On The Cutting Edge | August 2026

August 21, 2026

Award Announcements

Congratulations!

Alice Lee, MD
Research Resident

Versiti Blood Research Institute (VBRI) and MCW

T32 grant in Training in Transfusion Medicine and Classical Hematology
2026 Award Winner

In Case You Missed It

Faculty Mentorship/Student Help: The Division of Research has an established process for matching research residents and medical students with faculty members for research opportunities. These opportunities are to be strictly for volunteer work done by the student. Specifics on task work is completely up to the faculty member’s discretion. If you are interested in mentoring, please fill out this Qualtrics survey.
Department of Surgery Intranet Site: Funding Opportunities, Cultural Complications/Grand Rounds/Quality Minute presentations, Surgery Sparks of Gratitude, Global Surgical Programs, Finance/Reimbursement links, DOS Phone list, and resources for logos/fonts/templates. | More Information
Abstract Deadlines and Meeting List: List is updated weekly. | More Information
Apply for the Bridging Science and Community Program: Learn about the impact of cancer in different communities and how factors like biology, lifestyle, environment, healthcare and policy play a role. Build relationships and transdisciplinary collaboration skills while applying what you learn to design real-world solutions. Apply by September 4th! | More Information

Upcoming Events

Cosmos Datathon 2026
- Wednesday, September 30, 2026 | In-person
HRPP Research Connection Series | 12:00-1:00pm via Zoom
- Beginner Series:
  - Thursday, September 10 | OCRICC
  - Thursday, October 8 | IRB Submissions Part 1
- Intermediate/Advanced Series:
  - Thursday, September 10 | IRB Reliance Part 1
  - Thursday, October 8 | IRB Reliance Part 2
CTSI Research Coordinator Enrichment Series | 12:00-1:00pm
- Thursday, August 27 | I Just Took Over a Trial: Transfer of a Study to a Different Study Team Member
- Thursday, September 24 | When Things Go Wrong in Clinical Research: Managing Errors and Staying Compliant

SurPASS Tip of the Month

NIH Changes to Letters of Support

With the implementation of Forms J in Fiscal Year 2027, the NIH will no longer allow letters of support but will instead require letters of collaboration to document any collaborative relationships with individuals that are not identified in the application as senior/key personnel or other significant contributors. Because senior/key personnel and other significant contributors must provide biosketches in the application, letters of collaboration from them are unnecessary and burdensome. Letters of collaboration will also be used to document other relevant contributions to the project's success, such as Material Transfer Agreements.

What does this mean for Senior/Key Personnel (Co-Investigators and Other Significant Contributors)? Letters of Collaboration (formerly Letters of Support) are no longer necessary in NIH applications.

What does this mean for my Department/Division Chief or other leaders that support my research? Unless specifically required in the funding opportunity, letters designed to endorse the application without an intent to collaborate or provide material support will no longer be permitted in NIH grant applications.

What will happen to my NIH application if I include Letters of Support? Applications that continue to include letters of support after the implementation date may be returned without review.

Are there page limits for a Letter of Collaboration, and what information can the letter include? Letters of collaboration should be limited to stating the intent to collaborate or provide material support as described in the application and should not contain endorsements or additional information about or evaluations of the proposed project. An individual letter of collaboration must not exceed 100 words. NIH encourages applicants to use the following single-sentence format for letters of collaboration. "If the application submitted by [Organization Name and with PD/PI Name] as Program Director/Principal Investigator entitled [Grant Application Title] is selected for funding by NIH, it is my intent to collaborate and/or commit resources as detailed in the application."

When will this change take effect? The NIH Fiscal Year 2027 starts October 1, 2026, and we anticipate these changes going into effect at that time.

Please contact Lynn Cummings with any questions!

Clinical Research Tip of the Month

TrialConnX Coming to MCW

MCW is preparing to launch TrialConnX, a new clinical trial activation platform that will support study teams and central teams across MCW, FMCW, the MCW Cancer Center, and Children’s Wisconsin. The institutional go-live date is Sept. 1, 2026.

