HEADLINES

Feature on Dr. Vercruysse's Experience in Iraq Appears in the AJC
An assistant professor of surgery of Emory's division of trauma/surgical critical care, Dr. Gary Verycruysse is also a major in the Medical Corps of the United States Air Force Reserve. In September 2008, he began a tour of duty... FULL STORY

Dr. Kanter Performs First Pediatric Berlin Heart Surgery in Georgia
Though the Food and Drug Administration has not yet approved the Berlin Heart, Dr. Kirk Kanter was allowed to implant the device on a compassionate use basis in 5-month-old Yasir Yesuf in December, making Yasir the first... FULL STORY

NEW FACULTY
	A liver transplant surgeon with research interests in ischemia-reperfusion injury in hepatic allografts, transplantation for cholangiocarcinoma, hepatopancreatobiliary malignancy and outcomes analysis, Dr. Winston Hewitt previously directed the Mayo Clinic's abdominal organ transplantation fellowship. He did fellowships in abdominal transplantation and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatograph at the University of Western Ontario.
	Transplantation in the HIV-positive population is one of the primary research interests of Dr. Christopher Hughes, who came to the department from the Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, where he chaired the division of transplant surgery. Dr. Hughes performed the clinic's first domino liver transplant with Dr. J. H. Nguyen, its first in-situ split liver transplant with Dr. J. L. Steers and Dr. Nguyen, and the clinic's first organ transplant in an HIV-positive recipient.
	Dr. Allan Picken's clinical specialties include minimally invasive removal of early stage lung cancers and esophageal cancers using video assisted thorascopic surgery, minimally invasive surgery for such benign esophageal diseases as gastroesophageal reflux and achalasia, sympathectomy for hyperhidrosis, lung transplantation, and treating other surgical diseases of the chest, while his primary research interests are clinical and translational lung cancer research and minimally invasive surgical technology. He came to Emory from the University of Michigan Health System, where he was the thoracic surgery workforce coordinator.

November 2008

HEADLINE

Results of Ultrasound Sound Study Presented at VEITH Symposium
According to a study directed by Dr. Karthikeshwar Kasirajan, the use of ultrasound may help dissolve blood clots in deep vein thrombosis (DVT) faster than clot-busting drugs. Dr. Kasirajan presented the results of the investigation at the... FULL STORY

FACULTY NOTES

Dr. Gary Bouloux was one of several experts cited in a feature on CNN.com about the suspected relationship between gum disease and heart disease. The article described Dr. Boloux performing a wisdom tooth extraction, after which he commented that by removing teeth ravaged by gum disease, "we reduced the number of inflamed and infected sites in the patient's mouth, which may reduce the patient's overall inflammatory burden and thus reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease." Doctors have known for years that gum disease and heart disease are linked, but have yet to reach agreement on the exact reasons behind the connection.

HEADLINE

Dr. Kasirajan the First Physician in Georgia to Use New Stent Graft
Dr. Karthikeshwar Kasirajan is among the first few physicians in the United States and the first in Georgia to use a new stent graft, recently approved by the FDA, that makes endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) accessible... FULL STORY

