Robert C. Erwin Literary Award

Robert C. Erwin Literary Awards are presented annually to ACOS resident members who have authored outstanding scientific manuscripts. Through a generous grant from the ACOS Trust Fund, award recipients will be presented with a plaque and a cash award for first ($1,500), second ($1,000), third ($750), fourth ($500) or fifth place ($250). Papers must be received by the ACOS no later than June 1.

Please complete the application below and consult the Guidelines as needed. We look forward to receiving your application!

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Robert C. Erwin Literary Award Recipients

2023 Recipients	Author	Specialty	Title of Paper
First place	Zachariah Taylor, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Is Urethral Catheterization Necessary in Retzius-sparing Robot-assisted Radical Prostatectomy?
Second place	Kellie Gaura, D.O.	General Surgery	Long-Term Subjective Functional Outcomes of Prostate Cancer: Prostatectomy VS Radiation
Third place	Michael Young, D.O.	Neurological Surgery	Management of intracranial aneurysms that do not occlude on initial follow up after treatment with the Pipeline Embolization Device
Fourth place	Ian Madison, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Outcomes Related to Penile Prosthesis Reservoir Removal: A 7-year Multi-Institutional Experience
Fifth place (of 2)	Benjamin Fink, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Renal Mass Imaging Modalities - Does Body Mass Index (BMI) Matter?

2022 Recipients	Author	Specialty	Title of Paper
First place	Young Son, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Increases Rate of Urinary Anastomotic Leaks in Patients Undergoing Radical Cystectomy with pT2-T4 Bladder Cancer
Second place	Kathryn Schwalbe, D.O.	General Surgery	Endoscopic findings do not predict per-oral pyloromyotomy (POP) response
Third place	Christopher Cappellini, D.O.	General Surgery	Outcomes of Transcarotid Artery Revascularization and Carotid Endarterectomy at a Single Institution
Fourth place	Javier Piraino, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Consistent Lack of Consistency in Defining the Acute and Chronic Phases of Peyronie’s Disease: A Review of the Contemporary Literature
Fifth place (of 2)	Aimee LaRiccia, D.O.	General Surgery	Mean arterial pressure (MAP) augmentation in traumatic spinal cord injuries: early hyperperfusion treatment influences neurologic outcomes
Fifth place (of 2)	Joseph Lim, D.O.	General Surgery	Overcoming the Arduous Transition for Robotic Hepatopancreatobiliary Cases: A Multi-Procedure Learning Curve Study Utilizing CUSUM Analysis

2021 Recipients	Author	Specialty	Title of Paper
First place	Aimee LaRiccia, D.O.	General Surgery	A Novel Device with Improved Outcomes for Tube Thoracostomy
Second place	Rebecca Houston, D.O.	Neurological Surgery	The Financial and Radiation Burden of Early Reimaging in Neurosurgical Patients: An Original Study and Systematic Review
Third place	Paulette Dreher, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Socio-environmental conditions associated with geospatial clusters of urothelial carcinoma: A multi-institutional analysis
Fourth place	Karin Gunther, D.O.	General Surgery	Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy as an Adjunct to Postoperative Pain Control for Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass Patients: A Single Institution Retrospective Study
Fifth place	Abhiram Kondajji, D.O.	General Surgery	Gastroparesis with Concomitant Gastrointestinal Dysmotility is not a Contraindication for Per-oral Pyloromyotomy (POP)

2020 Recipients	Author	Specialty	Title of Paper
First place	John P. Kuckelman, D.O.	General Surgery	Extending The Golden Hour For Zone 1 Reboa: Improved Survival And Reperfusion Injury With Intermittent Versus Continuous Reboa In A Porcine Severe Truncal Hemorrhage Model
Second place (of 2)	Aimee LaRiccia, D.O.	General Surgery	Variability of Radiological Grading of Blunt Cerebrovascular Injuries in Trauma Patients
Second place (of 2)	John P. Kuckelman, D.O.	General Surgery	Plasma Co-Administration Improves Resuscitation with Tranexamic Acid or Prothrombin Complex in a Porcine Hemorrhagic Shock Model
Fourth place	Matthew A. Rohloff, D.O.	Urological Surgery	The Impact of Low Pressure Pneumoperitoneum in Robotic Assisted Radical Prostatectomy: A Prospective, Randomized, Double Blinded Trial
Fifth place	Paulette Dreher, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms and Sexual Dysfunction in the Bariatric Patient Population: A Comprehensive Review

