The Department of Surgery
Resident Research Year
Program Description
One resident is selected by the Resident Research Committee at the end of the first year for participation in this highly competitive program in which selection is made on the basis of project plans submitted by the first year residents. The resident will spend one year after completion of the second residency year in a rigorous clinical or fundamental research program in the area of the resident's interest. The resident will plan to re-enter the clinical program at the third year level. The research must be carried out in a research laboratory approved by the department.
Current Research
Current research interests include vascular biology and cardiovascular physiology, platelet physiology, nutrition, bioterrorism, non-linear dynamic modeling, trauma, and transplantation immunology. In addition to research projects within the various divisions of the Department of Surgery, collaborative investigators in the Departments of Medical Genetics, Anesthesiology, Pathology, Medicine, Radiology and the UT College of Veterinary Medicine offer an extensive assortment of projects including immunology, hematology, cell physiology, medical genetics, tumor biology, molecular biology and cytometry.
Current Research Resident for 2025-2027
PGY 3 Meghan Hovell, MD has joined the Olutoye Lab at Nationwide Children’s Hospital/ Abigail Wexner Research Institute in Columbus, Ohio for a two-year fellowship. The lab primarily focuses on developing animal models of fetal anomalies. Ongoing projects include a swine model of necrotizing enterocolitis, a murine model of congenital diaphragmatic hernia, and multiple basic science and clinical research studies.
Research Resident 2023-2024
Kaylan Gee, MD current PGY-5
Research Resident 2022-2023
Devin Clegg, MD Graduating Class of 2025
“During my dedicated research fellowship the University of Tennessee Center for the Health Sciences, College of Medicine - Knoxville (UTHSC COM-Knoxville) I had the opportunity to work in the Regenerative Medicine Laboratory on our own campus within the Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery under the leadership of Dr. Thomas J. Masi, PhD and Dr. Stacy M. Stephenson, MD. My research focused on the use of human adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) in regenerative medicine, in addition to the use of 3D-printed biomimetic scaffolds in osteogenic tissue engineering. This is a topic that I had great interest in early on, and was fortunate to be able to continue while on campus throughout my general surgery residency, and then focus on during my dedicated year. Experiments that we performed during my research fellowship included a grant-funded comparison of 3D-printed biomimetic scaffolds with and without ADSCs to empty scaffolds and commercially available products in a rodent critical mandible defect model. We analyzed the defect ossification over time utilizing Micro-CT imaging and specific staining, in addition to fluorescently transduced ADSCs. In parallel, we also performed experiments to isolate and co-culture adipose-derived endothelial cells in addition to ADSCs utilizing magnetic-activated cell sorting and fluorescence-activated cell sorting to attempt to solve the ever-present issue of overcoming blood supply challenges in tissue engineering.
In addition to my time in Regenerative Medicine Lab, I also had the opportunity to complete a multitude of clinical outcomes projects in collaboration with not only our faculty, but also faculty from different institutions across the country, and across the river with The University of Tennessee Knoxville Departments of Mathematics, Industrial and Systems Engineering, and College of Nursing. These projects included the application of machine learning in breast surgery and lymphedema prediction, as well as topics such as breast reconstruction, the biopsychosocial impact of breast cancer treatment, socioeconomic determinants of health and rurality in breast cancer treatment, diabetic foot ulcers and limb salvage, head and neck reconstruction, craniofacial and orthognathic surgery, and many more.
I greatly enjoyed my time during my research fellowship, as not only did it give me the opportunity to work on so many meaningful projects, but I was also able to spend time in the operating room and clinic working with our plastic surgeons to continue to learn more about my future specialty, while also spending time with my co-residents and family!
Research Resident for 2021-2022
Amy Howk, MD, Graduating Class of 2024 and SCC Fellowship 2025
Medical Simulation
Simulation is the imitation of real-life experience including the use of task and virtual reality trainers, as well as standardized patients to refine technical and clinical skills of healthcare professionals. At the UT Center for Advanced Medical Simulation, the goal is continual improvement in quality of patient care and safety through education, practice, and assessment. Simulation can replicate almost any diagnostic or therapeutic situation, from simple IV insertions using low-fidelity task technology to complicated surgeries using high-fidelity, computerized manikins or virtual reality modules.
