Our Research Projects

SurgiLabMUS errors, Research, Surgial safety, surgical education, Surgical ethnography

Where We Have Been

Our student researchers and collaborators have presented research findings at national and international meetings.

Fatima Sharif presents an Oral Poster at the Association of Urogynecological Surgeons/International Urogynecological Association 2019 Meeting

Debolina Kanjilal presents and Oral Poster at the 2019 Association for Surgical Educators Surgical Safety Week Meeting

Congratulations to Cynthia Liu (PY 4) and Tariq Said (PY 1) for the acceptance of their abstracts,which would have been presented at the 2020 Surgical Education Week meeting.Sadly, the meeting has been cancelled due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, however you can view the visual abstract by clicking on the links below:
• Cynthia will present her research findings on “Semantically Ambiguous Language in the Teaching Operating Room“ her abstract can be found on the ASE website here
• Tariq will present his research findings on “Absence or presence: Silent discourse in the OR and its impact on surgical team action“ . His abstract is also posted on the ASE website here
Also, an e-Poster presentation titled, “Impact of a Strategic Napping Program During Call in an OBGYN Residency Program” will be presented by Dr. Max Holtz at the 2020 ACOG Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting April 25, 2020.

At the University of Missouri Kansas City 2020 (Virtual) Health Sciences Student Research Summit held on May 18, 2020:

Krishnan T, Brommelsiek M, Rudy P, Viswanathan N, Arnold L, Kirchoff A, Gangireddy S, Sutkin G. Beeps, Squeals, and Drones: Reducing the Impact of Noise Pollution in the Operating Room. Poster Presentation https://umkc.instructure.com/courses/53801/files/2193301?module_item_id=551713

Said T, Brommelsiek M, Gray M, Kanter S, Sutkin G. Silent Discourse in the OR: A Conceptual Model. PowerPoint Presentation https://umkc.instructure.com/courses/53801/files/2205294?module_item_id=557201

Rose C, Gangireddy S, Kirchhoff A, Gray M, Martin J, Brommelsiek M, Arnold L, Ye S, Sutkin G. Non-Verbal Patterns of Communication in the Operating Room. Poster Presentation https://umkc.instructure.com/courses/53801/files/2184840?module_item_id=546888

Kurian R, Sahil S, Cheng AL, Wang X, Shepherd JP, Sutkin G. The Risk of Primary Gynecologic Cancer After Hysteropexy PowerPoint Presentation https://umkc.instructure.com/courses/53801/files/2198117?module_item_id=552399

At the University of Missouri Kansas City 7th Annual Vijay Babu Rayadu Quality & Patient Safety Day (also a virtual event) on May 29th, 2020, our research were presented by the following students:

Krishnan T, Brommelsiek M, Rudy P, Viswanathan N, Arnold L, Kirchoff A, Gangireddy S, Sutkin G. Beeps, Squeals, and Drones: Reducing the Impact of Noise Pollution in the Operating Room. Accepted Poster Presentation at The University of Missouri Kansas City 7th Annual Vijay Babu Rayudu Quality & Patient Safety Day, May 29, 2020. Kansas City, MO.

Liu C, McKenzie A, Mahmud F, Sutkin G. Semantically Ambiguous Language in the Teaching Operating Room. Oral Abstract Presentation at The University of Missouri Kansas City 7th Annual Vijay Babu Rayudu Quality & Patient Safety Day, May 29, 2020. Kansas City, MO.

Kurian R, Sahil S, Cheng AL, Wang X, Shepherd JP, Sutkin G. The Risk of Primary Gynecologic Cancer After Hysteropexy. Poster Showcase at The University of Missouri Kansas City 7th Annual Vijay Babu Rayudu Quality & Patient Safety Day, May 29, 2020. Kansas City, MO.

Rose C, Gangireddy S, Kirchhoff A, Gray M, Martin J, Brommelsiek M, Arnold L, Ye S, Sutkin G. Non-Verbal Patterns of Communication in the Operating Room. Poster Showcase at The University of Missouri Kansas City 7th Annual Vijay Babu Rayudu Quality & Patient Safety Day, May 29, 2020. Kansas City, MO.

Said T, Brommelsiek M, Gray M, Kanter S, Sutkin G. Silent Discourse in the OR: A Conceptual Model. PowerPoint Presentation at The University of Missouri Kansas City 7th Annual Vijay Babu Rayudu Quality & Patient Safety Day, May 29, 2020. Kansas City, MO.

