The Operative Word
Episodes
E42: Results of an American College of Surgeons Prospective National Quality Improvement Collaborative to Successfully Overcome Barriers to Cancer Care Across the US
26 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Thomas K Varghese, Jr, MD, FACS, is joined by Laurie J Kirstein, MD, FACS, from Memorial Sloan Kettering. They discuss Dr Kirstein’...
E41: Identifying Diagnostic Gaps and Mitigation Strategies for Older Adult Emergency General Surgery Patients: A Scoping Review
26 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Lillian Erdahl, MD, FACS, is joined by Jessica Liu, MD, MS, MPH, from the Department of Surgery, Harbor UCLA Medical Center. They dis...
E40: From Surgeon Well-Being to Artificial Intelligence: 2025 Highlights
29 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, JACS Editor-in-Chief Tom Varghese, MD, FACS, and Digital Media Editor Lillian Erdahl, MD, FACS, review 6 impactful articles from the ...
E39: Postoperative Pain Management in the US vs Low- and Middle-Income Countries by US Surgeons
20 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Tom Varghese, MD, FACS, is joined by Ziad Sifri, MD, FACS, from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, and Matthew Linz, MD, from Rutgers...
E38: What About the Coach? Mixed-Methods Study Assessing the Experience of Coaches in a Peer Surgical Coaching Program
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Lillian Erdahl, MD, FACS, is joined by Eilidh Gunn, MBChB MRCSEd, from the Surgical Sabermetrics Laboratory at the University of Edin...
E37: Expanding the Public Health Role of Pediatric Trauma Centers: Drug Screening for Adolescent Trauma Patients
25 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Lillian Erdahl, MD, FACS, is joined by Jordan Rook, MD, from UCLA, and Lorraine Kelley-Quon, MD, FACS, from Children’s Hospital Los...
E36: Association of Discharge Against Medical Advice with Surgical Outcomes and Healthcare Cost
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Tom Varghese, MD, FACS, is joined by Timothy Pawlik, MD, FACS, from The Ohio State University. They discuss Dr Pawlik’s recent arti...
E35: Association of State Helmet Laws with Helmet Use and Injury Outcomes in Motorcycle Crashes
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Lillian Erdahl, MD, FACS, is joined by Stephanie M Jensen, MD, MPH, and A Britt Christmas, MD, MBA, FACS, from the Carolinas Medical ...
E34: Evaluating Outcomes of Initial Site Visits Across American College of Surgeons Accreditation Programs
19 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Tom Varghese, MD, FACS, is joined by Brett Johnson, MD, and Clifford Ko, MD, FACS, from the American College of Surgeons (ACS). They ...
E33: Limited or Lasting: Is Preoperative Weight Loss as Part of Prehabilitation Maintained after Open Ventral Hernia Repair?
22 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Tom Varghese, MD, FACS, is joined by Todd Heniford, MD, FACS, and Alexis Holland, MD, from the Carolinas Medical Center. They discuss...
E32: Validation of Artificial Intelligence-Based POTTER Calculator in Emergency General Surgery Patients Undergoing Laparotomy: Prospective, Bi-Institutional Study
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Tom Varghese, MD, FACS, is joined by Haytham Kaafarani, MD, MPH, FACS, and Vahe Panossian, MD, from the Department of Surgery, Massac...
E31: American College of Surgeons Cancer Programs Annual Report from 2021 Participant User File
20 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Lillian Erdahl, MD, FACS, is joined by Judy Boughey, MD, FACS, from the Mayo Clinic Rochester Department of Surgery. They discuss Dr ...
E30: Cost-Effectiveness of Nonoperative Management vs Upfront Laparoscopic Appendectomy for Pediatric Uncomplicated Appendicitis Over 1 Year
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Lillian Erdahl, MD, FACS, is joined by Peter C Minneci, MD, FACS, MHSc, from the Department of Surgery, Nemours Children’s Health, ...
E29: Refractory and Recurrent Idiopathic Granulomatous Mastitis Treatment: Adaptive, Randomized Clinical Trial
19 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Lillian Erdahl, MD, FACS, is joined by Fatemeh Shojaeian, MD, MPH, from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. They discuss...
E28: Protective Effects of Authenticity Against Depression, Suicide, and Burnout among Surgeons
21 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Lillian Erdahl, MD, FACS, is joined by Jessica Ching, MD, from the Baylor College of Medicine. They discuss Dr Ching’s recent artic...
E27: Association of Daily Step Count and Postoperative Complication among All of Us Research Participants
14 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Tom Varghese, MD, MS, MBA, FACS, is joined by Anai N Kothari MD, FACS, MS, FSSO, from the Medical College of Wisconsin. They discuss ...
E26: Contemporary Evaluation of Work-Life Integration and Well-being in US Surgical Residents: A National Mixed-Methods Study
19 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Tom Varghese, MD, MS, MBA, FACS, is joined by Lauren M Janczewski, MD, MS, from Northwestern University, and Yue-Yung Hu, MD, MPH, FA...
E25: Association of National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer Accreditation with Outcomes after Rectal Cancer Surgery
15 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Tom Varghese, MD, FACS is joined by Calista M Harbaugh, MD, MSc, from the University of Michigan. They discuss Dr Harbaugh’s recent...
E24: Sustaining Lifelong Competency of Surgeons: Multimodality Empowerment Personal and Institutional Strategy
17 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Lillian Erdahl, MD, FACS is joined by Todd Rosengart, MD, FACS, from the Baylor College of Medicine. They discuss Dr Rosengart’s re...
