News Story

After an esteemed and impactful career in cardiac surgery, Dr. Gabriel Aldea announced his retirement, effective December 31, 2024. Dr. Aldea has been an exemplary leader, educator, and clinician, dedicating decades to advancing the field of cardiothoracic surgery and shaping the lives of countless patients, colleagues, and trainees. His commitment to excellence, compassion, and innovation…

The Department of Surgery is pleased to announce Dr. Niten Singh as the next chief of the Division of Vascular Surgery at the University of Washington. Dr. Singh follows a long line of distinguished vascular surgery leaders, beginning with Dr. Eugene Strandness, followed by Dr. Alec Clowes, and most recently, Dr. Ben Starnes.

The 2024 Fall Issue of Surgery Synopsis focuses on philanthropic giving and what it means to the Department of Surgery. We have been so very fortunate over the course of our history to have numbers of individuals who support our mission with their philanthropy. We are profoundly grateful and appreciative of those gifts. The stories…

Dr. Jeffrey Friedrich is as a recipient of the 2025 Parker J. Palmer Courage to Teach Award from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. This award recognizes program directors who have fostered innovation and improvement in their programs and served as exemplary role models for residents and fellows. It is amongst the highest honors in medical education,…

Dear Surgery Synopsis Readers, Approximately six months ago, Dr. Jeffrey Friedrich announced his intention to step down as UW Department of Surgery Plastic Surgery Residency Program Director. He accomplished an amazing 12-year tenure as Program Director, taking us from a “coordinated” residency of three residents/ year (total nine) to currently the largest integrated Plastic Surgery…

This annual “education issue” of Surgery Synopsis is where we celebrate and marvel at our residents, both coming and going. It’s the end of a residency year with graduation and these amazing surgeons are headed off to jobs and fellowships around the country. And at the other end of the training curve, we welcome the…

Dr. Elina Quiroga, Professor, Division of Vascular Surgery, was named Society for Vascular Surgery’s (SVS) Distinguished Fellow. This prestigious recognition is bestowed upon SVS members who have distinguished themselves by making substantial contributions in two of three categories: research, service, or education. The announcement was made during the SVS 2024 Vascular Annual Meeting, held June…

Welcome to our 2024 spring edition of Surgery Synopsis. In our winter 2023 issue of Surgery Synopsis, as the world was emerging from COVID remote work restrictions, we focused on “What Community Means to You,” asking a cross-section of our department members to describe community. The answers varied, but the theme was clear: community meant…

On April 18, 2024, UW Medicine’s Extracorporeal Life Support (ECMO) transport team performed their first off-site cannulation for a patient with severe respiratory failure who was too unstable to transport from Valley Medical Center. Once the patient was on ECMO, they were successfully transported to Harborview Medicine Center. About UW Medicine’s ECMO Program Located in…

This issue of Surgery Synopsis will focus on the research mission of the Department of Surgery. Research is a critical pillar of our department’s threefold mission (Clinical CareEducation-Research) and boldly leans into the future. The innovative treatments and concepts that surgeons across the world will be using tomorrow are being developed right now in labs,…