It is an honor to recognize the efforts made by our colleagues toward the betterment of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) communities while also helping to elevate the culture of our institution.

It is an honor to recognize the efforts made by our colleagues toward the betterment of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities while also helping to elevate the culture of our institution... 

Dear Faculty, Staff and Students:

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Yuliana Salamanca-Padilla, MDas the Interim Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology, effective July 1, 2024, succeeding Gordon Morewood, MD, MBA, FASE, who steps down after a 10-year tenure. Under Dr. Morewood’s leadership, the department saw significant advancements, including an increase in clinical faculty from 36 to 59, expanded clinical services to TUH, FCCC and Jeanes Hospital, a 50% expansion of the residency program and improved efficiency across several anesthesia services. He will continue as a professor and cardiac anesthesiologist at Temple Hospital.

Dr. Salamanca-Padilla brings a wealth of experience and expertise to this role, with an impressive background in both clinical practice and academic leadership. She earned her medical degree from Universidad Nacional de Colombia in Bogotá. After completing a residency in anesthesiology at Pontífice Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, she moved to the United States for an internship in internal medicine at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, PA.

Following her internship, Dr. Salamanca-Padilla joined Temple University Hospital in 2012 for a residency in anesthesiology. She then completed an adult cardiothoracic anesthesia fellowship at Milton Hershey Medical Center, Penn State University, Hershey, PA. In 2016, she returned to Temple as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology.

In addition to her clinical responsibilities, Dr. Salamanca-Padilla serves as the program director of the Cardio-Thoracic Anesthesia Fellowship and Associate Vice Chair of Medical Student Education for Anesthesiology. She is a member of the Department of Anesthesiology Steering Committee and has served on the Temple University Health System Medical Faculty Senate Diversity Committee. This past year, she received the Owl Ribbon of Excellence in Professionalism from the TUH Practitioner Wellness Committee.

Dr. Salamanca-Padilla’s research has been published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine and the Annals of Thoracic Surgery. She has also contributed several chapters on cardiac physiology, TEVAR, and inpatient pain consults in various textbooks on cardiovascular anesthesia.

Please join us in welcoming and supporting Dr. Salamanca-Padilla in her new role and in thanking Dr. Morewood for his dedication to the department and Temple.

Sincerely,

Amy J. Goldberg, MD, FACS
The Marjorie Joy Katz Dean
Lewis Katz School of Medicine

Claire Raab, MD
President & CEO
Temple Faculty Physicians

Dear Faculty, Staff and Students: 

We are pleased to announce the appointment of  Abhijit S. Pathak, MD ’91, MSE, FACS, FCCM, as the Interim Chair of the Department of Surgery at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine and Temple Health. We extend our gratitude to Thomas Santora, MD, FACS, for his leadership as interim chair. Dr. Santora will be retiring on June 30, 2024, after 20 years of dedicated service at the School of Medicine and Temple University Hospital (TUH). He was a critical member of the surgery department at TUH, serving as a trauma surgeon, acute care surgeon, surgical intensivist and general surgeon. He also held several leadership roles, including Vice Chairman for Clinical Affairs, Chair of the Appointments and Promotions Committee, and Vice Chairman for Informatics and Business Development. Passionate about educating the next generation of surgeons, Dr. Santora provided clinical and didactic instruction to students, residents and fellows.

Dr. Pathak has been a distinguished educational and clinical leader at Temple for over two decades. A true embodiment of "Temple-made" excellence, he graduated from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine in 1991, completed his General Surgery Residency, and served as a Research Fellow in the Division of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery at Temple. He furthered his training with a Fellowship in Trauma/Surgical Critical Care at the University of Maryland, followed by an academic post at Yale University School of Medicine before returning to Temple in 1999.

At Temple, Dr. Pathak has served as Director of the Surgical Intensive Care Unit and Program Director of Temple’s Surgical Critical Care Fellowship. He chairs the Critical Care Committee and Organ Donation Council and directs the Advanced Trauma Life Support Course. In 2022, he was honored with the school’s Honored Professor Award for his outstanding teaching.

Dr. Pathak is a Diplomate of both the American Board of Surgery and the National Board of Medical Examiners. He is a fellow of several societies, including the American College of Critical Care Medicine, the American College of Surgeons, the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Academy of Surgery. His scholarly work is widely published, and he has authored numerous chapters in surgical textbooks.

As Interim Chair of the Department of Surgery, Dr. Pathak will guide the faculty, non-faculty physicians, trainees, and staff in delivering exceptional patient care, and advancing research through collaboration with basic science and translational medicine researchers and other clinical programs across Temple.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Pathak on his new role and in supporting him during this transition period.
 

Sincerely,

Amy J. Goldberg, MD, FACS
The Marjorie Joy Katz Dean
Lewis Katz School of Medicine

Claire Raab, MD
President & CEO
Temple Faculty Physicians