May 4, 2010 — Seven faculty members from Surgery will be inducted into the UNC School of Medicine Academy of Educators at the ceremony scheduled for May 18.

April 26, 2010 — If pancreatic cancer is detected in its early stages, it can be treated very effectively with surgery, but currently, there are no effective methods of early detection. For this reason, pancreas cancer is very lethal. However, this can change with the new molecular marker, the protein palladin, identified by UNC researchers to detect pancreas cancer in its early developmental stages.

April 21, 2010 — Neurosurgery will no longer be a division under the Department of Surgery. Effective July 1, 2010, UNC will have the new Department of Neurosurgery Chaired by Dr. Matthew Ewend, the current neurosurgery Chief of Division. The department status will boost UNC in both retaining existing neurosurgery faculty and recruiting new faculty and residents. These changes will enhance patient care by increasing the division’s ability to treat and care for citizens suffering from neurological problems. Furthermore, the new status will also aid in improving neurosurgery educational and research programs at UNC.

April 15, 2010 – Dr. David Gerber, UNC Transplant Surgery Division Chief, was honored as an Outstanding Clinical Co-Mentor at the 2010 Translational Medicine Program Symposium at UNC-CH. Translational Medicine Program stemmed from a Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant awarded to UNC in 2006 and strives to engage graduate students in translational medicine. Students enter the program at the end of their first year and remain in the program until graduation.

April 14, 2010 – UNC Healthcare Ambulatory Care annually presents two nursing awards. The recipients not only excel in nursing practice, but also demonstrate special qualities of caring and compassion. Cynthia Conway was recognized as one of the 2010 award winners. The Award, which includes an educational stipend, may be used by the nurses over a three-year period to further enhance their knowledge and abilities in the health care setting.

April 7, 2010 — Submitted by Dr. John Perry of the Dascomb Award Committee:

I am happy to announce that Dr. Jeffrey Abrams is the 2010 recipient of the Harry Dascomb Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching and Care.

April 7, 2010 — The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has selected Dr. Sean McLean, of the Division of Pediatric Surgery, as a 2010-2014 Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program scholar. The award, granted on the basis of academic achievement, research, and potential, consists of $420,000 spread over four years.

March 25, 2010 — In an effort to help patients choose the best hospital when facing surgery, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina recognized select North Carolina hospitals for excellence in spinal surgery, knee replacement, and hip replacement. “We recognize these facilities not only for the volume of procedures they do, but for the superior expertise that comes from this experience.”