UW-Madison Department of Surgery

Happy Lunar New Year!

General Surgery Resident Publishes Research about Burnout - Department of Surgery Dr. Sydney Tan, general surgery resident, recently published research about resident burnout in JAMA Network open.

Dr. Sydney Tan, general surgery resident, recently had her research, "Work Hours, Stress, and Burnout Among Resident Physicians," published in JAMA Network Open. #ExceptionalPeople #ExtraordinaryResults Read more: go.wisc.edu/9g551n

Dr. Krystle Lange, assistant professor in the Division of Acute Care and Regional General Surgery, shared about the importance of getting screened for hernias. Learn more: go.wisc.edu/opz6e4

Dr. Gretchen Schwarze Awarded the 2026 MacLean Center Prize - Department of Surgery Dr. Margaret “Gretchen” Schwarze was awarded the 2026 MacLean Center Prize in Clinical Ethics and Health Outcomes.

Congratulations to Dr. Gretchen Schwarze, professor in the Division of Vascular Surgery, for receiving the 2026 MacLean Center Prize in Clinical Ethics and Health Outcomes. #ExceptionalPeople #ExtraordinaryResults go.wisc.edu/08r3f3

Four members of Dr. Gibson's lab gather around a computer

Dr. Jasmine Craig standing at the front of a classroom giving a presentation

Dr. Cynthia Kelm-Nelson and a lab member stand next to each other in the lab

Dr. Faith Dickerson giving a poster presentation

Today is International Day of Women and Girls in Science. We are so proud of the life-changing work that all of the women at Wisconsin Surgery do! #ExceptionalPeople #ExtraordinaryResults

Endocrine Surgery Fellowship Applications open TODAY for the 2027-2028 fellowship year. Check out the AAES website for more details: go.wisc.edu/48vb6f

UW Health Transplant Center led state in transplants in 2025 The UW Health Transplant Center performed more than 520 adult and pediatric organ transplants in 2025 and set records during a milestone year for the program.

“We take great pride in serving these patients and helping them return to full, healthy lives.”

Drs. Dixon Kaufman and Dan McCarthy discuss the extraordinary results of the UW Health Transplant Center in 2025. go.wisc.edu/4d22kl

University of Wisconsin–Madison Black History Month. The headline reads ‘Black Love: Rooted, Radiant, Revolutionary.’ A large heart is filled with colorful candy hearts labeled with words like joy, empowerment, family, self-love, unity, honor, and bond. The date ‘February 2026’ appears below, along with Black History Month and Black Cultural Center logos. Go.wisc.edu/bhm

This Black History Month, UW-Madison is celebrating Black Love in all its forms: self-love, family, friendship and romance. For more information about events, visit: go.wisc.edu/bhm

Today is National Wear Red Day, which should be easy for #Badgers! Wear Red Day raises awareness for women's heart health. Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of women. Show your support for women across the nation by wearing red.

Advanced Burn Care - Wisconsin Medical Alumni Association

It's National Burn Awareness Week. We are proud of the outstanding clinical care, exceptional education and ground-breaking research efforts of our Burn and Wound Care Team. Read more about our advancements in burn care: go.wisc.edu/o75650

UW Carbone researchers fight cancer on a global scale The UW Carbone Cancer Center global oncology program joins aims to make cancer detection and treatment more equitable around the world.

This World Cancer Day, read about how Drs. Nabeel Zafar and Muhammed Murtaza, members of our Division of Surgical Oncology, are making an impact on cancer research and detection abroad: go.wisc.edu/5vx6yl

Dr. Maddy Tierney looks into a microscope as she works on microsurgery techniques

Dr. Angela Gibson and Dr. Ann O'Rourke stand next to each other for a picture at the UW Burn Conference

Dr. Sharon Weber stands next to a healthcare worker in the operating room

Dr. Katherine Bakke and Dr. Elise Lawson stand next to each other in a large room at the Wisconsin Surgical Society Meeting

It's National Women Physicians Day! We have over 100 exceptional women surgeons and trainees in our department. We are so proud of all the extraordinary work that our women physicians do for the Department of Surgery and beyond. #ExceptionalPeople #ExtraordinaryResults

Shark Tank Pitch Competition Winner: Alexandra Helbing, MD

James “Jim” Southard, PhD Best Surgery Science Image Award: M. Kristine Carbullido, MD