FACULTY NOTES
	Dr. Kamal Mansour was awarded the Emory Medal for 2008. Medalists are chosen by the Emory Alumni Association on the basis of distinguished service to Emory, significant public service and notable professional and academic achievement. Save for the Honorary Degree, this is the highest award given by the University. During his cardiothoracic surgery residency and subsequent 39-year career at Emory, Dr. Mansour perfected and taught thoracic surgery techniques to reconstruct the esophagus, trachea and chest wall following surgery for cancer and other diseases or injuries. He has trained physicians not only in the U.S. but also in his home country of Egypt. In gratitude to Emory for encouraging his life's work, he established the Mansour Professorship for Thoracic Surgery in 2004.
	A video tribute to Dr. Mansour (requires RealPlayer).
	The Academy of Dentistry International awarded fellowship to Dr. Steven Roser. This honor is bestowed upon dentists nominated by an active fellow of the academy who have distinguished themselves in their profession. Involved in humanitarian projects worldwide, the academy makes continuing dental education available in lesser-developed countries through providing grants and funds for education, patient care and professional improvement.
	At the 94th Annual Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons in San Francisco, October 12-16, Dr. Jyotirmay Sharma presented a paper he co-authored with members of the divisions of general and gastrointestinal surgery and surgical oncology on the management of islet cell tumors, Dr. S. Scott Davis presented a video on the management of intestinal malrotation, and Dr. Edward Lin screened technical videos on minimally invasive surgery techniques for colon cancer and liver metastasis. Dr. Lin also presented novel methods for single incision laparoscopic surgery for colon cancer and gallbladder surgery.
	Dr. Gary Vercruysse, co-director of the Burn Unit at Grady Memorial Hospital, was quoted in a feature in the October 1, 2008, edition of the New York Times entitled "U.S. Combat Hospital Saving More Wounded Iraqis." Dr. Vercruysse, a major in the Medical Corps of the United States Air Force Reserve 59th Surgical Specialists Squadron, is serving as the trauma chief at Air Force Theater Hospital, Balad Air Base, Iraq. With the decline of American casualties, the article described how the hospital is now saving the lives of 93 percent of Iraqis who arrive with devastating injuries, exemplifying the immense improvements in health care made at combat trauma care units in war time.
	''The magnitude of injury is something that's unlike what we typically experience in the civilian world," said Dr. Vercruysse. "We had a gentleman (from a car bomb blast) with an arm blown off, a leg blown off, a kidney that was destroyed, huge soft tissue injuries, a head injury and he's alive today."

NEW FACULTY
	Dr. David McClusky completed his minimally invasive surgery fellowship at the Mayo Clinic-Jacksonville. He also did his general surgery residency and an endosurgery fellowship at Emory. His clinical specialties include hernia surgery and treatment for gastrointestinal and digestive diseases, while his primary research pursuit is evaluating and refining simulation training for surgical skills development.
	Dr. Duc Nguyen came to the department from the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine and Jackson Memorial Hospital. He did his cardiothoracic surgery fellowship at Emory and a fellowship in mechanical assist devices and heart and lung transplantation at the Heart, Lung and Esophageal Surgery Institute of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

HEADLINES

Avon Foundation Awards $950,000 to Support Comprehensive Breast Center
The Avon Foundation Comprehensive Breast Center at Grady Memorial Hospital, directed by Dr. Sheryl Gabram, will be the beneficiary of a $950,000 one-year grant to Emory University's Winship Cancer Institute and... FULL STORY

Emory Cardiothoracic Surgeons to Provide Expertise at Athens Regional
Athens Regional Health Services and Emory Healthcare will partner to continue the availability of new and advanced cardiac and thoracic surgery in the Northeast Georgia region.
The partnership will combine the talents of... FULL STORY

NEW FACULTY
	Dr. Ulfur Gudjonsson did his general surgery residency at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, completed his cardiothoracic surgery residency at Indiana University, and specializes in the maze procedure, off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery, three-port esophagectomy and various other procedures.

HEADLINE

Noxious Gas Could Have Beneficial Uses in Medicine
A single breath of hydrogen sulfide, a gas best known for its rotten-egg smell, can kill. But at low concentrations, hydrogen sulfide could protect vital organs during surgery, research conducted by Dr. David Lefer suggests. Dr. Lefer came to Emory in... FULL STORY

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HEADLINE

Dr. Knechtle to Lead Emory Transplant Center Liver Team
Stuart Knechtle, MD, a leader in the field of liver transplantation, has joined the Emory Transplant Center as director of its clinical liver transplantation program. Prior to joining Emory, Dr. Knechtle was the ... FULL STORY

NEW FACULTY
	While at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, Dr. David Lefer and his co-researchers showed that delivering hydrogen sulfide to the liver could reduce damage caused by loss and restoration of blood flow in a mouse model of liver surgery. Dr. Lefer was attracted to Emory because of opportunities to collaborate with several scientists who work on oxidative stress.
	Also coming from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he completed his postdoctoral fellowship at the division of cardiology, Dr. John Calvert has joined the Cardiothoracic Research Laboratory at Emory University Hospital Midtown. He is currently investigating the pathophysiology of the diabetic myocardium and cardioprotection against myocardial ischemia and heart failure.

