Campus Catch-Up | Department of Surgery | Washington University in St. Louis

The Washington University campus community is making headlines every day. Members of the School of Medicine are regularly featured in local, national and international news stories. Department of Surgery faculty, staff and medical students are leaders in their specialties, and share their expertise when called upon. Campus Catch-Up collects some of these stories and celebrates members of the community who are receiving recognition.

Yong-Hyun Han, PhD, (left) and co-author and Washington University surgical resident Emily Onufer, MD — Yong-Hyun Han, PhD, (left) and Emily Onufer, MD, work in the surgical suite.

‘Good cholesterol’ protects the liver from inflammation and injury, study shows

From News Medical

Pediatric Surgery Chief Brad Warner, MD, and General Surgery resident Emily Onufer, MD, MPH, are authors on a new Washington University School of Medicine study that shows a type of “good cholesterol” called HDL3, when produced in the intestine, protects the liver from inflammation and injury.

Gillander DNA — William Gillanders, MD, works on new personalized cancer vaccines in the lab.

To treat cancer, these St. Louis researchers are looking at patients’ DNA

From St. Louis Magazine

A team of researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, including surgical oncologist William Gillanders, MD, are investigating how vaccines personalized to a patient’s DNA might be effective in generating an immune response that could target mutated proteins, or neoantigens, to treat certain types of cancer.

Julie Margenthaler, MD, performs surgery.

The Robot Comes to Mastectomy, But Cancer Outcomes Data Not Attached

From Medscape

Clinical trials underway across the US are exploring the use of robotic surgical devices for nipple-sparing mastectomy. Surgical oncologist Julie Margenthaler, MD, shares her insights on these trials and robotic procedures.

Angel Velarde, MD, research director at the Instituto Nacional de Cáncerologia (INCAN), stops in a hallway to speak with patients waiting for radiation therapy.

Bringing life-saving therapy to the poor

From WashUMed Outlook Magazine

The binational collaboration between Washington University and Instituto Nacional de Cáncerologia (INCAN; National Cancer Institute) in Guatemala City, started by Niess-Gain Professor of Surgery Graham Colditz, MD, DrPH, brings a multimillion-dollar radiation therapy machine to the facility.

From KMOV

Barnes-Jewish Hospital and its physician partners at Washington University School of Medicine have been named one of America’s “Best Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report. Barnes-Jewish ranked nationally in 11 specialties, including cancer, heart surgery, gastrointestinal surgery, lung surgery and urology.