Promotions surprise, honor four members of the Surgery faculty

By Josh Shepherd

Four members of the Surgery faculty were surprised at Surgery Grand Rounds Wednesday morning, May 13, when department chair Dr. William B. Inabnet III proudly announced that they were approved for promotion. The honors came nearly six months earlier than usual, said Dr. Inabnet.

• John Draus, MD, division chief of Pediatric Surgery, was promoted to full professor, regular title series.
• Anna R. Do, MD, Pediatric Surgery, was promoted to Associate Professor, clinical title series.
• Marlene Starr, MD, General Surgery Research, was promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure.
• Nathan Orr, MD, Vascular Surgery, was promoted to Associate Professor, clinical title series.

The announcement caught all recipients by surprise. Dr. Inabnet had invited each to attend the Grand Rounds presentation in person with little explanation.

In comments during the presentation, Dr. Inabnet said that these faculty members exemplified outstanding leadership, research, and teaching – key facets of the six foundational pillars upon which the Department of Surgery demonstrates excellence.

“How we recognize and celebrate qualities of good faculty leadership is a cornerstone of what we do as academic surgeons,” Dr. Inabnet said.

All faculty members expressed deep appreciation for the honor being bestowed upon them.

“As a product of the General Surgery and Fellowship programs at UK, my success is a reflection of the excellent mentorship I received from the surgery faculty, some of whom are now my colleagues today,” said Dr. Nathan Orr who completed his residency and fellowship at UK.

Dr. Starr joined UK as a member of Dr. Mark Evers’ clinical and research team whom former chair, Dr. Jay Zwischenberger, recruited out of the state of Texas several years ago. Earning promotion as Associate Chair with tenure is recognition of the quality of her research, Dr. Inabnet said.

Dr. Do, an alum of the UK General Surgery residency program, said that this honor underscored her pride in being a member of the Department faculty. Her colleague, Dr. Draus, echoed her sentiments.

“This is a great honor. I’m very happy to be here,” Dr. Draus said.

Dr. Inabnet presented each faculty member with a UK Department of Surgery jacket to commemorate the occasion.