In this episode, Tom Varghese, MD, FACS, is joined by Brett Johnson, MD, and Clifford Ko, MD, FACS, from the American College of Surgeons (ACS). They discuss the recent article by Drs Johnson and Ko, “Evaluating Outcomes of Initial Site Visits Across American College of Surgeons Accreditation Programs,” in which the authors found that ACS accreditation identifies significant gaps in hospital quality, with only 61% of hospitals passing on their initial attempt. However, most ultimately succeed af...
Jun 19, 2025•23 min•Ep. 34
In this episode, Tom Varghese, MD, FACS, is joined by Todd Heniford, MD, FACS, and Alexis Holland, MD, from the Carolinas Medical Center. They discuss the recent article by Drs Heniford and Holland, “Limited or Lasting: Is Preoperative Weight Loss as Part of Prehabilitation Maintained after Open Ventral Hernia Repair?” This study supports the implementation of preoperative optimization and weight loss before hernia surgery, which remains controversial. Long-term maintenance of preoperative weigh...
May 22, 2025•22 min•Ep. 33
In this episode, Tom Varghese, MD, FACS, is joined by Haytham Kaafarani, MD, MPH, FACS, and Vahe Panossian, MD, from the Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. They discuss the recent article by Drs Kaafarani and Panossian, “Validation of Artificial Intelligence-Based POTTER Calculator in Emergency General Surgery Patients Undergoing Laparotomy: Prospective, Bi-Institutional Study.” This study found that POTTER accurately predicts mortality and postoper...
Mar 20, 2025•26 min•Ep. 32
In this episode, Lillian Erdahl, MD, FACS, is joined by Judy Boughey, MD, FACS, from the Mayo Clinic Rochester Department of Surgery. They discuss Dr Boughey’s recent article , “American College of Surgeons Cancer Programs Annual Report from 2021 Participant User File.” This inaugural annual report from the National Cancer Database describes the 2021 adult participant user files (PUF) as a whole, as well as the PUFs for breast, colon, and pancreatic cancer in more detail. It summarizes new obser...
Feb 20, 2025•23 min•Ep. 31
In this episode, Lillian Erdahl, MD, FACS, is joined by Peter C Minneci, MD, FACS, MHSc, from the Department of Surgery, Nemours Children’s Health, Delaware Valley. They discuss Dr Minneci’s recent article , “Cost-Effectiveness of Nonoperative Management vs Upfront Laparoscopic Appendectomy for Pediatric Uncomplicated Appendicitis Over 1 Year,” in which the authors found that cost-effectiveness of management of pediatric appendicitis is sensitive to changes in utilities achieved by nonoperative ...
Jan 23, 2025•29 min•Ep. 30
In this episode, Lillian Erdahl, MD, FACS, is joined by Fatemeh Shojaeian, MD, MPH, from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. They discuss Dr Shojaeian’s recent article , “Refractory and Recurrent Idiopathic Granulomatous Mastitis Treatment: Adaptive, Randomized Clinical Trial,” in which the authors found that, for resistant or relapsing patients with idiopathic granulomatous mastitis, combining methotrexate and corticosteroids offers a promising strategy. This integration of disease...
Dec 19, 2024•26 min•Ep. 29
In this episode, Lillian Erdahl, MD, FACS, is joined by Jessica Ching, MD, from the Baylor College of Medicine. They discuss Dr Ching’s recent article , “Protective Effects of Authenticity Against Depression, Suicide, and Burnout among Surgeons,” in which the authors found that authenticity may protect against burnout, depression, and suicide, pointing to a vital intervention opportunity. This research highlights the importance of cultivating a culture that prioritizes mental health to foster a ...
Nov 21, 2024•29 min•Ep. 28
In this episode, Tom Varghese, MD, MS, MBA, FACS, is joined by Anai N Kothari MD, FACS, MS, FSSO, from the Medical College of Wisconsin. They discuss Dr Kothari’s recent article, “Association of Daily Step Count and Postoperative Complication among All of Us Research Participants,” in which the authors used preoperative wearable device data from 475 patients to investigate the link between daily step counts and postoperative complications. Patients with fewer than 7,500 daily steps had a higher ...
Oct 14, 2024•21 min•Ep. 27
In this episode, Tom Varghese, MD, MS, MBA, FACS, is joined by Lauren M Janczewski, MD, MS, from Northwestern University, and Yue-Yung Hu, MD, MPH, FACS, from the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital and Northwestern Quality Improvement, Research, and Education in Surgery (NQUIRES). They discuss their recent article, “Contemporary Evaluation of Work-Life Integration and Well-being in US Surgical Residents: A National Mixed-Methods Study,” in which the authors found that parents and fema...