TrialConnX will provide a shared view of the clinical trial activation process through real-time workflows and dashboards, helping teams understand where studies are in the clinical trial lifecycle, what steps have been completed, what comes next, and which teams are involved. This reduces extra steps and bottlenecks of competing workflow processes and creates a portfolio-wide view of study startup status.

The platform will work alongside existing MCW systems to improve visibility, coordination, and consistency throughout activation. The use of TrialConnX represents an important step toward a more connected, transparent, and efficient clinical trial activation experience across MCW.

GRANT$ Alert

NIH Director's Transformative Research Award (R01 – Clinical Trial Optional)
Flexible budget for 5 years
GCO deadline: August 29, 2026
Application due: September 3, 2026

Open to all career stages, open to individuals or teams, research effort commensurate to project needs.

Joel J. Roslyn Faculty Research Award
$50,000 for 1 year
GCO deadline: August 28, 2026
Application due: September 4, 2026

Must be full-time faculty with rank of Assistant Professor, active member of AAS, cannot hold an R01 or K (or similar career development) award.

NIH Director's Pioneer Award (DP1- Clinical Trial Optional)
$700,000 for 5 years
GCO deadline: September 4, 2026
Application due: September 9, 2026

Open to all career stages, single PI only, must be new research direction, and requires at least 51% research effort.

NIH Director's Early Independence Award (DP5 – Clinical Trial Optional)
$350,000 for 5 years
GCO deadline: September 5, 2026
Application due: September 10, 2026

For exceptional junior scientists bypassing postdoctoral training to launch independent research careers.
Single-PI applications only, complete doctoral degree or clinical training between May 1, 2025, and September 30, 2027, in non-independent research position at time of application, cannot have served in a postdoctoral position for more than 12 months before completion of terminal doctoral degree or clinical training, requires significant institutional commitment, limited to two applications per institution, no preliminary data required

Baumgartner Cardiovascular Discovery Award
$50,000 for 1 year
No GCO
Application due: September 15, 2026

Faculty can use these funds to acquire pilot data related to translational cardiovascular research (patient-oriented or include meaningful use of human tissues or blood samples).

Byrne and Rudy Women's Cardiovascular Health Award
$100,000 for 19 months
No GCO
Application due: September 15, 2026

Faculty can use these funds to acquire pilot data related to women's cardiovascular health and/or disease.

Comprehensive Injury Center (CIC) Seed Grants
$25,000 for 1 year
No GCO
Application due: October 1, 2026

Funding for an injury-related seed project that focuses on a topic across the T0-T5 continuum of research and must focus on injury disparities.

Abstracts Alert

Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Society (VESS) 2027 Annual Winter Meeting
January 21-24, 2027 | Steamboat Springs, CO
Abstract deadline: August 31, 2026

Submission Categories: Standard Papers (a select group of papers will be chosen for Rapid-Fire Presentations); Case Reports; Video Case Reports

The Southern Association for Vascular Surgery (SAVS) Annual Meeting
January 14-17, 2027 | Naples, FL
Abstract deadline: September 1, 2026

Submission Types: Case Reports; Free Papers; Videos; Founders' Award

Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) 2027 Critical Care Congress
March 14-16, 2027 | San Diego, CA
Abstract deadline: September 3, 2027

More information can be found here.

Western Trauma Association (WTA) Annual Meeting
February 21-16, 2027 | Whistler, BC, Canada
Abstract deadline: September 4, 2026

More information can be found here.

American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS) Winter Symposium
January 28-31, 2027 | Orlando, FL
Abstract deadline: September 8, 2026

More information can be found here.

