Dr. Zwischenberger honored for 12-year term as Department of Surgery Chair
CLICK HERE FOR A PHOTO PAGE OF THE RECEPTION FOR DR. ZWISCHENBERGER
By Josh Shepherd
The UK Department of Surgery celebrated Dr. Joseph Zwischenberger's 12-year term as Chair of the Department of Surgery with a special recognition reception on Thursday afternoon, July 25 in Pavilion A of the UK Chandler Medical Center.
Dr. Sibu Saha, a professor and former chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, acted as the reception's Master of Ceremonies during an informal presentation. Dr. Saha related a number of anecdotes and personal experiences he had with Zwisch over the course of a decade. On matters concerning the department, there were plenty of arguments and disagreements between them, Saha said, but it was always with a mutual respect and understanding that each wanted surgery to thrive at UK HealthCare. In clinical practice, teaching, and research, the Department of Surgery has flourished during Zwisch's term. Zwisch played whatever role was necessary to recruit outstanding faculty, encourage research and innovation, and supported the clerkships, residency, and fellowship programs.
As an expression of their friendship, Dr. Saha presented Zwisch with several small tokens of his esteem - the most notable of which was a t-shirt that read "If I Can't Bring My Harmonica, I'm Not Going."
Dr. Robert DiPaolo, Dean of the UK College of Medicine, stepped up next to express an appreciation for Zwisch's years of service on behalf of the college and UK HealthCare.
Dr. Roberto Gedaly, chief of the Division of Transplantation and the second reception speaker, added some hard statistics to Dr. Saha's comments. He was already a faculty member in the UK Transplantation program when Zwisch was hired to chair the surgery department in 2007. Although comparing stats from 2005 to 2019 contains some inherent difficulties - there have been a lot of changes within the department in those 15 years - the progress that occurred during Zwisch's tenure is considerable.
For example, according to the 2005 Annual Report, UK HealthCare had 16 operating rooms (ORs) and performed 13,000 surgical procedures. In 2018, the number of ORs had doubled and more than 33,000 procedures were performed. In 2005, the Department of Surgery published an estimated 37 articles in peer-reviewed journals, which included articles from Urology and Otolaryngology (ENT). In 2018, a few years after Urology and ENT had spun off into their own departments, Surgery faculty published over 170 research journal articles.
In his own division, the UK Transplant Center continues to set new records, has emerged as the clear leader in transplant services in Kentucky, and improved its profile as a national leader in the field. In 2018, the UK Transplant Center performed 208 solid organ transplants, "placing UK HealthCare in the top quartile of transplant volume in the United States."
Certainly, the growth that surgery at UK HealthCare experienced depended on the work of many dedicated faculty, staff, and administrators, but "[Dr. Zwischenberger's] work has had an impact on the department and on the institution as a whole," Gedaly said.
Dr. Andrew Bernard, section chief of Acute Care Surgery, Trauma, and Surgical Critical Care extended his own appreciation for Dr. Zwischenberger's leadership and support. He received a great deal of support and mentorship on surgical education and research from both Zwisch and Dr. Paul Kearney.
Zwisch has always been open to concerns, new ideas, and possible directions for the department, Dr. Bernard said. He invites criticism and speaks his mind. But it is always out of a genuine concern that the department continues to set high standards in care, education, and research. It continues to be an honor to work with Zwisch, he said.
Dr. Saha opened the floor for remarks from the attendees. Dr. Robert H. Bartlett, nationally recognized as the pioneer of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), stepped forward to express his respect to his student, research collaborator, and co-author of the first and second editions of ECMO: Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Support in Critical Care, also known as "the ELSO Red book".
Dr. Zwischenberger made final remarks, thanking all those within UK HealthCare's leadership over the last decade, friends, and his family in particular for their enduring love and support during his tenure and forward into this next phase of his career as a member of the Department of Surgery faculty. Zwisch concluded with a rendering of "My Old Kentucky Home" on harmonica.
Following the unveiling of Dr. Zwischenberger's portrait by Lexington artist Eric Johnson, the evening concluded with Zwisch performing with members of UK Music Therapy.
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