On The Cutting Edge | February 2026

February 20, 2026

Award Announcements

Congratulations!

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.
NIH Scientific Data Sharing Website: Whether you are involved in an NIH-funded project and want to understand which sharing policies apply to your research and how to comply, or you are a researcher looking to access scientific data from NIH-affiliated repositories, this site is for you. | More information
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

Upcoming Events

“Thrive Together to Advance Research” Staff Appreciation Event | March 12, 2026, 3:00-5:00pm | Dunn Conference Room, HUB A1015/A1035
Research Coordinator Enrichment Series
- Streamlining Clinical Trial Activation with REFORM | February 26, 2026, 12:00-1:00pm
- Navigating the Reliance Agreement Process: When MCW Relies on an External IRB Description | March 26, 2026, 12:00-1:00pm
ClinicalTrials.gov Training
- Protocol Registration and Results Reporting System (PRS) | March 17, 2026, 8:00-11:30am
HRPP Research Connection Series | 12:00-1:00pm via Zoom
- Beginner Series:
  Thursday, March 12 | OCRICC
  Thursday, April 9 | IRB Submissions Part 1
- Intermediate/Advanced Series:
  Thursday, March 12 | MCW QA/I & Post Approval Monitoring Activities
  Thursday, April 9 | Hot Topics

SurPASS Tip of the Month

How Can I Find Funding Opportunities Now That They Are Not in the NIH Guide?

You have two options to find Notices of Funding Opportunities: search on Grants.gov or use NIH’s new Explore NIH Opportunities tool.

Using Grants.gov requires some filtering, since every federal agency is listed in this database. The NIH can be found under the Department of Health and Human Services.

The Explore NIH Opportunities tool is more targeted to NIH funding opportunities. It is easy to navigate and offers many search options.

Please contact Lynn Cummings with any questions!

Clinical Research Tip of the Month

Biostatistics Consulting Service Policy Update

The Department of Surgery is committed to continuing biostatistics consulting support for faculty by demonstrating the value and impact of these services. Because the Department directly supports and funds this service, it is important that we are able to show resulting scholarly activity and project outcomes.

To support this effort, projects utilizing Department-supported biostatistics consulting will be asked to share an output update within 30 days of project closure in iLab or 12 months after the biostatistics estimate is issued, whichever occurs first. Projects that remain open beyond 12 months are still expected to demonstrate progress or related scholarly output.

These expectations are now incorporated into the Biostatistics Support Request Form and are acknowledged at the time of submission. Periodic 6-month email check-ins may also occur to help ensure projects remain on track and appropriately supported. The new request form is located here, and the overview is here. You will also find these forms on our InfoScope intranet page soon.

For questions, please contact Kelly Birmingham.

GRANT$ Alert

Neuroscience Research Center Imagine More Grants
$50,000 for 1 year
GCO deadline: N/A
Application due: April 3, 2026

Must become an NRC member. Faculty Imagine More Awards (Assistant and Associate Professors) and Postdoctoral Image More Awards. Email nrc@mcw.edu for more information.

Abstracts Alert

American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting
September 26-30, 2026 | Boston, MA
Abstract deadline: February 24, 2026

Presentation Formats: Plenary Session; Clinical Trials Session; Oral Scientific Sessions; Quick Pitch Sessions; Poster Q&A Sessions

Society for Vascular Medicine (SVM) Vascular Scientific Sessions
September 24-27, 2026 | Cincinnati, OH
Abstract deadline: March 2, 2026

Abstract Topics: Aging; Aortic and arterial disease; Basic & translational science; Cerebrovascular disease; Devices, technology & digital health; Diabetes; Disparities & vascular disease; Environment & exposure; Epidemiology; Exercise, nutrition, & prevention; Genetics; Health policy & vascular disease; Hypertension; Lipids; Lymphedema & lipedema; Obesity; PAD & CLTI; Pulmonary embolism & CTEPH; Rare vascular disorders; Thrombosis & anticoagulation; Vascular disease in women; Vascular oncology; Vascular ultrasound; Venous disease

