University of Colorado Department of Surgery

The CU Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery is raising its training profile in 2026. In July, the division welcomed its first-ever fellow in microsurgery. Welcome, Victoria Wickenheisser, MD!

August 1 will mark the debut of a new breast surgical oncology fellowship in the CU Anschutz Department of Surgery. Welcome to Colorado, Yemisi Oyeleke, MD!

Learn more about Oyeleke and this new fellowship: https://bit.ly/4g0pg6k

With the leadership of Brian J. Flynn, MD, the Division of Urology has now performed over 400 Prostate Adjustable Continence Therapy (ProACT) implants, more than any other center in the world. The ProACT is an FDA-approved device to treat urinary incontinence in men.

Learn more about this device ⬇️

Urologist Brian J. Flynn, MD, is Perfecting the ProACT Incontinence Device for Men Brian Flynn, MD, presented on his experiences with ProACT, an FDA-approved device to treat urinary incontinence in men.

History Highlight: Dr. Robert Brittain and Dr. Oliver Stonington played key roles in the groundbreaking operation, which became the foundation of a world-class transplant program. This milestone marked the Department of Surgery’s reemergence on the global stage and began a new chapter of surgical innovation. Learn more about DOS history, click the link in our first comment.

Research by Jesse Schold, PhD, shows that when transplant centers went back through their records, many African American patients were given higher priority on the waiting list.

Learn more about Schold's research ⬇️

A Race-Inclusive Policy Kept Many Black Patients Off the Kidney Transplant Waiting List. A New Race-Neutral Policy Helped to Close the Gap A race-inclusive policy kept many Black patients off the kidney transplant waiting list. A new race-neutral policy helped to close the gap.

Penny Lester, a retired grandmother, underwent a Whipple procedure conducted by Atsushi Oba, MD, PhD, associate professor of surgical oncology, removing precancerous pancreatic cysts.

"He was very confident in his ability to take care of it. I was really concerned about what my life was going to be like afterward, but he said, ‘You'll just live your life. You'll be OK,’” says Lester.

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Robotic Whipple Procedure and Intraoperative Pancreatoscopy Preserve Pancreatic Function in Patient with Precancerous Pancreatic Cysts Oba collaborated with GI specialists at CU Anschutz to perform intraoperative pancreatoscopy, allowing direct visualization of the pancreatic duct during surgery.

Welcome to the CU Anschutz Department of Surgery! Alan Zambeli-Ljepović, MD, MHS matched on June 17 into the Division of Transplant Surgery's two-year Transplant Fellowship Program for 2027-2029.

Congrats to the Class of 2026! On June 20, the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery and the Department of Anesthesiology gathered at the Denver Botanic Gardens to celebrate six outstanding fellows: Eric Etchill, MD, MPH; Christian Ghincea, MD; Brian Greathouse, MD; Grace Pierce, MD; Kyra Rodi, MD; and Elizabeth Bashian, MD.

These physicians completed their training having worked alongside world-class faculty in cardiac, thoracic, transplant, and critical care — and go on to programs and institutions across the country. We are proud of all they've accomplished and excited to see what comes next.

“It's going to be a great advancement for patient care and getting transplants done," says Michael Rizzari, MD, associate professor of transplant surgery, about OrganOx.

Read more about this new machine ⬇️

New OrganOx Device Means Better Liver Transplants in the CU Anschutz Department of Surgery OrganOx, a device that improves liver transplants by keeping organs warm, made its debut at the CU Department of Surgery in May.