E23: Home Is Not Always Where the Sleep Is: The Effect of Home Call on Sleep, Burnout, and Surgeon Well-Being
20 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Tom Varghese, MD, FACS is joined by Jamie Coleman, MD, FACS, from the University of Louisville. They discuss Dr Coleman’s recent ar...
E22: Expeditionary Surgeons: Essential to Surgical Leadership in World War II and Today
16 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Tom Varghese, MD, FACS is joined by Jeremy Cannon, MD, SM, FACS, from the University of Pennsylvania. They discuss Dr Cannon’s Exce...
E21: Social Determinants of Outcomes Disparity among Pediatric Solid Tumor Patients
18 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Lillian Erdahl, MD, FACS is joined by Dai Chung, MD, FACS, from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. They discuss Dr ...
E20: Anchors Aweigh! The History of Women Surgeons at Sea
21 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Lillian Erdahl, MD, FACS is joined by Amy Hernandez, MD, FACS, from the Department of Surgery, Naval Medical Center San Diego. They d...
E19: Practical and Ethical Guidelines for the Involvement of Trainees in Global Surgery:
15 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Lillian Erdahl, MD, FACS, is joined by Erin M Scott, MD, MPH, from the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School. They discuss ...
E18: Diverticulitis Familiality: A Statewide Case-Control Study
18 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr Tom Varghese is joined by Jessica Cohan, MD, FACS, from the University of Utah. They discuss Dr Cohan’s recent study, which used...
E17: Novel Form of Breast Intraoperative Radiation Therapy with CT-Guided High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy: Interim Results of a Prospective Phase II Clinical Trial
09 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr Jamie Coleman is joined by Shayna Showalter, MD, from the University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA. They dis...
E16: Comprehensive Cost Implications of Commercially Available Noninvasive Colorectal Cancer Screening Modalities
05 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr Dante Yeh is joined by Casey Allen, MD, from the Institute of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, Allegheny Health Network, Pi...
E15: Operationalizing the Culture of Burnout and Well-Being: Multicenter Study of Value Congruence and Flourishing in General Surgery Residency
07 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr. Jamie Coleman is joined by Carter Lebares, MD, FACS, from the Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco. They...
E14: Leadership and Imposter Syndrome in Surgery
03 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr Dante Yeh is joined by Lola Fayanju, MD, MA, MPHS, FACS, from The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. They discuss Dr Fa...
E13: Quantifying the Prognostic Value of Preoperative Surgeon Intuition: Comparing Surgeon Intuition and Clinical Risk Prediction as Derived from the American College of Surgeons NSQIP Risk Calculator
06 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr Dante Yeh is joined by Gabriel Brat, MD, FACS, MPH and Jayson Marwaha, MD, MBI, from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston,...
E12: COVID Vaccination Status and Operative Outcomes after Kidney Transplantation
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr Jamie Coleman is joined by Bradley Kushner, MD, from the Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis. They discuss Dr Kushn...
E11: Severe Increase in Nursing Labor Cost and Effect on Surgical Department Financial Margins at an Academic, Tertiary Medical Center
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr Jamie Coleman is joined by Clayton Brinster, MD, FACS, from Ochsner Health. They discuss his study, which demonstrates a significa...
E10: Truth of Colorectal Enhanced Recovery Programs: Process Measure Compliance in 151 Hospitals
06 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr. Dante Yeh is joined by Tejen Shah, MD, from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. They discuss his study, which shows ...
E9: Fluoroscopic Intraoperative Breast Neoplasm and Node Detection
16 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr Jamie Coleman is joined by Roi Weiser, MD, from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Suzanne Klimberg, MD, PhD, ...
E8: Cost Effectiveness of Universal Screening for Blunt Cerebrovascular Injury: A Markov Analysis
17 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr Dante Yeh is joined by Sharven Taghavi, MD, MPH, MS, FACS, from the Tulane University School of Medicine. They discuss his study o...
E7: Disparity-Sensitive Measures in Surgical Care: A Delphi Panel Consensus
26 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr Jamie Coleman is joined by Elzerie de Jager, MBBS(Hons), PhD, from the University of Vermont and the Center for Surgery and Public...
E6: Permanent vs Absorbable Mesh for Ventral Hernia Repair in Contaminated Fields
16 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr Dante Yeh is joined by Flavio Malcher, MD, MSc, from the Department of Surgery at New York University. They discuss his study, whi...
E5: Core Entrustable Professional Activities for Entering Residency: A National Survey of Graduating Medical Student Self-Assessed Skills by Specialty
11 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr Coleman is joined by Dorothy Andriole, MD, FACS, who is a surgeon and the Senior Director of Medical Education Research at the Ass...
E4: Analyzing Impact of Multimorbidity on Long-Term Outcomes after Emergency General Surgery: A Retrospective Observational Cohort Study
21 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr. Yeh is joined by Claire Rosen, MD, from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. They discuss her recent paper, which demo...
E3: Long-Term Outcomes after Adolescent Bariatric Surgery
16 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr Coleman is joined by Nestor F De la Cruz-Muñoz Jr, MD, Professor of Surgery and Section Chief of Bariatric Surgery at the Univers...
E2: Use of Direct Oral Anticoagulant and Associated Bleeding and Thrombotic Complication after Lower Extremity Bypass
19 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr. Yeh is joined by lead author Danielle C. Sutzko, MD, MS, from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and senior author Andrea T...
E1: Mass Shootings in America: Consensus Recommendations for Healthcare Response
15 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the inaugural episode, hosts Jamie Coleman, MD, FACS, and Dante Yeh, MD, FACS, speak with Craig Goolsby, MD, MEd, FACEP, Professor and Vice Chair o...