American College of Surgeons (ACS) 2026 Clinical Congress
September 26-29, 2026 | Washington D.C.
Abstract deadline: March 2, 2026

Abstracts or videos may be submitted for the following Clinical Congress programs: Owen H. Wangensteen scientific forum; Video-based education sessions; History of surgery poster session

The Transplantation Society (TTS) International Congress
September 20-23, 2026 | Sydney, Australia
Abstract deadline: March 19, 2026

Abstract Topics: Allied Health Care; Basic and Translational Science; Clinical Research, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence; Education/Training; Emerging and Experimental Transplantation; Ethics, Equity and Diversity; Histocompatibility and ABOi; Infectious Diseases; Kidney; Liver/Intestinal; Machine Perfusion; Multi-Organ; Pancreas and Islet; Pediatrics; Regenerative Medicine/Cell Transplant; Thoracic (Heart and Lung); Transplant Immunosuppression; Other Transplantation Topics

New England Surgical Society (NESS) Annual Meeting
September 18-20, 2026 | Uncasville, CT
Abstract deadline: March 26, 2026

Abstract Categories: Basic Science; Clinical Burns/Trauma/Acute Care; Clinical Cardiothoracic/Vascular; Clinical Cancer; Clinical GI; Clinical Endocrine Surgery; Clinical Pediatric Surgery; Clinical Plastic Surgery; Clinical Surgical Specialties (i.e. Urology, Neurosurgery, other); Clinical Transplantation; Education and Residency Training Issues; Outcomes Studies of Patient Management; Quality of Life and/or Patient-Reported Outcomes; Social and Ethical Issues in Surgery; Other

Department of Surgery Recent Publications

'Golden day' is a myth: rethinking medical timelines and risk in large scale combat operations. BMJ Military Health. (Dilday J, Webster S, Holcomb J, Barnard E, Hodgetts T)

Aquaporin-4 and caveolin-1 as mediators of fibrinogen-driven cerebrovascular pathology in cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Alzheimer's & Dementia. (Singh V, Rochakim N, Ferraresso F, Garg K, Rizvi AB, Choudhury A, Kastrup CJ, Ahn HJ)

Evidence on Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Protocols in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Postoperative Outcomes. Anesthesia & Analgesia. (Dula PK, Belachew FK, Iverson KR, Senbeta AB, Negussie T, Belina M, Medhin G, Fekadu A)

PTSD symptoms and substance use problems in traumatic injury patients: A 24-month follow-up. Addictive Behaviors. (Fendrich M, Petranu K, Nickel L, Larson CL, deRoon-Cassini TA)

Surgical Trainee Familiarity and Knowledge of the Commission on Cancer (CoC) Operative Standards: A National Survey Study. Journal of the American College of Surgeons. (Baskin AS, Funk EC, Sample JW, Francescatti AB, Pastore BM, Lee C, Boffa DJ, Dossett LA, Weigel RJ, Hieken TJ, Teshome M, Wang TS, Vreeland TJ, Zaveri S)

Integrating cultural humility into surgical training: A case-based workshop utilizing AI and experiential learning. American Journal of Surgery. (Rosario A Jr, Gbekie C, Peet BM, Pacella DP, Simmons GB, Nwigwe V, McManus C)

Mapping International Collaboration and Research Trends in Artificial Intelligence Applications for Liver and Kidney Transplantation. Journal of Transplantation. (Al-Abdallat H, Haj Mohammad N, Asassfeh A, Cooper E, Mohammad Hussein A, AlSarayreh M, Alzoubi M, Rawashdeh B)

Impact of Neoadjuvant Induction Chemotherapy Prior to Chemoradiation on Survival and Surgical Outcomes in Real-World Esophageal Adenocarcinoma Cohort. Cancers. (Matoska TM, Memon AA, Acevedo Moreno LA, Bulacan C, Rein L, Banerjee A, George B, Jurkowski L, Phan A, Johnstone C, Shukla ME, Gore EM, Linsky P, Gasparri M, Hunt M, Puckett LL)

