NEWS & EVENTS
UIHC Trauma Center verified as a Level I Trauma Center and as a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons
On April 30th, 2012, the Verification Review Committee (VRC), an ad hoc committee of the Committee on Trauma (COT) of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), notified the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics that it has once again been verified as a Level I Trauma Center and as a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center. This achievement recognizes the trauma center's dedication to providing optimal care for injured patients. The UIHC Trauma Center includes the Trauma and Surgical Critical Care service of the Division of Acute Care Surgery in the Dept. of Surgery.
Established by the American College of Surgeons in 1987, the COT's Consultation/Verification Program for Hospitals promotes the development of trauma centers in which participants provide not only the hospital resources necessary for trauma care, but also the entire spectrum of care to address the needs of all injured patients. This spectrum encompasses the pre-hospital phase through the rehabilitation process.
Verified trauma centers must meet the essential criteria that ensure trauma care capability and institutional performance, as outlined by the American College of Surgeons' Committee on Trauma in its current Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient manual.
The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational association of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical education and practice and to improve the care of the surgical patient. The College has over 72,000 members and it is the largest association of surgeons in the world. More information about the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma can be found on the ACS website at www.facs.org/trauma.
Dr. Ronald Weigel, MD, PhD, elected Vice President of the Society of Surgical Oncology
At
its Annual Cancer Symposium held in March, 2012, the Society of
Surgical Oncology (SSO) ratified
Dr. Ronald J. Weigel, MD, PhD, as Vice President for 2012-2013.
Dr. Ronald J. Weigel is the EA Crowell Jr. Professor and Head of the Department of Surgery at the University of Iowa. He is also Professor of Biochemistry. His research is focused on gene regulation and hormone response in breast cancer. As described in the SSO press release, he has served SSO as Chair of the Fellowship and Research Grant Committee, sat on the Training Committee for six years, served as SSO Representative to the American Board of Surgery for six years, and has been a member of the Executive Council for the last three years.
The Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) is a 2,700-member organization for surgeons and health care providers whose mission is to improve patient care by advancing the science and practice of surgical oncology worldwide. The Society’s focus on all solid tumor disease sites is reflected in its comprehensive Annual Cancer Symposium, monthly scientific journal (Annals of Surgical Oncology), special projects, and committee structure. More information about the Society of Surgical Oncology can be found at its website at www.surgonc.org.
Dept. of Surgery Oncology Surgeons part of team to be first to offer intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) in Iowa
As explained
in an article in the University of Iowa's online daily
publication IowaNow, a team of
experts at the UIHC's Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center is first
in the state to be able to offer intraoperative radiation therapy
(IORT) for breast cancer patients. The team of experts include
Dr. Sonia Sugg,
Dr. Carol Scott-Conner,
and Dr. Ronald Weigel
of the Department of surgery, who discuss the details and
implications of this treatment in the article.
Currently with the standard treatment for early-stage breast cancer, a patient follows up with a radiation oncologist after surgery to have the tumor removed. With IORT, radiation is delivered to the area immediately following the removal of the tumor. As Dr. Sugg explains in the article, "It saves [patients] the time of having to come back to undergo radiation therapy for five days a week for up to three to six weeks after they heal from surgery." Dr. Weigel goes on to explain "This isn’t a replacement for traditional treatments. But for the right person, we are offering an alternative that will allow a person to get back to their normal life, sooner."
More
information about this new treatment option can be found in the
online edition of the article on the IowaNow
website
here.
Dr. Graeme Pitcher featured by The Gazette for surgery on
Haitian infant
Dr. Graeme Pitcher, a clinical associate professor in the
Division of Pediatric Surgery of the Department of Surgery, was
featured along with other staff of the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics in an
article in the April 10th edition of The Gazette newspaper published in Cedar Rapids,
Iowa. The article describes the case of a young Haitian baby girl born with an anorectal
defect that prevented her from defecating properly. Facilities were not available in
Haiti to perform the surgery that the baby girl needed to have the defect repaired.
Husband and wife, Dr. Christopher Buresh and Dr. Ginny Ryan of the UIHC, worked with
State Sen. Liz Mathis, D-Cedar Rapids, and U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa, in the effort
needed to bring the baby to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Dr. Pitcher
performed the surgery on March 29th and reported that the young patient was doing well.
The article can be found in the online edition of The Gazette
here.
The KCRG-TV9 television station affiliated with The Gazette has
an article and video about the young patient which can be found on
the KCRG website
here.
