Inside Surgery is a publication of the UCSF Department of Surgery highlighting major medical and scientific advances driven by department faculty. Each issue focuses on several key areas where notable progress or intriguing discoveries have been made. Each issue is summarized in a “Letter from the Chair” of the Department of Surgery, Nancy L. Ascher, MD, PhD. These summaries appears below each link to the entire issue.
Letter From The Chair
This issue of Inside Surgery describes several exciting developments that are advancing our ability to provide outstanding care for a range of patients. The new Hepatobiliary Service, under the direction of Carlos Corvera, MD, provides comprehensive, multidisciplinary care for patients with liver and bile duct disease. The service offers a range of advanced laparoscopic liver procedures as well as expert treatment for patients with bile duct disease. The Hepatobiliary Service also offers a coordinated, patient-centered approach for perioperative care.
Quan-Yang Duh, MD, leads the section of Endocrine Surgery, that provides multidisciplinary, minimally invasive care for patients with a range of malignant and benign diseases affecting the thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal glands. The surgical team has particular expertise in performing challenging procedures for recurrence of conditions such as thyroid cancer and hyperparathyroidism. The UCSF Department of Surgery faculty not only provide exceptional surgical and perioperative care, but also lead many research initiatives to uncover the etiology of disease and develop better therapies. This issue offers an overview of the department’s clinical and research endeavors.
This issue also highlights San Francisco General Hospital’s Wraparound Project, founded and directed by trauma surgeon Rochelle Dicker, MD. This innovative hospital-based violence prevention program has reduced the reinjury rate among participants from 16 percent to 4 percent, reducing mortality and helping victims of violence turn their lives around.
Finally, I am very proud to note that many of our surgeons have recently been recognized by two external publications as among the best in their fields. In its most recent survey, U.S. News & World Report – in collaboration with Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. – included 25 surgeons in the UCSF Department of Surgery on the list of U.S. News Top Doctors. The list, compiled from a peer nomination process, recognizes doctors determined to be in the top 10 percent in their region.
Within this list of the best surgeons, 15 of these 25 UCSF surgeons have been named to a highly selective list of America’s Top Doctors. They were deemed, in Castle Connolly’s estimation, to be among the top 1 percent in the nation in his or her specialty. The 25 UCSF U.S. News Top Doctors are listed on page 8; those who also earned recognition as “America’s Top Doctors” are denoted by an asterisk. The full listings can be found at http://health.usnews.com/top-doctors/directory/best-surgeons. Also, Marin Magazine recognized a number of our faculty in its “[415] Top Doctors” list, compiled from a peer-to-peer voting poll. This list is also included on page 8, and the full online listing is available at www.marinmagazine.com. It is an honor to work with so many outstanding surgeons in providing exceptional care to our patients. I am pleased to share these updates with you.
Letter From The Chair
This issue of Inside Surgery describes some of the latest advances in fetal surgery and pediatric plastic and reconstructive surgery. UCSF is the birthplace of fetal surgery; Michael Harrison, Md, performed the first open fetal surgery here in 1981, and we continue to have more experience with fetal surgery and endoscopic fetal intervention than any other institution in the world. Now under the direction of Hanmin Lee, Md, the Fetal treatment center continues to pioneer new interventions for congenital defects, and to provide long-term follow-up care through the Life clinic.
William Hoffman, Md, leads the division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, offering a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach to craniofacial anomalies, including cleft lip, cleft palate and craniosynostosis, as well as birthmarks and vascular anomalies. Scott Hansen, Md, is a hand surgeon, skilled in the full range of procedures available to reconstruct a useful hand, including toe-tothumb transfer. i am also delighted to announce the opening of the connie Frank transplant center, the UCSF center for Bioengineering and tissue Regeneration, and the laboratory of Jason Pomerantz, Md, in the UCSF craniofacial and Mesenchymal Biology Program’s new facilities. these are just a few of the exciting developments in the UCSF department of Surgery. i am pleased to share these updates with you.
Letter From The Chair
This issue of Inside Surgery outlines some of the latest developments at UCSF’s department of Surgery. the Pancreas center provides a coordinated, interdisciplinary approach to patients with complex disease. in addition to worldclass surgeons, the Pancreas center draws on the expertise of radiologists, gastroenterologists, medical and radiation oncologists, and other specialists to provide state-of-the-art care to patients. Similarly, the thoracic oncology Program is a world leader in innovative research and clinical care for patients with lung cancer.
Led by David Jablons, MD, the program is especially skilled in achieving local control of lung cancer. the team of outstanding surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, interventional radiologists, and others can often perform complete resections in patients referred from other centers who had been told their tumors were inoperable.
This year, we are celebrating the 45th anniversary of the UCSF transplant Service, led by John Roberts, Md. We have one of the largest and most highly regarded transplant programs in the country, and we are an international leader in the field. our living donor program employs the latest innovations and a team approach to patient care, resulting in superior outcomes even as we treat some of the highest-risk patients. these advances illustrate just a few ways that UCSF’s department of Surgery provides the most comprehensive treatments available. We are pleased to share these updates with you.
Letter From The Chair
This issue of Inside Surgery delineates several new and exciting avenues of research in surgery and their application to important clinical conditions. The use of autologous islet transplantation reflects the application of refined techniques of islet isolation to the clinical problem of chronic pancreatitis with avoidance of the need for immunsuppression. The work represents a collaboration between transplant surgery (Dr. Andrew Posselt) and pancreas surgery (Dr. Hobart Harris).
Dr. Weaver’s work in regeneration represents an application of the need to study the specific environmental factors that may be important as we seek to replace diseased tissues and organs. We are delighted to have Dr. Weaver at UCSF directing the Department of Surgery Center for Bioengineering and Tissue Regeneration.
The third example of innovative approaches to clinical disease is the collaboration between Dr. Pierre Theodore (thoracic surgery) and Dr. Marco Patti (foregut surgery), who have developed a minimally invasive approach to the treatment of esophageal cancer. These three projects are exciting examples of the talent and innovation we are fortunate to have in the UCSF Department of Surgery
L E T T E R F R O M T H E C H A I R
This issue of Inside Surgery brings you up to date on progress in solid organ and cellular transplantation. UCSF Medical Center has been at the forefront of clinical transplantation since it performed its first kidney transplant in 1964. Each of the transplantation services reflects a collaborative partnership of specialists in complementary disciplines. The “team” approach to patient selection and care optimizes the management of patients.
Our transplantation services also exemplify the translation of innovative techniques and novel treatment to patient care. This promotes the rapid application of the best therapy to patients. Transplantation results must be assessed in the context of the recipient’s co-morbid conditions. We are proud of the fact that our transplantation services have superior outcomes that significantly exceed what would be expected, given the high-risk patients for whom we care. We are pleased to update you on these vital programs.
