News & Events

  Visit the Parenting in Surgery website   Annie having a great time at the Mentorship event. Becoming a parent is hard work, especially when balancing the new role as a parent with surgical training. We have created a New Parent Mentorship Program in the UCSF Department of Surgery to provide a support network of trainees and faculty. The Mentorship program was successfully launched with a social gathering at Spark Social SF. The event included a kid's play area, an abundance of food, and the opportunity for medical students, trainees, faculty, and their families to meet, mingle, and [...]

Mandates May Help Reduce Health Care Inequities for Minorities, Low-Income Workers By Suzanne Leigh An estimated 300,000 additional employees received colorectal cancer screening in a two-year period, following mandated paid sick leave in 57 metropolitan areas across the U.S. And about 250,000 additional workers underwent breast cancer screenings in a two-year period after the mandate, according to a study led by UC San Francisco and headed by senior author Julie Ann Sosa, MD, of the Department of Surgery at the UCSF School of Medicine. The findings, published in the New England [...]

On National Women Physicians Day, the Muriel Steele Society and the UCSF Department of Surgery honor the amazing team of women surgeons, scientists, learners, and staff that have made so many important contributions to improving the lives of our patients. About the Muriel Steele Society at UCSF The Muriel Steele Society is an inclusive community dedicated to inspiring, supporting, and promoting women surgeons so they can thrive at all stages of their careers. We will be hosting events throughout the year to foster a strong community of allies and to achieve the goal of continued [...]

Committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion UCSF and the Department and Surgery are committed to building a broadly diverse community, nurturing a culture that is welcoming and supportive, and engaging diverse ideas for the provision of culturally competent education, discovery, and patient care. Chancellor Awards for Diversity Chancellor Awards for Diversity recognize the outstanding efforts of individuals who demonstrate a strong dedication to diversity. Individuals recognized are leaders and pioneers in their respective fields and to the communities in which they serve. We are proud [...]

Since the first community-transmission of Covid-19 was identified in the United States on February 26, 2020,1 the medical community has experienced an upheaval like never before. Looking to the experiences abroad, urgent steps were taken to reduce surgical cases and preserve inpatient capacity for a potential surge of Covid-19 patients.2 Many patients in need of nonurgent but essential surgical care were delayed those services. At the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), we recognized the need to avoid adverse outcomes associated with delaying much-needed cancer, cardiovascular, [...]

Caitlin Collins, MD, MPH, a general surgery resident at UCSF, received an Excellence in Research Award from the Scientific Forum Committee of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) in the category of Colon and Rectal Surgery. The award was for her abstract, "Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Bundled Payment for Care Improvement- Advanced for Major Bowel Surgery: Do We Have the Tools We Need to Succeed?", which was also selected as an oral presentation at the 2019 Owen H. Wangensteen Scientific Forum program. Dr. Collins received her honor at a formal awards ceremony on October [...]

The Department of Surgery is pleased to announce that Elizabeth C. Wick, M.D. and Jason H. Pomerantz, M.D. have been appointed Co-Chairs of the Department of Surgery Research Committee. Dr. Wick is a professor of surgery in the Section of Colorectal Surgery. She is an experienced laparoscopic surgeon, treating the entire spectrum of colorectal conditions including diverticular disease, inflammatory bowel disease, colon and rectal cancer, anal cancer, and perianal disease with a patient-‐centered approach. Dr. Wick has contributed to the understanding of almost every aspect of perioperative [...]

Hueylan Chern, M.D., an associate professor in the Section of Colorectal Surgery, has been named the new Director of the UCSF Surgical Skills Center. The UCSF Surgical Skills Center is accredited by the American College of Surgeons, and it is one of the crown jewels of the Department's teaching enterprise. It provides simulation based longitudinal and structured curricula, enabling learners to master both basic and advanced operative techniques. The lab also supports educational scholarship in teaching, curricular development, and research as a pathway to an academic career in surgical [...]

We are pleased to announce that Emily Finlayson, M.D., M.S., FACS, professor of Surgery, Medicine (Geriatrics), and Health Policy at the University of California San Francisco has been named the new Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs and Development in the Department of Surgery. Dr. Finlayson received her MD at Harvard Medical School and MS from the Center for Evaluative Clinical Sciences at Dartmouth Medical School. She completed her general surgery residency at UCSF and her fellowship in colorectal surgery at the Mayo Clinic. Her NIH-funded work includes population-based analyses, clinical [...]

The UCSF Howard C. Naffziger Surgical Society, the alumni society for graduates of the the UCSF General Surgery Residency Program and associate members, will hold its 2nd annual "Naffziger Society Day" symposium on Friday May 11th in San Francisco.  Naffziger Society Day brings together multiple generations of UCSF surgeons including former chief residents, surgeons in academic medicine, those with community practices, and retired surgeons. The symposium generates substantive discussion of the history and future of surgical training and practice, while celebrating the common lineage of [...]