Dr. Samuel’s pancreatitis model featured as NIH news cover story
A research communication authored by
Dr. Isaac Samuel and others published in the
Pancreatology journal in October 2010, that describes a novel pancreatitis experimental
model, was featured as the cover story in the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Summer 2011 Digestive Diseases News. Dr. Samuel, Associate Professor of Surgery,
and his team developed and characterized this novel mouse model and showed several
similarities with severe human gallstone pancreatitis, making this model stand out
against existing models. No specific treatment exists for acute pancreatitis as
the pathogenesis is poorly understood. Since investigating the early stages of the
disease in humans is impossible, the NIH has emphasized a special need for such
models of acute pancreatitis. Dr. Samuel states, “To find a drug, you need a target.
And to find a target, you need a model.” Using this model, his federally funded
basic science laboratory has already made some important discoveries regarding the
potential role of stress-activated pathways in the development of early stage
pancreatic inflammation. The full article is available at
http://www.digestive.niddk.nih.gov/about/ddnews/sum11/1.aspx.
UIHC Burn Treatment Center meth-related burn patients discussed in Daily Iowan article
An article in the March 20th, 2012, edition of the University of
Iowa Daily Iowan newspaper discusses the recent increase of
methamphetamine-related burn patients in the UIHC's Burn Treatment
Center. The article titled "UIHC sees increase in meth-related burn
patients" features comments by
Lucy Wibbenmeyer, MD, interim co-director of
the Burn Treatment Center, among others. Dr. Wibbenmeyer comments on
treatment options for this type of patient, and the difficulty
in treating the patients.
The online edition of the article can be viewed at this address: http://www.dailyiowan.com/2012/03/20/Metro/27470.html.
Nurses from the Surgery Specialties Clinic receive service awards.
Two nurses from the Surgery Specialties Clinic in the Department of
Surgery have been named to the list of 100 Great Iowa Nurses for
2012.
Those recognized this year from the Surgical Specialties Clinic were Donna Dolezal and Sandra Roberts. They are among ten nurses from the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics to have been named to the list for 2012. The UIHC nurses will be recognized during National Nurses Week in May, and a statewide recognition event is scheduled for May 6 in Des Moines. The list and recognition event were created by a partnership of The Iowa Nurses Association, Iowa Nurses Foundation, Iowa Hospital Association, and University of Iowa College of Nursing.
In addition, Ms. Roberts has been selected to receive the Society of Vascular Nursing 2012 Distinguished Service Award. This award recognizes Society for Vascular Nursing members who display qualities of outstanding leadership, society participation and contribution to furthering the mission and vision of the Society. More information about the Society of Vascular Nursing can be found on its website here.
The Department of Surgery mourns the loss of one of its own.
This
message is sent from Paul B. Rothman, MD, Dean, UI Carver College of
Medicine.The UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine family is saddened by the death of Dr. Kim Ephgrave, Tuesday, March 6, at the age of 55. Dr. Ephgrave was known to many in the UI Health Care community through her service not only as a faculty member in the Department of Surgery, but also for her contributions as the Chief of Surgical Services at the Iowa City Veterans Administration Center for 10 years, as the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Curriculum in the Carver College of Medicine for four years, and as a Special Assistant to the Dean.
As Surgery Department Head Dr. Ronald Weigel noted in his message to the department, Dr. Ephgrave spent her entire professional career at the University of Iowa, starting as an Associate in 1986 and becoming a full Professor in 1995, and was the first recipient of the Robert and Helene Soper Chair, the first endowed chair in the Department of Surgery. She had a strong commitment to surgical education, serving as both the Junior Clerkship Director and the Associate Director for the Residency Program during her career, and was voted Teacher of the Year five separate times by the medical students. Most recently she was Professor Emeritus in the department and had been pursuing her passion for the fine arts and working on her bachelor of fine arts.
Sincere condolences go out to Dr. Ephgrave’s family, including her husband, Tom Rocklin, UI Vice President for Student Life, and their three sons. A Service of Remembrance will be held at 2 p.m., Sunday, March 11, at Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service, Iowa City, with Rev. Steven Protzman officiating. Burial will be at Oakland Cemetery. Following the service a reception will be held at The Kirkwood Room (next to the funeral home). In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Dr. Kimberly Ephgrave Surgery Educational Development Fund c/o University of Iowa Foundation, 1 West Park Rd, Iowa City, IA 52242. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.lensingfuneral.com.