Surgery Research – UPR School of Medicine
Research constitutes an important component of our department, with innovative projects leading to greater scientific understanding and improved surgical outcomes. The Department of Surgery at the UPR School of Medicine has the expertise, facilities, and environment to conduct research in both the basic and the clinical sciences. The research is multidisciplinary and includes investigators with specialties in surgery, medicine, physiology, pathology and biochemistry. Through the interaction of these diverse areas of expertise, it is possible to accomplish the goals of obtaining new and pertinent information for better care and management of surgical patients. This combined team effort and integrative approach contributes to improved procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and critical care that will result in decreased complications, morbidities, and mortality rates in our patient population.
Particular areas of interest of the surgical faculty are clinical outcome studies, trauma, organ transplantation/immunology, endocrine surgery and cancer. A partnership with the M.D. Anderson Cancer Institute has permitted the construction of a new cancer center within our medical center that is dedicated entirely to clinical research.
Our Department of Surgery has a strong commitment to the training of residents and fellows in research. Residents interested in taking one year for research, are permitted to add an additional year to their residency training to accommodate for this activity. A one year position is also available for database analysis and outcome studies. The surgical faculty is involved in research projects with medical students and other graduate students in the medical sciences campus.
For the past several years, residents have been chosen to do one year of basic research after their first or second year of training. Areas of research are in oncology, trauma and transplant surgery. The projects are to be submitted for publication or presentation at a professional conferences or symposiums.
Dr. Norma Cruz MD