AVAS Awards

AWARDS

Distinguished Service Awards | Resident Awards | Lloyd Rogers Awards

Best Poster Awards

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD		PRESIDENT'S CITATION		SPECIAL COMMENDATION
1969	J. Paul North	1985	Carl W. Hughes	1982	Ralph F. Bowers
1969	Richard Warren	1986	Mark W. Wolcott	1984	Joseph Weinberg
1970	James Thoroughman	1987	Robert C. Laning	1985	William P. Kleitsch
1971	W.P. Longmire, Jr.	1989	Robert B. Smith III	1985	Raymond Read
1971	Phillip Cooper	1991	Edward Passaro, Jr.	2000	Shukri Khuri
1972	William H. Chardack	1992	Lyndon E. Lee, Jr.	2002	Gerald Aranha
1972	D. Charles Puestow	1993	George L. Irvin	2002	Lawrence Way
1972	Thomas Starzl	1994	William Schulte
1973	Charles Hill	1995	Edward Stemmer
1973	Louis T. Palumbo	1996	James McElhinney
1973	Lloyd S. Rogers	1996	John Stremple
1974	Herbert Hawthorne	1997	John Allison
1974	George A. Higgins	1998	Gerald McDonald
1974	Kean Westphal	2000	John L. Tarpley
1975	Raymond Postlethwait	2001	R. Neil Garrison
1976	Herbert B. Greenlee	2002	Peter J. Fabri
1977	H. Earl Gordon	2005	Thomas R. Russell
1979	Paul H. Jordan	2007	Wayne H. Schwesinger
1980	Andrew A. Gage	2008	Shukri Khuri
1981	J. Engelbert Dunphy	2008	William Henderson
2000	Michael E. DeBakey	2009	Richard W. Kieffer
2000	Bill Henderson	2009	Richard F. Kieffer, Jr.
2000	Jennifer Daley
2004	Jack Feussner
2004	Olga Jonasson
2007	Raymond C. Read
2009	Thomas R. Gadacz
2010	Ralph G. DePalma

