News
The 2025 UK Department of Surgery class of residents and fellows shared their post-graduate plans. While the majority of residents matched into an advanced surgery fellowship, several accepted offers to become faculty members in teaching hospitals or to join a private practice.
For Reagan Stafford, MD, the decision to become a physician was shaped by her early experiences growing up in West Virginia.
“Growing up in a small community with limited access to health care inspired me to become a physician,” she said. “I saw the difference the town physicians made and the respect they garnered.”
Recently, teams from the heart transplant program at UK HealthCare’s Transplant Center and Gill Heart & Vascular Institute performed their 600th heart transplant, marking a significant milestone in the program’s commitment to advanced cardiac care and long-term patient outcomes.
This month, the Office of Graduate Medical Education is celebrating its second class of Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (QIPS) Certificate Program graduates. A small cohort of residents and fellows spent the past academic year growing in quality improvement and patient safety.
Taking a bold step forward, the University of Kentucky Department of Surgery established a new faculty position, director of well-being, and welcomed Glenda Mutinda, PhD, to fill that role. The director will work with department leadership across all divisions to usher in an innovative, visionary approach to clinical department management.
Among those recognized for awards in surgery at the annual University of Kentucky College of Medicine Senior Awards Ceremony in late April were two faculty members and two residents from the UK Department of Surgery who received Distinguished Teaching Awards for the Lexington Campus.
The University of Kentucky College of Medicine is excited to share the winners of the fourth annual Mission, Vision, Pillar, and Enabler (MVPE) Awards.
Tessa London-Bounds, MD, MPH, and Amanda Crabtree, RN, have been honored as the 2025 Advocates of the Year by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS).
The UK Department of Surgery is pleased to welcome Danny Bonn, an experienced operations leader in healthcare management, as its new department administrator. He officially joined the department on March 31, 2025.
By Alexis Baker (Click here to view article on UKNow)
To begin 2025, Sibu Saha, MD, a professor in the division of cardiothoracic surgery, established a new research award for College of Medicine medical students or residents who demonstrate excellence and promise in the field of cardiovascular research.
Coming from a hardworking family, Avinash S. Bhakta, MD, originally didn’t plan to become a doctor, but providing care is his passion.
Chair of the University of Kentucky Departments of Surgery (1985-1996) and Neurosurgery
Legacy Obituary
On Dec. 13, the University of Kentucky College of Medicine hosted a premiere event that was much more than a film screening—it was a celebration of the dedication, innovation, and human spirit driving health care and education in Kentucky.
Josh Steiner, MD, FACS, FASMBS, director of weight loss surgery at UK HealthCare, announced that the program has received national accreditation under the Metabolic an
Five of the department of surgery’s nine clinical divisions welcomed new faculty at the beginning of September. Among them are three UK College of Medicine alumni, two of whom also attended surgery residency programs, who chose to return to the university to teach residents and serve the needs of UK’s patients.
Danielle Walsh, MD, professor of surgery, was recently selected as a new fellow of the International Surgical Society (ISS). Dr. Walsh was one of eight surgeons selected worldwide for this prestigious fellowship, and the only woman among this year’s inductees.
By Ashley Scoby Monday, September 9
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