PIEZO1 channel mechanosensing in hepatobiliary physiology and disease. [Review]. American Journal of Physiology - Cell Physiology. (Konstantinou C, Patel SK, Lalor P, Moore JB, Roberts LD, Endesh N, Wah TM, Samson A, Hakeem AR, Prasad KR, Beech DJ, Lichtenstein L)

Reasons for Women Surgeon Attrition From the US Workforce. Journal of Surgical Research. (Bass E, Butterfield R, Bush R, Harris L, Shaw P, Brown K, Julian E, McLaughlin S, Erben Y)

Reassessing the timing of percutaneous gastrostomy tube placement: Too many too soon. The Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery. (Tatakis A, Wilson D, Holland H, Patin B, Perlin S, Biesboer E, LaGraize N, Somberg L, Carver T, de Moya M, Murphy P)

The AAST International Relations Committee: Fostering education, scholarship, research and partnership. The Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery. (Guo WA, Brahmbhatt TS, Jawa RS, Buhavac M, LaGrone LN, Nehra D, Bagaria D, Zhang G, de Moya M, Peralta R, Asensio JA, Aboutanos MB, Dicker R)

Transplant center practices that maximize access to living kidney transplantation: the Penn experience. Frontiers in Immunology. (Arpali E, Abu-Gazala S, Redfield RR 3rd, Leonberg-Yoo A, Dunn TB)

Building better outcomes: A grounded theory approach to understanding creation and management of surgical data systems in Ethiopia. PLOS Global Public Health. (Jaraczewski TJ, Vo T, Agrawal A, Tafesse H, Abebe BM, Schroeder M, Dodgion C, Iverson KR, Hooyer K, Nabeel Zafar S)

Remediation strategies for the struggling resident: technical skills and beyond. Surgical Endoscopy. (Deal SB, Sherrill W, Wu E, Zaman J, Radhakrishnan R, Haskins IN, Giorgi M, Perez C, Tan WH, Greenberg J, Higgins RM)

Hospital Admission Status and Healthcare Services Among Adults with Firearm Injury: A Retrospective Cohort Study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. (Geier TJ, Timmer-Murillo S, Flynn-O'Brien KT, deRoon-Cassini TA)

Body Mass Index and Early Graft Function After Pediatric Kidney Transplantation. Pediatric Transplantation. (Asassfeh A, Arpali E, Cooper E, Glime W, Cody E, Cooper M, Dunn T, Rawashdeh B)

Indocyanine green assists with sentinel lymph node mapping in pediatric and adolescent patients: A Pediatric Surgical Oncology Research Collaborative prospective observational study. Cancer. (Schermerhorn SMV, Vore E, Bondoc AJ, Lautz TB, Ayala SA, Kastenberg ZJ, Arkin C, Malek MM, Campwala I, Aldrink JH, Horvath KZ, Piche N, Osman Y, Brown EG, Doyle K, Abril P, Roach JP, Ziogas IA, Rhee DS, Chidiac C, Polites SF, Debertin J, Craig BT, Lal DR, Kim ES, Lee WG, Barkhordar A, Le HD, Joshi D, Stellon M, Tracy ET, Beckhorn C, Davies DA, Boehmer C, Dasgupta R)

Quality of Life Following Traumatic Brain Injury Among Older Adults. JAMA Network Open. (Apolinario K, Nataliansyah MM, Haines KL, Murphy P, Rao S, de Moya M, Rundell MR, Farah AN, Young S, Timmons SD, Morris RS)

Extraterrestrial regolith is hemostatic and potentially suitable for hemorrhage control in space. Research And Practice In Thrombosis And Haemostasis. (Ali-Mohamad N, Wang TH, Juang LJ, Peng N, Cau MF, Cannon K, Kastrup CJ)

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