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Who should get screened for lung cancer? The American Cancer Society  recommends lung cancer screening for individuals who: Are current or former smokers Are between 50 and 79 years old Have a 20 pack-year or greater smoking history Join us for our Lung Cancer Screening Event  this Saturday, November 8, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at these Kaleida Health locations:   Buffalo General Medical Center 100 High Street, Buffalo, NY 14203  716-859-2840   Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital 1540 Maple Road, Williamsville, NY 14221  716-568-6400  Olean Medical Group 535 Main Street, Olean, NY 14760  716-376-2242   Please note: A doctor’s order and insurance card are required. Financial assistance may be available—call for details. Take charge of your health—schedule your screening today!

Stuti Tambar, MD, breast surgeon for UBMD Surgery and Roseanne Berger, MD, physician for UBMD Primary Care, recently appeared on Daytime Buffalo for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The two talked about the process and impact of mammograms in the hopes of dispelling misconceptions and fears and to encourage women to schedule their screenings. Women should start mammogram screenings on a yearly basis starting at the age of 40. Those with a family history of breast cancer or genetic mutations that predispose them to cancer should start their screenings earlier at age 30. To schedule an appointment with breast surgeon, Dr. Stuti Tambar, please call 716-859-1168. Watch the whole interview below-

Thousands of New Yorkers waiting for an organ transplant now have a greater chance at receiving a lifesaving match thanks to new legislation signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul. The Helping Equal Access to Registration for Transplants (HEART) Act (S.7151-A) , which takes effect immediately, repeals the state’s prohibition on patients enrolling with multiple transplant programs. Previously, patients were restricted to joining a single transplant center’s waiting list - a limitation that often reduced their odds of finding a suitable donor organ. With the HEART Act now in place, New Yorkers can register with multiple programs, significantly improving their access to potential matches. According to Donate Life New York State , the new law could reduce mortality rates among those waiting for transplants by as much as 20 percent . A driving force behind this historic change was Dr. Liise Kayler , transplant surgeon and passionate advocate for equity in organ transplantation. Dr. Kayler first raised awareness of the issue during a statewide meeting of all New York transplant centers, where she spoke about the unfairness of the state’s ban preventing patients from registering with multiple centers. She highlighted how the policy created a disparity- patients with private insurance could travel out of state and join additional waitlists, while those on Medicaid could not. Her advocacy caught the attention of Aisha Tator , Executive Director of Donate Life New York State, and together they partnered with Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes  to craft and champion the HEART Act. After meeting with lawmakers in Albany, the bill passed both chambers of the legislature and went on to the desk of Governor Kathy Hochul  to be officially signed into law. For Assembly Majority Leader Peoples-Stokes , the cause was also deeply personal, her late daughter was a transplant recipient. “The thousands of New Yorkers in need of a life-saving organ transplant deserve every opportunity to find a match,” said Peoples-Stokes. “The HEART Act will reduce wait times, establish a more just and equitable transplant system, and make it easier to save the lives of our family members, friends, and neighbors.” The need for donors remains urgent. In 2021 alone, approximately 450 New Yorkers died waiting for a transplant , and the state continues to rank third highest in the nation  for organ donor need. With the HEART Act now law, advocates, physicians, and families alike are hopeful that more lives will be saved through greater access, fairness, and opportunity in New York’s organ transplant system.

