University of California San Francisco

UCSF Department of Surgery
April 7, 2016

Varma Examing Patient

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, MD, chief of hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery, discusses novel agents for treatment of cholangiocarcinoma, as well as a multidisciplinary approach to complex surgical cases involving multiple organ systems. Kimberly Kirkwood, MD, is advancing the assessment and treatment of pancreatic cystic lesions, and collaborates with pharmaceutical chemist Charles Craik, PhD, on developing a new method to risk-stratify these cysts. Eric Nakakura, MD, PhD, partners with chemical geneticist Kevan Shokat, PhD, to test a new drug to treat neuroendocrine tumors.

Madhulika Varma, MD, chief of the section of colorectal surgery, describes advances in minimally invasive approaches, as well as novel initiatives to improve care of patients before, during and after such surgery.

Laura Esserman, MD, MBA, director of the UCSF Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center, leads a radically new model for clinical trials. It harnesses the power of precision medicine and multi-institution collaboration to speed the testing of therapeutics while greatly reducing cost. She also highlights innovations in risk stratification, more-cosmetic approaches such as total skin-sparing mastectomy and other developments.

Hanmin Lee, MD, surgeon in chief of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco and director of the Fetal Treatment Center, highlights the new pediatric thyroid center, the LIFE Clinic – which provides ongoing support for pediatric patients who received care through the Fetal Treatment Center – and ways the new hospital provides enhanced care for both pediatric patients and their families.

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Inside Surgery