The free clinics will be held in Smoketown starting Feb. 9 and last into the spring and early summer. Participants will learn how healthy their heart is and their risk of heart attack and stroke, and those who need treatment will be given a referral for care. Health insurance is not required.

Inspired by Smoketown’s Muhammad Ali, who trained for boxing in the neighborhood, “Heart of a Champion” is a partnership between the UofL schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health and Information Sciences; the Have a Heart Clinic; UofL Physicians; the UofL Envirome Institute; Surgery on Sunday; the American Heart Association; UofL’s Get Healthy Now; IDEAS xLab; Dare to Care; YouthBuild; Smoketown Family Wellness Center; and several Smoketown-area churches.

“With February being American Heart Month, it’s the perfect time to kick off these screenings,” said Erica Sutton, MD, a general surgeon with UofL Physicians and associate professor at the UofL School of Medicine who will lead the UofL doctors staffing the clinics.

“This is a model for community-engaged care, where we work with partners in the community who are taking care of a population we want to reach. It’s important for us not just to open our office doors to people, but really provide a presence for health and access to care by going out into the community.

“In Smoketown, there’s an abundance of heart disease, and we have the ability to make an impact on risk factors, such as diabetes, obesity and smoking. And screenings are a well-known tool to identify heart disease before the heart is irreversibly damaged. The saying ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ really rings true here. Not only is prevention or identifying the potential for heart disease easier and more cost effective, but it’s healthier than trying to cure it.”

American Heart Month is a program of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. The month aims to encourage and motivate everyone to adopt heart healthy behaviors, including screening for risk factors.

Referrals will go to the Have a Heart Clinic and University of Louisville Physicians, and Surgery on Sunday also will be providing services. Sutton also volunteers with Surgery on Sunday.

The clinics will be held at churches and community centers in the Smoketown neighborhood. UofL doctors will staff the clinics, assisted by students and residents from school.

Other UofL faculty involved include cardiologist Andrew DeFilippis, MD, an expert in cardiovascular diseases whose research focuses on cardiovascular risk prediction, and cardiothoracic surgeon Kristen Sell-Dottin, MD.

Clinic dates

No advance registration is required. Dates and locations for the clinics are:

• Bates Memorial Church (620 Lampton St.)
  • Feb. 9 (Saturday) from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
  • Feb. 10 (Sunday) from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Smoketown Family Wellness Center (760 S. Hancock St., Suite B100)
  • Feb. 23 (Saturday) from 12 to 2 p.m.
• Coke Memorial United Methodist Church (428 E. Breckinridge St.)
  • June 2 (Sunday) from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
• Grace Hope Presbyterian Church (702 E. Breckinridge St.)
  • (TBD)
• Little Flock Missionary Baptist Church (1030 S. Hancock St.)
  • (TBD)
• YouthBuild (800 S. Preston St.)
  • (TBD)

Clinic services

Participants will get screenings for factors that affect heart health, such as blood pressure and cholesterol, body mass, diet, exercise, use of tobacco products and sleep. Arterial ultrasounds also will be available.

A heart health profile will be provided, as well as information on actions to take to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke.

Those who attend will also be able to participate in short informational sessions on diet (including how to cook healthy foods), exercise (including low-intensity options), better sleep and smoking cessation.

Heart disease prevention

In addition to screenings to learn risk, the likelihood of heart attack and stroke can be reduced by:

• Lowering cholesterol (consider what you eat)
• Burning calories every day (exercise or walk) and strength training (you can use your body to strength train)
• Decreasing stress (meditate or relax)
• Eating a healthy diet, including heart-healthy foods
• Stopping smoking
• Finding a physician

. For questions about the Heart of a Champion program, contact Lora Cornell, senior program coordinator at the UofL School of Medicine, at 502-852-2120.

McMasters is the Ben A. Reid Sr., MD, professor and chairman of the Department of Surgery at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. He also serves as director of the Multidisciplinary Melanoma Clinic and is associate director of the James Graham Brown Cancer Center at UofL.

In his keynote address, titled “The Fundamental Difference Between Palliative Treatment and Palliative Care,” McMasters noted the audience was filled with those who have devoted their lives to the care of patients with cancer, and will perform research that will relieve suffering, improve quality of life, extend survival and find a cure.

Using one of his patients as an example, he argued that while regular tests and treatments make sense for patients whose cancer can be cured or their lives extended (with good quality), for those with recurring cancer who will eventually die from the disease, there is no evidence early detection of asymptomatic recurrence is any better than waiting until they are symptomatic. For those patients, regular tests and treatments can rob them of their quality of life.

