NIH to Award Valerie Weaver and Collaborative Group Grant for Virtual Physical Sciences - Oncology Center

The National Institutes of Health has notified Valerie Weaver, PhD, Director of the UCSF Center for Bioengineering and Tissue Regeneration in the UCSF Department of Surgery, and her colleagues of its intent to award a grant for the establishment of a virtual Physical Sciences - Oncology Center. The goal of the research will be the development of novel approaches to cancer diagnostics, prognosis and therapy.

The interdisciplinary collaboration will be led by Dr. Weaver, and Jan Liphardt, PhD, a world-renowned physicist at the UC Berkeley, as co-Directors. The grant is spearheaded by 16 investigators spanning seven global academic institutions and laboratories: University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and its Helen Diller Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Berkeley, E. O. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), Duke University Comprehensive Cancer Center Breast Cancer Program, and NYU Breast Cancer and Translational Cancer Research Program. The interdisciplinary group encompasses a diverse array of interests from the physical sciences, including physics, bioengineering and bioinformatics, as well as from the clinical and biological sciences.  

Dr. Stanley Rogers Named Surgical Director of Bariatric Surgery Program and Chief of Minimally Invasive Surgery

Stanley J. Rogers, M.D., an Associate Clinical Professor of Surgery at UCSF, has been named Surgical Director of the Bariatric Surgery Program and Chief of Minimally Invasive Surgery in the Division of General Surgery. Dr. Rogers received his M.D. from the University of Utah School of Medicine and did his post-doctoral surgical training at UCSF including his residency, and a fellowship in laparoscopic surgery, surgical sonography and GI endoscopy.

UCSF Scientists Illuminate How microRNAs Drive Tumor Progression

UCSF researchers, led by Doug Hanahan, Ph.D. (left), have identified collections of tiny molecules known as microRNAs that affect distinct processes critical for cancer progression. The findings help elucidate the important regulatory function of microRNAs in tumor biology.  Eric Nakakura, M.D., Ph.D. (right), a surgeon-scientist who treats patients with challenging pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, was on the team that validated the findings, which were based on an exquisite mouse model of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Many of the same altered microRNAs in were found to be present in human pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. This represents a major advance in our understanding of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor biology, one that might be exploited to better treat patients.

SF Chronicle Profiles Dr. Laura Esserman

Laura Esserman, M.D., M.B.A. is profiled in the San Francisco Chronicle: her upbringing in Chicago, research and operatic talents - she sings a patient's requested song as general anesthesia is being administered. The story also recounts the story of breast cancer survivor Jessica Galloway, a mother of three, diagnosed with the disease in 2005; she is now assisting Esserman in a UCSF peer-support program." 

Dr. Laura Esserman (left) meets with patient Jessica Galloway at UCSF Mt. Zion. Photo provided courtesy of  (Paul Chinn / The SF Chronicle).

Surgical & Therapeutic Advances in Pancreatic Cancer

"Surgery for pancreas cancer is long and demanding, and surgeons must be practiced to consistently perform it well. Pancreas cancer surgery outcomes are better at high-volume, major medical centers such as UCSF, where surgeons can specialize - perfecting and maintaining skills and deepening their experience and judgment."  UCSF surgeons Kimberly Kirkwood, M.D., and Eric Nakakura, M.D., Ph.D., achieve outstanding outcomes for standard procedures and also perform operations rarely offered elsewhere for select patients who would otherwise not meet criteria for surgical treatment.

Section of Colorectal Surgery Participates in "Take Steps"

Take Steps for Crohn's & Colitis is an evening walk and fundraiser supporting the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America. .......The UCSF team raised over $3,500 for CCFA - dollars that will support important research and our shared mission to improve the lives of people with colorectal conditions.......

Dr. Jonathan Carter Leads Team Performing City's First Single-Incision Gallbladder Removal

"Surgeons at UCSF have taken a major step down the path toward less invasive procedures, performing San Francisco's first gallbladder removal using only a single, small incision hidden within the navel.

