Summer 2019
The Scalpel A Dissection of News from the Department of Surgery
Chairman’s Thoughts The new academic year is underway as we have welcomed our new residents and fellows. These young men and women come from medical schools with high academic accolades and represent one of our top resident matches. We look forward to their future contributions as we strive to Michael B. Freeman, MD Interim Chairman
advance the mission of the department with excellence in patient care, academics, and research. One
of the best aspects of practicing in an academic institution will be watching these nervous, but bright eyed rookies mature throughout the year and gain confidence in and out of the operating room. I also know our dedicated faculty look forward to providing them a great surgical education to help them meet all their career goals. On a somber note, the Department of Surgery lost a great friend and leader with the news that Dr. Bedford Waters passed away unexpectedly on May 25, 2019. As stated in his obituary “Bedford was a driven, wise, and compassionate doctor, gentleman, friend, and mentor. He was passionate about life and medicine, and as a lifetime student and teacher, he passed on a love of excellence and quality healthcare to multiple generations, personally training over 70 residents. Bedford was a graduate of West High School and Vanderbilt University Medical School. He served his residency in San Diego, California, and Boston, Massachusetts, and practiced in Chicago for over 20 years prior to returning to his home town of Knoxville in 2001. He helped create the urology residency at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, and served as both Chairman and Program Director. His distinguished career earned him multiple awards, accolades, and titles over the years too many
to enumerate, but the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Urological Association this May was the supreme honor. He was humbled, yet proud, to be elected the first African-American fellow of the prestigious American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons. The unveiling of his portrait at the Vanderbilt Medical School in 2018 brought him great joy as did the pleasure of meeting the young woman recipient of the scholarship named after his mother: Irene Bedford Waters. He had a great mind with a servant’s heart, and gave his time and talent in ways, both big and small. He helped create scholarships at Vanderbilt, and was warm and friendly to both patients and colleagues alike. Bedford will also be remembered for his love of life, cooking and entertaining. He loved to travel the world and his sense of style was
Bedford Waters, MD
impeccable. He was a good friend, loyal to his family and to the communities he served.” Finally I want to thank those former alumni who continue to reach out to me and express all that the Department of Surgery did to help them become board certified surgeons. It is extremely gratifying to hear that we as surgical faculty played an integral role in helping shape them into the surgeons that they have become. Along those lines, I encourage those who want to see our department excel, to consider giving back to the department financially by supporting the Surgical Education Fund or Goldman Endowment. You may also contact Hope Wright or myself to discuss ways to give back to the Department of Surgery at hwright@utmck.edu or 865-305-9244.
New Residents and Fellows
Devin Clegg
Rebecca Cook
Taylor Crismon
PGY1
PGY1
State University
Texas A&M Health
University of
New York
Science
Louisville
Renee Do
PGY1, Preliminary PGY1, Preliminary LSU—Shreveport
Evan Foulke
Alex Funkhouser
Rebecca Norcini
Mary Read
PGY1
PGY1
PGY1, Preliminary
PGY1
Oregon Health & Science
University of Kansas
University of Texas Mercer University School of Medical Branch
University
Medicine
Spring 2019 │The Scalpel │ Department of Surgery │2
Smadar Ronen
Paul Rothenberg
Megan Shepherd
Michael Winstead
PGY1, Preliminary PGY1, Preliminary
PGY1
University of Texas University of Texas Medical Branch Medical Branch
University of
PGY3, Preliminary OMFS Resident
Kansas
Georgia Regents University
Zachary Beam
Benjamin Powell
Andrew Rogers
Kevin Treto
Surgical Critical Care Fellow
Vascular Surgery Fellow
Advanced GI MIS Fellow
Vascular Surgery Fellow
A.T. Still University of Health Sciences
Florida State
University of
University
Colorado
Ross University School of Medicine
Department of Surgery Graduates PhD Student at Spring 2019 Graduate Hooding Ceremony
and he was excited
When Richard (Trey) Fisher joined the Vascular
for clinical impact.
Research Laboratory (VRL) as a Research
As a result, Trey
Technician he didn’t plan on pursuing a PhD, but it
chose to stay here
didn’t take long for him to realize his love for basic
in the Department
about its potential
translational science. Research in the VRL is focused of Surgery and
Trey Fisher, PhD
on defining the mechanisms behind vascular
continue his
restenosis, a common cause of vascular intervention
graduate training through the Comparative and
failure, and in designing translational drug delivery
Experimental Medicine (CEM) program administered
systems aimed at improving those outcomes. What
by UT College of Veterinary Medicine (UTCVM).
started as mere employment during a transitional phase of life for Trey became a career choice. “He started thinking at a high level very early on in his The medical centers benefit from these relationships as well. We are training the next generation of scientists that will impact clinical care with their discoveries.”