“Our duty to our patients is to care for them, not just for their disease, but for who they are,” McMasters said. “Sometimes, it doesn’t make sense to put the patient through treatments and tests that in the end, won’t affect whether they live or die. They are often better served by living free of pain and suffering, happily in the company of those they love, doing the things that make life worth living.”

McMasters has personal experience of losing a loved one to cancer. He lost his son, Owen, to leukemia.

Also speaking on the topic during the keynote address was Shishir Maithel, MD, chair of the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University.

McMasters specializes in melanoma, breast cancer, sarcoma, hepatobiliary tumors and pancreatic and gastric cancers. At the Brown Cancer Center, he works to identify the most effective combination of treatment including surgery, immunotherapy, targeted therapies, and radiation therapy for patients with all stages of melanoma.

He has been principal investigator or co-investigator of over 30 clinical trials, and president of the Society of Surgical Oncology, the Society of Surgical Chairs, the Western Surgical Association and the Southeastern Surgical Association. In 2018, he was named editor-in-chief of Annals of Surgical Oncology, and he has authored over 400 peer-reviewed publications and a book.

, is chief of Sports Medicine and an orthopedic surgeon with , and an assistant professor at the . A former football player and athlete himself, he specializes in sports injuries, and says it’s not uncommon for weekend or holiday warriors to end up in the emergency room after a fall on the slopes. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be safe, and there are ways to minimize your risk.

He said the biggest thing is to be realistic about your abilities, and not get overconfident. “People try to ski above their level. They get brave on the bunny slopes, then they think they can head for the Black Diamond,” he said.

For the uninitiated, Black Diamond slopes are difficult with steep gradients, and they are often full of bumps. A Double Black Diamond is the most difficult rating and should be skied by experts only. If you get on one of these and you’re not an expert — well, you were warned.

According to a review article published in a January 2018 issue of the Journal of the , the number of skier and snowboarder injuries continues to rise. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates more than 140,000 people were treated in hospitals, doctors’ offices and emergency rooms in 2015 for skiing and snowboarding-related injuries.

“It might seem like common sense, but don’t ski above your level of comfort, and wear proper safety equipment, such as a helmet, gloves and goggles,” Douglas said. “Always the helmet.”

A broken wrist or twisted knee can most likely be fixed, but a brain injury is much more serious.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says taking lessons is especially important for new skiers, and learning how to fall correctly can reduce the risk of injury.

Douglas said it’s also best to pick a time of day to ski when it’s less crowded, if you can. “It has happened on crowded slopes where a skier has been struck by someone else moving much faster than them.”

Common injuries

A wide range of injuries can occur, with injuries to ligaments more common than fractures. Douglas said the majority fall into two groups: Knee injuries, particularly to the anterior cruciate ligament due to twisting; and because skiers and snowboarders often put their arms out to break a fall, a broken wrist or shoulder injury such as a fracture, separation or dislocation. A separated shoulder is an injury to the ligaments that hold your collarbone to your shoulder blade.

Douglas said injuries to the upper body can be worse as that part “has an extra second to accelerate before hitting the ground.”

Skiers who fall on an outstretched hand while holding a ski pole can get “skier’s thumb,” an injury to the ligament that connects the bones of the thumb together.

Snowboarding injures tend to be more common and severe than skiing injures, Douglas said, as ski bindings are designed to come loose in the event of a fall, with the skis flying away, while a snowboard remains attached. With the snowboard strapped on, those who fall often suffer twisting or rotational injuries to the knees, as well as a broken wrist or separated shoulder. He said snowboarding injuries are more likely to require surgery or hospitalization.

Injuries to novice skiers also tend to be less severe than for those who are more advanced, Douglas said. “More experienced skiers are also less likely to take a doctor’s advice.”

Whether novice or experienced, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recommends the following to stay safe on the slopes:

Proper preparation

• Maintain fitness. Be in good physical condition when you set out. If you are out of shape, select runs carefully and gradually build your way up to more challenging trails. Many ski injuries happen at the end of the day, when people are tired and try to get in one last run.
• Warm up. Research has shown cold muscles are more prone to injury. Warm up with jumping jacks or running or walking in place for 3 to 5 minutes. Take a couple of slow ski runs before moving on to something more difficult.
• Drink water. Even mild levels of dehydration can affect physical ability and endurance. Drink plenty of water before, during and after.
• Know safety rules. Understand and abide by rules of the ski resort. Know general safety rules of skiing, such as how to safely stop, merge and yield to other skiers.
• Learn ski lift safety. Before your outing, learn how to properly get on and off a lift.

