YSM News and Recognition

The Department of Surgery marked two major milestones this fall. In September, the aortic surgery team, in collaboration with the Yale Heart and Vascular Center, performed its 100th fenestrated and/or branched endovascular aneurysm repair, a minimally invasive surgical procedure used to treat complex aortic aneurysms. The achievement marks four years of rapid growth in Yale’s complex aortic surgery efforts. In December, the Yale Organ Transplantation and Immunology program completed its 750th liver transplant. The Yale surgery program performed its first liver transplant in 1983 and is now home to one of the largest kidney transplant programs in New England.

Dibyadeep Datta, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry, has been awarded a New Investigators Award Program grant by the Alzheimer's Association and the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center. His research project, titled “Deciphering the interplay between tau and amyloid pathology in sporadic AD,” aims to provide novel insights into the very early pathological events in Alzheimer’s disease with an emphasis on identifying new biomarkers and mechanistic pathways that can inform the development of preventative treatments.

Sajid Khan, MD, associate professor in the Department of Surgery, has been appointed associate editor (pancreas) for the editorial board of the Journal of Surgical Oncology. A leader in clinical care and cancer research, Khan is also chief of the Section of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Mixed Tumors; co-director of Team Science, Yale Center for Clinical Investigation; and co-program leader of Advanced Hepatobiliary Disease, Yale Cancer Center. His extensive work in clinical oncology bridges the gap between academic research and patient care.

Grace Kong, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry, has been elected a 2026 Fellow of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. Fellows are recognized for significant research contributions, leadership, and dedicated service in the field of nicotine and tobacco science, aiming to reduce harm from these products. Kong studies tobacco use and addictive behaviors in youth, young adults, and other populations. She has headed multiple studies for the National Institutes of Health and served as a scientific advisor to the World Health Organization and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Rachel Liu, BAO, MBBCh, has been named vice chair for faculty affairs in the Department of Emergency Medicine. In her new role, Liu will oversee faculty development, including appointment and promotion reviews, oversight of the department’s Faculty Development and Academic Qualifications committee, and coordination of faculty development programs. A professor on the Clinical-Educator-Scholar track, Liu currently serves as the Yale School of Medicine director of Point-of-Care Ultrasound Education, and curriculum director of the Advanced Training Period.

The Yale Child Study Center has announced the latest recipients of its internal funding awards, which support faculty and clinician development, postdoctoral travel, social media research, and innovative projects promoting mental health care for families facing economic adversity and advancing health care delivery models in the community. Read the full story.