News Story

Dr. Giana Davidson, Associate Professor and Section Chief for Emergency General Surgery, has received funding from The Donaghue Foundation, expanding the current AHRQ funded Pharmacy Integrated Transitions (PIT) R01 Randomized Trial. While the PIT program aims to improve coordination between hospitals and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) by decreasing medication–related problems, this new funding will incorporate…

The Department of Surgery welcomes Dr. Steven Lee as our new Chief of the Division of Pediatric General and Thoracic Surgery at Seattle Children’s Hospital (SCH) and UW Department of Surgery in February 2023. Dr. Lee completed his general surgery training at University of California, Davis, and is well–acquainted with our program as he completed…

What do we mean when we talk about “community?” We understand the definition, “a feeling of fellowship with others as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.” But what do we mean when we use this term in the context of our department and training programs? Community comes in many sizes and is…

Dr. Venu Pillarisetty, Professor of Surgical Oncology, and Dr. Lindsay Dickerson, General Surgery Resident Research Fellow, received a $400,000 grant from the Fibrolamellar Cancer Foundation for their project, “Therapeutic modulation of tumor–infiltrating T cell function in fibrolamellar carcinoma.” Fibrolamellar carcinoma (FLC) is a rare liver cancer affecting children and young adults without underlying liver disease.…

Welcome to our 2022 fall edition of Surgery Synopsis. This is our annual Education Issue and I couldn’t be more pleased to present a look at the past, present and future of Education in the Department of Surgery.

Heart failure and end stage lung disease are some of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Oxford Specialist Handbook in Cardiopulmonary Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support is a multinational collaboration with highly revered and globally respected authors and editors to provide the most concise and practical guide to the practitioners on the…

Dr. Tam Pham, Professor & Chief of the UW Medicine Regional Burn Center at Harborview Medical Center, received the 2022 UW Alumni Early Achievement Award. This honor is for an alumnus or alumna who graduated within the last 20 years and has excelled in his or her career, making significant contributions to public health through…

Dr. Jay Pal, Professor and Associate Section Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery, was recently appointed to the Lester and Connie LeRoss Endowed Professorship in Cardiovascular Surgery. This Endowed Professorship was created in 1999 to help further work in developing equipment, procedures, training techniques and personnel to treat heart-related ailments. In January 2022, Dr. Pal started his…

The K. Alvin and Shirley E. Merendino Endowed Professorship was recently appointed to Dr. Kathleen Berfield, Associate Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Chief of Thoracic Surgery at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System. This Endowed Professorship was established in 2006 to provide support for the Department of Surgery in attaining its mission of resident…