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Dear Colleagues and Friends of the Department,

While the summer months often herald a time to slow down and relax, there have been no shortage of major events in the life of the Department of Surgery. For starters, I am excited to share that once again, UC San Diego Health was ranked as the No. 1 San Diego hospital by U.S. News & World Report. Of the specialties with top national ratings, four of them represented the Department of Surgery, including Lung Surgery (8), Heart & Vascular Surgery (27), GI Surgery (28) and Cancer (41).

In addition, we announced the opening of our new McGrath Outpatient Pavilion on our Hillcrest medical campus. The six-floor, 250,000-square-foot advanced medical facility houses key clinical programs, such as the new breast center; digestive diseases; outpatient surgery; plastic, burn and trauma surgery; and a vascular clinic. We are proud to continue our legacy in serving the greater San Diego community with infrastructure updates that will allow us to continue delivering excellent patient care.

The new Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Clinic at Chancellor Park also opened this summer. The 8,487 square foot space is part of the ongoing expansion of vascular and endovascular services to meet the growing needs of our community.

And we are happy to share that Laura Haines, M.D., was promoted to chief of the Division of Trauma, Surgical Critical Care, Burns and Acute Care Surgery; and Garth Jacobsen, M.D., was promoted to chief of the Division of Minimally Invasive Surgery. The future of this department is very bright, in large part from the exceptional leadership of our division chiefs. Haines and Jacobsen bring years of experience, track records of excellence and a fresh vision to these critical programs. I could not be more excited and look forward to witnessing the future successes that they and their teams will bring forth.

For this month’s Q&A, we sat down with Sonia Ramamoorthy, M.D., M.B.A., chief of the Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery and immediate past president of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, to learn about her new role as director of the Physician Wellness Office at UC San Diego Health. The health and longevity of the physician workforce is a growing concern nationwide, including in our own region. Ramamoorthy has a deep commitment to the well-being of the physician workforce and is well-poised to lead us forward in this important work.

Finally, we take time in this month’s newsletter to celebrate the graduation of our 2025 residents and fellows. They are exceptional in their own right and have secured amazing opportunities in academic and community health systems. The department wishes you the best as you embark on the next steps of your journey. We are certain that you will have an extraordinary impact on patients and become leaders in your fields and your communities. 

As always, thank you for your continued support and engagement with the department.

Bryan Clary, M.D., M.B.A.

Marshall J. Orloff Family Endowed Chair

Professor and Chair, Department of Surgery

UC San Diego Health Sciences

Surgeon-in-Chief, UC San Diego Health

The Department of Surgery relies on the financial support of our alumni and friends to conduct groundbreaking research and train the next generation of surgeons. We invite you to partner with us by contributing to the Department of Surgery Excellence Fund. Every gift, no matter the size, is crucial in advancing our vital missions.

On July 28, 2025, UC San Diego Health opened the highly anticipated McGrath Outpatient Pavilion at its Hillcrest medical campus. The facility will provide greater availability to high-quality, integrated care, addressing the region’s increasing demand for innovative diagnostic, treatment, surgical and cancer care.

UC San Diego Health once again secured the No. 1 hospital ranking in San Diego, according to the 2025-2026 U.S. News & World Report "Best Hospitals" survey.

The survey evaluated more than 4,400 hospitals across 15 specialties and 22 procedures and conditions. Among these, UC San Diego Health achieved national recognition in 9 specialties.

Sonia Ramamoorthy, M.D., M.B.A., is the chief of the Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, former president of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and the newly appointed director of the Physician Wellness Office at UC San Diego Health.

Led by Mahmoud Malas, M.D., M.H.S., the 8,487 square foot space is designed to meet the unique needs of vascular patients and is part of the ongoing expansion of the vascular and endovascular services at UC San Diego Health.

Ryan Broderick, M.D., Garth Jacobsen, M.D., and team completed the first surgical removal of the gallbladder (called a cholecystectomy) using Distalmotion’s DEXTER Robotic Surgery System outside of Europe. The milestone continues to position UC San Diego as a leader in surgical innovation, especially in soft tissue robotics. 