RESIDENT AWARDS

1972		R. Klugo (Boston, MA)	"Inguinal Seminal Vesiculectomy for Refractory Pain”
1973		J. Adwers (Omaha, NE)	“Adjuvant Treatment of Blunt Pancreatic Trauma”
1974		F. Parsa (Los Angeles, CA)	“Intra-Operative Antibiotics: The Prevention of Experimental Dacron Graft Infection”
1975		C.K. Loh (Bronx, NY)	“Interaction of Dephenylhydantoin and Cardiac Glycosides on Potassium Flux, Tension and Transmembrane Potential in Atrial Myocardium”
1976		D.E. Fry (Louisville, KY)	“Experimental Studies on Peritonitis”
1978		M. H. Gertner (Philadelphia, PA)	“Implications of Malnutrition in the Surgical Patient”
1979		L.B. Nelson (Salt Lake City, UT)	“The Effect of PEEP on Oxygen Consumption”
		A.S. Gervin (Tucson, AZ)	“Etiology and Prevention of Intra-Abdominal Adhesions”
1980		D. Buchbinder (Albany, NY)	“Use of Hypertonic Mannitol in the prevention of the Revascularization Syndrome Following Acute Arterial Ischemia”
1981		K.M. Dalessandri (Martinez, CA)	“Criteria for Lumbar Sympathectomy: Distal Arterial Obstruction”
1982		E. Asher (Louisville, KY)	“Endotoxin, Cellular Function and Nutrient Bloodflow”
1983		M. Stirling (Ann Arbor, MI)	“Dissociation of the Pressor and Cerebral Protective Effects of Neosynephrine”
1984	Clinical	G.I. Ivey (Nashville, TN)	“Renal Transplantation: A 20 Year Experience in a VA Medical Center”
	Basic	E. S. Weinstein (Cleveland, OH)	“Experimental Myocardial Ischemia: Differential of Mitochondrial Subpopulation”
1985	Clinical	F. W. Knight (Shreveport, LA)	“Nerve Injuries During Carotid Endarterectomy”
	Basic	M.C. Townsend (Cleveland, OH)	“Hepatic Microsomal ATP-See Activity and Mitrochrondrial Subpopulations”
	Basic	D.A. Goller (San Diego, CA)	"Transmucosal Electrical Potential as an Early Marker in Large Bowel Cancer”
1986	Clinical	D.H. Hafner (Decatur, GA)	“Massive Intracerebral Hemorrhage Following Carotid Endarterectomy”
	Basic	W. J. Schirmer (Cleveland, OH)	“Galactose Elimination Kinetics in Sepsis: Correlations of Liver Blood Flow with Function”
	Basic	T. S. Velky (San Diego, CA)	“Peritoneal Accumulation of Infused Stroma-Free Hemoglobin: A Potential Toxicity of an Oxygen-Carrying Substitute”
1987	Clinical	M. Hickman (San Antonio, TX)	“Acute Cholecystitis in the Diabetic: A Case-Controlled Study of Outcome”
	Basic	M. Basson (West Haven, CT)	“Pepsin Release by Prostaglandin El Analogue: A Potential Therapeutic Problem”
1988	Clinical	S. H. Silverman (Gainesville, FL)	“Secondary Femoral-Distal Bypass”
	Basic	W. E. Longo (West Haven, CT)	“The Hindgut is a Foregut Cybernin: PYY Release From the Isolated Perfused Left Colon”
1989	Clinical	J. W. Bolton (Columbia, SC)	“The Reliability and Validity of Spirometric Measures of Pulmonary Function”
	Basic	P. E. Savoca (West Haven, CT)	“PYY Release by Short-Claim Fatty Acids: Evidence of Human Colonic Evolution”
1990	Clinical	J. W. Baker (Buffalo, NY)	“Detection of Primary Colorectal Carcinomas With Indium III Monoclonal Antibody B72.3”
	Basic	J. R. Gosche (Louisville, KY)	“Glucose Induced Absorptive Hyperemia Reverses Intestinal Blood Flow During E.Coli Bacteremia in the Rat”
1991	Clinical	C. V. Godellas (Tampa, FL)	“Hepatic Function After Porto-Systemic Shunt”
	Clinical	T. Reifsnyder (Milwaukee, WI)	“Use of Stress Thallium Imaging to Stratify Cardiac Risk in Patients Undergoing Vascular Surgery”
	Basic	D. N. Armstrong (West Haven, CT)	“Erythromycin Directly Stimulates Small Bowel Motility by a Non-Neural L-Type Calcium Channel Mediated Mechanism”
1992	Basic	R. Brodish (Cincinnati, OH)	“Peptide YY Inhibits Pancreatic Exocrine Secretion by an Intrapancreatic Cholinergic Pathway”
	Basic	S. J. Ferzoco (West Haven, CT)	“Counter-Regulation of a Prokinetic Calcium- Dependent Agents in Isolated Segments of Terminal Ileum is Non-Neurally Mediated”
1993	Clinical	T. A. Salam (Atlanta, GA)	“Subclavian Artery Revascularization: A Decade of Experience with Extrathoracic Bypass Procedures”
	Basic	B.W. Kuvshinoff (Sepulveda, CA)	“Extrapancreatic Cholinergic Nerves Mediate Cholecystokinin-Stimulated Pancreatic Polypeptide Release”
1994	Clinical	D. Begos (West Haven, CT)	“Laparoscopic Colon and Rectal Surgery at a VA Hospital”
	Basic	G. P. Lawton (West Haven, CT)	“Modulation of Enterochomaffin-Like Cell Histamine Secretion Via a B-Adrenergic Mechanism and the Mast Cell Inhibitor Sodium Cromoglycate”
1995	Clinical	D.A. Lipski (Louisville, KY)	“The Impact of Early Duplex Scanning After Carotid Endarterectomy”
	Basic	J. C. Cendan (Gainesville, FL)	“Inflammatory Mediators Stimulate Arginine Transport and Arginine-Derived Nitric Oxide Production in a Murine Breast Cancer Cell Line”
1996	Basic	D. A. Coe (Milwaukee, WI)	“Pentoxifylline (PTX) Prevents Endothelial Damage Due to Ischemia and Reperfusion Injury”
	Clinical	J. Watkins (Boston, MA)	“Hemorrhagic Shock”
1997	Basic	D. Denham (Tampa, FL)	“TNF but not IL-1 Decreases Pancreatic Acinar Cell Survival Without Affecting Exocrine Function: A Study in the Perfused Human Pancreas”
	Basic	J.J. Grange (Omaha, NE)	“Homocysteine is Mitogenic in Human Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells”
1998	Basic	C. F. Bratton (Boston, MA)	“IL-8 Synthesis by Human Microvascular Endothelial Cells During Ischemia/Perfusion”
	Clinical	A. C. Chang (Nashville, TN)	“The Utility of Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing Following Cardiac Transplantation in Older Patients”
1999	Basic	E.M. Grossmann (St. Louis, MO)	“Clostridium Difficile Toxin Stimulates Lactate Dehydrogenase Release Through the Interleukin-1 Receptor”