Buffalo, NY — October 2025  — The Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo recently hosted the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) Flexible Endoscopy Course for Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellows , bringing together 60 surgical trainees from across the country for a focused, hands-on educational experience in gastrointestinal endoscopy. The course, part of SAGES’ ongoing national training series, is designed to strengthen fellows’ technical skills in diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy while reinforcing the organization’s mission to innovate, educate, and collaborate to improve patient care . Over the course of the program, fellows participated in didactic sessions, simulation-based learning, and mentored skills labs  led by experienced faculty. Through a combination of lecture and practice, participants gained confidence and competency in core endoscopic procedures such as upper endoscopy, colonoscopy, and polypectomy. Hosting the course at the Jacobs School aligned closely with the goals of the school’s new Comprehensive Flexible Endoscopy Fellowship , which emphasizes a high volume of endoscopic procedures and innovative surgical techniques. The collaboration with SAGES provided fellows with access to state-of-the-art training facilities, expert mentorship, and a curriculum that integrates seamlessly into their clinical education. “Courses like this are invaluable for preparing the next generation of surgeons,” said Eleanor Fung, MD, Endoscopy Fellowship Program Director, “The hands-on, focused approach allows fellows to develop skills they can apply immediately in patient care.” SAGES’ Flexible Endoscopy Course continues to play a key role in preparing surgical fellows nationwide to incorporate endoscopic techniques into their practices—enhancing patient outcomes and advancing the field of minimally invasive surgery. For more information about SAGES and its educational initiatives, visit www.sages.org .

The summer heat couldn't keep our incredible team away from an afternoon of fun, food, and friendly competition at our recent surgical practice summer party! This year, we celebrated our hard work and dedication at the newly renovated Transit Lanes, and what a fantastic time it was! It was wonderful to see our operating room and hospital staff, alongside our dedicated administrative team, all come together outside of the usual clinical setting. The atmosphere was buzzing with excitement as everyone arrived, ready to relax and enjoy some well-deserved downtime. Forget scalpels and schedules for a few hours – the focus shifted to bowling balls and strikes! Lanes were filled with laughter and cheers (and maybe a few good-natured groans at gutter balls!), as colleagues from different departments teamed up and went head-to-head in the spirit of fun. The newly renovated Transit Lanes provided the perfect backdrop for our gathering. The modern and inviting space added to the festive atmosphere, making it an even more enjoyable experience for everyone. More than just an afternoon of bowling and food, this summer party was a chance to celebrate the incredible teamwork and dedication that defines our surgical practice. It's the collaboration between our OR staff, hospital team, and administrative professionals that allows us to provide the best possible care for our patients here in Buffalo and beyond. A huge thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate with us and made the party such a success! We're already looking forward to the next opportunity to connect and celebrate our amazing team.

The Department of Surgery at the University at Buffalo, SUNY, proudly celebrates the remarkable achievements of our 2025 graduating class of general surgery residents! This exceptional group of individuals has dedicated the past 5-7 years to rigorous training, unwavering commitment, and the pursuit of surgical excellence. They have honed their skills, expanded their knowledge, and demonstrated the resilience necessary to excel in the demanding field of general surgery. As they embark on the next chapter of their careers, we recognize the diverse paths they have chosen, reflecting their individual passions and expertise. We extend our warmest congratulations and best wishes to each of them: Briana DiGiore  will be pursuing a fellowship in Surgical Critical Care / Acute Care at UC San Diego. Her dedication to the most critically ill and injured patients will undoubtedly make a significant impact. Holly Johnson  will remain at the University at Buffalo to complete a fellowship in Flexible Endoscopy. Her commitment to advancing minimally invasive techniques will benefit countless patients. Caitlin McGee  will also be staying at the University at Buffalo to specialize in Bariatric Surgery through a fellowship. Her focus on helping patients improve their health and quality of life is commendable. Fernanda Maria Nunez De La Vega  will be joining UBMD Surgery as a Surgery Attending in private practice. We are thrilled to have her join our faculty and serve the Western New York community. Joe Pollichemi  will continue his training with a Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at the University at Buffalo. His dedication to this critical subspecialty will ensure exceptional care for our region's most vulnerable patients. Carrie Ryan  will be advancing her expertise through a Surgical Oncology Fellowship at Ohio State University Medical Center. Her commitment to the fight against cancer is truly inspiring. Rebecca Scott  will be pursuing a fellowship in Vascular Surgery at Michigan State University. Her focus on the intricate world of blood vessels will be invaluable to her future patients. Kevin Todd  will be heading to Baylor College of Medicine for a Surgical Critical Care Fellowship. His pursuit of excellence in this demanding field is a testament to his dedication. Kathryn Zelenova  will be specializing in Hand Surgery through a fellowship at the University of Miami. Her focus on restoring function and improving the lives of patients with hand and upper extremity conditions is admirable. We are incredibly proud of the accomplishments of each of these graduates. They represent the future of surgery, and we are confident they will make significant contributions to their respective fields and the lives of their patients. The faculty and staff of the Department of Surgery at the University at Buffalo wish them all the best in their future endeavors!

