Showing results for Marco Gutierrez

When someone has end-stage liver disease, declining health and death are real possibilities as treatments become less and less effective. In this case, liver transplantation is the patient’s only option. According to IU Heath, there are currently more than 14,000 patients on the liver wait list. Of those patients, 20 percent will die waiting on the 8,000 livers from deceased donors each year. As the need for liver transplants has grown, living donation has become an alternative treatment option for patients, particularly those with lower model for end-stage liver disease scores.

Gregory Borschel, MD, is the James Harbaugh, Jr. Professor of Plastic Surgery at Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Surgery and the Chief of Plastic Surgery at Riley Hospital for Children. His practice focuses on pediatric nerve injuries, corneal neurotization, facial paralysis, congenital hand surgery, and microvascular reconstruction. Borschel's research looks into developing treatments for nerve injuries and improving patient outcomes. He works with neuroscientists, engineers, and doctors worldwide to improve treatments for patients with these conditions.

Each year, Indiana University Health presents Values Leadership Awards to compassionate and dedicated team members sustaining workplace excellence. This regional distinction is awarded to four team members and one professional team who display a commitment to community engagement, improving others' well-being, and the IU Health Way. The regional honorees are then automatically considered for the system’s top honor—a President’s Values Leadership Award (PVLA).  

Erin L. Weber, MD, PhD, an Assistant Professor in Plastic Surgery, has recently joined the Department of Surgery Faculty at Indiana University School of Medicine. Weber attended Rice University and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2000 with a degree in Biochemistry. She then completed a combined MD-PhD program at the University of Southern California, graduating in 2009. Her graduate thesis focused on altering the molecular design of viral vectors to reduce cancer risk as a side effect of gene therapy treatment. She then completed an internship year in general surgery at Harbor-UCLA, followed by a residency in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Southern California. She took a break during residency for three years to complete a postdoctoral research fellowship, investigating human hair follicle development and ways to enhance hair regeneration to treat hair loss. Finally, she completed an orthoplastic fellowship in hand surgery at the University of Pennsylvania in 2020.

Recently Indiana University School of Medicine’s faculty member and professor of surgery, Sashwati Roy, PhD, was awarded the Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC) Prototype Acceleration Award. This award grants Roy $1.8 million in research funding for the next three years. These funds allow her to continue research on electroceutical technology that helps combat biofilm infractions in wounds.

Ischemia is a problem where a part of of the body, like regions of the heart or brain, isn't receiving enough blood. It’s caused by an obstruction of blood flow that can be caused by a clot, embolus, vascular diseases or the constriction of an artery. Ischemia can occur when the artery wall gradually thickens over time, resulting in a smaller area for blood flow. Bodily trauma can also restrict blood flow within arteries.

Chronic Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas that does not heal or improve—it gets worse over time and leads to permanent damage. This disease can eventually impair a patient's ability to digest food and make pancreatic hormones. Most individuals with Chronic Pancreatitis experience upper abdominal pain, although some have no pain at all. The pain may spread to the back, worsen with eating or drinking, and become constant and disabling.

Al Hassanein, MD, an Assistant Professor of Surgery (Tenured) with the IU School of Medicine Department of Surgery, recently earned the Plastic Surgery Foundation (PSF) and Plastic Surgery Research Council (PSRC) Combined Pilot Research Grant. The PSF/ PSRC, fund the Pilot Research Grant to foster the development of surgeon scientists in the field of Plastic Surgery. They also increase the amount of research dollars funding pilot research studies, allowing investigators to apply to larger funding agencies.

Leonidas G. Koniaris, MD a professors of surgery and Teresa A. Zimmers PhD, the H.H. Gregg Professor of Cancer Research with the surgery department at Indiana University School of Medicine, were recently awarded a Research Project Grant or an R01 from the National Institute of Health. The research grant is conducting studies to understand how the body heals after surgery or trauma.