The UC San Diego Center for Research, Education, Innovation and Transformation in Organ Donation (REIMAGINE), in partnership with the Donation and Transplant Institute (DTI), hosted a course on advanced organ donation techniques at the Center for the Future of Surgery. REIMAGINE Director and Division of Transplantation and Hepatobiliary Surgery Interim Chief Gabe Schnickel, M.D., M.P.H., and Assistant Professor Aleah Brubaker, M.D., Ph.D., directed the event. Experts from Europe and the United States taught organ perfusion techniques and recovery strategies.

Jason Sicklick, M.D., and Diwakar Guragain, Ph.D., received a $3.3 million R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health for their research on gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) treatment. Using this funding, Sicklick and Guragain will use biomarkers to target cells that resist standard GIST treatments, aiming to develop more comprehensive combination therapies.

Laura Haines Appointed Chief of the Division of Trauma, Surgical Critical Care, Burns and Acute Care Surgery

Laura Haines, M.D., was formerly interim chief of the division. She is also a professor, the trauma medical director, medical director of the surgical intensive care unit and program director of the surgical critical care fellowship and acute care surgery fellowship.

Garth Jacobsen Appointed Chief of the Division of Minimally Invasive Surgery

Garth Jacobsen, M.D., was formerly interim chief of the division. He is also a professor, director of the general surgery residency program and associate director of the Center for the Future of Surgery.

New surgery residents attended a three-week long resident boot camp at the Center for the Future of Surgery. This training aimed to introduce new residents to surgical techniques and robotic tools. 

The Division of Plastic Surgery also held a plastic surgery lab where they learned breast reconstruction techniques. 

We also welcomed our new general surgery residents to the department at the Annual General Surgery Resident Olympics and Intern Welcome Event. The day was filled with teamwork, competition and celebration between residents and faculty.

Congratulations to all of our graduates!

This summer, we celebrate this year's graduating residents and fellows. We wish them all the best as they move on to the next stage of their journey. 

Garth Jacobsen, M.D., completed his minimally invasive surgery fellowship at UC San Diego. He is now the chief of the Division of Minimally Invasive Surgery, director of the general surgery residency program and the associate director of the Center for the Future of Surgery at UC San Diego.

"My experience with the UC San Diego Department of Surgery has been transformative and deeply fulfilling. Coming from traditional medical school and residency training in more conventional, structured environments, I deliberately sought a fellowship opportunity that would challenge me to push the boundaries of surgical technology and innovation. UC San Diego provided exactly that environment — a place where faculty and staff genuinely embrace cutting-edge approaches while maintaining an infectious enthusiasm for their work. The department's commitment to advancing patient care is matched only by its dedication to teaching and mentoring the next generation of surgeons. As a younger institution, the UC San Diego Department of Surgery possessed the unique combination of innovative spirit and visionary leadership necessary to drive both technological advancement and exceptional patient care forward. The culture of curiosity, collaboration and excellence was so compelling that after completing my fellowship, staying on as faculty felt like the natural and only choice — I simply could not imagine practicing anywhere else."

In honor of World Plastic Surgery Day, Plastic Surgery Resident Mary Lee, M.D., shared a day in her life. 

In honor of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GIST) Awareness Day, General Surgery Resident Mark Antkowiak, M.D., spoke about his work and the importance of GIST research.

Our diverse faculty are highly productive and actively disseminate new discoveries relevant to understanding and improving the management and treatment of surgical disease.

Stephen Bickler, M.D., and colleagues recently identified a cellular mechanism that explains how inflammation may be affected differently by rural versus urban living in sub-Saharan Africa. The findings provide a new hypothesis for how environmental factors are linked to health and disease states. Read More

UC San Diego Center for Research, Education, Innovation and Transformation in Organ Donation (REIMAGINE) Annual Symposium

When: October 12 - 14, 2025
Where: The Estancia La Jolla

Details and registration