Breast Surgeon, Dr. Stuti Tambar and Dr. Roseanne Berger from UBMD Primary Care joined WIVB's Daytime Buffalo to talk about breast cancer screening for Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Month.

Dr. Stuti Tambar is a breast surgical oncologist with UBMD Surgery, General Physician, PC and Kaleida Health. She's leading part of a national clinical trial in Buffalo to see if radial ablation — laser technology that burns tumors — can cure cancer getting rid of the need for surgery. "These are procedures that I do in my office under local anesthesia. Patients are completely awake. It's a 15-minute procedure, and their tumor is at least in theory burned, and they no longer need surgery," Dr. Tambar said. Right now, this is only for women with non-aggressive breast cancer and small tumors. "It would be revolutionary, to be honest, because right now, all breast cancer patients are recommended to undergo surgery, and there are many women who are not able to undergo surgery because of age, because of other medical diagnoses, or for any reason that they're not able to undergo surgery, and these women are put on palliative treatment, medications to basically live with their cancer," Dr. Tambar said. Dr. Tambar will monitor the women for a few years to see if the cancer comes back and compare that data to the outcomes for patients who just have surgery. "They're excited, I mean, right now we are doing a trial where patients, after having their tumor radial ablated, they still need surgery to prove that their cancer was actually entirely killed from this treatment, but once this takes over and is cleared by the national agencies, we're able to offer this as the primary and only treatment, and remove the need for surgery afterwards," Dr. Tambar said. They are still looking for more women to be in the trial. Tumors have to be less than a centimeter-and-a-half and non-aggressive. People interested in this trial can contact the office of clinical research at 716-529-6470.

Beyond the Knife: Exploring Social Justice and Health Equity The University at Buffalo Department of Surgery is proud to present the 5th Annual Beyond the Knife Lecture in Social Justice and Health Equity. This annual endowed lecture provides a platform to discuss critical issues at the intersection of healthcare and social justice. Event Details Date:  Thursday, February 27, 2025 Time:  5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Location:  M&T Lecture Hall, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Keynote Speaker:  David Ansell, MD, MPH, the Michael E Kelly Presidential Professor of Internal Medicine and Senior Vice President/Associate Provost for Community Health Equity at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.  Attend In-Person or Virtually For those unable to attend in person, a Zoom link will be provided.

Buffalo, NY - UBMD Surgery, a prominent surgical practice affiliated with the University at Buffalo and Kaleida Health, is participating in a groundbreaking clinical trial for Medtronic's robotic-assisted surgery system (RAS), Hugo™. The clinical trial underway, Enable Hernia Repair, is a prospective, multicenter study evaluating the safety and performance of the Hugo™ RAS system in support of the company’s planned submission to the FDA.  The clinical trial is being conducted at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital in Buffalo, NY, and is sponsored by the University at Buffalo Research Department. UBMD surgeons Drs. Ajay Panchal, Jeffrey Berndtson, and Alan Posner will perform hernia cases using the Hugo™ RAS system. UBMD’s first two cases within the trial, a groin hernia repair (inguinal) and a belly button hernia repair (umbilical), were successfully performed by Dr. Ajay Panchal. "Participating in this clinical trial with Medtronic's Hugo™ RAS system is a significant milestone for UBMD Surgery and for the Buffalo medical community," said Dr. Ajay Panchal, Lead Investigator of the trial. “We are excited about the potential benefits this technology can bring.” Benefits of robotic surgery, including potential cost savings and fostering innovation in surgical techniques, are expected to have a profound impact on future medical practices. "As part of the UBMD Physicians' Group, UBMD Surgery remains committed to advancing surgical care through cutting-edge technology and rigorous research," said Dr. Steven Schwaitzberg, President of UBMD Surgery. "Our goal is to establish Buffalo as a hub for excellence in robotic surgery, while continuing to uphold our tradition of exceptional patient care and surgical education.” The Hugo™ RAS system brings the precision, dexterity, ergonomics, and visualization benefits of robotic surgery together in a modular system that provides flexibility and open surgeon console that supports communication among the surgical team. The Hugo™ RAS system is not cleared or approved in all markets. Regulatory requirements of individual countries and regions will determine approval, clearance, or market availability. In the U.S., the Hugo™ RAS system is an investigational device not for sale. For more information about Hugo, visit  medtronic.com/hugo .

