News & Events

The UCSF Department of Surgery has launched a new website for its NIH T32 Research Training Program in Gastrointestinal Surgery. The program, led by Hobart W. Harris, M.D., M.P.H., Professor and Chief of the Division of General Surgery, was originally established in 1987 by Dr. Haile T. Debas, Professor Emeritus of Surgery, a past Chair of the Department of Surgery, and currently Director Emeritus of the UC Global Health Institute (UCGHI).  The T32 Research Training Grant in Gastrointestinal Surgery has supported the training of general surgeons treating diseases of the gastrointestinal [...]

Hobart W. Harris, M.D., M.P.H., Chief of the Division of General Surgery and Director of the UCSF Center for Hernia Repair and Abdominal Wall Reconstruction, will Chair the International Symposium on Incisional Hernia Prevention, sponsored by the UCSF Department of Surgery, to be held October 19-20, 2017 in San Francisco, CA. UCSF is the leading tertiary referral center in the region for hernia surgery, performing nearly 700 procedures annually, 350 of those for ventral (incisional) hernias that are frequently the most challenging.  Dr. Harris, a pioneer in the management of complex [...]

Eric Nakakura, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Surgery at UCSF and a leading authority on neuroendocrine tumors of the gastrointestinal tract and pancreas, is among a team of researchers awarded $1.2M grant by the Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation (NETRF) to elucidate the causes of small intestinal neuroendocrine tumors (SI-NETs). Dr. Nakakura said the research would help to unlock the mysteries of the disease and lead to more effective potentially curative treatments: "This project arose from unexpected clinical observations of a rare disease, which has puzzled all for over a [...]

Surgeons, from left, Lucy Kornblith, Rita Mukhtar and Carter Lebares pose for a photograph in the lobby of the UCSF Clinical Science Building in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 19, 2017. (Courtesy Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group) The April 3, 2017 cover of the New Yorker depicting four women in blue doctors' scrubs over an operating table has gone viral. Reflecting the power of that image, female surgeons throughout the world have been posting group selfie photos of themselves recreating the pose. Malika Favre, who has designed a number of covers for the magazine, told CNN that [...]

Eric Nakakura, M.D., Ph.D., a UCSF gastrointestinal cancer surgeon and Emily Bergsland, M.D.. a UCSF gastrointestinal oncologist, recently discussed the treatment of carcinoid syndrome on "Healthy Body, Healthy Mind", a series hosted by Information Television Network (ITV), a PBS content affiliate. Dr. Nakakura is an Associate Professor in the UCSF Department of Surgery and Dr. Bergsland a Professor in the UCSF Department of Medicine. The ITV episode, which portrays the struggles of Ray Martz with carcinoid syndrome, recounts the situation he initially faced - that his condition was [...]

While researchers race to find improved medical therapies for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), surgery remains the most effective treatment.  Unfortunately, a large percentage of PDAC patients are not surgical candidates because by the time of diagnosis, the disease has metastasized. Even among those without metastases, choosing surgery can be tricky if there is too much risk of leaving live tumor behind.  Borderline Resectable Pancreatic Cancer (BRPC) Recently, however, cancer treatment teams have been extending surgery options to more patients previously considered "borderline [...]

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, [...]

Jennifer Kaplan, M.D., a research resident in the UCSF General Surgery Residency Program, won the John Halverson Young Investigator Award at the 32nd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery held in conjunction with "ObesityWeek", for the abstract and presentation: "The Benefit and Cost Effectiveness of Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass Stems Largely From Resolution of Metabolic Disease, Not Just Weight Loss", co-authored by Dr. Kaplan and UCSF faculty in the Departments of Surgery and Medicine.   The Haverson award is given for "demonstrated excellence in [...]

Carlos Corvera M.D. was recently awarded the Maurice Galante, MD Distinguished Professorship in Hepatobiliary Surgery, recognizing his 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 [...]