time in the lab. He was very good on the bench, and as a technician he would come to me with a problem and a solution all at once. That was very telling,” says Dr. Deidra Mountain, Associate
Professor of Surgery and Scientific Director of the VRL. They began to discuss
experimental designs and hypothesis-driven research on a higher level, and Dr. Mountain began to give Trey more responsibility in the laboratory for his own protocol development and some degree of freedom in experimental direction. “It didn’t take long for me to realize Trey had huge potential. The day he came to me and started talking about completely switching gears in our drug delivery studies and starting from the ground up with an entirely new nanocarrier system, I knew he was ready for the challenge of a PhD program.” Dr. Mountain encouraged Trey to explore doctoral programs and think about his potential as a Research Scientist. But he was already enthralled in the liposomal drug delivery studies he
CEM is an interdisciplinary graduate program in biomedical sciences that pools resources from both veterinary and human medicine, with faculty members from UTCVM, UTGSM, UT Medical Center, and UT Knoxville’s life sciences departments. Students are cross trained in a variety of biomedical disciplines in their core curriculum, with classes in Comparative Medicine, Cellular and Molecular Basis of Disease, Applied Epidemiology, etc., and then given the freedom to choose an area of concentration in Biochemistry, Epidemiology, Cellular and Molecular Biology, and others. “The partnership between the Graduate School of Medicine and UTCVMs CEM program is mutually beneficial for everyone, and the advantages are so multi-faceted,” says Dr. Mountain. “Students have access to facilities and resources across multiple institutions for their training, and the faculty expertise is so diverse that students can benefit greatly from collaborative relationships among
laboratories. Maybe most importantly, the alignment with clinical departments in both veterinary and human academic medical centers results in research with true potential for clinical realization. The medical center benefits from these relationships as well. We are training the next generation of scientists that will impact clinical care with their discoveries.”
and Dr. Mountain had begun launching in the VRL,
Spring 2019 │The Scalpel │ Department of Surgery │4
For Trey the choice was clear. He entered the CEM
Dr. Richard K. Fisher, III on May 9, 2019. “The work
program in January of 2013 and chose to pursue a
Trey has done in our lab over the last several years
concentration in Cellular and Molecular Biology with
has been instrumental in our studies in targeted drug
Dr. Mountain as his doctoral advisor. After 6 years of
delivery,” says Dr. Mountain. “His successes are
classes, countless nights in the lab, and multiple
demonstrated by his numerous national presentations
manuscript drafts and revisions, Trey successfully
and multiple manuscripts he has authored and co-
defended his dissertation “The Development of a Dual authored. He will undoubtedly have a very successful -ligand PEGylated Liposome Nanotechnology for Cell- scientific career, and I am honored to now call Dr. selective Targeted Vascular Gene Therapy” in March
Fisher my colleague.”
2019. He received his PhD in Comparative and Experimental Medicine and was officially hooded as
2019 Day on the Hill
TMA Advocacy
What doctors asked lawmakers to consider:
increasing funding for graduate medical education
protect patient safety and quality care with the important scope of practice regulations for midlevel healthcare providers
ensure health plan network adequacy for hospital-based services Approve a joint resolution to encourage health insurance companies to adequately cover medication assisted therapies for mental health diseases
Dr. Brian Daley (center) and MIS Fellow Dr. Lars Webb (third right from center) stands with state Representative Jason Zachary (left from center)
The Tennessee Medical Association hosted the annual Day on the Hill this past March. The day is dedicated to policy briefing and lobbying in Nashville which connects physicians
directly with lawmakers so they can advocate for their patients and discuss major issues effecting the medical profession in Tennessee. Over 350 physicians and advocates gathered in the state capital. The TMA was recently named the most influential advocacy organization in Tennessee. The top priority for the TMA is “improving a 2018 law that restricts opioid prescriptions so certain patients are not unreasonably denied effective pain management.”
Medical Explorations Program Features Lady Vol Chelsea Seggern A majority of students from this summer’s program applied from the University of Tennessee, out-of-state schools included Emory University, the University of Alabama, Wake Forest University, and Johns Hopkins University. This year the program was honored to feature Lady Volunteer softball player Chelsea Seggern.