K. Craig Kent, MD Best Poster, Post-Doctoral Research Award: Kate Lauer, MD

Debra A. Hullet, PhD Best Poster Award: Grace Zhu, PhD

Louis C. Bernhardt, MD Best Clinical, Outcomes or Education Research Oral Presentation Award: Daniel Rice

Layton F. Rikkers, MD Best Basic or Translational Research Oral Presentation Award: Christopher DeCorte

Thank you to all of our presenters, attendees and to everyone who helped make our 17th annual Research Summit a success! As a part of the summit, several awards were given to recognize excellence in posters, presentations, and images. The 2026 award winners were:

Odorico Lab Awarded Fall Research Competition Grant to Study How Engineered Stem Cell-Derived Islets Evade the Immune System - Department of Surgery Jon Odorico, MD, was recently awarded a one-year, $70,000 Fall Research Competition grant from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research

Congratulations to Dr. Jon Odorico, professor in the Division of Transplantation, for receiving a one-year, $70,000 Fall Research Competition grant from the Office of Vice Chancellor for Research. #ExceptionalPeople go.wisc.edu/55r1yd

Bringing AI to the OR: Real-World Challenges And What’s Next, With Courtney Balentine, MD, MPH | HCPLive Balentine explains the unique challenges of AI implementation in surgery and reviews his research on current barriers to real-world uptake.

Dr. Courtney Balentine recently joined HCPLive to discuss his new research published in JAMA Surgery about implementing AI in the operating room, including challenges and next steps. #ExceptionalPeople Learn more: go.wisc.edu/n5228p

We wrapped up our Research Summit with our Shark Tank Pitch Competition. It was incredible to hear about cutting-edge surgical research happening in the Department of Surgery. #ExceptionalPeople #ExtraordinaryResults

Our poster session features more than 60 posters that highlight all the great research happening in the Department of Surgery! #ExtraordinaryResults

Corrine Praska presenting at a podium at the front of the auditorium

Muhammad Talha Nawaz presenting at a podium at the front of the auditorium

Chandler Annesi presenting at a podium at the front of an auditorium

Dr. Rebecca Busch presenting at a podium at the front of an auditorium

During the Abstract Oral Presentations, we got to hear about the vast research happening at Wisconsin Surgery. Thank you to Dr. Chandler Annesi for presenting as a part of our resident exchange program with The University of Alabama at Birmingham. Great job to all of our presenters!

We kicked off our 17th annual Research Summit with a keynote address by Dr. Sandra Wong, Dean of Emory University School of Medicine and the Chief Academic Officer of Emory Healthcare, about “Better Health and Healthcare Through Research.”

Dr. Anna Beck Awarded Career Development Grant from UW BIRCWH Scholars Program - Department of Surgery Dr. Anna Beck was awarded a Career Development Grant from the UW BIRCWH Scholars Program.

Congratulations to Dr. Anna Beck, assistant professor in the Division of Surgical Oncology, for being awarded a position in UW's 2025-27 cohort of the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) scholars program. Read more: go.wisc.edu/m6pjmi

"Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine in Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery: From Bench to Clinical Translation" is written on the lefthand side of this graphic that has shades of pinks and dark purples. Three headshots are on the righthand side of the graphic with names, titles, and universities written below: "Asst. Prof. Aaron Dingle, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, USA" "Prof. Andrea O'Connor, The University of Melbourne, Australia" and "Dr. Geraldine Mitchell, The University of Melbourne, Australia."

Next Tuesday, Feb. 3, be sure to tune into the webinar "Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine in Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery: From Bench to Clinical Translation." Dr. Aaron Dingle is chairing this event. Register for this free event: go.wisc.edu/k3r6dv

January is Thyroid Awareness Month. Many thyroid conditions are treatable when caught early. Our faculty and staff in the Division of Endocrine Surgery provide advanced care, innovative treatments, and ground-breaking research for thyroid conditions. go.wisc.edu/2m4286

Every month, our faculty and staff engage in remarkable research that yields many impactful publications. We are highlighting several of these publications in our Research Roundup series. See the December edition: go.wisc.edu/x1h1qx #ExtraordinaryResults

A group of seven healthcare workers stand next to each other indoors for a group picture. Dr. Dawda Jawara stands in the center.

Dr. Dawda Jawara, general surgery resident, completed his global surgery elective rotation to The Gambia. During his trip, he got to witness the first laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair in the country. Read about his experiences in his own words: go.wisc.edu/d737vz