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 Loyola University Medical Center 
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 Dear Friends and Colleagues, 
   
 This past winter has been quite a surprise even for Chicago natives. It is only in this past season that I learned that it can hurt to breathe especially in minus 30° weather. Despite that, Loyola University Medical Center and the Department of Surgery continue to press onward in our pursuit of excellence in all of our domains. A new wound center has been established with recruitment of Dr. Sathyavani Ramanujam, our first wound physician. This will address a need within Loyola and the Chicagoland area to deliver multi-disciplinary care of patients with wound issues.   This effort will include podiatry, orthopedics, plastic surgery, vascular surgery, infectious disease, endocrinology and our wound physicians at both Loyola and Gottlieb.  We have just completed our interviews with medical student applicants for our general surgery residency program. I have been truly impressed, and at times, awed by the quality, accomplishments, and passion that these students have for the pursuit of surgical training. I believe it bodes well for the future of our specialty. Lastly we hope to move forward with integrated residencies in plastic surgery and cardiothoracic surgery. The plastic surgery initiative is farther along with plans for implementation in July 2015.  Otherwise, we continue to try and stay warm as the second coming of the polar vortex has arrived. I think everyone is looking forward to a warm and sunny spring!  
   
     
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 Loyola Surgery ranks 18th in NIH Funding  
  
The Surgery Department of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of  Medicine ranked 18th in the nation in National Institutes of Health medical  school funding in 2013, according to the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical  Research. 
  
 
Researchers in Loyola's Surgery Department received a total of $5,068,582 in  NIH funding. "Loyola Surgery is committed to excellence and innovation in research that  will help define the future of American surgery," said Paul C. Kuo, MD, MS,  MBA, FACS, chair of the Department of Surgery. "We greatly appreciate government  funding that makes such research possible." NIH funding from all Loyola departments combined totaled $18,986,909, the  Blue Ridge Institute said. The Blue Ridge Institute, a nonprofit organization  based in North Carolina, is a recognized source for NIH funding statistics. 
  
Here are 2013 NIH funding for other Loyola departments, according to the Blue  Ridge Institute: 
  
Anatomy/cell biology: $370,320 Biochemistry: $29,173 Internal  medicine/medicine: $1,447,390 Microbiology/immunology/virology:  $4,836,003 Obstetrics/gynecology: $137,176 Orthopaedics:  $217,063 Pathology: $1,234,762 Pharmacology: $1,135,555 Physiology:  $2,865,807 
 
Public health and preventive medicine:  $1,645,078 
 
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Chicago magazine names Loyola Surgeons to its 2014 Top Doctors  list 
   
Fifty-four Loyola University Health System physicians have been named to Chicago  magazine's 2014 Top Doctors list.  More than 10 percent of all Chicago-area physicians on the Top Doctors list  are Loyola physicians. The magazine's biennial list of outstanding Chicago-area doctors is published  in the January issue. In compiling the Top Doctors list, the magazine turned to New York-based  Castle Connolly Medical, a respected health-care research and information  company. Castle Connolly conducts an annual nationwide survey of all licensed  physicians. Physicians are asked to nominate as many as 10 doctors they consider  the best in their own specialty, and as many as three doctors in other  specialties. Respondents are asked to consider such factors as education,  hospital appointment, board certifications and bedside manner. Castle Connolly received more than 100,000 nominations during 2013. (Doctors  cannot nominate themselves.) Researchers tracked which doctors received the most  nominations and reviewed each physician's education, training, hospital  affiliations and professional activities. Fewer than 1 percent of the nation's  physicians made the Top Doctor list. 
 
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 Loyola Researcher Receives Presidential Early Career Award from President Obama 
  
  |  | Katherine Radek, PhD |   
Katherine Radek, PhD, of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of  Medicine, has received a prestigious Presidential EarlyCareer Award for  Scientists and Engineers. It's the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on science and  engineering professionals in the early stages of their research careers. Dr.  Radek is among 102 researchers to receive the honor. 
  
"The impressive achievements of these early-stage scientists and engineers  are promising indicators of even greater successes ahead," President Obama said.  "We are grateful for their commitment to generating the scientific and technical  advancements that will ensure America's global leadership for many years to  come." 
  
Dr. Radek earned a PhD degree in 2005 from Stritch School of Medicine, in the  laboratory of Luisa DiPietro, DDS, PhD. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship  in 2009 at the University of California at San Diego, in the laboratory of  Richard Gallo, MD, PhD. She now is an assistant professor in the Department of  Surgery of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and a member of  the university's Burn and Shock Trauma Research Institute. 
  
