News

How can a surgical program define and measure growth? The number of incoming patients? Surgical outcomes? Or is it the perioperative experience of the patient? For the section of hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) surgery in the Division of Surgical Oncology, program growth is considered secondary to their main goal: improving overall patient care.

Under the leadership of Dr. Henry Rice, Duke Surgery will participate in two global health studies to improve surgical outcomes in patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) on the Breast Surgical Oncology Team have received a Presidential Award from Duke University President Vincent E. Price, one of the highest honors awarded to faculty and staff at Duke.

The Duke Department of Surgery now ranks third among surgery departments nationwide in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding received in 2019 according to the newly released Blue Ridge rankings. Duke Surgery has continued to rank in the top five nationally over the past 30 years, demonstrating the department’s long-standing commitment to investigate the impact of disease on patient health. With a diverse portfolio, including 78.7% of funding from the NIH, Duke Surgery faculty and staff perform a wide variety of research to improve the human condition.

Congratulations to Jennifer K Plichta, MD, MS, Assistant Professor of Surgery, and Laura H Rosenberger, MD, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, on approval of their 2020 Cancer Research Pilot Projects from the Duke Cancer Institute and the Gray Foundation.

Congratulations to John Migaly, MD, Associate Professor of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, on being elected into the Southern Surgical Association. The association was founded in 1887, and has dedicated itself to disseminating research and improving surgical techniques, outcomes, and applicable knowledge.

Dr. Migaly's membership application was supported by current association members from the Duke Department of Surgery:

Georgia Beasley, MD, MHS, Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Division of Surgical Oncology, has received a 2019 award from the Duke Cancer Institute (DCI) for her pilot research project, “Oncolytic Poliovirus in Melanoma.”

Using an oncolytic poliovirus has already been tested at Duke as a treatment for recurrent glioblastoma, and in Dr. Beasley’s current research, the therapy will be used for treatment refractory melanoma, or melanoma that has not responded to other treatments. 

Congratulations to Jennifer K. Plichta, MD, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, on being appointed to the editorial board for Breast Cancer Research, one of the most widely read journals in breast cancer research and treatment.

Lola Fayanju, MD, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, recently received a K08 award from the National Institutes of Health for her proposal "Using Modifiable Risk Factors to Predict Inferior Care and Survival After Breast Cancer Diagnosis: A Novel Approach to Addressing Health Disparities." With this grant, Dr. Fayanju and her team will develop a prediction model to identify women with mutable risk factors for compromised breast cancer care, providing a novel approach to addressing disparities in oncologic care.

Dr. Rachel Greenup, Associate Professor of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, has been appointed to serve on the Clinical and Health Services Research Committee for the Association of Academic Surgery. Her 2-year term will begin in the spring of 2020, following the Academic Surgical Congress.

"This honor is a testament to her innovative health services research and leadership in the breast surgical oncology academic community," says Dr. Shelley Hwang, Chair of Research and Chief of Breast Surgery.