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Dear Colleagues and Friends of the Department, 

It is hard to believe that the end of August is already here. Soon, the campus will be teeming with nearly 35,000 undergraduates and the energy that accompanies such a multitude. Unlike our undergraduate enterprise, there are no “down” months for the department, and August is no exception.

I want to first call attention to the exceptional performance of UC San Diego Health in the recent US News and World Report rankings.  UC San Diego Health was recognized in the rankings as one of the top twenty hospitals in the country, best in California (tied with four other hospitals), and best in San Diego. This extraordinary accomplishment is remarkable considering the data includes all three of our fully owned inpatient facilities in La Jolla, Hillcrest and East Campus (this is relatively unique amongst the top twenty hospitals).  

Notably, a substantial component of the supporting data is directly related to surgical programming in the department, including vascular, cardiac, lung, colorectal, GI and cancer surgery.  I am incredibly proud of the clinical teams in our department and the quality of care that we deliver every day.  

In this month’s newsletter, we welcome our impressive incoming class of post-residency fellows. These surgeons are incredibly intelligent, talented and hardworking, and I am excited to see their growth and impact in our department. In other training news, I am happy to highlight the department’s surgical clerkship welcome event that was held for our medical students at the Center for the Future of Surgery. Medical students are required to complete a six-week clerkship on the surgical services. For many, this is their first experience working with surgeons in the operating room, on the wards, and in the clinic.  It is a privilege to nurture the interests of our students and expose them to fulfilling careers in the surgical disciplines. To cap these features, we also sat down with Ava Armani, MD, who is passionate about mentoring medical students.

Finally, I would like to congratulate a host of faculty members who received new research awards and teaching accolades. This includes Drs. Laura Adams and Michael Bouvet who received institutional awards for exemplary professionalism in the clinical learning environment, Dr. Jason Sicklick who together with Shumei Kato (medical oncology) received a $250,000 award from the Phase One Foundation to conduct a clinical trial in personalized cancer therapy, and Dr. Yuan Chen who received a $2 million award from the National Cancer Institute for novel drug discovery and development studies addressing cancer cachexia.  

Again, it has been a very busy and productive summer.  Please have a safe Labor Day weekend wherever your travels may find you...

Bryan Clary, MD, MBA

Marshall J. Orloff Family Endowed Chair

Professor and Chair, Department of Surgery

UC San Diego Health Sciences

Surgeon-in-Chief, UC San Diego Health

UC San Diego Health has been ranked as No. 1 in San Diego, as well as among the top 20 in the nation, according to the 2026-2027 U.S. News & World Report "Best Hospitals" survey. The survey evaluated nearly 4,500 hospitals across 14 adult specialties; UC San Diego Health achieved national recognition in eight specialties.

Mariam Astarabadi

Acute Care Surgery

Briana DiGiore

Acute Care Surgery

Emily Byrd

Pediatric Surgical Critical Care

Riley Brian

Surgical Critical Care

Jaclyn Kliewer

Surgical Critical Care

Jeremy Miller

Surgical Critical Care

Claire Bensard

Cardiothoracic Surgery

Kathleen Doyle

Pediatric Surgery

Laurel Ormiston

Plastic Surgery

Andrew Barnes

MIS

Jason Xia

MIS

Kyle William Von Kent

Vascular Surgery

"Health, Rewired,” the 2026 issue of Health Sciences' Discoveries Magazine, explores how digital transformation is reshaping health through breakthrough technologies and innovative collaborations — and what it means for faculty, students, clinicians and patients. 

UC San Diego Health and West Health have launched the West Health Accelerator at UC San Diego Health — a six-year, $40 million initiative to build a new, tech-forward model of coordinated, reliable care designed to raise the standard for health systems across the country.

Director of Medical Student Engagement Ava Armani, MD, is helping students get an early look at the field of surgery by providing hands-on surgical mentorship throughout medical school, with the goal of showing them that surgery can be both exciting and deeply fulfilling.

