News Reports
Top Stories
New robot at ESJH to help diagnose and treat lung cancers earlier
March 2021
Intuitive's Ion robot can reach deep into the peripheral areas of the lung, enabling doctors to biopsy suspicious tissue. Now, doctors at Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital will be the first in Georgia to use it to diagnose lung cancers earlier and less invasively. "When used in Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital's state-of-the-art hybrid operating room alongside Intuitive's da Vinci surgical robots, the Ion will allow us to diagnose early-stage lung cancers and treat them all in the same surgical session," says Manu Sancheti, MD, chief of thoracic surgery at ESJH, pictured with interventional pulmonologist Alejandro Sardi, MD.
Gary Bouloux to lead multi-center study of metal hypersensitivity following TMJR
February 2021
Gary F. Bouloux, DDS, MD, MDSc, interim chief of the Emory Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, has been awarded an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Foundation Research Support Grant to study the development of metal hypersensitivity following temporomandibular total joint replacement (TMJR). The grant received the Stephen B. Milam Award for earning the highest score from the OMS Foundation Committee.
Toncred Styblo and Chris Dente honored with Emory awards
January 2021
Toncred Styblo, MD, who has dedicated herself to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of breast cancer at Emory since 1988, has been recognized by the Center for Women at Emory with its Unsung Heroine Award. Christopher Dente, MD, chief of the general surgery service of Emory at Grady, is the recipient of the Emory at Grady Innovation Award. Dr. Dente's research focuses on the creation and use of biomarker and clinical data warehouse-based decision support tools for trauma surgery and critical care.
More about Dr. Styblo's Award >>
More about Dr. Dente's Award >>
Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital receives highest recognition from AHA and The Mitral Foundation for mitral valve repair excellence
January 2021
The American Heart Association (AHA) and The Mitral Foundation have designated Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital as a Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center, a recognition awarded to hospitals that have shown excellence in clinical outcomes and performance in mitral valve repairs. Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital is the first hospital in the southeast to receive the designation.
"This is a tribute to the teamwork of the cardiac surgical service at Emory Saint Joseph's hospital. Nurses, perfusionists, anesthesia team members, surgeons and clinical staff make results like these possible," says Douglas Murphy, MD, medical director of surgical robotics at Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital. Dr. Murphy has performed thousands of mitral valve repairs over the years.
"This is a well-deserved recognition from The Mitral Foundation and the American Heart Association. We have developed highly specialized teams to provide the best care possible to patients with mitral valve disease," says Michael Halkos, MD, chief of cardiothoracic surgery at Emory Healthcare, which operates one of the largest cardiothoracic surgery programs in the country and the largest in Georgia.
Remembering George Skardasis
December 2020
We are saddened to report that Emory vascular surgeon George M. Skardasis, MD, passed away on January 4, 2021, from complications of pulmonary fibrosis. Dr. Skardasis opened the first vascular laboratory in the Atlanta metro area at Crawford Long Hospital, now Emory University Hospital Midtown, and served as its medical director for 40 years. He was also chief of the section of vascular surgery at the hospital until 2010, mentoring many residents and fellows along the way. He continued to perform procedures and treat patients at Emory Hospital Midtown until the age of 84.
Bradley Leshnower, Milad Sharifpour, and Kim Baio recognized by NIH for progress of COVID-19 therapeutics trial
October 2020
Cardiothoracic surgeon Bradley Leshnower, MD, and anesthesiologist Milad Sharifpour, MD, MS, are participating in the international ACTIV-3: Therapeutics for Inpatients with COVID-19 (TICO) Phase 3 clinical trial as the Emory site's principal investigator and co-investigator, respectively. Kim Baio, RN, MSN, manages the trial's patient enrollment, clinical coordinator oversight, allocation of resources, regulatory and compliance adherence, and day-to-day operations. The team recently received a letter from Janet Woodcock, MD, director of therapeutics for Operation Warp Speed, and Francis Collins, MD, PhD, director of the NIH, congratulating them on their performance in the trial.