2019 Recipients	Author	Specialty	Title of Paper
First place	Simon Holoubek, D.O., MPH	General Surgery	Aggressive Variants of Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma are Associated With High-Risk Features, but Not Decreased Survival
Second place	Jason A. Levy, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Male-to-Female Gender Reassignment Surgery: An Institutional Analysis of Outcomes, Short-Term Complications, and Risk Factors for 240 Patients Undergoing Penile-Inversion Vaginoplasty
Third place	Sean P. Martin, D.O.	General Surgery	PKM2 Inhibition Overcomes Therapeutic Resistance to Transarterial Chemoembolization in Hepatocelluar Carinoma
Fourth place (of 2)	Matthew Rohloff, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Which Objective Parameters are Associated with a Positive Urine Culture in the Setting of Ureteral Calculi: The Ureteral Calculi Urinary Culture (UCUC) Calculator
Fourth place (of 2)	Margo Carlin, D.O.	General Surgery	Money Well Spent? A Cost and Utilization Analysis of Prophylactic Inferior Vena Cava Filter Placement in High Risk Trauma Patients

2018 recipients	Author	Specialty	Title of Paper
First place	Alireza Daneshpajou, D.O.	General Surgery	Increase in Neutrophil/Lymphocyte Ratio is Associated with Evolution of Hemorrhage After traumatic Brain Injury
Second place	Meghan E. Wooster, D.O.	General Surgery	End-of-life Decision-Making for patients With Geriatric Trauma Cared for in a Trauma Intensive Care Unit
Third place	Daniel C. Edwards, D.O.	General Surgery	Survival Outcomes, Practice Patterns and Risks Associated with Partial Orchiectomy versus Radical Orchiectomy: An Analysis of the National Cancer Database
Fourth place	Alireza Daneshpajou, D.O.	General Surgery	Operative Outcomes After Sternal Repair: A Single Center's Experience
Fifth place	Ching Man Carmen Tong, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Novel multimodal analgesia protocol significantly decreases opioid requirements in inflatable penile prosthesis patients

2017 recipients	Author	Specialty	Title of paper
First place	David B. Cahn, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Contemporary practice patterns and survival outcomes for locally advanced urethral malignancies: An NCDB analysis
Second place	James Kurtz, D.O.	General Surgery	Surveillance strategies in the follow-up of melanoma patients: too much or not enough?
Third place	Benjamin A. Raymond, D.O.	General Surgery	Pneumoperitoneum secondary to spontaneously perforated pyometria: a case report

2016 recipients	Author	Specialty	Title of paper
First place	Devin C. Flaherty, D.O., Ph.D.	General Surgery	Prognostic Utility of Immunoprofiling in Colon Cancer: Results from a Prospective, Multicenter Nodal Ultrastaging Trial
Second place	Zachary M. Bauman, D.O.	Trauma Surgery	Repeat Head CT? Not Necessary for Patients with a Negative Initial Head CT on Anticoagulation or Antiplatelet Therapy Suffering Low-Altitude Falls
Third place	Zachary M. Bauman, D.O.	General Surgery	Improving Mortality in Trauma Laparotomy through the Evolution of Damage Control Resuscitation: Analysis of 1,030 Consecutive Trauma Laparotomies
Fourth place	Devin C. Flaherty, D.O., Ph.D.	General Surgery	Adrenalectomy for Metastatic Melanoma: Current Role in the Age of Nonsurgical Treatments
Fifth place	David S. Zaghlool, D.O.	General Surgery	EkoSonic Thrombolysis as a Therapeutic Adjunct in Venous Occlusive Disease

2015 recipients	Author	Specialty	Title of paper
First place	Marika Y. Gassner, D.O.	General Surgery	Feasibility of Common Carotid Artery Point of Care Ultrasound in Cardiac Output Measurements Compared to Invasive Methods
Second place	Gul Sachwani-Daswani, D.O.	General Surgery	The Association Between Blood Glucose and Matrix- Metalloproteinase-9 in Early Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock
Third place	Ankur P. Bhakta, D.O., M.B.A.	General Surgery	Angioembolization is Necessary With Any Volume of Contrast Extravasation in Blunt Trauma
Fourth place	Nina M. Kolbe, D.O.	General Surgery	Assessing Risk of Critical Care Complications and Mortality in the Elective Bariatric Surgery Population Using a Modified Frailty Index

