Patricio Polanco, Surgeon-in-Chief at Atrium Health Levine Cancer, Division Chief of Surgical Oncology, and inaugural Richard White Jr. Endowed Professor of Surgery at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“It has been an emotional few weeks as I wrap up nearly 12 years at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
I am deeply grateful to the people who made this journey so meaningful, special, and successful.
First, thank you to Zeh, Herbert for leading by example and for sharing your wisdom over the years.
To my partners: thank you for supporting me, challenging me, and helping build ambitious programs (Adam Yopp, John Mansour, Sam Wang, Alex Kim, Matt Porembka, Amanda Dann and Adrianne Shannon). Together, we built things I will always be proud of:
• One of the most advanced Robotic HPB programs in the U.S.
• A comprehensive Robotic Surgery Training Program, with >100 residents, 18 faculty, >40 international visiting surgeons, 25 domestic surgeons, and many trainees trained
• One of the busiest Peritoneal Surface Malignancy and HIPEC programs in the country, now led by the outstanding Alex Kim
• Growth of the Pancreatic Cancer Program into one of the busiest and most comprehensive programs of its kind (thank you Todd Aguilera and Salwan Al Mutar MD MS for co-leading this)
• The Surgical Oncology Outreach Network (SOON) designed to address disparities in access to cancer surgery across North Texas (thank you Dr. Carlos Arteaga and Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center for the support)
• The largest Pancreatic Cancer Prevention Program in the country, with >5,800 high-risk patients, under the leadership of Nisa Kubiliun and a remarkable multidisciplinary team
• More than 200 peer-reviewed articles, guidelines, and chapters
• Most importantly, lasting partnerships and friendships across UT Southwestern
To the residents, research fellows, and clinical fellows I had the honor to work with: you are not only the engine of UT Southwestern Medical Center and Parkland Health, but its greatest asset. Thank you for allowing me to be part of your training journey and for the dedication and care you gave our patients.
To my clinic staff, OR staff, schedulers, intake team, administrators, and everyone who makes things happen behind the scenes: thank you for your time, commitment, and compassion for our cancer patients.
None of this work happens without you.
Last, and definitely not least, to my patients: you are the motivation, driving force, and inspiration behind everything we do. It has been a privilege to earn your trust during some of the most difficult moments of your lives.
It has been an honor to fight by your side.
You are the true heroes of the stories we share.
Simply: Thank you.”
Other articles featuring Patricio Polanco on OncoDaily.
