William E. Stansfield, M.D. William E. Stansfield, M.D., joined the UNC faculty on July 1 as assistant professor of surgery in the UNC Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery. Dr. Stansfield, who specializes in heart surgery for adults, practices as a cardiothoracic surgeon at UNC Hospitals. Dr. Stansfield earned an M.D. from the medical school at McGill … Read more

Thoracic Surgery won the 2012 Outstanding Service Award, presented June 20 at a UNC Department of Surgery ceremony. UNC surgery interns vote each year to choose the winner of the Outstanding Service Award, which is presented to the UNC Surgery service that best meets the following criteria: teaching on the part of the faculty, clinical … Read more

Kristen Sell, M.D. Kristen Sell, M.D., a resident physician in the UNC Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, won the 2012 junior level In-Service Award presented by the UNC Department of Surgery. The In-Service Awards, given each year by the department, recognize residents’ specific achievements on the A.B.S.I.T.E. exam (American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination). Dr. Sell … Read more

TAVR, in which a device is inserted to open the aortic valve, was approved by the FDA in late 2011. Heart specialists at Rex Healthcare, part of UNC Health Care, are offering a new procedure to repair heart valves. Trans-catheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) provides an option for people who are unable to undergo traditional … Read more

Thomas M. Egan, M.D. Tom Egan, a professor of surgery at UNC, has spent years researching a solution to the shortage of lungs for transplant. He is now studying lungs from a previously-untapped pool of donors – people who have died suddenly, away from the hospital. Use of these lungs could dramatically increase the number … Read more

Thomas M. Egan, M.D. Thomas M. Egan, M.D., of the UNC Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, has received a $100,000 grant from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for his project “Is there NO solution to IRI? Nitric oxide to improve and expand lung transplant.” The one-year project will explore whether ventilation of lungs after death with nitric … Read more

Richard H. Feins, M.D. Richard H. Feins, M.D., spoke about “How ‘Good Enough’ Became Acceptable in Surgical Training” at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, on April 21, 2012. Dr. Feins was the 2012 O.T. Clagett visiting professor at the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Feins, a thoracic surgeon and professor of surgery at the University of … Read more

Ashley McKnight, of Forsyth County, NC, was born with cystic fibrosis. She got new lungs in a double-lung transplant operation in 2009, when she was 14. However, her body began rejecting the lungs and she went into respiratory failure. Last year, she was placed back on the waiting list for new lungs. In January, she … Read more

Luella Love, 48, of Concord, N.C., was born with cystic fibrosis, which causes breathing and digestive problems. When she was a child, CF patients usually lived until their teens. Despite CF, Luella ran every day and worked at a bank. But by May 2011, her body was showing signs of shutting down. In November 2011, … Read more

  Benjamin Haithcock, M.D. Benjamin E. Haithcock, M.D. of the UNC Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery recently was interviewed about diagnosis and treatment of esophageal cancer. He was interviewed on the radio show “Make It Happen” on WAUG-AM.