The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) 2027 Annual Meeting
April 6-9, 2027 | Las Vegas, NV
Abstract deadline: September 11, 2026

Submission Types: Paper, Video

Society for Clinical Vascular Surgery (SCVS) Annual Symposium
April 3-7, 2027 | Hollywood, FL
Abstract deadline: September 14, 2026

Abstract Submission Categories: Aortic-Thoracic / Aortic-Thoracoabdominal; Aortic-Abdominal; Cerebrovascular; Dialysis; Education/Training; Imaging; Medical management of vascular disease; Miscellaneous; Peripheral Arterial Disease; Venous; Visceral/Renal

Southeastern Surgical Congress (SESC) Annual Meeting
February 20-23, 2027 | Savannah, GA
Abstract deadline: September 14, 2026

Presentation Types: Oral presentation, Quickshot oral presentation, Video presentation (8 minutes)

Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) Annual Scientific Meeting
March 20-24, 2027 | Los Angeles, CA
Abstract deadline: September 24, 2026

More information can be found here.

Department of Surgery Recent Publications

ASO Visual Abstract: Streamlining the Abstract Selection Process for the American Society of Breast Surgeons' Annual Meeting by Utilizing Large Language Models. Annals of Surgical Oncology. (Cohen LN, Seibert D, Kosten T, Wolfrath N, Al-Hilli Z, Kantor O, Singh P, Teshome M, Blair S, Hieken TJ, Wilke LG, Kothari A, Cortina CS)

Trauma Video Review: Tube Thoracostomy Placement in Hemodynamically Stable versus Unstable Patients. Journal of Surgical Research. (VanDerWal JA, Tatakis A, Wilson DJ, Farah A, Butak W, Caswell C, Dumas RP, Milia D, Holena D)

Community Health Workers' Roles and Challenges in Wisconsin: A Mixed-Methods Study. Journal of Community Health. (Nataliansyah MM, Anguzu R, Iregbu SC, Sharda M, Amjad T, Jha P, Padek H, Nelson D, Young S, Bhandari S)

Advanced Practice Provider Utilization in Acute Care Surgery: A National Survey of the Society of Acute Care Surgery Division Chiefs. Journal of Surgical Research. (Nahmias J, Truong N, Murphy PB, Joseph B, Crandall M, Callcut RA, Patel MB, Nguyen PD, Martin ND, Bernard A, Grigorian A)

Leading Beyond the Operating Room: Reimagining Leadership Pathways in Academic Surgery. Journal of Surgical Research. (Fackche NT, Fayanju OM, Wang TS, Nussbaum MS, Waer AL, Higgins RSD, Foretia DA)

Western Trauma Association critical decisions in trauma: Lung injury. The Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery. (Hynes AM, Kuckelman JP, Coimbra R, Beckman MA, Bower KL, Croft CA, Inaba K, Keric N, Kerwin AJ, Kopelman TR, Kundi R, Lorenzo M, Magee GA, Privette AR, Savage SA, Schellenberg MA, Schuster KM, Tesoriero RB, Windell EM, Hartwell JL, Stein DM)

Wisconsin Policies Shift Handgun Purchasing Behavior 2000-2024. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. (Tomas CW, Huang S, Kallies KJ, Campbell KMB, Kostelac CA, deRoon-Cassini TA)

Association for Academic Surgery Presidential Address - Hidden Figures: They Are all Around Us. Journal of Surgical Research. (Collins RA, SenthilKumar G, Nimmer KF, Clarke CN)

Comparing venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis and bleeding risks: low molecular weight heparin vs. unfractionated heparin in open repairs of large hernias. Surgical Endoscopy. (Razzaq H, Saleh T, Higgins RM, Lak K, Kastenmeier A, Goldblatt MI, Tan WH)

The provision of palliative care: A Western Trauma Association critical decisions algorithm. The Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery. (Hartwell JL, Follette C, Beckman M, Bower K, Coimbra R, Croft C, Hynes AM, Inaba K, Keric N, Kerwin AJ, Kopelman T, Lorenzo M, Magee GA, Privette A, Schuster K, Schellenberg M, Tesoriero R, Windell E, Stein D)

Advising Through the Noise: Medical Student Advisor Perspectives on How Preference Signals Have Influenced Surgical Residency Recruitment. Journal of Surgical Education. (Santucci NM, Wang ML, Woodward JM, Gan CY, Silvestri C, Hudson J, Hight R, Naaseh A, Hunt ML, Hendershot K, Zarate Rodriguez J, Luo X, Khan S, Alseidi A, Jindani R, Calata J, Williams-Perez S, Foster T, Lund S)

