Faculty Research Interests
Surgical Research has expertise, resources, facilities, and environment to conduct research in both the basic and the clinical sciences of trauma and surgical critical care, sepsis, surgical and endocrine oncology, wound healing and abdominal wall reconstruction. Research is multidisciplinary and includes investigators with specialties in surgery, medicine, physiology, pathology, biochemistry, immunology, microbiology, and molecular biology.
Principal investigators supporting major research laboratory efforts in the Department of Surgery are:
Tony Godfrey, PhD, Associate Chair, Surgical Research
Dr. Godfrey’s research is focused on cancer genetics and molecular pathology. Research projects use state-of-the-art genetic and genomic approaches to address clinical needs in the areas of cancer diagnosis, prognosis and therapy. Currently the major focus of Dr. Godfrey’s research is on Barrett’s esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma; a tumor with rapidly increasing incidence in the United States and other western countries. The Godfrey lab works closely with translational research teams comprised of surgeons, pathologists and oncologists in order to develop new molecular approaches to cancer detection, staging and treatment.
See a listing of publication on ResearcherID, a service of the Thomson Reuters (Scientific) Inc.
Arthur Stucchi, PhD, Administrative Director, Surgical Research
Dr. Stucchi’s research examines postoperative wound healing in the peritoneal cavity which is often complicated by unavoidable iatrogenic trauma to serosal tissues. The subsequent inflammatory response can compromise peritoneal fibrinolysis leading to the inevitable formation of intraabdominal adhesions; perhaps the most frequently encountered complication following any abdominal surgery. Research in the Stucchi lab has focused on the very earliest events in the pathophysiology of adhesion formation in order to identify novel pathways for the prevention of this life-threatening complication.
Peter Burke, MD, FACS
As the Chief of Trauma Services at a busy urban Level-I Trauma Center, Dr. Burke is involved in the daily clinical care of a diffuse population of trauma patients. His clinical practice also extends to the provision of surgical ICU care and the management of trauma and surgical patients during their time in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU). The Burke lab focuses on research exploring the molecular events surrounding the response to injury. Specifically looking at transcriptional regulatory mechanisms altered during the injury response. Burke’s clinical research interests involve developing a better understanding of the overall injury response with a special interest in the nutritional needs of trauma and ICU patients. The effects of metabolic and nutritional support on the inflammatory response and there interactions with other ongoing therapies in ICU patient’s remains an area of active and ongoing study.
Jennifer Rosen, MD
Dr. Rosen’s surgical oncology translational research laboratory is focused on improving treatment for patients with thyroid cancer. Research projects use biomedical engineering tools to improve diagnosis of patients with thyroid nodules, and developing new lab-on-a-chip based genomic profiling to bring cancer genetics to the patients’ bedside. The Rosen lab works closely with collaborators in medical-legal partnership, complementary and integrative medicine and health care economics in order to develop improved systems for the care of patients with cancer.
Beda Sarkar, MD, PhD
Dr. Sarkar’s research examines the negative impact of alcohol on survival in sepsis using a murine model. The projects examine the acute phase response generated in the liver as well as neutrophil phagocytic function which clears the bacterial infection.