Qureshi F, Davies A, Wickorwen N, Cianciolo A, Kirchhoff A, Sutkin G. Surgical Improvement: Induction of General Anesthesia Sequence (IGAS). Poster Presentation at The University of Missouri Kansas City 7^th Annual Vijay Babu Rayudu Quality & Patient Safety Day, May 29, 2020. Kansas City, MO.

Kanjilal D, Sutkin G, Mahmud F. The Link Between Individual Technical Error and Adverse Patient Outcomes. Oral Poster at the 2019 Association for Surgical Educators Surgical Safety Week Meeting, April 23 – 27, 2019, Chicago, IL.

Littleton E, Ackenbom M, Sutkin G, Mahmud, F. Cognitive Apprenticeship: Making Blind Steps ‘Visible.’ Oral Poster at the 2019 Association for Surgical Educators Surgical Safety Week Meeting, April 23 – 27, 2019, Chicago, IL.

Brommelsiek M, Sutkin G. Empathy in the Age of Technology? Presentation at the 2019 Conference of the Association for Medical Education in Europe, August 24 – 28, 2019 Vienna, Austria.

Sharif F, Mahmud F, Sahil S, Shepherd JP, Sutkin G Risk factors for returning to the OR for a second surgery after midurethral sling for stress urinary incontinence. Oral Poster presentation at the Association of Urogynecological Surgeons/International Urogynecological Association 2019 Meeting, September 24-28, 2019, Nashville TN.

Stylianou A, Arif MA, Mahmud F, King G, Sutkin G Virtual pelvic model for study of surgeon kinematics during retropubic trocar passage. Oral Poster presentation at the Association of Urogynecological Surgeons/International Urogynecological Association 2019 Meeting, September 24-28, 2019, Nashville TN

Archived news

Continue reading Where We Have Been →

Meet the Team

SurgiLab

Team Members

Gary Sutkin

Hometown: Richardson, Texas, although I lived in Pittsburgh for many years.

College/University Attended: Northwestern University.

Graduate/Professional Institution: also Northwestern University – I am a die-hard Northwestern fan.

A cut above:

What I love to do most outside of work is spend time with my wife and our two boys, who envision one day when cool lasers will be used in the OR to keep surgeons from making errors. I also am an avid music listener.

Needle unprotected:

My pet peeve is loud noises, like the garbage cart that rolls right by our lab door every morning.

Slice of life:

The most interesting thing about me you may not know is.. I once had the kitchen staff in a restaurant throw an egg at our table for staying too late.

Mirdhula Ananthamurugan

Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri

College/University Attended: UMKC School of Medicine

A cut above:

What I love to do most outside of work is… I love dancing and going to my favorite restaurants in Kansas City with good company! I enjoy meaningful conversations with friends because it keeps me grounded amidst my busy life.

Needle unprotected:

My biggest pet peeve is dishonesty.

Slice of life:

The most interesting thing about me you may not know is that I love interior design! I collect pictures and watch YouTube videos in my free time regarding designing homes.

Austin Bachar

A cut above:

What I love to do most outside of work is reading/learning as much as possible about everything and anything, any outdoor activity, music, cooking, drawing.

Needle unprotected:

Most things either illogical or inefficient, run-on sentences and comma splices.

Slice of life:

The most interesting thing about me you may not know is Chinese was my first language.

Shiva Balasubramian

Hometown: Somerset, New Jersey

College/University Attended: University of Missouri–Kansas City

Graduate/Professional Institution: University of Missouri–Kansas City

A cut above:

What I love to do most outside of work is spending time with my family and friends.

Needle unprotected:

My pet peeve is forgetting where I’ve parked!

Slice of life:

The most interesting thing about me you may not know is that I am actively involved in mentoring middle and high school robotics teams.

Margaret Brommelsiek

Hometown: St. Petersburg, Florida

College/University Attended: Eckerd College

Graduate/Professional Institution: Florida State University

A cut above:

What I like to do most outside of work is to watch foreign and art films and eat large quantities of popcorn.

Needle unprotected:

My pet peeve is a lack of aesthetic sensibility in all areas of modern life.

Slice of life:

The most interesting about me you may not know is I am was a founding member of the Cult of the Cabernet Sauvignon.

