INSIDE: PCSA 2026

The Pacific Coast Surgical Association held its 97th annual meeting this year in Oahu, Hawaii. Trainees and their mentors presented research on topics that spanned general surgery, vascular surgery, transplant, health services research and surgical education and garnered two awards.

Dr. Baylee Bakkila, a general surgery resident in her second year of clinical rotations, won the award for best paper presentation by a trainee for “Real World Efficacy of Talimogene Laherparepvec (T-VEC) and Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Advanced Melanoma: Regional Therapy as an Adjunct or Replacement for Surgical Resection?” with her mentor, surgical oncologist Dr. Amanda Kirane.

Dr. Jacob Guorgi, a general surgery resident in his professional development years, won best quick shot presentation for “Association of Operative Complexity with Surgical Episode Payments: Implications for Risk-Adjusted Reimbursement in Upcoming Bundled Payment Models” with his mentor, Acute Care Surgeon and Associate Vice Chair of Research Dr. Lisa Knowlton.

Additionally, two Stanford professors participated in PCSA’s first “speed mentoring session.” Vice Chair of Research Dr. Arden Morris sat at the “Surviving as a surgeon-scientist” table while General Surgery Residency Program Director Dr. David Spain sat at “What every trainee needs to know.”

General Surgery

REAL WORLD EFFICACY OF TALIMOGENE LAHERPAREPVEC (T-VEC) AND IMMUNE CHECKPOINT INHIBITORS IN ADVANCED MELANOMA: REGIONAL THERAPY AS AN ADJUNCT OR REPLACEMENT FOR SURGICAL RESECTION?
Presenter: Baylee Bakkila, MD
Closer: Amanda Kirane, MD

END-ORGAN DAMAGE ASSOCIATED WITH PRIMARY HYPERPARATHYROIDISM: A NATURAL HISTORY STUDY
Presenter: Lia Delaney, MD
Closer: Carolyn Seib, MD

NATIONAL BURDEN OF ILEOCECAL RESECTION IN ACUTE APPENDICITIS: DEMOGRAPHIC PATTERNS, HEALTH OUTCOMES, AND COST ANALYSIS
Presenter: Alex Lee, MD
Mentor: Aussama Nassar

INCREASING UTILIZATION OF DATABASE STUDIES IN SURGICAL ONCOLOGY LITERATURE
Presenter: Beatrice Sun, MD
Mentor: Byrne Lee, MD

OUTCOMES OF REOPERATIVE PARATHYROIDECTOMY WITH 18F-FLUOROCHOLINE PET/CT LOCALIZATION
Presenter: Patrick Weldon, MD, PhD
Closer: Robin Cisco, MD

COMPARISON OF PRIMARY LUMINAL VERSUS RETROPERITONEAL LEIOMYOSARCOMAS
Presenter: Lumeng Yu, MD
Mentor: Byrne Lee, MD

Goodman Surgical Education Center

THE EXPERIENCE OF PREGNANCY LOSS AMONG GENERAL SURGERY RESIDENTS
Presenter: Connie Gan, MD (Surgical Education Fellowship alumna)
Closer: Nicole Perez, MD

REDUCING GENDER BIAS IN LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION FOR SURGICAL RESIDENTS: DOES AI HELP OR HURT?
Presenter: Stephanie Seale, MD
Closer: Cara Liebert, MD

S-PIRE Center

LONGITUDINAL QUALITY OF LIFE AFTER TOTAL NEOADJUVANT THERAPY FOR RECTAL CANCER IN THE SHORT-FOX TRIAL
Presenter: Katherine Arnow
Closer: Arden Morris, MD

ASSOCIATION OF OPERATIVE COMPLEXITY WITH SURGICAL EPISODE PAYMENTS: IMPLICATIONS FOR RISK-ADJUSTED REIMBURSEMENT IN UPCOMING BUNDLED PAYMENT MODELS
Presenter: Jacob Guorgui, MD
Mentor: Lisa Knowlton, MD

Transplant

INDOCYANINE GREEN (ICG) ON NORMOTHERMIC MACHINE PERFUSION FOR LIVER ALLOGRAFT VIABILITY AND FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT
Presenter: Katherine Nurminsky
Closer: Aleah Brubaker, MD (Stanford General Surgery Residency Program and Transplant Fellowship Program Alumna)

Vascular Surgery

THE EVOLVING ROLE OF TEMPORAL ARTERY BIOPSY AND ULTRASOUND IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT OF GIANT CELL ARTERITIS ACROSS SURGICAL AND MEDICAL SPECIALTIES
Presenter: Lucy Yang, MD
Closer: Elizabeth George, MD

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• pioneering cutting-edge research, 
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• healing through incomparable surgical skills and compassion. 

To learn more, please visit surgery.stanford.edu