News

Congratulations to the following University of Kentucky College of Medicine faculty members who received promotions and/or were granted tenure this year. The following list includes faculty from basic science and clinical departments. It is organized alphabetically by department, then by last name.

The UK Department of Surgery concluded the 2023-24 academic year in June with the presentation of its annual teaching awards. 

Shortly after joining the UK Department of Surgery faculty, Matthias Loebe, MD, performed a successful double lung transplant.

The patient, a Kentucky resident in his 60s, had been diagnosed with coalminer lung/black lung disease. The transplant was performed over the course of an evening in early May.

Families and UK trauma team members came together in mid-May for the second annual Trauma Survivor’s Celebration, sponsored by the UK HealthCare branch of the Trauma Survivor’s Network. The event paid tribute to patients who not only survived life-threatening trauma through treatment from UK’s Level 1 Trauma Center, but also overcame life-altering obstacles during their recovery.

Preparing for their last weeks as residents and fellows, the 2024 Department of Surgery class shared their post-graduate plans. The majority of residents have matched into leading advanced surgery fellowships. Of those choosing to enter private practice, two have opted to stay and serve patients in the Lexington, Kentucky area.

Hannah McDonald, MD, a general surgery resident, earned her doctorate in clinical and translational science after a successful dissertation defense on May 15.

Mautin Barry-Hundeyin, MD, assistant professor in the division of surgical oncology, is one of two cancer researchers at the University of Kentucky selected as a recipient of the 2024 Markey Women Strong Distinguished Researcher Award.

The UK College of Medicine Department of Surgery is pleased to announce that Brooke Skaggs, PA-C, has been named director of advanced practice providers (APPs), a new position within the department. Skaggs, who has served six years as an APP for the division of plastic and reconstructive surgery, will officially assume her new job duties on May 5.

“We may not have walked the same path before, but today you walk with me...” 

Thus begins one of the anonymous letters written by an organ transplant recipient to their donor. The author goes on to celebrate their donor’s life legacy and express immense gratitude for the gift of a new life. 

Prakash Pandalai, MD, advanced development director for the department surgery, presented both the Francis Massie Award and the Andrew Pulito Award at the annual College of Medicine Awards banquet to celebrate the academic achievements of the Class of 2024. 

Andrew Pulito, MD Award

Sibu Saha, MD, division of cardiothoracic surgery, and Jennifer Castle, MD, a PGY-4 general surgery resident, were among those given special recognition at the 19th annual Spring Conference of the UK Center for Clinical and Translational Science.

After years of virtual meetings and long-distance conversation, faculty members from the UK College of Medicine Department of Surgery were finally able to meet face-to-face with colleagues from the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka, Zambia last January as part of the American College of Surgeons’ Health Outreach Program for Equity in Global Surgery (ACS H.O.P.E.).

Margaret Griffen, MD, has long called the UK College of Medicine home. Her father, Ward Griffen, MD, led the UK College of Medicine Department of Surgery as chair between 1968 – 1984. Like her father, Dr. Griffen was drawn to medicine and surgery.

The Kentucky Senate passed a special resolution honoring Patrick McGrath, MD, professor emeritus of surgical oncology, on the Senate floor in celebration of the surgeon’s 38 years of dedicated care to the people of the Commonwealth at UK HealthCare. Following a reading of the resolution, the entire Senate gave Dr. McGrath a much-deserved standing ovation.

Surgery All New Interns 2024-25.pdf

Mohammad Malik, DO – Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

The University of Kentucky Department of Surgery welcomed a new cardiothoracic transplant specialist, Matthias Loebe, MD, PhD, to its faculty in the division of cardiothoracic surgery.

By Hilary Brown

Click here for the article in UKnow

When Jacob Whitt rolled through the drive-thru with friends one night in November 2023, he had no idea that the cheesy, saucy goodness he ordered would lead to a 38-day stay in the hospital.

Hannah McDonald, MD, a UK general surgery resident currently serving an elective research year, was selected as a recipient of a 2024 Travel Award from the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) and the Appendix Cancer Pseudomyxoma Peritonei Research Foundation (ACPMP). 

E. Abi Recktenwald, MD, third year resident in the Integrated plastic surgery residency program at the University of Kentucky, is the recipient of the 2024 Bostwick Award, which recognizes excellence in resident research at the 39th Annual Atlanta Breast Surgery Symposium sponsored by the Southeastern Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (SESPRS).

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently announced a new R01 research grant of $2.6 million over five years. The grant was awarded to Dr. Dongfang Wang and the Wang Lab at the University of Kentucky Department of Surgery.