	Basic	T. Yen (Seattle, WA)	“Characterization of a New Pancreatic Cell Responsible For Fibrogenesis”
2000	Basic	C.D. Leville (Milwaukee, WI)	“Shear Force Regulates Metalloproteinase Activity In Perfused Human Saphenous Vein Organ Culture”
	Basic	E.K. Ng (Chicago, IL)	“Decreased Type IV Collagenase Activity in Experimental Pancreatic Fibrosis”
	Clinical	R. Schaeffer (St. Louis, MO)	“Impact of A Case Manager on Cardiac Evaluation of The Vascular Patient” Houston, TX
	Clinical	L. Gordon (Dallas, TX)	“Minimally Invasive Management of Mediastinal Parathyroid Tumors During a Ten-Year Period”
2001	Clinical	S. Kanaan (Chicago, IL)	“Preoperative Risk Factors for Conversion of Laparoscopic to Open Cholecystectomy”
	Basic	P. Bloomston (Tampa, FL)	“Timp-1 Over Expression In Pancreatic Cancer Attenuates Tumor Growth, Decreases Implantation and Metastasis, and Inhibits Angiogenesis”
2002	Clinical	J. Curry-Chapman (Chicago, IL)	“Incidence of Recurrent or Persistent Dysphagia after Laparoscopic Heller Myotomy Is Decreased Using Operative Endoscopy and Manometry”
	Basic	Y. Carter (Tampa, FL)	“HSP-72 and p38 MAPK Involvement In The Induction f Tolerance By Sublethal Hemorrhage”
2003	Clinical	P. Hodul (Maywood, IL)	“The Effect of Preoperative Biliary Stenting (PBS) on Postoperative Complications Following Pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD)”
	Basic	A. Durkin (Tampa, FL)	“Inhibition of EGF Receptor by Novel Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Produces Cell Death in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma”
2004	Clinical	B. Miller (Dallas, TX)	"Prevalence Of Malignancy Within Cytologically Indeterminate Thyroid Nodules"
	Basic	J. van der Voort van Zyp (Detroit, MI)	“Extracellular Pressure Stimulates Colon Cancer Cell Adhesion in Vitro and to Surgical Wounds by SRC Activation”
2005	Clinical	J.S. Schrager (Nashville, TN)	“Endoscopic Ultrasound and its Impact on Survival in Patients with Esophageal Cancer"
	Basic	S. Farley (Los Angeles, CA)	“UV-Induced DNA Damage Increases Menin Protein Expression and Association with Activator of S-Phase Kinase (ASK)”
2006	Clinical	SH Gray (Birmingham, AL)	“Predictors Of Timely Antibiotic Administration For Surgical Site Infection Prevention”
	Basic	J van der Voort van Zyp (Detroit, MI)	“Extracellular Pressure Stimulates Sw620 Colon Cancer Cell Adhesion In Vitro By Paxillin Activation”
2007	Basic	A. Ucuzian (Maywood, IL)	“PDGF-BB And FGF-2 Induced Vascular SMC Invasion Of Fibrin Based Hydrogels For Tissue Engineering - The Relative Role Of Proliferation”
	Clinical	KY Bilimoria (Chicago, IL)	“Does The VA Compare? Quality Of Pancreatic Cancer Care At VA Vs. Non-VA Hospitals”
2008	Basic	M. Hogg (Chicago, IL)	“Sex And Hormones - Novel Factors Found To Influence Nitric Oxide And Vascular Smooth Muscle Proliferation”
	Basic	T. Flanigan (Detroit, MI)	“Supraphysiologic Extracellular Pressure Inhibits Intestinal Epithelial Wound Healing Independently Of Luminal Nutrient Flow”
	Clinical	D. Monohan (Miami, FL)	“Port-A-Cath Placement Without Fluoroscopy In 790 Patients”
	Clinical	S. Novis (Chicago, IL)	“Stopping The Clot: Prevention Of Thromboembolic Events In Surgical Patients Through The Creation And Implementation Of An Electronic Medical Record-Based Risk Assessment Program”
2009	Basic	A. Vavra (Chicago, IL)	“Inhibition of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation by S-nitrosoglutathione is reversed by the addition of Ascorbic Acid”
	Clinical	C. Balentine (Houston, TX)	“Management and Outcomes of the Open Abdomen in Elderly Non-Trauma Patients”
	Clinical	P. Yoo (New Haven, CT)	“Fate of Non-Designated Preliminary General Surgery Residents Seeking A Categorical Residency Position”
2010	Basic	G. Havelka (Chicago, IL)	“Mechanism Underlying The Differential Efficacy Of Nitric Oxide Based On Sex And Hormone Status”
	Basic	ZM Edmond (Chicago, IL)	“A Novel Therapy: Atraumatic Atherosclerotic Plaque Debulking”
	Clinical	J. Chin (Chicago, IL)	“Evaluation Of Hyperspectral Technology For Assessing The Presence And Severity Of PAD”
	Clinical	J. Fronza (Indianapolis, IN)	“A Single Institution’s Experience With Revisional Bariatric Surgery”
	Quickshot	C. Balentine (Houston, TX)	“Predicting Recovery Versus Need For Additional Therapy In Colorectal Surgery Patients”
	Quickshot	RJ Aragon (Loma Linda, CA)	“Antibiotic Irrigation Does Not Reduce Wound Infection Rate In Major Clean-Contaminated Colorectal Surgery. Results From A Prospective, Randomized, Double Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial”
2011	Basic	Z Kanaan (Louisville, KY)	“Altered Expression Of mir-146a, mir-9, and mir-142-3p In Microbial Tolerance In A Novel Chronic Peritonitis Model”
	Basic	E Gregory (Chicago, IL)	“Antioxidants Modulate the Antiproliferative Effect of Nitric Oxide on Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells and Adventitial Fibroblasts by Regulating Oxidative Stress”
	Clinical	C. Balentine (Houston, TX)	“Identifying Risk Factors For Readmission Following Colorectal Surgery”
	Clinical	A Coulter (Buffalo, NY)	“The Impact of a Tailored Preoperative Multidisciplinary Meeting in Patients with Very High Surgical Risk on Reducing VASQIP Mortality: “The Real Preoperative Huddle”
	Quickshot	J Kim (Houston, TX)	“Predictors Of Relaparotomy After Non-Trauma Emergency General Surgery With Initial Fascial Closure”
	Student	J Manning (Gainesville, FL)	“Elevated Wall Tension Impedes Vein Bypass Graft Remodeling”

