, Rao G, Rothermel LD, Ammori JB, Hardacre JM, Winter JM, Markt SC. Annals of Surgical Oncology. 2022 Jan 23. PMID: 35067790.
Factors influencing quality of lymphadenectomy in minimally invasive esophagectomy: a US-based analysis Odetoyinbo K, Bachman K, Worrell S, Gray K, Linden P, Towe C. Diseases of the Esophagus. 2022 Jan 18. PMID: 35039833.
Kidney transplant program specific reporting and transplant metrics Andreoni KA. Current Opinion on Organ Transplant. 2022 Feb. PMID: 34939966.
Impact of Routine Intracerebral Completion Angiography on Outcomes After TransCarotid Artery Revascularization Elsayed N, Locham S, Janssen C, Patel R, Gaffey A, Kashyap VS, Stoner M, Malas MB. Journal of Vascular Surgery. 2022 Jan 18. PMID: 35063610.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES Department of Medicine 2022 Team Science Challenge University Hospitals/CWRU Award Amount: $25,000/1 year Application Deadline: March 1, 2022 More Information Jump Start Award Case Comprehensive Cancer Center Award Amount: up to $75,000 for 18 months Application Deadline: March 4, 2022 More Information Accelerator Pilot Award Award Amount: $60,000 maximum for individual PI; $120,000 maximum for 2 or more PIs Application Deadline: March 18, 2022 More Information
Team Science Award Case Comprehensive Cancer Center Award Amount: up to $180,000 Application Deadline: March 18, 2022 More Information PCORI Engagement Awards Award Amount: $100,000 - $250,000 Application Deadline: April 4, 2022 More Information Mathers Foundation Grant The G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation Award Amount: Varies; Recent grants have averaged $255,000/3 years. No more than 10% of budget can be applied to indirects. Application Deadline: Letter of Intent - April 15, 2022; June 30, 2022 – Invited Proposals More Information
SURGICAL CONFERENCE SCHEDULE International Surgical Week – 49 th World Congress of ISS International Society of Surgery August 15-18, 2022 | Vienna, Austria Abstract Deadline: February 28, 2022 2022 OCACS Annual Meeting (Resident Paper Competition, Ohio Trauma Paper Competition) April 22-23, 2022 | Cleveland, OH Abstract Deadline: 3/1/2022 ACS Clinical Congress 2022 American College of Surgeons October 16-20, 2022 | San Diego, CA Abstract Deadline: March 1, 2022 61 st
ISCoS Annual Scientific Meeting International Spinal Cord Society September 15-18, 2022 | Vancouver, Canada Abstract Deadline: March 1, 2022 Plastic Surgery The Meeting 2022 American Society of Plastic Surgeons October 28-31, 2022 | Boston, Ma Abstract Deadline: 3/1/2022
6 th World Trauma Congress World Coalition for Trauma Care September 7-10, 2022 | Tokyo, Japan Abstract Deadline: March 31, 2022 STSA 69 th Annual Meeting Southern Thoracic Surgery Association November 9-12, 2022 | Fort Lauderdale, FL Abstract Deadline: April 4, 2022
ISOQOL 29 th Annual Conference International Society for Quality of Life Research October 19-22, 2022 | Prague, Czech Republic Abstract Deadline: April 4, 2022 UH Surgery Annual Research Day May 25, 2022 | Cleveland, OH Abstract Deadline: April 15, 2022 Midwestern Vascular 2022 Midwestern Vascular Surgical Society September 15-17, 2022 Abstract Deadline: April 18, 2022