We are pleased to announce James Full as our new department administrator.  Jim has over 30 years of administrative and clinical experience in a variety of healthcare settings and has been nationally recognized as an innovative leader in healthcare management.  He also serves as a mentor and counselor for the American College of Healthcare Executives, assisting aspiring leaders to develop and expand their leadership capabilities.  He is a speaker and has published on topics related to organizational climate and physician relations.  He began his work with us on April 1st and we look forward to the contributions his expertise will bring to our department.

Dr. Srinivas Kavuturu is a fellowship trained minimally invasive surgeon with expertise in hepatobiliary surgery.  He is currently offering a virtually scarless gallbladder surgery using the state-of-the-art da Vince Si robotic surgical system.  The benefits to the patient include minimal scarring, minimal pain, low blood loss, a faster return to normal activity and a shortened hospital stay.  Our patient’s have been overwhelmingly pleased with their results.

National Nurse’s Week is observed each year from May 6 through May 12, honoring nurses who spend their time meeting the health care needs of our nation. Locally, the Lansing State Journal sponsors The Salute to Nurses annual luncheon, recognizing individuals for their commitment, passion and kindness, apparent to all.  This year, Nancy Spadafore, RN, our department clinic nurse manager, was selected to receive the Outstanding Management and Leadership Award.  Nancy has worked in this capacity for the past 20 years and has been an inspiration to many.  Our congratulations to her and all of the hard work and dedication she has given to our staff, the faculty and our patients.  Thank you Nancy!  (click to see the official announcment)

Michigan State University honored 10 of our staff members this week at a banquet recognizing them for their longevity with the university.  Although most have worked for the Department of Surgery for greater than 20 years, they did not officially become university employees until 1998.  This level of dedication and commitment is a tribute to our staff and speaks highly of the caliber of individuals we have the honor and privilege to work with each day. Congratulations to these individuals:

We had an opportunity to meet with Dr. Bumpers in his research laboratory located in the Life Sciences Building on the campus of MSU.  He has conducted his research in this facility since he joined our faculty in November 2011.  We were also joined by his associate, Assistant Professor, Dr. Venkat Katkoori.

Please tell us about your research. The research that I do involves the development of animal cancer models and cancer therapeutics. I have two patents in this area. One is for development of a mouse model to grow human breast cancers from those removed from patients at the time of surgery. The second is the discovery of a novel protein that is made by the AIDS virus, but can be altered and synthetically produced to kill cancer cells as opposed to normal human cells.