Dr. Foster Receives SSAT Career Development Award
May 22, 2026
Dr. Deshka Foster is this year’s recipient of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT) Career Development Award. The award, entitled "Sustained release JUN inhibition to prevent abdominal adhesion reformation post-lysis and remodel the postoperative peritoneal microenvironment,” will support Foster’s ongoing research into abdominal adhesion biology and prevention.
Abdominal adhesions are scar tissue bands that form within the abdomen following 50-90% of abdominal surgeries and can cause significant morbidity including recurrent bowel obstruction, chronic pain, infertility, and compromised feasibility of subsequent surgical procedures. This project leverages the Foster Lab’s recently published porcine model for abdominal adhesions and focuses on understanding the spatial biology involved in adhesion formation with a particular emphasis on preventing adhesions from recurring after they have been surgically lysed.
Foster is an assistant professor in the Division of General Surgery's Surgical Oncology Section.
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