2017 in Photos - Department of Surgery

Time moves fast in a surgery department. That’s why we’re taking a moment to celebrate all our team accomplished in 2017 by sharing some of our favorite images from a busy, successful year.

12. Celebrating transplant program’s roots

World-renowned transplant surgeon Dr. Munci Kalayoglu joyfully accepts a University of Wisconsin cow, a thank you gift for his time as the 2017 Louis Bernhardt Visiting Professor. Dr. Kalayoglu was on the UW Surgery faculty from 1983-2006 and initiated the UW Liver Transplant Program in 1984. The UW Health Transplant Program, the fourth largest in the country, celebrated its 50th anniversary this year.

11. Small hearts, big success

The section of pediatric cardiothoracic surgery, which has grown to a medium-sized program, performed 153 operations this year with remarkable results. Their cases ranged in complexity (as measured by STAT scores) and in patient age, but one thing stayed constant: successful patient survival rates. The program has maintained a 0% mortality rate for the last 18 months. The program, led by Dr. Petros Anagnostopoulos, invested in their continued success by recruiting an adult congenital heart disease specialist, Dr. Joshua Hermsen.

10. Representing surgery at the Capitol

Surgeons from Wisconsin, including Drs. Amy Liepert, Elise Lawson, and Girma Tefera, join American College of Surgeons’ (ACS) advocacy efforts in Washington DC. Dr. Tefera is in his second year as the Medical Director for ACS’s Operation Giving Back, an international surgical volunteering program. The department continued to support global health in 2017, supporting a new position to coordinate global health educational experiences for residents and faculty.

9. Training the next generation

A high school student focuses on a training exercise in the UW Health Clinical Simulation Center during this summer’s Surgery Clinical Research Experiences for High School Students Program, supported by the Doris Duke Foundation. The department currently runs six extramurally funded research training programs: voice, transplant, surgical oncology, and vascular surgery training, and summer experiences for medical students and high school students.

8. Alumni serving our country

Dr. Matthew Koopmann (far left), a graduate of our general surgery residency, poses with his team during his tour in Afghanistan as a surgeon with the US Army Reserves. Dr. Koopmann wasn’t able to attend our annual alumni dinner, so we collected hellos and good wishes for Matt from his fellow alumni, and sent them off to him along with a Badger scrub cap. Now he can represent the Badgers wherever he serves!

The University of Wisconsin flag flies in Farah, Afghanistan. Dr. Koopmann toured with a Medevac unit from the Wisconsin Army National Guard, who raised the UW flag everywhere they went.

7. Residency goes live

General surgery resident Dr. Devon Livingston-Rosanoff takes a break during a busy research day to snap a selfie with her adviser, Dr. Lee Wilke. Dr. Livingston-Rosanoff took over our Twitter account for 24 hours to share a day in the life of a surgery resident with our followers across the nation.

6. Excellence recognized

Dr. Gretchen Schwarze discusses care options with a patient using her innovative surgical decision-making communication framework. Dr. Schwarze’s expertise in decision-making, consent, and end-of-life care was recognized this year when she was selected as an inaugural member of the National Academy of Medicine’s Emerging Leaders Forum. This program supports early-career leaders who are poised to shape the future of medicine.

5. Empowering others to Stop the Bleed

Dr. Hee Soo Jung demonstrates bleeding suppression techniques for members of the UW Health Security team. Our trauma surgeons led several Stop the Bleed trainings, empowering community members to stop massive bleeding during emergency scenarios. The UW Health Adult and Pediatric Trauma Centers were re-verified this year as Level 1 Trauma Centers by the American College of Surgeons. The UW Health Burn Center also again received ACS Burn Center Verification, making UW Hospital the only location in the state to be ACS-verified in all 3 areas.

4. Research up close

This image of tongue muscles from Dr. Nadine Connor’s lab was the winner of the 2017 Cool Science Image contest, held in conjunction with our Department research summit. Research in the Division of Otolaryngology continued to excel in 2017, with faculty engaged in Wisconsin’s first NIH-funded Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant for Head and Neck Cancer research, 11 active NIH R01 grants, and two new NIH grants (one R01 and one R21).

3. Leadership in a time of transition

Dr. Michael Bentz, Chair of the Division of Plastic Surgery, served as Interim Chair in 2017 during our Chair transition. We thank Dr. Bentz for his dedication and leadership over the past year.

2. Honoring women in surgery

Drs. Susan Pitt, Amy Liepert, Angela Ingraham, Emily Winslow, and Ann O’Rourke pose for a #NYerORCoverChallenge photo. Dr. Susan Pitt challenged her fellow women surgeons to recreate this New Yorker cover to highlight women in surgery. The challenge took off and became an international sensation. In our department, 31% of our faculty, 41% of our residents, and 35% of our fellows are women.

1. Welcoming our new Chair

Our new department Chair, Dr. Rebecca Minter, attends a Badger game with her daughter Kate, who sports face paint honoring the family’s past ties to the University of Michigan and their new ties to the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Minter, a pancreaticobiliary surgeon and national leader, joined as our Chair January 1, 2018.

Thanks to everyone who helped make 2017 a success! We’re looking forward to seeing what we will achieve together in 2018.