The procedure, which took place in May, is a significant advance in the field of minimally invasive surgery, said UCSF gastrointestinal surgeon Jonathan Carter, MD, who led the surgical team........."

New technology Leading to Earlier Diagnosis & New Surgical Approaches in Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer can be a terrifying diagnosis. Dr. Kimberly Kirkwood, a Professor of Surgery at UCSF, was invited by the web portal, Patient Power, to discuss the latest diagnostic tools and  treatments for extending the lives of those diagnosed with this disease. Dr. Kirkwood is a pancreatic cancer specialist and gastrointestinal surgeon who specializes in the treatment of pancreatic cancer as well as tumors of the stomach, spleen, gallbladder, bile duct and gastrointestinal tract. 

John Maa Coauthors Surgical Hospitalist Program Management Guide

 "Hospitalist medicine is the fastest growing medical specialty in the U.S., and surgical hospitalists are especially poised for rapid growth. Many hospital systems see surgical hospitalists as the most valuable response to the growing crisis of general call coverage and as a critical strategy in their effort to comply with quality measures." Acclaimed as a book  that "represents the combined wisdom of many of the early physician and non-physician leaders of the surgical hospitalist field, the guide, coauthored by John Maa, M.D., FACS and John Nelson, MD, FACP,  provides tools and strategies for executives and physicians.

Division of General Surgery Launches Bariatric Surgery Website

The Division of General Surgery is pleased to announce the launch of its Bariatric Surgery Website. The program includes a multidisciplinary team of bariatric surgeons, gastroenterologists and other health professional and  has been designated a "center of excellence" as a Blue Shield Bariatric Quality Initiative Program and a  Blue Cross Center of Expertise.

Madhulika G. Varma, M.D. Appointed Chief, Section of Colorectal Surgery

The Department of Surgery at UCSF is pleased to announce the appointment of Madhulika G. Varma M.D.,, Associate Professor of Surgery, as Chief of the Section of Colorectal Surgery, Division of General Surgery. Dr. Varma specializes in the surgical treatment of diseases of the colon, rectum and anus. Dr. Varma is also director of the UCSF Center for Pelvic Physiology.  As chief, Dr. Varma will continue to recruit top faculty and develop the colorectal fellowship program, building its clinical, research and education programs to a world-renowned level.

Clinical Trial of Incision-Free Obesity Treatment Underway

Stanley Rogers, MD, FACS, Associate Clinical Professor of Surgery and Co-Director of the UCSF Bariatric Surgery Center, and John Cello, MD, Professor of Medicine and Surgery, and Medical Director of Bariatric Surgery Center, recently led a multidisciplinary team in performing the first two of thirty procedures scheduled at the UCSF Medical Center. The investigational procedure, transoral gastroplasty, or "TOGA" for short, is being tested in a clinical trial. UCSF is one of nine U.S. trial sites. Drs. Rogers and Cello are principal investigators on the study.

Inside General Surgery, Winter 2008: Issue 2

Advancing the Treatment of Adult Soft Tissue Sarcomas

"Soft tissue sarcomas are extraordinarily heterogeneous, so experience is particularly important when deciding among treatment options," says medical oncologist Thierry M. Jahan, M.D. (pictured right). At UCSF, referring physicians typically send patients with painful, growing soft tissue masses to orthopaedic surgeon Richard J. O'Donnell, M.D., and general surgeon Eric K. Nakakura, M.D., Ph.D, (pictured left). If their initial examination convinces them that there is a sarcoma concern, they move on to a staging workup that includes various imaging modalities and, eventually, either a needle or incisional biopsy...."

Division of General Surgery Launches Surgical Hospitalist Program Website

The Division of General Surgery is pleased to announce the launch of its Surgical Hospitalist Program Website. This UCSF Surgical Hospitalist Program is the first true surgical hospitalist model for general surgical care in the U.S. Co-founded in 2005 by John Maa, M.D., its current Director, Hobart Harris, M.D., M.P.H, and Jessica Gosnell, M.D., the program  has been cited for its innovation in the delivery of healthcare by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).