Emma Connelly

Hometown: Kansas City, MO

College/University Attended: University of Missouri-Kansas City - BA Biological Science

Graduate/Professional Institution: University of Missouri-Columbia

A cut above: What I love to do most outside of work is…

Play with my cute doggies and give them haircuts in the summer!! I also love to crochet little animals while watching Netflix and I have just picked up embroidering!

Needle unprotected:

One of my pet peeves is spiders and flies no matter what the size. They can be as large and hairy or as small as a tiny speck I will scream and call someone to my aid to kill it. When there is no one around I grab one of my dogs and make them squish it with their paw so I don't have to touch it.

Slice of life:

The most interesting thing about me you may not know is… I wear a size 3 so it is super great to get deals but also a curse since a lot of shoes have unicorns or sparkly rainbows 😂.

Kay Herzog

Hometown: Olathe, KS

College/University Attended: University of Missouri–Kansas City

A cut above:

What I love to do most outside of work is practice yoga, play sand volleyball with friends, and hike. I also think I devote too much of my time to reality TV.

Needle unprotected:

My biggest pet peeve is backhanded compliments.

Slice of life:

The most interesting thing about me that you may not know is that when I was 17 I spent the summer in Mexico by myself (but with a host family) working in pop-up medical clinics in various Mayan villages.

Kashif Javid

Hometown: Palatine, IL

College/University Attended: University of Missouri–Kansas City

A cut above:

What I love to do outside of work is any physical activity or competitive sport where I can be outside and enjoy the weather.

Needle unprotected:

My pet peeve is not being able to own up to shortcomings or mistakes, and then not seeking to improve and grow from them as well.

Slice of life:

The most interesting thing you might not know about me is that I enjoy drawing in my spare time, and specifically love to illustrate wildlife and natural landscapes.

Ellie Kaji

Hometown: Madison, Wisconsin

College/University Attended: University of Missouri–Kansas City

A cut above:

I used to play a lot of tennis, but with school and COVID, I have been working out at the gym more instead. Since moving into an apartment, I have also developed an amateur interest in houseplants.

Needle unprotected:

My pet peeve is when people do not follow some of the more minor traffic rules like turn signals or skipping/cutting the line when it comes to merging.

Slice of life:

The most interesting thing about me you may not know is that I play a mean game of Connect Four.

Lakshmi Kasi

Hometown: Bartlett, Illinois

College/University Attended: University of Missouri-Kansas City

A cut above:

What I love to do most outside of work is kayaking/canoeing and going to restaurants!

Needle unprotected:

My pet peeve is unpleasant sounds.

Slice of life:

The most interesting thing about me you may not know is my favorite food is pizza and deep dish is the best kind!

Amelia Kirchhoff

Hometown: Altamont, IL

College/University Attended: University of Denver (DU)

A cut above: What I love to do most outside of work is..

Read anything I can get my hands on. Of late, I’ve really enjoyed non-fiction true crime novels and anything that has to do with FBI investigations. I also enjoy taking my hyperactive puppy to the dog park to make puppy friends and watching Netflix documentaries with my husband.

Needle unprotected: My pet peeve is..

Rush hour (anywhere) and people who chew with their mouth open

Slice of life: The most interesting thing about me you may not know is..

The first time I drove a tractor by myself, I ran through a fence and ended up in a ditch because I forgot where the brake was.

Tara Krishnan

Hometown: Moline, IL

College/University Attended: University of Missouri - Kansas City

A cut above:

What I love to do most outside of work is cook.

Needle unprotected:

My pet peeve is when people use the express checkout lane even if their entire cart is full!

Slice of life:

The most interesting thing about me you may not know is that I used to work at an ice cream shop back in my hometown and can tell you all about our seasonal fall flavors.

Faith Mueller

Hometown: O’Fallon, MO

College/University Attended: University of Missouri - Kansas City

A cut above:

What I love to do most outside of work is to be with nature, especially hiking, gardening, or camping.

Needle unprotected:

My pet peeve is inequality on small and large scales.

Slice of life:

The most interesting thing about me you may not know is I love adrenaline and adventure so I am always willing to try out a new experience.

Jennifer Kay Martin

Hometown: Orrville, Ohio. Home of Smucker’s jams and jelly.

College/University Attended: Bowling Green State University

Graduate/Professional Institution: University of North Carolina - Greensboro, University of Michigan

A cut above:

What I love to do most outside of work is gardening.

Needle unprotected:

My pet peeve are people who don’t follow through.