LLOYD ROGERS AWARDS

1999	S. Surowiec (Decatur, GA)	A New Perfusion Culture System Used to Study Human Vein
2000	T. Genuit (Baltimore, MD)	Gender Differences in Trauma: Male Gender is Associated with Increased Pneumonia and Resource Utilization
2001	L.J. Wudel (Nashville, TN)	Prevention of Gallstone Formation in Morbidly Obese Patients Undergoing Rapid Weight Loss: Results of a Randomized Controlled Pilot Study
2002	L.J. Wudel, Jr. (Nashville, TN)	BALB/c Mice Demonstrate Multi-Organ Inflammation after Hepatic Cryoablation
2003	C. Schmidt (Nashville, TN)	Dysregulation of E-cadherin by Oncogenic RAS in Intestinal Epithelial Cells
2004	A. Durkin (Tampa, FL)	Gene Expression Profiling In Patients With Familial Pancreatic Cancer Identifies Significant Differentially Regulated Genes
2005	K.R. Finan (Birmingham, AL)	Predictors of Wound Infection in Ventral Hernia Repair
2006	S Farley (Los Angeles, CA)	Menin Intramolecular Interaction Regulates TGF-ß Signaling
2007	KE Brown (Chicago, IL)	Carotid Artery Stenting Performed Exclusively In A Veteran’s Population: One Center’s Experience With Midterm Results
2008	V McCray (Fresno, CA)	Effects Of Diesel Exhaust Chemicals On Wound Healing In A Diabetic Mouse Model
2009	M Hogg (Chicago, IL)	Endothelial Cells and Nitric Oxide: Males Live Free and Females Die Hard
2010	A Hayman (Chicago, IL)	From Worst to First: Improving Colorectal Cancer Care at the VA
2011	G Havelka (Chicago, IL)	Adventitial Contributions of the ERK and Akt Pathways To Neointimal Hyperplasia

BEST POSTER AWARDS

2002	J. McDowell	Nashville, TN	“Noninvasive Detection of Mesenteric Ischemia using a Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID)”
2003	M. Kown	Palo Alto, CA	“A Comparison of the Utilization of Antireflux at a Single VA Facility to the National VA Trend”
2004	E. Nguyen	Houston, TX	“The Challenge of Detecting Gangrenous Cholecystitis in Patients with Acute Cholecystitis. Can a Predictive Equation be Helpful?”
2005	L.P. Brewster	Chicago, IL	“Management of Advserse Surgical Events: A Structured Education Module for Residents”
2006	AR Hatmaker	Nashville, TN	“Cost Effective Use Of Breast Biopsy Techniques”
2007	J Jean-Claude	Cleveland, OH	“Short Term Results Of A Single Site Infrainguinal Silverhawk Atherectomy”
2008	A Lenz	Louisville, KY	"Transient Liver Injury In A Murine Model Of Chronic Klebsiella Peritonitis"
2009	H Kaafarani	West Roxbury, MA	“Can Administrative Data Be Used to Measure Surgical Adverse Events? Validating the ICD-9-CM Based Patient Safety Indicators”