{"id":2688,"date":"2012-07-31T10:25:48","date_gmt":"2012-07-31T14:25:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/surgery\/?page_id=2688"},"modified":"2026-04-15T16:56:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T20:56:15","slug":"grasberger-research-symposium","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/surgery\/research\/grasberger-research-symposium\/","title":{"rendered":"Grasberger Research Symposium"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 1990, the Department of Surgery established the Grasberger Research Symposium in memory of Robert C. Grasberger, MD<\/a>, an outstanding graduate of our training program who died in 1987. In recognition of Dr. Grasberger’s academic and research accomplishments, the Grasberger Symposium provides an opportunity for our surgical residents and fellows to present original basic and clinical research.<\/p>\n

2026 Grasberger Symposium\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 2026 Grasberger Research symposium marked the 35th anniversary of this annual event. Vascular surgeon Richard Powell, MD, Director of the Dartmouth Health Heart and Vascular Center and Professor of Surgery and Radiology at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, was our Grasberger Visiting Professor. Dr. Powell\u2019s research interests focus on the economics of vascular care delivery and minimally invasive treatment of vascular disease. He has published numerous studies on the use of gene therapy and stem cells in the treatment of patients with peripheral vascular disease. Dr. Powell has also served as the national or international principal investigator on multiple gene therapy and stem cell therapy clinical trials, including the first in human use of HGF (hepatocyte growth factor) gene therapy to treat patients with critical limb ischemia.<\/p>\n

\"\"Dr. Powell and chief residents<\/p>\n

2025 Grasberger Symposium\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 34th annual Grasberger Research Symposium took place on Friday, March 28, 2025. We welcomed endocrine surgeon Herbert Chen, MD, as our Grasberger Visiting Professor. Dr. Chen is Chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), the Surgeon-in-Chief of the UAB Hospital and Health System, and the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine. He is a Professor of Surgery, of Pediatrics, and of Biomedical Engineering, and holds the Fay Fletcher Kerner Endowed Chair. The daylong event began with grand rounds by Dr. Chen and included oral and poster presentations by residents, fellows, and Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine students. It concluded with a keynote address entitled Success in Academic Surgery.<\/p>\n

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2024 Grasberger Symposium\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

On March 17, we were honored to welcome Shimul Shah, MD, MHCM, FACS, as our 33rd Grasberger Visiting Professor. Dr. Shah is Professor of Surgery and the James and Catherine Orr Endowed Chair of Liver Transplantation at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He began the day with a grand rounds lecture entitled Achieving Access and Equity in Care and ended it with a keynote address: Creating a Culture of Change \u2013 Developing and Growing Teams.<\/p>\n

Residents, fellows, and medical students participated in oral and poster presentations during the daylong symposium.<\/p>\n

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