Slice of life:

The most interesting thing about me you may not know is that I climbed Machu Picchu.

Molly Pasque

Hometown: St. Louis, MO

College/University Attended: University of Oklahoma

What I do most outside of work/school:

I have a dog named Stevie Nicks. We love to go on walks or to the dog park on a regular basis. I practice yoga multiple times a week, and I love to grow plants in my house. I have over 30 different plants right now! I also enjoy soaking up every bit of sunshine I can, so I try to spend as much time as I can outside!

My pet peeve:

When I have a needy plant that requires too much work to keep it alive.

The most interesting thing about me:

Maybe not the MOST interesting thing about me, but I love to play this game where you have Alexa play a genre of music and you have to be the first one to guess the name of the song. First one to 10 wins!

Projects:

I was working on one project last summer that involved transcribing surgery recordings to assess communication in the OR. Would love to be on another one! I was also running the Twitter for a while!

Casey Rose

Hometown: Lee's Summit, MO

College/University Attended: University of Missouri - Kansas City

Graduate/Professional Institution: University of Missouri - Kansas City

Benjamin Quarshie

Hometown: Peki, volta region. Ghana

College/University Attended: The University of Chicago

A cut above:

I love to workout and manage options and stock in my free time.

Needle unprotected:

Injustice/unfairness, arrogance also gets to me.

Slice of life:

I was born right handed and dislocated my right hand in kindergarten playing soccer. I was threatened with remediation and learned to write with my left just so I would not remediate. Now I’m left handed.

Fahad Qureshi

Hometown: Chicago, IL

College/University Attended: University of Missouri - Kansas City

Graduate/Professional Institution: University of Missouri - Kansas City

A cut above:

What I love to do most outside of work is try new restaurants with friends or family.

Needle unprotected:

My pet peeve is setting alarms to numbers that do not end with 0 or 5, i.e. setting an alarm to 6:14 or 10:01 instead of 6:15 or 10:00, respectively.

Slice of life:

The most interesting thing about me you may not know is I've lived in 3 continents, 6 states, and can speak (almost) 4 languages

Tariq Said

Hometown: I was born in Birmingham, Alabama, but I grew up for 12 years in Southeast Missouri (Cape Girardeau) and 6 more years in St. Louis, MO. I consider St. Louis to be my hometown, though.

College/University Attended: I currently attend UMKC as a 2nd Year.

A cut above:

What I love to do most outside of work is listen to music.

Needle Unprotected:

My pet peeve is when people who have lots of opportunities available to them let it go to waste on account of no ambition.

Slice of Life:

The most interesting thing about me you may not know is I write poetry from time to time.

Casey Stauber

Hometown: Crystal City, TX and San Antonio, TX

College/University Attended: South University

Contact:

Ms. Casey Stauber Administrative Assistant to Dr. Gary Sutkin - Schutte Chair in Women’s Health Surgical Innovation Lab, Rm. 3-203 UMKC School of Medicine 2411 Holmes Street Kansas City, MO 64108 Phone: 816-235-6785 Email: stauberc@umkc.edu

A cut above:

What I love to do most outside of work is.. Read, cook, knit/crochet, garden.

Needle unprotected:

My pet peeve is when people do not respond to requests for meetings or information

Collaborators

Sherwin Chan

Hometown: Toronto

College/University Attended: Queen's University

Graduate/Professional Institution: Washington University in St Louis

A cut above:

What I love to do most outside of work is hiking with the kids.

Needle unprotected:

My pet peeve is barefoot travelers on public transit.

Slice of life:

The most interesting thing about me you may not know is I financed my way through grad school playing Texas Hold Em poker.

Anna Cianciolo

Hometown: Bloomfield Hills, MI

College/University Attended: University of Michigan

Graduate/Professional Institution: University of Minnesota, Georgia Tech

A cut above:

What I love to do most outside of work is cook, eat, travel, read, and exercise (these are all related!)

Needle unprotected:

My pet peeve is waiting at traffic lights / in stopped traffic.

Slice of life:

The most interesting thing about me you may not know is I dream of owning a food truck that sells Italian meatballs.

Gregory King

Hometown: Stilwell, KS

College/University Attended: University of Kansas

Graduate/Professional Institution: University of Kansas

A cut above:

What I love to do most outside of work is cook, run, play with my kids, tinker in the garage…I don’t really have a favorite.

