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The 92 Report


May 15, 2023

Show Notes

Sharif is a vascular surgeon currently living in Manhattan. After graduating from Harvard in 1992, he went to NYU for medical school. He completed his residency and fellowship at Mount Sinai and was on faculty there for 12-13 years before going to Cornell in 2016.  Sharif is also a father of two sons, and, throughout the years, he  has managed to maintain some of his Harvard friendships and connections to his family in Egypt. He is currently part of the Society for Vascular Surgeries Communication Council to help raise awareness of the field.

The Role and Responsibilites of a Vascular Surgeon

Vascular surgeons are responsible for diseases involving blood vessels outside the heart and brain. Sharif explains how they treat these diseases with open surgical techniques, including bypasses, stents, and balloons. Vascular surgeons  also work with orthopedic surgeons, cancer surgeons, neurologists, or any time there is a challenge when dealing with blood vessels. Sharif talks about the diseases he commonly treats and the techniques he uses to perform surgery such as magnification in addition to muscle memory through repetition, and vascular repair techniques.

Sharif discusses his work as the Program Director for the Vascular Surgery Fellowship of New York Presbyterian Hospital, which he has been running since 2016. To further trainees' education, Sharif has been involved in simulation training and runs a boot camp that has been operating since 2017. The boot camp is an in-person course with faculty from across the country and focuses on the technical side of vascular surgery and is designed to teach techniques without putting patients at risk. The program uses endovascular simulator and cadaver workshops to provide trainees with hands-on experience. This also gives them a chance to get to know the wider vascular community. 

The Vascular Podcast, Audible Bleedings

Sharif’s most proud accomplishment is the podcast he was asked to produce with the trainees. This podcast, Audible Bleedings, which was bought out to be the official podcast for the Society of Vascular Surgery, was trainee-driven and has become increasingly popular in the past couple of years. This is a great way for trainees to develop their content and professional development.

On the podcast, Sharif interviews prominent vascular surgeons, giving listeners insight into the personal life of a vascular surgeon, how they approach the difficulties in their work, and what the process of being a vascular surgeon looks like. During the pandemic, his podcast provided the vascular community with knowledge and insight. 

He interviewed two of his colleagues from Seattle, Ben Starnes and Nitin Singh, who are both vascular surgeons and military surgeons, to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Seattle. He also had another guest, Mel Sheehan, a vascular surgeon at LSU, who had been there during Katrina and stayed throughout the pandemic. The conversation focused on how to respond to unexpected situations and the process of being a vascular surgeon. 

Recent Developments in Vascular Surgery

Sharif points out that there are many specialists in the field, and talks about his focus, his practice, and recent developments in vascular surgery, including endovascular simulation and remote access points when the focus is on endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms. This procedure has revolutionized the treatment of these aneurysms, allowing patients to come in, have the procedure done percutaneously, under local anesthetic, and go home the next day. This technology has allowed for a much less invasive and much more convenient way of treating aneurysms, making it a major development in the field.

He also talks about the limitations of current technology when it comes to repairing aneurysms. He explains that it can be difficult to maintain blood flow to branch vessels, such as the arteries to the kidneys and intestines, while also excluding the aneurysm. To solve this problem, devices have been developed that have branches with holes to maintain blood flow while still excluding the aneurysm. It is also possible to print out a 3D model of the vessel ahead of time to help in designing the device. CAT can be used to create a 3D model of a patient's blood vessels. 

Industry Collaboration in Health Innovations

Vascular surgeons continuously need to develop technology to help patients. To do this, they have to partner with industries that have the resources to develop new technology, and that it is important to seek out industry partners to provide necessary support and experience. In order to create solutions for patients, it is essential that vascular surgeons and industry collaborate. He mentions that it is the surgeon's goal to do what is best for the patient and that they must remain aware that the job of industry is to sell the device. 

When reflecting on his career, Sharif initially found general surgery attractive because of the dynamic nature of the work and the ability to offer patients medical and surgical therapy. However, he grew to like vascular surgery due to its meticulous nature and the fact that it allows for minimally invasive procedures. He found his mentor, Dr. Michael Marion, Chief of the Vascular Division, and Dr. Larry Hollier to be inspiring and both were a major factor in his decision to pursue the specialty. 

Professors and Courses of Influence

Ellozy also recalled his college days at Harvard where he found courses such as Literature Arts where he read Chaucer, and Ethics, and International Relations. However, he found the most impactful course was  Cultural Illness and Healing taught by Arthur Kleinman. He specifically remembers a book they read called Forgive and Remember, which was written to help physicians deal with medical errors.

Timestamps:

09:21 Treating Aneurysms, Clots, and Varicose Veins 

11:42 Surgical Suturing Techniques 

16:38 Audible Bleedings Podcast 

19:39 Vascular Surgery and the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic 

20:30 Vascular Surgeon's Practice: A Day in the Life 

24:46 Endovascular Surgery and Simulation 

30:55 Endovascular Repair of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms 

34:32 The use of New Technology in Healthcare 

37:32 Becoming a Vascular Surgeon and Harvard College Experiences 

Links:

Forgive and Remember 

AudibleBleeding.com

CONTACT INFO:

https://www.instagram.com/sharifellozy/?hl=en

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharif-ellozy-215a2920/