HEADLINE

Le Petit Elegance: Driving Away Breast Cancer
On Sunday, September 28, 2008, 3:00-8:00 pm, the Second Annual Le Petit Elegance will be held at Road Atlanta – Chalet Hospitality Village, thirty-five miles north of Atlanta in Braselton, GA. Many of the teams that will be racing in... FULL STORY

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May 2008

HEADLINE

Emory Winship Named Blue Distinction Center for Complex and Rare Cancers
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia has named the Winship Cancer Institute as a Blue Distinction Center for Complex and Rare Cancers, focusing on complex inpatient and surgical care. Emory Winship is the only... FULL STORY

FACULTY NOTES
	Dr. David Feliciano was the 61st Recipient of the Theodore A. McGraw Medal of the Detroit Surgical Association.

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April 2008

HEADLINES

Emory Transplant Center and Georgia Research Alliance Establish Biorepository for Transplant Research
A new facility at Emory University, supported by the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA), will help Emory Transplant Center researchers better link their discoveries in the laboratory to patient care in organ transplantation. Named the... FULL STORY

Dr. Kooby's Study Finds That Minimally Invasive Pancreas Surgery Leads to Fewer Complications
As reported in US News and World Report, the Washington Post, and Science Daily, Dr. David Kooby will present the data culled from his study of laparoscopic pancreactomy at the Annual Meeting of the American Surgical Association in... FULL STORY

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March 2008

HEADLINES

500th Heart Transplant at Emory
Dr. Brian Kogan, surgical director of adult congenital cardiac surgery at Emory University Hospital, performed the hospital's 500th adult heart transplant on March 8, 2008. This amazing milestone coincided with Emory's celebration of the 20th anniversary of its heart transplant program — the largest and most comprehensive in the state of Georgia, with patient survival rates higher than the national average. As of March 2008, Emory Clinic cardiothoracic surgeons had also performed more than 200 pediatric heart transplants at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston.

NIH Grant to Emory and Pediatric Partners Aims to Improve Kidney Transplants for Children
Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta are teaming up with UCLA's Mattel Children's Hospital, Los Angeles, and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford, Palo Alto, California, to find new ways to... FULL STORY

FACULTY NOTES
	Dr. Daniel Miller, codirector of the Emory Hyperhidrosis Center, was featured in a WebMD video about minimally invasive surgical treatment for hyperhidrosis. The video followed a patient of Dr. Miller's through the surgical process and presented Dr. Miller performing microthoracoscopic sympathectomy in the OR as he explained the procedure.

NEW FACULTY
	Joining the division of general and GI surgery as an assistant professor, Dr. Jahnavi Srinivasan did her general surgery residency at Emory and specializes in open and laparoscopic GI surgery and hernia repair and the minimally invasive Lap Band system for weight management.

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FACULTY NOTES

As of February 2008, Dr. Edward Lin was officially designated a Lap Band proctor by Allergen, the multi-specialty health care company that originally developed the Lap Band Adjustable Gastric Banding System. The Lap Band is the first adjustable medical device for individualized weight loss and the first minimally invasive surgical approach approved in the United States by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. As a proctor, Dr. Lin will certify surgeons in the procedure by observing them performing the technique in the OR.

January 2008

HEADLINES

The Annual Ira A. Ferguson Lecture to be Inaugurated by Dr. Charles Ferguson
On January 3, 2008, 7:00 am – 8:00 am, Dr. Charles M. Ferguson will deliver the First Annual Ira A. Ferguson Lecture at Emory Surgical Grand Rounds in the Emory Hospital Auditorium. Entitled "Ira A. Ferguson, Sr., MD, and the Other Tuskegee... FULL STORY

Emory Bariatrics Program Receives Level 1 Accreditation from American College of Surgeons
The Emory Bariatric Center at Emory University Hospital Midtown has been accredited as a Level 1 Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence by the Bariatric Surgery Center Network (BSCN) Accreditation Program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). Established by the ACS, the... FULL STORY

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