Surgical culture and The Ergonomics of Thoracic Surgery Dr. Thomas Varghese Jr.

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Episode details:

Dr. Thomas Varghese Jr. is the Chief, Section of General Thoracic Surgery at the University of Utah; Chief Value Officer (Ambulatory and Inpatient) at the Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI); Associate Chief Medical Quality Officer at Huntsman Cancer Hospital; and a Professor (Tenure-track) in the Department of Surgery at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Tom is a health services researcher whose clinical, research and operational experience span the fields of innovation science and implementation science. He helped create the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Strong for Surgery program and is a co-PI on the National Cancer Institute RO1-funded clinical trial on the role of Precision Exercise Prescription (PEP) for elective lung cancer surgical resection .

Dr. Varghese has served in several leadership positions in various organizations and is the immediate Past President of SUS (presidential term 2024-2025), and is the Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of the American College of Surgeons (JACS)

In this episode, Dr. Varghese:

- Shares his journey with musculoskeletal symptoms, which developed on a background of childhood hip dysplasia

- Discusses the culture of surgery as a huge barrier to surgeons and procedualists getting the help that they need when they initially develop symptoms

- Emphasizes the high rate of musculoskeletal symptoms ("not if, but when") in cardiothoracic surgeons and the risk factors for their development as described in this paper https://www.jtcvs.org/article/S0022-5223(23)00749-3/abstract

- Shares his best practices for improved ergonomic health inside and outside the OR

Dr. Varghese can be reached via his social media handles and website:

X: @tomvarghesejr

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tomvarghesejr

University of Utah Academic Website: https://healthcare.utah.edu/fad/mddetail.php?physicianID=u6001828

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