FACULTY ACHIEVEMENTS & RECOGNITIONS

Tom Varghese, Jr. MD, MS, MBA, FACS, was named the President-Elect of the Society of University Surgeons (SUS). He is only the second thoracic surgeon to be named to this position in the history of the organization. Founded in 1938, the SUS is the premier organization for academic surgeons in the U.S. This is an incredible honor for Varghese, the Department of Surgery and the University of Utah.

Ram Nirula, MD, MPH was recently nominated by several academic surgeons across the country to be inducted as a member of the American Surgical Association (ASA). The ASA is the nation's oldest and most prestigious surgical organization. "I am honored to be part of a group of dedicated surgeon-scientists who have made significant contributions to the advancement of the surgical sciences and care of the surgical patient,” Nirula said about the announcement.

Bartley Pickron, MD was accepted to the American College of Surgeons – Surgeons as Educators Course.  This is a competitive course to get into and will prepare him to serve as the Fellowship Director for the upcoming Colorectal Fellowship. 

Toby Enniss, MD, MBA graduated with an MBA from the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah and was awarded the 2022-2023 Outstanding Graduate Award based on his academic performance and co-curricular achievements. 

Brigitte Smith, MD, MHPE, FACS, FSVS, was named to the Board of Directors of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) 

Katie Russell, MD was recently accepted into the American College of Surgeons, Future Trauma Leaders Program from a highly competitive pool of applicants. As one of five accepted into this program, Dr. Russell will receive in-depth training and mentoring from the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS COT) for two years.