Needle unprotected:

My pet peeve is when people stand right up close to the luggage carousel at the airport. Everyone would be able to see it if they would just take a couple steps back!

Slice of life:

The most interesting thing about me you may not know is although it’s been years since I’ve flown, I am a licensed pilot!

Emily Huang

Hometown: West Windsor, NJ

College/University Attended: Princeton

Graduate/Professional Institution: Rutgers – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

A cut above:

What I love to do most outside of work is throwing pottery, dog agility, and growing tomatoes.

Needle unprotected:

My pet peeve is dirty shoes tracking mud indoors.

Slice of life:

The most interesting thing about me you may not know is I’ve hiked to the base camp of Mt. Everest

Eliza Beth Littleton

Hometown: Depends. We moved around a lot. The two longest places when I was growing up: Chattanooga TN, and Regina, Saskatchewan, Canadia-land. Place I lived the most, plus where I had my kids: Pittsburgh, PA

College/University Attended: University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

A cut above:

What I love to do most outside of work is discover new or hidden places in Pittsburgh where I’ve not been before.

Needle unprotected:

My pet peeve is letting someone turn left in front of you and not getting a thank-you wave or thank-you blink.

Slice of life:

The most interesting thing about me you may not know is I grew up wanting to do nothing more than ballet. I was 4 when I saw my first ballet and apparently stayed in the seats after it was over insisting that the dancers would be coming back.

Paul Rudy

Hometown: Born in South Bend, Indiana, but lived most of childhood in Smithville, OH and LaJunta, CO

College/University Attended: Bethel College (N. Newton, KS)

A cut above:

What I love to do most outside of work is www.paulrudy.net/harmony-farm

Needle unprotected:

My pet peeve is Smallmindedness 🙂

Slice of life:

The most interesting thing about me you may not know is I have climbed all of Colorado's 14,000 ft. peaks (many of them more than once).

Jon Shepherd

Antonis Stylianou

Hometown: Limassol, Cyprus

College/University Attended: University of Kansas

Graduate/Professional Institution: University of Kanas

A cut above:

What I love to do most outside of work is play with kids and dogs.

Needle unprotected:

My pet peeve is when people squeeze toothpaste from the middle of the tube.

Slice of life:

The most interesting thing about me you may not know is I’m a certified decoy for schutzhund.

Navin Viswanathan

Hometown: Chennai (formerly & still in my mind, Madras), India

College/University Attended: University of Madras

Graduate/Professional Institution: University of Connecticut

A cut above:

What I love to do most outside of work is to travel, watch sports, and, sample the cuisines of the world.

Needle unprotected:

My pet peeve is when people use meaningless descriptions like "he gave 110% effort" or cliches like "think outside the box" to describe something creative (ironic, huh?).

Slice of life:

The most interesting thing about me you may not know is that I have a particular love for visiting university campuses and for watching tennis rallies to the end (no matter if its on tv or someone playing at local tennis court!).

Former Researchers

Mary Ackenbom

Hometown: Indianapolis, IN

College/University Attended: The Ohio State University

Graduate/Professional Institution: The Ohio State University/University of Pittsburgh

A cut above:

What I love to do most outside of work is spending time with family and friends.

Needle unprotected:

My pet peeve is aggressive drivers.

Slice of life:

The most interesting thing about me you may not know is I was a hip hop dancer for a WNBA team for 2 seasons.

Sarah Bromley

Mark Gray

Hometown: Powel, Missouri

College/University Attended: Dual BS in Biochemistry and Cell/Molecular Biology at Missouri State University; currently in Grad MS (Cell/Molecular) at UMKC

A cut above:

What I love to do most outside of work is read! So far this year I have read The Box by Marc Levinson, White Noise by Don Delillo, and Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl.

Needle unprotected:

My pet peeve is when you have to watch a movie or tv show that you’ve seen before.

Slice of life:

Something you might not know is I once brought a puppy back from Mexico.

Debolina Kanjilal

College/University Attended: University of Missouri - Kansas City

Graduate/Professional Institution: University of Missouri - Kansas City

A cut above:

What I love to do most outside of work is read books, watch movies, sketch pictures of babies, and play the piano to my heart’s content.

Needle unprotected:

My pet peeve is the sound of chalk against the blackboard.

Slice of life:

The most interesting thing about me you may not know is that I tend to name spiders, and have philosophical discussions with them to pacify my mortal fear of arachnids.