There was a palpable buzz of excitement in the air as Buffalo Public Schools students gathered May 4 for UB’s annual Drone STEM competition. Music from Buffalo DJ Pros made sure the fifth floor of UB’s Clinical and Translational Research Center was bumping as the students competed at several stations that simulated laparoscopic surgical skills. James “Butch” Rosser, MD, clinical professor of  surgery  in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences , and CEO of Stealth Learning Company, which helped develop the competition, served as master of ceremonies. “I call it stealth learning because they learn without knowing they are learning because they are having fun,” he said. Video Game, Drone Flying Simulate Surgical Skills High school students from Health Sciences Charter School, Leonardo da Vinci High School and Research Laboratory High School, along with middle school students from PS37 Futures Academy, participated in the event. They took turns competing at four different stations: Super Monkey Ball, Drone Simulation, Pea Drop and Peg Transfer. “All of the activities have been clinically validated to help make better surgeons,” Rosser said. “All of them have been scientifically validated as being important for helping surgeons make fewer errors.” Rosser says his research has shown that video games, drones and rap music can all help one achieve. “In our hospital, we have a video game warmup suite because research has shown that Super Monkey Ball helps surgeons warm up and be more successful,” he added. “These things are fun, but they are real.” The timed exercises all simulate surgical precision and emphasize precision instrument control and depth perception. The origins of the Drone STEM program started in 1996 at the American College of Surgeons when Rosser was asked to develop a program for minority students. In 2010, he worked with Steven D. Schwaitzberg, MD , SUNY Distinguished Service Professor and chair of surgery, to introduce the program at SAGES (Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons) before bringing the program to the Jacobs School in 2019. “It has a long heritage of impacting kids and getting them on the right path in STEM — science, technology, engineering, medicine and math,” Rosser said. Asking Students to Believe in Themselves During a pep talk leading up to the competition, Rosser told the students “this is not what you think it is; that it’s going to be a stuffy situation. This is a par-tay! The music, your music, is going to be the heartbeat of this whole thing. We gonna be bumping.” Rosser also told the students, “now, you don’t know me, but I know you. I know you because I was you.” He explained that he grew up in a small town in Mississippi in the segregated South, but never stopped believing he could make a difference in people’s lives. “And I believe in you. We need you and we want you to dare to believe in yourself,” he told the students. “You do not have to change who you are to be in this arena.” “I know I don’t look like a surgeon. I walked away from football. I was an offensive lineman for the University of Florida Gators, but I walked away because I wanted to be in this arena more than the NFL,” Rosser said. “Everyone called me crazy when I said I was leaving, but as you can see, I did not turn out so bad,” he added. “And I did not have to change who I was.” In her opening remarks, Allison Brashear, MD, MBA , UB’s vice president for health sciences and dean of the Jacobs School, said the Jacobs School “wants to get more students interested in STEM.” “We want to make sure that is an inclusive group,” she said. “We are committed to diversifying the face of medicine. We see you as the future of medicine.” Like Many Things, Surgery is a Team Effort Schwaitzberg, who has known Rosser for 30 years, told the students surgery is a team sport and “just like in the operating room, each of you are an incredibly important member of your team.” “So even if you think you are not having your best day, you must push on because every score counts. And last year, the team that actually had no individual winners won the whole competition because they were the best team.” “You may think you are high school and middle school students, but today you are surgeons in training and your skills will be tested,” he said. “Some of the skills we are going to put you through are the real skills that all board-certified surgeons actually have to do to in order to get there. These are the real deal.” “We want you to believe that every single person in this room could, if they chose, could go become somebody’s physician, or somebody’s nurse, or somebody’s social worker,” Schwaitzberg said. “Every single person in the room has that capacity to do that. And for our little part, we’re here to help you get on your way.” Medical Students, Surgery Staff Help Coach Lynn Larkin is a guidance counselor at PS37 Futures Academy, which is located on Carleton Street. “We are so close. We have been wanting to participate. Our school is only two blocks away, so we walked over this morning,” she said. “I love it, I think it is a beautiful program, especially for middle schoolers. I think they should think about also offering it to younger students as well.” Two dozen volunteers, made up of Department of Surgery staff and medical students , worked to mentor and coach the students at each of the stations. Nargis Hossain, PhD, MBA, academic programs officer in the Department of Surgery, was one of the main organizers of the event. She noted that each team had five practice sessions in the UB RISE lab at the Jacobs School during school days before the actual competition. “The principals and teacher champions worked together to make sure the kids could get here during typical school hours,” she said. “The middle schoolers actually had some of the best scores during the practice sessions.” This year’s competition winners were: Team: 1st Place: Health Sciences Charter 2nd Place: Leonardo da Vinci High School 3rd Place: Futures Academy 4th Place: Research Laboratory Individual: 1st Place: Ayub Osman: Health Sciences Charter 2nd Place: Clarence Barber: Health Sciences Charter 3rd Place: Abdul Malik: Leonardo da Vinci High School 4th Place: Ocean Brooks: Health Sciences Charter