2014 recipients:	Author	Specialty	Title of paper
First place	Marika Y. Gassner, D.O.	General Surgery	Hemodynamic Changes in Patients Undergoing Carotid Endarterectomy Under Cervical Block and General Anesthesia
Second place	Zachary M. Bauman, D.O.	General Surgery	Lung Injury Prediction Score is Useful in Predicting Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and Mortality in Surgical Critical Care Patients
Third place	Zachary M. Bauman, D.O.	General Surgery	Racial Differences in Vasopressor Requirements for Septic Shock
Fourth place	Michael I. Hanzly, D.O.	Urological Surgery	High Dose Interleukin-2 Therapy for Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Contemporary Experience
Fifth place	Zachary M. Bauman, D.O.	General Surgery	Airway Pressure Release Ventilation Does Not Protect Against Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Development in Surgical Critical Care Patients

2013 Recipients	Author	Specialty	Title of Paper
First place	Nathan M. Polite, D.O.	General Surgery	Do Serum Random Cortisol Levels Predict Outcomes in Critically Ill Trauma Patients?
Second place	Mark Rivkin, D.O.	Neurological Surgery	Sinovenous Thrombosis in the Setting of Blunt Head Trauma: Defining at Risk Patients in a Retrospective Review of 7,182 Consecutive Admissions to a Tertiary Care Center
Third place	Joel E. Abbott, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Tubeless and Totally Tubeless Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy
Fourth place	Deepa R. Halaharvi, D.O.	General Surgery	Palpable Benign-Appearing in Solid Breast Masses: Current Management
Fifth place	Not Awarded

2012 Recipients	Author	Specialty	Title of Paper
First place	Noah R. May, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Operative Start Times and Complications After Kidney Transplantation
Second place	Ronak A. Gor, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Presence of RXFP1 Receptors in Peyronie's Disease Plaque Tissue
Third place	Naveen Divakaruni, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Genitourinary Skin and Soft Tissue Infections: A Contemporary Evaluation of Causative Pathogens
Fourth place	Jamie M. Bartley, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Inflatable Penile Prosthesis and Salvage Protocol for Mechanical Failure: Is It Really Necessary
Fifth place	Michelle J. Wood, D.O.	General Surgery	A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Diagnostic Screening Criteria for Blunt Cerebrovascular Injuries

2011 Recipients	Author	Specialty	Title of Paper
First place	Hang T. Dang, D.O.	General Surgery	MRI Staging After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer: Does Tumor Biology Affect Accuracy?
Second place	Devin C. Flaherty, D.O., Ph.D.	General Surgery	Pyruvate-Enriched Resuscitation Protects Hindlimb Musculature from Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Hemorrhagic Shock.
Third place	Devin C. Flaherty, D.O., Ph.D.	General Surgery	Pyruvate-Fortified Fluid Resuscitation Improves Hemodynamic Stability While Suppressing Systemic Inflammation and Myocardial Oxidative Stress After Hemorrhagic Shock
Fourth place	Michael I. Hanzly, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Patient Survival Outcome with ECD Kidneys Versus Those With SCD Kidneys
Fifth place	Sudhakar Vadivelu, D.O.	Neurological Surgery	Fiber Tracking in the Human Brain: Hemispheric Asymmetry in the Dentate Nucleus Efferent Pathwa

2010 Recipients	Author	Specialty	Title of Paper
First place	Samuel G. Deem, D.O.	Urological Surgery	PNL Versus ESWL for Moderate Sized Kidney Stones
Second place	Ripul Ranjen Panchal, D.O.	Neurological Surgery	Serum Sodium Levels and Optimization of Brain Tissue Oxygenation and Intracranial Pressures in Severe Traumatic Brain Injury
Third place	Sudhakar Vadivelu, D.O.	Neurological Surgery	Occipital Neuromodulation for Refractory Headache in the Chiari Malformation Population
Fourth place	Eric D. Martin, D.O.	General Surgery	A Team Approach to Anterior Lumbar Spine Surgery in the Military
Fifth place	Michelle J. Wood, D.O.	General Surgery	A Comparison of Intermittent Versus Continuous Gastric Enteral Nutrition in Critically Ill Trauma Patients: A Prospective Randomized Trial