Sep 19, 2024•25 min•Ep. 26
In this episode, Tom Varghese, MD, FACS is joined by Calista M Harbaugh, MD, MSc, from the University of Michigan. They discuss Dr Harbaugh’s recent study , “Association of National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer Accreditation with Outcomes after Rectal Cancer Surgery,” in which the authors found that hospitals accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer are associated with lower short- and long-term morbidity and mortality, but few programs achieve accreditation ...
Aug 15, 2024•22 min•Ep. 25
In this episode, Lillian Erdahl, MD, FACS is joined by Todd Rosengart, MD, FACS, from the Baylor College of Medicine. They discuss Dr Rosengart’s recent article , “Sustaining Lifelong Competency of Surgeons: Multimodality Empowerment Personal and Institutional Strategy,” which focuses on maintaining and ensuring the competency of an aging surgeon workforce. The study provides evidence-based guiding principles as part of a comprehensive “whole of career” strategy that can be adopted at a personal...
Jul 17, 2024•27 min•Ep. 24
In this episode, Tom Varghese, MD, FACS is joined by Jamie Coleman, MD, FACS, from the University of Louisville. They discuss Dr Coleman’s recent article, “Home Is Not Always Where the Sleep Is: The Effect of Home Call on Sleep, Burnout, and Surgeon Well-Being ”, which quantifies sleep loss and burnout associated with home call in acute care surgeons, emphasizing that there are both physical and emotional contributors to burnout. Disclosure Information: Drs Varghese and Coleman have nothing to d...
Jun 20, 2024•26 min•Ep. 23
In this episode, Tom Varghese, MD, FACS is joined by Jeremy Cannon, MD, SM, FACS, from the University of Pennsylvania. They discuss Dr Cannon’s Excelsior Surgical Society Presidential Address, emphasizing the crucial contribution of expeditionary surgical leaders in World War II and how their legacy serves as an example for military and civilian surgeons seeking to lead in austere settings today. Disclosure Information: Dr Varghese has nothing to disclose. Dr Cannon received royalties from UpToD...
May 16, 2024•22 min•Ep. 22
In this episode, Lillian Erdahl, MD, FACS is joined by Dai Chung, MD, FACS, from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. They discuss Dr Chung’s recent study , which demonstrates that poor health outcomes among pediatric solid tumor patients are associated with minority race and residence in rural or border regions, and that the 5-year rate mortality rises with increasing area deprivation score. Disclosure Information: Drs Erdahl and Chung have nothing to disclose. To earn 0.25 AMA ...
Apr 18, 2024•25 min•Ep. 21
In this episode, Lillian Erdahl, MD, FACS is joined by Amy Hernandez, MD, FACS, from the Department of Surgery, Naval Medical Center San Diego. They discuss Dr Hernandez’s recent study , which uses literature review, personal interviews, and correspondence with Navy Medicine administrative leaders to describe the evolution of women providing surgical care at sea. Disclosure Information: Drs Erdahl and Hernandez have nothing to disclose. To earn 0.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ for this episode o...
Mar 21, 2024•30 min•Ep. 20
In this episode, Lillian Erdahl, MD, FACS, is joined by Erin M Scott, MD, MPH, from the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School. They discuss Dr Scott’s recent study , which outlines recommendations of the American College of Surgeons Resident and Associate Society Global Surgery Work Group for involvement of trainees in global surgery, with an aim to support equitable, sustainable collaborations that center on improving access to safe, timely, and affordable surgical care for the global...
Feb 15, 2024•23 min•Ep. 19
In this episode, Dr Tom Varghese is joined by Jessica Cohan, MD, FACS, from the University of Utah. They discuss Dr Cohan’s recent study , which used statewide medical records linked with genealogy data to evaluate the familial contributions to diverticulitis. The results indicate that diverticulitis has a significant heritable component, which may inform surgeons as they counsel family members about diverticulitis risk and can be used to develop future risk-stratification tools. Disclosure Info...
Jan 18, 2024•21 min•Ep. 18
In this episode, Dr Jamie Coleman is joined by Shayna Showalter, MD, from the University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA. They discuss Dr Showalter’s recent study evaluating precision breast intraoperative radiation therapy (PB-IORT), which uses customized CT-based treatment plans for high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy. Interim results show that PB-IORT has an acceptable breast cancer recurrence rate, minimal side effects, and excellent cosmetic outcomes. Disclosure Informati...
Nov 09, 2023•18 min•Ep. 17
In this episode, Dr Dante Yeh is joined by Casey Allen, MD, from the Institute of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They discuss Dr Allen’s recent study , which found that widespread adoption of the fecal immunochemical test for noninvasive colorectal cancer screening could lead to substantial cost savings. This carries major value implications for a large population health system. Disclosure Information: Dr Allen has nothing to disclose....
