Surgery Research - Residents in Research
Contact: Catherine Hornsby, Resident Research Coordinator
Email | Phone: 210-567-4989
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Research Residents Funding Opportunities
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Weekly Research Resident Meeting:
7:00 a.m. Wednesdays, UHS Trauma Conference Room (8th Fl, Univ Hospital)
Each week residents who are currently on research assignment will
present their work and receive feedback from faculty on their research
design, method, data analysis, and interpretation. Surgery faculty,
residents and students who wish to rehearse a research presentation to
better prepare for a meeting are encouraged to schedule an opportunity
to do so at this meeting. Please email or
call Julie Crane at 567-0468 to be added to the presentation schedule or if you have any
questions.
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MCSI Program: (Master's of Science Degree in Clinical Investigation)
Frederic C. Bartter General Clinical Research Center
A unique program which allows physicians to be trained in core areas
necessary to conduct safe clinical and transitional research. Health Science Center faculty
members, staff, students, residents and fellows are invited to apply for
the Master of Science in Clinical Investigation (MSCI) degree program.
Visit MSCI website
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Research Residents Timelines
Steven E. Wolf, MD, Director of Surgery Research Residents
Professor and Dept of Surgery Vice Chair for Research
Director, US Army Institute of Surgical Research Burn Center
Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, TX
UTHSCSA Betty and Bob Kelso Distinguished Chair in Burn and Trauma Surgery
Division: Trauma
Email: wolfs@uthscsa.edu
Dr. Wolf's faculty profile
Dr. Wolf is Director of the Burn Center at Brooke Army Medical Center, the first civilian medical director of this world-renowned burn center.In addition to winning multiple teaching awards, Dr. Wolf is Editor-in-Chief of the journal Burns, and has more than 100 publications to his credit. He received his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch/Galveston in 1990 and completed his residency training at the University of Missouri at Kansas City in 1995. He completed a research fellowship in trauma and burns as well as a clinical fellowship, both of these at Shriners Hospital for Children/UTMB. His research interests involve the effect of injury on nutrition and muscle metabolism and the prevention and treatment of burn scarring.
Surgery 2009-2010 Research Residents
Chaitanya Dahagam, MD
General Surgery Resident
Email |
Resident Profile
Research mentors: Charles Wade, PhD, US Army Institute for Surgical Research,
Ft. Sam Houston, TX; Steve Wolf, MD, UT School of Medicine at San Antonio Department of Surgery.
Description of current research: Blood glucose control and intensive insulin
therapy in ICU patients; utility of hemoglobin A1c in critically ill non-diabetic,
undiagnosed diabetic, and diabetic military and civilian patients.
Research laboratory: Brooke Army Medical Center, Ft. Sam Houston, Texas;
US Army Institute of Surgical Research, Ft. Sam Houston, Texas; UT Health Science Center San Antonio
School of Medicine, San Antonio, Texas.
Biosketch: Before attending medical school, Dr. Dahagam was a
counselor at Camp Bharat where he educated youth about Indian history
and culture; volunteered at First Light Women's Shelter where he served
dinner and offered solace to victims of domestic violence. Dr. Dahagam
was the recipient of the Jane Knight Lowe Medical Scholarship.
Heather Hancock, MD
General Surgery Resident
Email
| Resident Profile
Research mentor: LTC Todd E. Rasmussen, MD, Vascular Surgery,
Wilford Hall US Air Force Medical Center, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.
Research project: Gabe Burkhardt, MD, Brandon Propper, MD, and Shaun Gifford, MD,
members of the Wilford Hall vascular surgery research team,
have developed a combat pig model which has now been verified
to be representative of a combat wounded. Dr. Burkhardt has been exploring
one leg of this model which is the "hemorrhage" portion, which will enable him
to determine capability of vascular shunts to protect against loss of muscle
viability and functional outcomes in a vascular compromised limb.
