Members in the News

Dr. Tyler Hughes Is Named Dean of KU School of Medicine-Salina

Tyler G. Hughes, MD, FACS, ACS First Vice-President-Elect, has been appointed dean of the University of Kansas (KU) School of Medicine-Salina.

Previously, Dr. Hughes was a clinical professor of surgery and director of medical education at KU. He also served as a rural surgeon in McPherson, KS, for many years.

In his new role, Dr. Hughes plans to share his passion for surgery and practicing in rural communities.

Dr. Hughes has been a longtime leader in the College, including in advocating for rural surgeons. A Fellow of the College since 1986, Dr. Hughes is Immediate-Past ACS Secretary and Editor of the ACS Communities. He was instrumental in establishing the Advisory Council for Rural Surgery and chaired the council. He also served on the Board of Governors (BoG) and was a member of the BoG Committee on Socioeconomic Issues, Communications Pillar, Continuing Education Workgroup, Newsletter Workgroup, and Surgical Volunteerism and Humanitarian Awards Workgroup. At the local level, Dr. Hughes is Past-President of the ACS Kansas Chapter (2006−2007) and Past-Chair of the Kansas Credentials Committee.

Dr. Kenneth Sharp Takes Over as SSA President

ACS Regent Kenneth W. Sharp, MD, FACS, professor of surgery in the Department of Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) in Nashville, TN, was named president of the Southern Surgical Association (SSA).

Dr. Sharp joined VUMC in 1984 and served as chief of the Division of General Surgery from 1995 to 2011. He is vice-chair of faculty promotion and development for the Section of Surgical Sciences and chair of the section’s promotion committee.

For the ACS, Dr. Sharp has served in various leadership roles. He has been a Regent since 2018, participating in the regental Bylaws, Anti-Racism, and Member Services Liaison Committees. He previously was a Governor (2000–2006), and currently is a member of the Clinical Congress Program Committee. In addition, Dr. Sharp has been on the ACS Foundation Board of Directors and Advisory Council for General Surgery. At the local level, Dr. Sharp is a Past-President for the ACS Tennessee Chapter.

Dr. Ivar Mendez Is Appointed to the Order of Canada

Ivar Mendez, MD, PhD, FACS, FRCSC, was appointed to the Order of Canada by Mary Simon, the governor general of Canada. According to the citation, Dr. Mendez received the honor “for his pioneering work in the use of remote telemedicine and robotics to revolutionize the delivery of health and patient care in Canada and worldwide.”

A former ACS Governor for Saskatchewan, he is an internationally recognized expert in the field of functional neurosurgery, brain repair, stem cells, robotic neurosurgery, and computerized systems in neurosurgical applications. In 2002, Dr. Mendez and his team performed the first long-distance telementoring neurosurgery in the world and, in 2013, he reported the first experience in remote programming for neuromodulation devices.

Dr. Mendez is the Fred H. Wigmore Professor and provincial head of the Department of Surgery at the University of Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan Health Authority in Saskatoon.

The Order of Canada is one of the country’s highest honors, recognizing individuals from across all sectors of society who have made extraordinary and sustained contributions to Canada.

Dr. Robert Uzzo Is New President, CEO of Fox Chase Cancer Center

Robert Uzzo, MD, MBA, FACS, was named president and CEO of Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, PA, following a period of interim leadership. In addition, Dr. Uzzo assumes the roles of executive vice-president of cancer services for Temple University Health System and senior associate dean of clinical cancer research at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple, also in Philadelphia. Along with these new roles, he remains the G. Willing “Wing” Pepper Chair in Cancer Research.

In the year leading to his formal appointment, Dr. Uzzo’s leadership advanced Fox Chase’s clinical, operational, research, and financial performance. As interim CEO, he and his management teams led Fox Chase to double-digit increases in new patient volumes, setting the institution on track for the highest number of new patient visits, operating room cases, and radiation starts in its more-than 100-year history.

Dr. Surennaidoo Naiken Receives Highest Ukrainian Honor for Humanitarian Work

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, awarded the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, V Degree, to Surennaidoo P. Naiken, MD, FACS, FEBS, for his philanthropic work in lending aid to healthcare institutions in Ukraine during the ongoing Russian invasion. This distinction is the highest order that Ukraine awards foreign citizens for outstanding charitable, humanistic, and public activities.

Dr. Naiken is the founding president of Humanitarian for Empowerment, which has worked closely with the Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Health to coordinate shipments of medical supplies to the war-torn country and helped in the reconstruction and modernization of healthcare facilities in Ukraine. With the leadership of Dr. Naiken, Humanitarian for Empowerment has entered a formal collaboration with the Permanent Mission of Ukraine in Geneva, Switzerland, to develop better and safer care for patients in hospitals.

Prof. Bello Bala Shehu Becomes President of CAANS

Bello Bala Shehu, MBBS, FACS, recently was elected president of the Continental Association of African Neurosurgical Societies (CAANS).

Dr. Shehu is an ACS Fellow, as well as a fellow in the West African College of Surgery, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria. He also has served as the chief medical director of National Hospital in Abuja, Nigeria, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital in Sokoto, Nigeria, and Federal Medical Centre in Birnin Kebbi, Nigeria.
CAANS is one of the five Continental Associations of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies, which includes the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.

Dr. Bartlomiej Nierzwicki Joins Illinois State Medical Board

Bartlomiej L. Nierzwicki, MD, FACS, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon in Chicago, IL, recently was appointed as a member of the restructured Illinois State Medical Board.

Dr. Nierzwicki has operated his own practice in Chicago for more than 20 years. He also is a clinical instructor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, IL. In addition to being an ACS Fellow, Dr. Nierzwicki is a fellow with the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, and American Dental Society of Anesthesiology. 

Have you or an ACS member you know achieved a notable career highlight recently? If so, send any potential contributions to Jen Bagley, MA, Bulletin Editor-in-Chief, at jbagley@facs.org. Submissions will be printed based on content type and space available.