Developing Specialty-Specific Workplace Standards for Surgeons: A Framework to Support Sustainable Surgical Careers. Journal of the American College of Surgeons. (Wood DE, Wolinsky PR, Dodgion CM, Farmer DL, Gantt NL, Napolitano LM, Timmons SD, Welsh DJ, Winfield RD, Bura C, Essig R, Turner PL)

Early risk factors and six month posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity following trauma. European Journal of Psychotraumatology. (Chen XS, Harb F, deRoon-Cassini TA, Larson CL)

Isolated Organ Support of a Sheep's Gravid Uterus. Journal of Surgical Research. (Salazar JH, Schuh JM, Morelos A, Monroy I, Abebrese E, Marquart JP, Stocke N, Starkey NW, Jones D, Konduri GG)

Comparison of long-term outcomes between liver transplantation and liver resection for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis. [Review]. Surgical Oncology. (Kimura J, Asassfeh A, Tomosugi T, Raigani S, Cooper M, Prasad KR)

ASO Author Reflections: Artificial Intelligence in the Scientific Merit Review Process. Annals of Surgical Oncology. (Cohen LN, Seibert D, Kothari AN, Cortina CS)

Impact of Increased Time for Trial of Nonoperative Management in Small Bowel Obstruction: Evidence from the American College of Surgeons NSQIP Emergency General Surgery Targeted Database. Journal of the American College of Surgeons. (Remer SL, Hobika G, Murphy PB, Reinke CE, Ross S, Hartwell JL, Savage S, Ko CY, Wandling MW)

Race, Area Deprivation, and Patterns of Care in Pediatric Pilonidal Disease. American Surgeon. (Keener KM, Anderson Feltracco H, O'Connell MR, Bergner C, Bantchev M, Abebrese EL, Salazar JH)

Clinical trajectories of patients with benign thyroid disease referred by self or by medical provider for radiofrequency ablation. American Journal of Surgery. (Kumar AL, Lang N, Wang TS, Yen TWF, Dream S)

Resident robotic training at a single academic institution: a comparison of general surgery, gynecology, and urology. Surgical Endoscopy. (Makope A, Francis J, Schaefer M, Higgins RM)

Engineering the blood: Lipid nanoparticle platforms for ex vivo immune and hematopoietic cell therapies. [Review]. Journal of Controlled Release. (Byeon Y, Peng N, Oh EB, Kim E, Gu D, Kang H, Badior KE, Chang TS, Kastrup CJ, Lee H)

Message Received? Applicant Insights on Preference Signals in General Surgery Residency Recruitment. Journal of Surgical Education. (Lund S, Santucci NM, Zarate Rodriguez J, Naaseh A, Khan S, Luo X, Hunt ML, Silvestri C, Gan CY, L'Huillier JC, Hight R, Hudson J, Hendershot K, Calata J, Wang ML, Alseidi A, Jindani R, Williams-Perez S, Foster T, Woodward JM)

Impact of Area Deprivation Index on the outcomes of venous leg ulcer healing and recurrence. Annals of Vascular Surgery. (Cheun TJ, Li M, Hart JP, Davies MG)

Use of Radiographic Features for Risk Stratification of Ovarian Masses in Children and Adolescents. Journal of Surgical Research. (Kittle HD, Bergus KC, Bricker J, Fallat M, Hertweck SP, Hewitt G, Lutz C, Aldrink JH, Bence C, Breech L, Dillon PA, Downard C, Ehrlich PF, Gadepalli S, Fraser JD, Grabowski J, Helmrath M, Hirschl RB, Kabre R, Lal DR, Landman M, Leys C, Stafford LC, Mak G, Markel T, Pressey JG, Raiji M, Rymeski B, Saito J, St Peter SD, Asti L, Deans K, Minneci PC)

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