2009 Recipients	Author	Specialty	Title of Paper
First place	Sudhakar Vadivelu, D.O.	Neurological Surgery	Embryonic Stem Cell Transplantation: Glial Scar Penetration and Axonal Regeneration Into White Matter after Spinal Cord Injury
Second place	Marc A. Bjurlin, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Genitourinary Injuries in Pelvic Fracture Morbidity and Mortality Utilizing the National Trauma Data Bank
Third place	Cordell R. Davis, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Stone Composition and Hounsfield Units
Fourth place	Not Awarded
Fifth place	Not Awarded

2008 Recipients	Author	Specialty	Title of Paper
First place	Frank J. Hux, D.O.	Neurological Surgery	Purely Endoscopic Single Surgeon Access to Cerebellopontine Angle Pathology
Second place	Samuel G. Deem, D.O.	General Surgery	Should the Standard Duplex Velocities Criteria for the Diagnosis of Carotid Stenosis be Changed After Carotid Endarterectomy with Patch Closure? Results from a Randomized Carotid Trial
Third place	Sean A. Castellucci, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Robot Assisted Laparoscopic Prostatectomy: A Single Institutions Learning Curve
Fourth place	Frank J. Hux, D.O.	Neurological Surgery	Purely Endoscopic Versus Traditional Open Microvascular Decompression in the Treatment of Vascular Compression Syndromes
Fifth place	Robert B. Goodwin, D.O.	General Surgery	Computed Tomographic Angiography vs. Conventional Angiography for Diagnosis of Blunt Cerebrovascular Injury in Trauma Patients

2007 Recipients	Author	Specialty	Title of Paper
First place	Eric D. Martin, D.O.	General Surgery	A Comparison of Bilateral Neck Exploration (BNE) and Minimally Invasive Radio-Guided Parathyroidectomy (MIRP) for the Treatment of Primary Hyperparathyroidism: Which is the Gold Standard?
Second place	Qualls E.J. Stevens, D.O.	Neurological Surgery	Use of Spinous Processes to Determine the Optimal Trajectory for Placement of Lateral Mass Screws: Technical Note
Third place	Not Awarded
Fourth place	Not Awarded
Fifth place	Not Awarded

2006 Recipients	Author	Specialty	Title of Paper
First place	Scott T. Martz, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Identification and Isolation of Putative Stem Cells in the Prostate Epithelium
Second place	Douglas M. Iddings, D.O.	General Surgery	The Prognostic Effect of Micrometastases in Previously Staged Lymph Node Negative (N0) Colorectal Carcinoma: A Meta-Analysis
Third place	Jeffrey Thomas Cooper, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Gene Expression Profiling is Able to Identify High and Low Risk Renal Cell Carcinoma and Accurately Predict Prognosis
Fourth place	Brian C. Diener, D.O.	General Surgery	Analysis of 120 Cases of Blue Rhino Percutaneous Dilational Tracheostomy Without Brochoscopic Guidance
Fifth place	Jennifer A. Hagerty, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Reduced Postoperative Bladder Urine Concentration of Transforming Growth Factor - B1 Correlates With Successful Surgery in Children With Upper Urinary Tract Obstruction

2005 Recipients	Author	Specialty	Title of Paper
First place	Michael A. Kia, D.O.	General Surgery	Strict Glycemic Control Shows No Outcome Benefit in the Critically Ill General and Vascular Surgical Patient Population: A Randomized Prospective Trial
Second place	Nikhil L. Shah, D.O.	Neurological Surgery	Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy: Analysis of Outcomes Using Different Fascial Sparing Techniques
Third place	Michael A. Kia, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Comparative Analysis of Bone Marrow Micrometastasis With Sentinel Lymph Node (SLN) Status in Early Stage Breast Cancer
Fourth place	Francesco T. Mangano, D.O.	Neurological Surgery	Early programmable valve malfunctions in pediatric hydrocephalus
Fifth place	Michael A. Kia, D.O.	General Surgery	Plasma Neutrophil Percentage as an Indicator of Acute Appendicitis in Children