Two Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences  faculty members are among the University at Buffalo recipients of a 2024 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence. The Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities recognizes the work of those who engage actively in scholarly and creative pursuits beyond their teaching responsibilities.  Recipients are: Liise K, Kayler, MD , clinical professor of surgery , program director of kidney and pancreas transplantation and chief of the Division of Transplant Surgery Michal K. Stachowiak, PhD , professor of pathology and anatomical sciences Advocate for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Kayler is praised as an “ardent advocate for several initiatives to increase access to transplantation for all patients, but particularly those who are underserved or are from vulnerable populations.” Internationally renowned for her expertise in renal transplantation, Kayler focuses her scholarly pursuits on determining the factors that make a kidney ideal for successful transplant procedures. Her goal, award nominators say, is to create a larger pool of available transplantable kidneys. Since joining UB, Kayler has been the PI, site PI or co-PI on 16 grants totaling more than $8 million from the National Institutes of Health, the Health Resources and Services Administration and the New York State Department of Health, among others. In 2021, she was named the co-PI on a $2.6 million NIH R01 grant to increase live donor kidney transplantation through video-based education and mobile communication. Kayler also is the site PI for two other trials: a $2.5 million grant to test the utility of cell-free DNA testing compared to standard creatinine testing, and a $383,000 grant to evaluate whether introducing cell-free DNA testing into clinical practice reduces the number of renal biopsies performed when compared with usual care. An advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in health care and combating structural racism, Kaylor co-founded and is president of the New York Center for Kidney Transplantation, a statewide collaborative to improve access to kidney transplantation, and serves on the board of directors of the Kidney Foundation of WNY. In her clinical practice, she established an academic-community partnership with underrepresented patients that established themselves into the nonprofit organization Kidney Health Together to improve the lives of all kidney failure patients.