Towfigh Laboratory
Hernia Surgery
An understanding of the risk factors for developing hernias remains elusive. We are working on a high-yield questionnaire to help determine a patient's risk of developing a hernia and/or having a recurrence of hernia after repair. In addition, some patients, especially women, are more prone to chronic pelvic pain. We are looking into factors that suggest hernia as a cause of chronic pelvic pain, and developing a protocol to systematically evaluate patients with chronic pelvic pain.
Surgical Infections
We have successfully implemented an institution-wide infection-reduction project for colorectal surgery, a procedure among the highest for surgical site infection rates, by analyzing risk factors and patient factors that can be easily modified to reduce surgical site infections.
Surgical Education
Medical students are often at a loss when deciding what specialty to choose as a career. We are targeting optimal clerkship experiences to predict successful career planning.