Dr. Radek is researching the mechanisms by which stress responses and  nicotinic receptors influence the immune system in models of inflammatory skin  diseases (such as atopic dermatitis and chronic wounds) and traumatic burn  injury. Her lab is funded by the National Institutes of Health, the 3M Wound  Healing Society Foundation Fellowship and the Ralph and Marian C. Falk Medical  Research Trust. 
  
Presidential Early Career Awards recipients are employed or funded by the  Department of Health and Human Services and other federal department and  agencies. Nominations are based on early accomplishments that show the greatest  promise for assuring America's preeminence in science and engineering and  contributing to the awarding agencies' missions. Each award is of five years  duration. Dr. Radek and her fellow winners will receive their awards at a Washington,  DC, ceremony in 2014. 
 
 
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 Loyola Performs Most Liver Transplants in Its History 
  
Loyola University Medical Center performed 33 liver transplants in fiscal year 2013, the highest 12-month total in its history.  Loyola is on track to perform 40 liver transplants in FY14 (the 12 months ending June 30, 2014).  A newly formed team of liver transplant surgeons and hepatologists is responsible for the increased number of transplants.  The team provides comprehensive care to seriously ill patients including the most complex cases and retransplants.  
  
Loyola's dedicated liver transplant team is headed by surgeon Amy Lu, MD, division director of Intra-abdominal Transplantation, and hepatologist Jamie Berkes, MD, medical director of Liver Transplantation.  
  
Dr. Lu, one of the top liver transplant surgeons in the country, joined Loyola in February 2011.  Dr. Berkes is part of a nationally recognized team of hepatologists that joined Loyola in August 2012.                          
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Loyola Surgical Caps Available 
   
Loyola Department of Surgery Surgical Caps are available for purchase for $20 each. There are both male and female versions available in black, gray, and maroon.  Please contact resident  Dino Mendez at  
 
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Congratulations Are in Order... 
  
Stephen  MacLeod has been appointed to the Editorial Board of the British Journal of Oral  and Maxillofacial Surgeons. 
   
Matthias  Majetschak, MD, PhD has been invited to become a member of the Editorial Board  of Critical Care Medicine. 
   
Theodore Saclarides has been appointed as  the Ambrose and Gladys Bowyer Chair of Surgery.   The professional chair at Loyola University Chicago is considered to be the  most prestigious honor that can be conferred upon a faculty member.  
   
Paul Crisostomo was appointed Medical Director of Gottlieb's Wound  Center. 
   
Dr.  Claudia Perez has  been named the new Surgical Director of the Sister  Sheila Lyne Comprehensive Breast & Women's Healthcare Center at Mercy Hospital.  She remains an active member of Loyola's Cancer Center and Department of Surgery. 
  
 
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Comings and Goings 
   
Michael R. DeHaan, MD, FACS will be joining the Department of Surgery as a member of the Loyola Community Surgery Division at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital.  His recruitment is a first step in creating a vibrant community practice within our department. 
   
Michael Kase, DMD, joined the Division of Dental Medicine as Assistant Professor.  Dr. Kase comes to us from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, NY. 
   
Joseph Baptist, DDS, joined the Division of Dental Medicine as Clinical Instructor.  Dr. Baptist  completed his Oral-Maxillofacial Surgery residency at Loyola University Medical Center.  
   
Joshua T Richman, DDS, joined the Division of Dental Medicine as Clinical Instructor.  Dr. Richman completed his Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Residency at Saint Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson, New Jersey. 
   
John Foley, DDS, joined the Division of Dental Medicine as a Clinical Assistant Professor.  Dr. Foley comes to us from Northwest Orthodontics in Streamwood & Franklin Park, IL. 
   
Sathyavani Ramanujam, MD, joined the Division of Vascular Surgery.  Dr. Ramanujam will be working as a Wound Care Physician at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital. She will be an integral part of the new Loyola Wound Care Center based at Gottlieb and Loyola Hospitals. 
   
P. Marco Fisichella, MD, left his position in the Department of Surgery to accept a position as Associate Chief of Surgery at the Boston VA with an academic appointment at  Harvard University .  Dr. Fisichella joined the Division of GI/Minimally Invasive Surgery at Loyola in 2008.  
 
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I hope you've enjoyed this edition of the Loyola Surgery Newsletter.  We look forward to keeping you up to date on our many upcoming events and activities. 
 
  
Sincerely,
 
  
  
 Paul Kuo, MD
  
 Professor and Chair, Department of Surgery
  
 Loyola University Medical Center
 
  
 
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