Department of Surgery

The UI Department of Surgery provides high-level care to patients with medical and surgical needs and serves as a tertiary care referral center for ambulatory patients.

UI Hospitals and Clinics is home to one of only two resource trauma centers in Iowa, the only American College of Surgeons verified burn center in the state, and the state’s only liver and heart transplant programs.

The department has seven divisions:

• Transplantation
• Pediatric
• Vascular
• Plastic and Reconstructive
• Surgical Oncology and Endocrine
• Gastrointestinal, Minimally Invasive and Bariatric
• Trauma, Critical Care, Burns and Emergency General Surgery

Ronald Weigel, MD
319-353-7474
ronald-weigel@uiowa.edu

For consultation or referral, or to obtain information on patients, please call UI Consult toll-free at 1-800-322-8442.

Consultations are facilitated by mailing or faxing pertinent clinical information in advance, if possible.  Please direct department and division addressed correspondence to:

Department of  Surgery
1504 John Colloton Pavilion
200 Hawkins Drive
Iowa City, IA 52242-1086

The Department of Surgery Web page is http://www.healthcare.uiowa.edu/surgery/

Divisions

Transplant Surgery

Acting Chief: Daniel A. Katz, MD

The Abdominal Solid Organ Transplant Division is both a multi-organ and multidisciplinary service.  In addition to transplant surgeons, the team includes specialists in nephrology, hepatology, infectious diseases, cardiology, pulmonology, pharmacy, nursing and social work. Transplant services include:

• kidney
• pancreas
• liver

In addition to transplantation services, the division offers vascular access for dialysis and complete care for patients with complex hepatobiliary problems including portal hypertension, biliary strictures, and hepatic neoplasms.

Chief: Joel Shilyansky, MD

Pediatric surgeons are trained and equipped to diagnose and manage almost every surgical problem of the fetus and newborn baby, as well as the infant and child.  Patients range in age from premature infants through late adolescence and, for some children with complicated problems, into young adulthood.  Special expertise is available in areas ranging from the corrections of life-threatening birth defects in the newborn to various surgical diseases of infancy and childhood.  In addition, the pediatric surgeons employ the use of the da Vinci robotic surgical system.  The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit provides highly specialized care for critically ill infants and children.

Chief: Jamal J. Hoballah, MD

The vascular surgery section provides evaluation and treatment of patients with all arterial and venous problems excluding those of the coronary and intracranial circulation. Major areas of research interest include:

• intimal hyperplasia
• vascular stenting
• thrombolytic therapy
• lower extremity revascularization
• endovascular surgery
• cardiac assessment of peripheral vascular patients

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Acting Chief: Ronald J. Weigel, MD, PhD

The field of Plastic Surgery provides reconstructive and cosmetic treatment to patients ranging from congenital deformities in newborns to reconstructive procedures in the very elderly. The specialty covers the whole spectrum of anatomy including preoperative, operative, and post-operative management. Plastic Surgery procedures include:

• debridement and grafting of burns
• hand contracture releases on burn patients
• pelvic reconstruction
• myocutaneous flap closure of pressure ulcers
• reconstruction for chest wall and abdominal wall defects
• breast reconstruction and reduction
• gynecomastia
• scar revision
• cosmetic procedures

Chief: James R. Howe, MD

Surgical Oncology

The John and Mary Pappajohn Clinical Cancer Center in the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center exists for the treatment of patients with both solid tumors and hematologic malignancies.  The Clinical Cancer Center provides dedicated clinic and inpatient apace.  It is staffed by and interdisciplinary team composed of specialists from areas including surgery, internal medicine, and radiation oncology.

Endocrine Surgery

Endocrine Surgery is involved with the evaluation and treatment of patients with diseases of the thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal glands and endocrine pancreas.  Endocrine surgeons perform minimally invasive parathyroidectomies with intraoperative PTH assays, and laparoscopic adrenalectomies.

Gastrointestinal, Minimally Invasive Bariatric Surgery

Acting Chief: G. Patrick Kealey, MD

The gastrointestinal surgery section is an integral part of the James A. Clifton Center for Digestive Diseases, a multidisciplinary association of the specialties of gastrointestinal surgery adult and pediatric gastroenterology, pediatric surgery, radiology, and pathology. The section includes specialists with expertise in:

• esophagogastric
• pancreaticobiliary
• colorectal
• bariatric surgery

Division of Trauma, Critical Care, Burns and Emergency General Surgery

Chief: G. Patrick Kealey, MD

Section of Trauma and Surgical Critical Care

Section Director: Dionne Skeete, MD

The Trauma and Surgical Critical Care section consists of faculty members with a special interest in the care of the severely injured. UI Hospitals and Clinics is an American College of Surgeons verified Level I Trauma Center. As a Level I Trauma Center with pediatric commitment, UI Hospitals and Clinics serves as a major referral center for critically injured adult and pediatric patients, admitting more than 1400 patients for traumatic injuries each year. Resources include a trauma registry, multidisciplinary trauma teaching conferences, and collaborative research with the UI Injury Prevention Center. In the Surgical Intensive Care Unit, surgeons and anesthesiologist cooperate to provide optimum care for severely injured or sick surgical patients.

Section of Burn Treatment

Section Director: Barbara Latenser, MD

The Burn Treatment Center is a component of the UI Hospitals and Clinics’ comprehensive program for patients with trauma and injuries. Outpatient burn care is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Burn Treatment Center features a positive pressure isolation room and hydrotherapy facility. The Burn Treatment Center is an American Burn Association and American College of Surgeons verified burn center. The center annually admits about 260 patients with major burns and 100 patients with major soft tissue infections. Most of Iowa’s patients with extensive burns are sent to the center for care. Outpatient burn care is available 24 hours a day, with an average of 1,800 patient visits per year.