2004 Recipients	Author	Specialty	Title of Paper
First place	Hydi F. Laidlaw-Smith, D.O.	General Surgery	Routine versus Selective Cholangiography during Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy
Second place	Ying Chen, D.O.	Neurological Surgery	Anterior Cervial Arthroplasty for Symptomatic Degenerative Disease Using Prestige Cervical Disc System
Third place	Jamison S. Jaffe, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Prostate Size and PSA Predict Failure in Patients Undergoing Alpha Blocker Monotherapy
Fourth place	Not Awarded
Fifth place	Not Awarded

2003 Recipients	Author	Specialty	Title of Paper
First place	Heather Gottlieb, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Phase I Study Of Weekly Docetaxel And Vinblastine In The Treatment Of Metastatic Hormone Refractory Prostate Cancer
Second place	Craig Ferrara, D.O.	General Surgery	Strategic Leukocyte Depletion Reduces Pulmonary Microvascular Pressure and Improves Pulmonary Status Post Cardiopulmonary Bypass
Third place	Russell G. Doubrava, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Ability Of The Dysfunctional Voiding Scoring System Questionnaire To Predict Uroflowometry And External Urinary Sphincter Electromyography Patterns In Normal Children During Voiding
Fourth place	Nikhil L. Shah, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Measuring Quality Of Cancer Care: Validation Of A Patient And Spouse-Reported, Multi-Dimensional Satisfaction Instrument
Fifth place	Ward P. Buster, D.O.	Surgical Critical Care	Temozolomide in Combination with Irinotecan for Treatment of Recurrent Malignant Glioma

2002 Recipients	Author	Specialty	Title of Paper
First place	Gregory N. Messner, D.O.	Cardiothoracic Vascular	Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass and Transmyocardial Laser Revascularization via a Left Thoracotomy
Second place	Charles E. Garramone, D.O.	General Surgery	The Role of Peritoneal Lavage in the Diagnosis of Acute Abdominal Disease in Non-trauma Patients
Third place	Rob D. Dickerman, D.O., Ph.D.	General Vascular	Basis of Persistent and Recurrent Cushing's Disease: An Analysis Based on Findings at Repeat Pituitary Surgery
Fourth place	Michael L. Thornton, D.O.	General Surgery	The Incidence of Marginal Ulceration and Stomal Stenosis Following Micropouch Gastric Bypass Surgery for Morbid Obesity
Fifth place	Maurizio A. Miglietta, D.O.	Surgical Critical Care	Decompressive Laparotomy: A Novel Approach in the Management of Severe Intracranial Hypertension

2001 Recipients	Author	Specialty	Title of Paper
First place	Nikhil L. Shah, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Chemotherapeutic Sensitivity in Bladder Cancer as Related to p53 Status
Second place	Tien Huy Nguyen, D.O.	General Surgery	Venipuncture Complications: A 10-month Pilot Study at an Inner-city Community Hospital
Third place (tie)	Eugene Tanquilut, D.O.	General Vascular	Nonoperative Management with Selective Delayed Surgery for Large Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms in High-risk Patients
Third place (tie)	Gregory A. Zella, D.O.	Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery	High-risk Autogenous Breast Reconstruction with Pedicled Abdominal Island Flaps: A Detailed Analysis of Risk Factors, Surgical Approach, Complications, and Outcome
Fourth place	Not Awarded

2000 Recipients	Author	Specialty	Title of Paper
First place	Fausto Y. Vinces, D.O.	General Surgery	Primary Patency of Hemodialysis Access Grafts with Venous End Anastomosis Constructed with Either the Vascular Closure Staples (VCS) or Polypropylene Suture
Second place	Michael G. Waters, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Observations of the Short-pulsed Titanium Sapphire Laser on Human Renal Calculi: A Pilot Study
Third place	Christopher P. Moyer, D.O.	Urological Surgery	Multiple Primary Malignancies Associated with Prostate Cancer
Fourth place	Not Awarded
Fifth place	Not Awarded

Frank J. Hux, D.O.

Frank J. Hux, D.O.