UCSF Medical Center earned "high performance" ratings – the highest ratings possible – in eight common conditions and procedures in the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals Survey for 2017-2018, seven within the UCSF Department of Surgery: Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair Aortic Valve Surgery Colon Cancer Surgery Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Heart Bypass Surgery Heart Failure Lung Cancer Surgery U.S. News evaluated more than 4,500 hospitals to determine how well they performed using data on patient survival, nurse staffing, volume and more. Within the [...]

Courtney A. Green, M.D., research fellow in the General Surgery Residency program, has been awarded a CSERT (Center for Excellence in Surgical Education, Research and Training) grant from the Association for Surgical Education (ASE) Foundation. Her research project is entitled, "Investigation into the Perceptual Expertise of a Robotic Surgeon: How do we learn to feel what we see?" Surgical education grants are among the most difficult to obtain. Moreover, this grant has historically been awarded to faculty affiliated with academic institutions, underscoring Dr. Green's achievement here as a [...]

Theodore R. Schrock, M.D., who had a storied career at UCSF, as a medical student, then a surgery resident, faculty member, Department of Surgery Chair and Chief Medical Officer for UCSF Medical Center, recently passed away at age 76.  Theodore (Ted) Schrock was born and raised in Berne, Indiana. He lettered in three sports during high school and was noted for scholarship. He attended Indiana University in Bloomington where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and was named "Premed Student of the Year".  His A.B. degree with Highest Honors was obtained after the first year of medical school at [...]

The Winter-Spring 2016 issue of Inside Surgery focuses on how the new Mission Bay hospitals are enhancing surgical care. New surgical suites, for example, feature advanced technologies and resources that are optimal for patients. The move is also fostering research collaborations as our surgeons work in close proximity to many basic scientists that share the campus. The issue also highlights advancement in clinical care and research for several Department of Surgery programs including: colorectal surgery, surgical oncology, pediatric surgery, and breast care surgery. Carlos U. Corvera, [...]

Madhulika G. Varma M.D. was recently awarded the Maurice Galante, MD Distinguished Professorship in Surgical Oncology, recognizing her achievements and professional development in general surgery. The Professorship honors the late Maurice Galante, M.D., UCSF professor emeritus of surgery. Dr. Galante was described as "one of the last of a generation of real general surgeons"— those surgeons who bring the same superb technical expertise to a wide variety of surgical procedures. He developed a special relationship with his patients because of his sensitivity to their pain and suffering. Many [...]

An abstract by UCSF General Surgery research resident Dr. Jessica Cohan, "Surgical Decision Making in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis: The Patient Perspective", was recently selected for the category  "Best of DDW" (Digestive Disease Week) by the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT). Dr. Cohan will be presenting during the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract's Plenary Session on May 18th from 8:00am to 9:30am. Click here for more information on DDW 2015! In addition, it will be highlighted as part of the Best of DDW session on Tuesday, May 19th from 2:00-4:00 pm in [...]

The Depatment of Surgery has launched the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) program. Led by Ankit Sarin, M.D., MHA, Assistant Professor of Surgery and Lee-Lynn Chen, M.D. Associate Professor of Anesthesia, ERAS is focused on the improvement of surgical outcomes, development of best practices in perioperative surgical care, and an engaging, proactive patient experience.  ERAS is a pilot program currently focused on colorectal surgery. The expectation is for it to expand to other areas of general surgery, and later to specialties such as thoracic and vascular surgery. The ERAS program [...]

The University of California has awarded 11 grants totaling $5.4 million for multi-site projects designed to improve patient care and reduce the risk of clinical harm to UC surgery patients. About 110,000 patients undergo surgery each year at UC medical centers. The risk fellowship grants include projects to improve outcomes for neurosurgical patients, increase the quality of care for high-risk colorectal surgery patients, and decrease surgical site infections in patients undergoing procedures such as knee and hip replacements throughout UC Health. The UCSF Colorectal Surgery Program is a key [...]

Ankit Sarin, M.D., MHA recently joined the Department as a member of the Division of General Surgery and Section of Colorectal Surgery. Dr. Sarin is colorectal surgeon specializing in the surgery of the colon, rectum, anus and related GI tract. His surgical practice is based primarily at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Care Center at UCSF Mt. Zion. His areas of expertise include colon and rectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, diverticular disease, benign anal & rectal disease and pelvic floor disorders. He also specializes in advanced minimally invasive techniques [...]

The New York Times reports in its "The New Old Age - Caring and Coping Blog" on the high-risk of performing surgery in older adults, even for otherwised routine operations. Even operations considered fairly routine in younger patients, like appendectomies, become high-risk for nursing home residents. "Something about undergoing anesthesia, the surgery's physiological assault on the body, impacts older people much more than we think," said Dr. Emily Finlayson, an Associate Professor of Surgery at University of California, San Francisco, and lead author of a recent study published in The [...]