Ensure Appropriate Equipment

• Wear several layers of light, loose and water- and wind-resistant clothing for warmth and protection. Layering allows you to accommodate your body’s constantly changing temperature.
• Boots and bindings. Buy or rent boots and bindings that have been set, adjusted, maintained and tested by a ski shop that follows American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards.
• Check the binding of each ski before skiing. Bindings must be properly adjusted to your height, weight and skiing ability.
• Safety gear. Wear appropriate protective gear such as a helmet and goggles. Helmets are sport-specific, so do not wear a bike helmet on the slopes. Ski helmets should be worn.

Ensure a Safe Environment

• Stay on marked trails and avoid potential avalanche areas.
• Watch out for rocks and patches of ice on trails.
• Pay attention to warnings about upcoming storms and severe drops in temperature. Make adjustments for icy conditions, deep snow, powder and wet snow.

Prepare for Injuries

• Ski or snowboard with partners and stay within sight of each other. If you get ahead of your partner, stop and wait.
• Seek shelter and medical attention immediately if you, or anyone with you, is experiencing hypothermia or frostbite. Make sure everyone is aware of proper procedures for getting help if injuries occur.

“This is a novel public-private venture that provides a unique opportunity to combine the resources of a Fortune 500 company, the UofL ophthalmology program and a private laser center staffed with highly experienced clinicians,” said Richard Eiferman, MD, clinical professor of ophthalmology with the University of Louisville School of Medicine, who oversees the training.  

The UofL Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences is one of only three programs in the United States in which the residents are trained for LASIK and PRK procedures during residency. The physicians in the laser center train the residents in performing the procedures, while representatives of Johnson & Johnson instruct them in the use of J&J Vision Surgical equipment for these procedures.

The program’s success promptly led to its expansion to include ophthalmology residents from the University of Kentucky Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences as well. Eight residents from UofL and six residents from UK are participating in the elective program.

The final stage of the training takes place at Suburban Excimer Laser Center, in which the residents perform surgeries under the direction of Eiferman, a clinical professor in the UofL School of Medicine, Frank Burns, MD, and Mark Cassol, MD, a lecturer in the UofL School of Medicine.

Earlier this year, two senior residents from UofL were the first medical residents in the United States to complete all of the required training and become FDA certified to perform the laser surgery prior to completing their three-year residency program. The certification typically is achieved by physicians engaged in specialized cornea fellowships following ophthalmology residency.

Only two other eye programs in the United States, Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia and the University of Miami’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, have similar programs.

Sidharth Puri, MD, chief ophthalmology resident at UofL, said access to this training gives UofL residency graduates a significant advantage.

“This is a big strength for our program. It gives residents top notch exposure to the newest surgical techniques available,” Puri said.

To assist these residents in their training, the program is offering more affordable eye surgery to UofL faculty, staff, students and alumni, as well as staff of UofL Physicians and UofL Hospital and James Graham Brown Cancer Center. Resident procedures, staffed by Richard Eiferman, MD, Frank Burns, MD, and Mark Cassol, MD, range from $495 to $795 per eye for custom LASIK. For an appointment, call 502-588-0550.

“Three-hundred lung transplants is a significant milestone for Jewish Hospital Transplant Care,” said , director of the Transplantation Program at Jewish Hospital and chief of the division of Transplant Surgery at and the . “We recognize the selfless sacrifice of all organ donors, celebrate the improved lives of our organ recipients, and recognize the impact of everyone on the transplant team for their lifesaving and life-changing work.”

The 300^th lung transplant was performed Tuesday, Sept. 18, on a 71-year-old man from northern Kentucky who suffered from pulmonary fibrosis. The patient was on the transplant list for two months before undergoing a lung transplant. The surgery was performed by , surgical director of the Lung Transplant Program at Jewish Hospital and chief of Thoracic Surgery at UofL Physicians and the UofL School of Medicine.

“Each year, we are performing more and more lung transplants at Jewish Hospital, and it is exciting to hit this milestone as this momentum continues,” said Dr. van Berkel, “When I first started, we were doing between five to 10 lung transplants a year. Now we are closer to 20 lung transplants a year, and we’re trying to grow that even further.”