Dr. Hancock will be assuming the portion of the research project related to fluid
resuscitation, exploring the physiologic and functional outcomes of
individual animals who have suffered a significant traumatic blood loss and
have been resucitated with various items: crystalloid/whole blood/blood
alternatives in an effort to ascertain morbidity and mortality outcomes in a
controlled situation.
Research laboratory: Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center Vascular Surgery Research Laboratory
Biosketch: Dr. Hancock graduated with Honors from University of
South Florida supported by the H. Lee Moffit Cancer Research Center
Scholarhip prior to entering the Air Force where she was a Satellite
Sensor Engineer for DSP and GPS systems. After being awarded the John
Levitow and Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year awards at Buckley Air
Force Base, she was accepted to medical school. She has continued to
volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and various women and childrenÃs
shelters throughout her educational pursuits.
Joga Ivatury, MD
General Surgery Resident
Email |
Resident Profile
Research mentors: Herman J. Williams, MD,
MBA, Baptist Health System; Wendy Solberg, VP Quality, Baptist Health
System
Description of current research: Effect of postoperative glucose
control on clinical outcomes and resource utilization in cardiac surgery; improving surgical operations; Physician communication; teaching Open Skills to 1st year residents
Research laboratory: Baptist Health System and the UT Health Science Center San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas.
Biosketch:
Dr. Ivatury is a dual degree student in medicine and health administration
(MHA and MD); fluent in Telugu; comes from a family of physicians;
worked in conjunction with The Princeton Review as an MCAT Instructor
where he prepared 16 students in physics for the MCAT.
Meeghan Lautner, MD
General Surgery Resident
Email |
Resident Profile
Research mentor: Ken Hargreaves, DDS, PhD, Chair, Department of Endodontics,
UT Health Science Center San Antonio Dental School.
Description of current research: Role of TRVP1 in cancer pain
Research laboratory: UT Health Science Center San Antonio Neuropharmacology Lab,
Department of Endodontics, Dental School
Biosketch: Dr. Lautner is a member of the Alpha Chi National Collegiate Honor Society as
well as the Alpha Mu Gamma National Foreign Language Honor Society;
volunteered with the Big Sib/Little Sib program as well as Code Blue,
which is a program in which medical students visit inner city elementary
students in Detroit (discuss issues varying from personal hygeiene to
interpersonal relationships).
Mark Muir, MD
General Surgery Resident
Email |
Resident Profile
Research mentors:
Steve Cohn, MD, and
Joel Baseman, PhD, Professor and
Chairman, UT Health Science Center San Antonio Department of Microbiology and
Immunology.
Description of current research: Mycoplasma pneumoniae
infection in ventilator-associated pneumonia and acute lung injury. Dr.
Muir is the recipient of NIH T-32 funding, as well as a Doris Duke
Clinical Research Fellowship.
Research laboratory: Dr. Muir's research is conducted at both the UT
Health Science Center San Antonio and University Hospital in San
Antonio, Texas.
Biosketch:
Dr. Muir received his undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from
The University of Texas at Austin; completed a year-long Doris Duke
Clinical Research Fellowship at UT Southwestern Medical School at Dallas
between third and fourth years of medical school.
Susannah Nicholson, MD
General Surgery Resident
Email
| Resident Profile
Research mentor:
Robert Johnson, PhD, and
Ronald M. Stewart, MD,
Trauma & Critical Care Research
Description of current research: Heme oxygenase in wound healing
Effects of hemoperitoneum driven carbon monoxide on post-traumatic stability and platelet aggregation
Development of a sleeve gastrectomy weight-loss model in obese Zucker rats
Model for End Stage Liver Disease Score predicts mortality in injured patients with liver cirrhosis
Predictors of failure of non-operative management of small bowel obstruction
Research laboratory: Integrative Cardiovascular Laboratoies
Biosketch: Susannah Nicholson is a General Surgery Resident working in Dr. Robert Johnson's laboratory in the Trauma and Emergency Surgery Division of the Department of Surgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
Dr. Nicholson completed her medical training at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in 2005. Dr. Nicholson recently started her research rotation working with Dr. Robert Johnson identifying pathophysiological roles for endogenous carbon monoxide during trauma.