The Department of Surgery has launched a new program, the Center for Hernia Repair and Abdominal Wall Reconstruction. Led by Hobart W. Harris, M.D., M.P.H., Professor and Chief of the Division of General Surgery, and Director of the Infection Injury and Immunity Lab, the multidisciplinary program provides state-of-the-art treatment for all types of hernias, from the most common to the most technically challenging, such as giant abdominal wall hernias, hernias arising from enterocutaneous fistulas, and complicated mesh-related infections related to recurrent hernias. Dr. Harris is a pioneer [...]

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 [...]

UCSF News reports on the Entrepreneurship Center at UCSF which prepares inventors to launch start-ups and supports innovators seeking to commercialize life-changing inventions. Hobart W. Harris, M.D., M.P.H., Professor and Chief of the Division of General Surgery, founder of Vitruvian Medical Devices, and a pioneer in the management and repair of complex ventral (incisional) hernias, extols the benefits of the Center's "Lean LaunchPad" course in the development of his company.  Hobart Harris, MD, who has served as chief of general surgery at UCSF for the past 13 years, believes the Lean [...]

Successful downstaging of selected patients with HCC (hepatocellular carcinoma) before liver transplantation leads to excellent 5-year recurrence-free and overall survival rates post-transplant, according to a just-reported multicenter study led by UCSF Transplant Program investigators. Medscape Medical News reported on these results at the Liver Meeting 2014: American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) where the UCSF study findings were presented: Treating lesions with local-regional therapy allowed 119 of 187 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma to become eligible for [...]

General surgery residents Bian Wu, M.D. (left), Evan Werlin, M.D. (center) and Victoria Lyo, M.D. (right), coached by Matthew Y.C. Lin, M.D., Assistant Professor Surgery, Division of General Surgery, were winners of the the first laparoscopic competition held at the Northern California Chapter of the American College of Surgeons educational meeting on May 17, 2014. The event was a regional competition between teams consisting of three residents from UCSF, Stanford, UC Davis, UCSF East Bay and UCSF Fresno. The surgical techniques were variations on tasks from the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic [...]

A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine touts a new medical device for the treatment of  Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) as an alternative to standard therapy, long-term proton-pump inhibitors or Nissen Fundoplication.The new treatment is a surgical procedure in which a small band of magnetic beads is surgically implantedto augment the lower esophageal sphincter, the valve between the esophagus and stomach.  But Stanley J. Rogers, M.D.Associate Professor of Surgery at UCSF, Chief of Minimally Invasive Surgery, and Chief of Bariatric Surgery, expressed concern about its [...]

Eric Nakakura, M.D., Ph.D. has been awarded the 2012 Caring for Carcinoid Foundation-AACR Grant for Carcinoid Tumor and Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor Research. Dr. Nakakura will receive $250,000 over two years to understand why some patients develop resistance to mTOR inhibiting drugs like everolimus. In particular, he will focus on INK128, a new mTOR inhibitor to see if it can overcome this resistance in mouse models of pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer. He will also evaluate the utility of (68)GA-DOTATOC PET-CT to monitor tumor response to mTOR inhibiting therapies like everolimus and [...]

ABC News reports on the improved chance of having successful organ transplants in patients undergoing bariatric surgery: Gone may be the days of limiting bariatric surgery just to helping patients lose weight. Indeed, these weight loss surgeries, in all forms, do just as the name describes. But a slew of new research suggests bariatric surgery can also be used to help reverse medical complications of obesity, not just eliminate obesity itself. These procedures may reduce the risk of chronic disease, and even help patients better qualify for organ transplants, according to studies presented [...]

In July 2011, the Department of Surgery created a new  Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Service naming Carlos Corvera M.D., a hepatobiliary surgical oncologist, as its Chief. The multidisciplinary program brings together faculty members from surgery, hepatology, medical oncology, anesthesia, radiology and pathology to care for patients with benign and malignant conditions of the liver, gallbladder, biliary tract and pancreas. The service holds clinics and weekly tumor boards at the Mt. Zion and Parnassus campuses of UCSF. "Rather than isolated silos of care, we have a team approach, which makes [...]

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 [...]