The National Cancer Institute awarded Yuan Chen, PhD, nearly $2 million over three years to identify chemicals that could lead to the development of a treatment for severe, uncontrolled muscle loss in cancer, called cachexia. Chen and team will use large-scale chemical screenings to identify molecules that effectively block the mechanism causing cachexia.

Erika Somers receives 2026 Q3 Excellence in Graduate Medical Education Award

This award celebrates program coordinators who exemplify outstanding professionalism, reliability and commitment to supporting high-quality, compliant and learner-centered graduate medical education operations at UC San Diego. Erika Somers, program administrator for the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery residency and fellowship programs, has made a meaningful impact through dedicated advocacy for trainees, unwavering professionalism, and a strong commitment to fostering a supportive learning environment. 

This month, the Center for the Future of Surgery hosted the Surgery Clerkship Welcome Reception. This event welcomed medical students who were starting their surgery clerkship to the Department of Surgery. Faculty members from each division, as well as representatives from each of our residency programs,  were in attendance. 

The center also hosted a robotic lymphatics lab for plastic surgery residents led by Visiting Professor Dung Nguyen, MD, PharmD, MBA, as well as robotic hernia/abdominal wall and cardiothoracic surgery labs for general surgery residents. 

Patrick McCarty, MD, completed his general surgery residency at UC San Diego in 2018. He went on to complete a minimally invasive and foregut surgery fellowship at the University of Southern California and is currently a minimally invasive surgeon specializing in foregut surgery at CommonSpirit Health in Ventura. He is also the director of robotics, vice chair and chair-elect of the Community Memorial Hospital Surgery Department.

"Reflecting on my training at UC San Diego, one principle became ingrained in me and epitomizes my life’s work as a surgeon: a commitment to excellence. Countless hours of clinical work, journal clubs, conferences, and interactions with the faculty, mentors and peers who shaped my training fostered a lifelong commitment to becoming a better physician and surgeon. To me, that means putting patients first, staying current with the literature, and embracing new technologies to better care for those who have placed their trust in my hands.

My passion is minimally invasive surgery. In Ventura/Oxnard, I now offer patients with chronic acid reflux (called GERD) a minimally invasive surgery option for reconstruction of the valve between the stomach and esophagus (called transoral incisionless fundoplication). I continue to expand my expertise in advanced minimally invasive techniques, striving to perform complex operations through the least invasive approach possible. This led me to focus on foregut surgery, abdominal wall reconstruction and colorectal surgery while maintaining a broad general surgery practice. My commitment remains unchanged: to pursue excellence, provide compassionate, evidence-based care, and ensure every patient receives the highest standard of treatment.”

Is there a person or program that positively impacted your experience at UC San Diego? Please consider making a gift in their honor and directly supporting your training program. To learn more, please contact Maura Siino, philanthropic officer, at msiino@ucsd.edu or visit our website.

Departments of Surgery and Anesthesia Family Day

Departments of Surgery and Anesthesiology faculty brought their families to the Center for the Future of Surgery for a day of hands-on activities and interactive experiences, giving them a behind-the-scenes look at a day in the life of a surgeon and anesthesiologist. 

REIMAGINE Symposium

Join transplantation leaders from around the country for a dynamic three-day symposium exploring the future of organ donation and transplantation. 

Date: October 11-13, 2026
Location: Estancia La Jolla Resort and Spa

Fluorescence-Guided Surgery Master Class

Join Ryan Broderick, MD, and other leading experts in fluorescence-guided surgery for a one-day immersive educational experience focused on the latest advances in surgical imaging.

Date: Nov. 7, 2026
Location: Center for the Future of Surgery | MET Building

Learn about the different things that make our department... kinda chic. See what's chic

Intern Boot Camp is a series of labs at the Center for the Future of Surgery that introduce first-year residents to surgical equipment and operating room basics. Watch the highlights