Michael McNally, MD, Medical Explorations Program Director and Chelsea Seggern
"The Medical Explorations Program has been one of the best experiences for me as an undergraduate student looking to pursue a career in the medical field. The opportunity to learn from some of the best doctors in the country and getting to witness life-saving procedures has been incredible. Before this program, I was not sure which path I was wanting to take such as PA school, nursing school, or medical school but after the threeweek program here, I realize that my path is
She received the SEC Spring Academic
to become a physician. I would strongly
Honor Roll 2018, Easton/ NFCA Scholar
recommend this program to any student
Athlete in both 2017 and 2018, and was on
considering pursuing a career in medicine,
the SEC All-Freshman team in 2017.
that it may give them the same clarity that I
Majoring in Kinesiology, Chelsea reflects on
received."
what brought her to the Medical Explorations program:
Resident News George Lodeiro, MD Awarded Vascular Meeting Traveling Scholarship
Presentations at American Hernia Society Annual Meeting
Dr. Lodeiro was awarded the General Surgery Resident Travel Scholarship to travel to the 2019 Society for Vascular Surgery Annual Meeting this past June. The Society for Vascular Surgery awards a limited number of scholarships for recipients to attend the annual meeting. This year VAM was held in National Harbor, Maryland. According to the Society for Vascular Surgery, “these scholarships provide aspiring vascular surgeons with an opportunity to learn more about the latest treatments and research in vascular
Rachel Lewis, MD (left middle)
disease,” with programming specifically designed for the residents. In addition, recipients also receive
Dr. Rachel Lewis was among the Posters of Distinction at the
complimentary registration, all covered costs for travel
annual AHS meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada this past March. Dr.
and housing, simulation training, networking, mock
Miles Landry, and Dr. Michael Lew presented during sessions as
interview practice sessions, and a mentorship program.
well. The conference highlights new techniques, updates in
Applicants may include medical students, pre-med students, and general surgery residents. Congratulations to Dr. Lodeiro for this award.
hernia repair, and diagnosis of abdominal diseases, implications of hernia surgery, and hernia repair. The next annual meeting will be held September 23-26, 2020 in New York.
Spring 2019 │The Scalpel │ Department of Surgery │6
2019 Residents’ Research Day • Chief Residents’ Dinner The Department of Surgery celebrated its twentyeighth annual Residents’ Research Day on June 14, 2019 in Wood Auditorium. The Kimball I. Maull Lecture featured Patrick R. Bailey, MD, MLS, FACS. Dr. Bailey is the Medical Director for Advocacy and Health Policy for the American College of Surgeons. He is also clinical professor of Surgery at George Washington University. Dr. Bailey presented “Strategic Advocacy: Examples and Explanations.” Presented at the Chief Residents’ Dinner were Chiefs Chris Kolze, MD, Michael Lew, MD, Emily Pospiech, MD, Mitchell Goldman, MD, Shannon Beierle, MD and Alex Cavalea, MD
awards from the research day. This year’s dinner was hosted at Chesapeake's in West Knoxville. Residents gathered with family and faculty to honor the past year and recognize achievements in the department.
Resident Teaching Award
Dr. Lauren Grimsley Faculty Teaching Award
Dr. Kyle Kleppe
Exceptional Service Award Gary Sholes, RN
John McLain, MD, Brian Daley, MD, Lauren Grimlsey, MD, Michael Freeman, MD and Miles Landry, MD
Scott B. Frame Trauma Scholarship Award Dr. Jared Griffard
Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgery Award Dr. Shannon Beierle
Resident Performance Award First place, Dr. Lauren Grimsley Second place, Dr. Miles Landry Third place, Dr. Sung Lee
Kimball I Maull Award
First place, Dr. John McLain Second place, Dr. Lauren Grimsley Melissa LaPinksa, MD, Mark Casillas, MD, Jillian Lloyd, MD, Justin Lloyd, Andrew Russ, MD, and James McLoughlin, MD
Third place, Dr. Miles Landry
Save the Date American College of Surgeons, UT Department of Surgery Alumni Reception Monday, October 28, 2019, 6:30—8:30PM Hilton San Francisco Union Square, Room—Golden Gate 3
Department Faculty and Alumni http://gsm.utmck.edu/surgery/faculty.cfm http://gsm.utmck.edu/surgery/alumni.cfm
Further Reading The Department of Surgery is actively engaged in research. Check out our recent publications and presentations at:
http:gsm.utmck.edu/surgery/scholarlyactivity.cfm
The UT Graduate School of Medicine and the Department of Surgery are thankful for generous support from people like you! If you are interested in giving please contact development@utmck.edu or 865-305-6611.
Contacts Us The University of Tennessee Department of Surgery 1924 Alcoa Highway, U-11 Knoxville, TN 37920-6999 Phone: 865-305-9294 Email: rroberts1@utmck.edu Website: http://gsm.utmck.edu/surgery/main.cfm
The University of Tennessee Medical Center comprises the University Memorial Hospital and the Graduate School of Medicine. Together, these entities embody the medical center’s philosophy and mission through the spirit of exploration, the passion for teaching, and the compassion to restore. The University of Tennessee is an EEO/AA/Title IV/ Section 504/ADA/ADEA employer. E20-6358-00-0002-08
Spring 2019 │The Scalpel │ Department of Surgery │8