Oct 05, 2023•26 min•Ep. 16
In this episode, Dr. Jamie Coleman is joined by Carter Lebares, MD, FACS, from the Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco. They discuss Dr. Lebares’ recent study at 16 academic general surgery training programs, in which residents indicated a perceived lack of value congruence with leadership regarding occupational well-being. Program directors expressed variable alignment with these perceptions. Value congruence was significantly associated with individual resident global...
Sep 07, 2023•24 min•Ep. 15
In this episode, Dr Dante Yeh is joined by Lola Fayanju, MD, MA, MPHS, FACS, from The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. They discuss Dr Fayanju’s recent study on imposter syndrome, an internalized sense of incompetence and not belonging. The study found that female physicians were more likely to experience imposter syndrome than male physicians, regardless of specialty or leadership role. While several identity-based gaps persist in leadership, imposter syndrome among racially minori...
Aug 03, 2023•31 min•Ep. 14
In this episode, Dr Dante Yeh is joined by Gabriel Brat, MD, FACS, MPH and Jayson Marwaha, MD, MBI, from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA. They discuss their recent study , which compared the predictive utility of preoperative surgeon intuition and surgical risk calculators and found that, while preoperative surgeon intuition alone is an independent predictor of patient outcomes, traditional risk calculators are more robust predictors of postoperative complication. Disclosure Inf...
Jul 06, 2023•32 min•Ep. 13
In this episode, Dr Jamie Coleman is joined by Bradley Kushner, MD, from the Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis. They discuss Dr Kushner’s study , which found that patients who are unvaccinated against COVID-19 have worse compliance and healthcare follow-up after a kidney transplant compared with those who were preoperatively vaccinated. Disclosure Information: Drs Kushner and Coleman have nothing to disclose. To earn 0.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ for this episode of the JACS ...
Jun 01, 2023•21 min•Season 1Ep. 12
In this episode, Dr Jamie Coleman is joined by Clayton Brinster, MD, FACS, from Ochsner Health. They discuss his study , which demonstrates a significant increase in surgical nursing labor cost, with a resultant decrease in department of surgery financial margins. This nationwide, precarious trend is not sustainable, and fiscal recovery will require sustained, strategic workforce allocation. Disclosure Information: Drs Brinster and Coleman have nothing to disclose. To earn 0.25 AMA PRA Category ...
May 04, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 11
In this episode, Dr. Dante Yeh is joined by Tejen Shah, MD, from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. They discuss his study , which shows that contrary to published enhanced recovery program (ERP) literature, most study hospitals had difficulty improving process compliance, with 80% not achieving substantial improvement. ERP bundles should be implemented in a more deliberate manner with better-planned, pragmatic, and informed strategies. Disclosure Information: Dr Shah has nothing t...
Apr 06, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 10
In this episode, Dr Jamie Coleman is joined by Roi Weiser, MD, from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Suzanne Klimberg, MD, PhD, MSHCT, FACS, from the Division of Surgical Oncology at the University of Texas Medical Branch. They discuss their study , which shows that fluoroscopic intraoperative neoplasm and node detection (FIND) can be used to localize the biopsy clip marking a non-palpable breast or axillary lesion, obviating the need for an additional procedure to insert a...
Mar 16, 2023•22 min•Ep. 9
In this episode, Dr Dante Yeh is joined by Sharven Taghavi, MD, MPH, MS, FACS, from the Tulane University School of Medicine. They discuss his study on blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI), which is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with blunt trauma. Using a Markov decision analysis, the authors found that universal screening for cerebrovascular injury using CT angiography in blunt trauma victims was the optimal strategy. Disclosure Information: Dr Taghavi receives fundi...
Feb 17, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 8
In this episode, Dr Jamie Coleman is joined by Elzerie de Jager, MBBS(Hons), PhD, from the University of Vermont and the Center for Surgery and Public Health, Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health; and LD Britt MD, MPH, FACS, from the Department of Surgery, Eastern Virginia Medical School. They discuss their study , in which a Delphi panel identified 125 potential disparity-sensitive measures which could be used to...
Jan 26, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 7
In this episode, Dr Dante Yeh is joined by Flavio Malcher, MD, MSc, from the Department of Surgery at New York University. They discuss his study , which validates the findings of recent randomized controlled trials in a larger multicenter cohort, suggesting that permanent mesh is the ideal prosthetic to enhance ventral hernia repair even in contaminated fields, which challenges a longstanding surgical dogma. Disclosure Information: Dr Malcher is a paid consultant to Intuitive Surgical, Medtroni...
Dec 16, 2022•27 min•Season 1Ep. 6
In this episode, Dr Coleman is joined by Dorothy Andriole, MD, FACS, who is a surgeon and the Senior Director of Medical Education Research at the Association of American Medical Colleges, and Jonathan Amiel, MD, who is a professor of psychiatry and Senior Associate Dean for Innovation in Health Professions Education at Columbia University. They discuss their recent study , which found that many graduating students intending to enter surgery agreed they had skills to perform some, although not a...
Nov 11, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 5
