Letter from the Chair
The COVID-19 pandemic upended virtually every aspect of our lives as individuals and collectively as a society. And yet, through it all, the Department of Surgery at the University of Chicago Medicine persevered in expertly balancing the tripartite mission of clinical care, education and research, and leading the way through the most uncommon and unusual of circumstances.
by the numbers
Total active grants
$ in total grant funding
Total active research protocols
Clinical trials
Other (data collection, sample collection, noninterventional) trials
$ in total clinical trial funding
Sections
The stories below highlight the many ways in which our surgeons and their teams continued to provide the highest level of care in 2020, while adapting to meet the challenges presented by the pandemic.
Cardiac Surgery
A successful heart transplant is complicated by COVID-19, as the transplant team mobilizes to treat the infection while keeping the patient’s spirits up.
Colon & Rectal Surgery
Combining cutting-edge robotic technology with compassionate care leads to improved quality of life for patients.
General Surgery
Robotic surgical options for patients with the CDH1 gene mutation result in less intra-operative blood loss and shorter recovery times.
Neurosurgery
The nonprofit BrainUp’s commitment to patients, families and research benefits the University of Chicago Medicine Brain Tumor Center.
Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery
Creative, team approach returns a sense of hope and taste to one of the world’s most renowned chefs.
Pediatric Surgery
The multidisciplinary Clinic for Pediatric Vascular Anomalies looks back on a year where virtually nothing was normal operating procedure.
Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
The world-class Burn and Complex Wound Center looks back on Dr. Lawrence Gottlieb’s 30-plus years of dedication.
Thoracic Surgery
Dr. Maria Lucia Madariaga launches a clinical trial to study the efficacy of convalescent plasma in recovered COVID-19 patients.
Transplant Surgery
Given six months to live, a 32-year-old patient receives a new liver that saved her life.
Trauma & Acute Care Surgery
Section Chief Selwyn O. Rogers, Jr., MD, MPH, testifies in front of a congressional panel addressing gun violence as a public health crisis in America.
Urology
Robotic surgery improves quality of life for prostate cancer patients by reducing pain, complications and recovery time.
Vascular Surgery & Endovascular Therapy
Dr. Christopher L. Skelly, the Section Chief, and Dr. Trissa A. Babrowski collaborated with colleagues at the Booth School of Business to create the Limb Salvage Program.
town halls
in recognition
The continued success of the University of Chicago Department of Surgery is due in part to the generous support and contributions of alumni, friends, foundations, corporations and other institutions. The Department of Surgery gives a heartfelt thank you to the following individuals and organizations for contributing $10,000 or more in 2019–20.
American Heart Association
Association for Academic Surgery Foundation
Be Brave for Life Foundation
Marc Copland
Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation
Brenda H. Feis
Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
Trust Estate of Doris Graber
Hemera Foundation
Paul H. Jordan
Trust Estate of Courtney A. Kleman
Kovler Family Foundation
Stephen Macumber
Anita Marcott
John and Betsy McLinden Foundation
Nanofiber Solutions, LLC
The Steve Nash Foundation
Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Pediatric Cancer Foundation
Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation
James Resnick
Christopher and Anne N. Reyes Foundation
Schwab Charitable Fund
Estate of Sam P. Serio
Society of University Surgeons
Alexis & Steven Strongin DAF Fund
John Supera
Peter Theodore
University of Akron
Weiner-Marc Foundation
WRG Foundation