Richard Oppeltz, MD
General Surgery Resident
Email
| Resident Profile
Research mentor: Martin Schwacha, PhD, Professor,
Division of Trauma and Emergency Surgery, UT School of Medicine at San Antonio Department of Surgery.
Research project: Immunoinflammatory response to burn injury
Research laboratory: Trauma Immunopathology Research Laboratory
Biosketch: Dr. Oppeltz received his medical degree from the Universidad Central de Venezuela supported by the
Estimulo al Talento Scholarhip of the Fudayacucho Foundation. He worked for 1 year in an underserved
area of his country helping rural population.
He has completed his first two years of General Surgery residency with the Department of Surgery at the
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Currently, he is a research fellow in the
UTHSCSA Department of Surgery focusing on burn immunopathology.
Amita Shah, MD
General Surgery Resident
Email
| Resident Profile
Research mentors:
Steve Wolf, MD, Trauma & Emergency Surgery, USAISR Burn Center
Joseph C. Wenke, PhD, USAISR, and
C. Mauli Agrawal, PhD,
Dean, College of Engineering, Director, Institute for Bioengineering
and Translational Research
Description of current research:
1999-present, UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, Center of Clinical Bioengineering
Research concentration: Biodegradable scaffolds for tissue engineering applications.
Conducted research on effects of gas plasma treatment on scaffolds for use in the regeneration of cardiac tissue, bone and cartilage. Experience with glow discharge gas plasma, SEM, computer analysis, biological assays, PCR, polymer fabrication techniques, and cell culture.
Researched and wrote review paper on the use of biodegradable scaffolds in the repair of articular cartilage. Presentation and poster.
Research laboratory:
Biosketch: Dr. Shah received her medical degree from the University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio. She has completed her first two years of a surgery residency with the Department of Surgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Currently, she is a research fellow in the UTHSCSA Department of Surgery and the Institute for Surgical Research focusing on angiogenesis and bone regeneration. Dr. Shah is also in the Biomedical Engineering doctoral program at University of Texas in San Antonio under the mentorship of Dr. C. Mauli Agrawal.
Celina Villa, MD
General Surgery Resident
Email
| Resident Profile
Research mentor: Mike Corneille, MD, Assistant Professor of Trauma and Emergency Surgery,
UT School of Medicine at San Antonio Department of Surgery.
Description of current research:
Research in trauma and critical care including demographics and acute outcomes of pediatric
vascular injuries, use of biodegradable silver ion wound implant polymer in the guinea pig
model for prevention and treatment of surgical site infections, and blood glucose variability and
intensive insulin therapy in critically ill patients.
Research laboratory: Trauma Research Laboratory
Biosketch:
Dr. Villa received her medical degree from the UT Health Science Center
at San Antonio. She will be doing an integrated research track during
her surgical residency. Interests include traveling, scuba diving,
cooking, and spending time with friends and family.
Jason Wells, MD
General Surgery Resident
Email
| Resident Profile
Research mentor: Paula K. Shireman, MD, Associate Professor of Vascular Surgery,
UT School of Medicine at San Antonio Department of Surgery.
Research project: Dr. Wells will be performing research on the role of
bone marrow-derived cells on angiogenesis in skeletal muscles.
Research laboratory: Dr. Shireman's Vascular Research Laboratory
Biosketch: Dr. Wells attended the University of Michigan and graduated with a BS in Microbiology. After his
undergraduate studies were completed, he received his MD from the University of Michigan Medical
School. He started his general surgery residency at UTHSCA and will complete at least two years of
research prior to completing the program. During this time, Dr. Wells will also
complete the MSCI program and graduate with a
Master's degree in Clinical Investigation during his time in the lab.