The first lung transplant at the hospital took place in 1991, and the first double lung transplant in 1995. Since then, transplantation has seen significant advancements in anti-rejection medications, surgical techniques and other technologies, helping Jewish Hospital achieve one-year survival rates higher than the national average.

In 2017, the Jewish Hospital Trager Transplant Center’s program with UofL became the first transplant program in Kentucky, and only the second program in the region, to begin offering Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion (EVLP). EVLP is a leading-edge technology that allows for an expansion of the Lung Donor Pool that will allow more patients to receive lifesaving lung transplants.  

“The Jewish Hospital and UofL transplant team are helping save lives in our community each day,” said Ronald Waldridge, MD, president of . “The team is one of the leading providers of organ transplantation in the United States, and milestones like the 300^th lung transplant remind us how important this work is daily. We’ve come so far since the first lung transplant in 1991, and we’re looking forward to many more lives impacted.”

On Thursday, doctors and lung transplant recipients gathered at the to celebrate the 300^th milestone and the many lives that have been saved over the years thanks to lung transplantation. 

“When I first started my training, we used to have a firm age limit of 65. That was the absolute limit for transplantation,” said , medical director of the Lung Transplant Program at Jewish Hospital and a pulmonologist with UofL Physicians and assistant professor at the UofL School of Medicine. “These days, we are extending that age and our oldest recipient got their lungs at age 75, so we are continuing to push the envelope in terms of being able to offer transplants to older patients, and patients who are sicker who we would not have considered doing a transplant on 5 to 10 years ago.”

Dr. Jill Jacobs is among the 300^th lung recipients at Jewish Hospital. Jacobs was the 271^st recipient, and was also a double lung transplant recipient. Jacobs says she smoked cigarettes for about 40 years, and by the time she stopped, had already developed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).  

“I had the transplant in February of 2017,” Jacobs said. “I have been extremely happy and grateful that I had doctors who have given me my life back. They’ve given me a new life, in fact.”

Jacobs said before the transplant, she couldn’t even do simple things, like getting dressed, without being short of breath. She says the has helped change her life.

“I can’t tell you how happy I am that I went to Jewish to have this done,” Jacobs said. “It’s a gift nobody can believe. It’s a miracle, in my opinion. A miracle.”

Earlier this year, the Jewish Hospital Trager Transplant Center – a joint program with the UofL Physicians, the UofL School of Medicine and KentuckyOne Health – also celebrated its 500^th heart transplant. In addition to Kentucky’s first heart transplant, the program is known for performing Kentucky’s first adult pancreas, heart-lung and liver transplants.

The study, “,” appears today on the website of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons in advance of print publication.

“We found several good things happened by the expansion of Medicaid,” said the study’s senior author, Hiram C. Polk, Jr., MD, of the division of surgical oncology in the Department of Surgery at the UofL School of Medicine. “It really did work. The care was better because people were getting what they need.”

Since passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, 32 states and the District of Columbia have expanded Medicaid coverage, with the federal government covering the increased costs. Kentucky is one of the Medicaid expansion states, and the study looked at the effects of the expansion here.

“What we learned is that the expansion of some form of third-party coverage for health care leads to people doing more things that are intrinsically good for their health,” said Polk, who also has served as Kentucky’s public health commissioner.

UofL researchers who were co-authors on the study were Nicolas Ajkay, MD, as first author; Neal Bhutiani, MD; Jeffrey Howard, MD; Charles Scoggins, MD; and Kelly McMasters, MD, PhD. Also involved were researchers from the University of Kentucky.

The researchers looked at breast cancer as a marker of the impact of Medicaid expansion as it is “a very common cancer,” Polk said. “Our goal was to get an early measure of what really happened with Medicaid expansion.”

The study evaluated measures related to breast cancer from 2011 to 2016, using 2014 – the year Kentucky’s Medicaid expansion went into effect- as the cutoff between pre- and post-expansion.

“We knowingly took on the possibility of making too early of an observation on Medicaid expansion, but the degree of change that occurred so promptly in two years surprised me,” Polk said. “It’s amazing these changes happened in just two years.”

Researchers examined the Kentucky Cancer Registry for all women ages 20 to 64 who were diagnosed with breast cancer between 2011 and 2016.

From 2011 to 2013, 635,547 screening mammograms were performed in the state. That number increased to 680,418 from 2014 to 2016.

In 2011, 208,600 screening mammograms were performed, compared with 234,315 in 2016.

The number of screening mammograms covered by Medicaid increased from 5.6 percent before expansion to 14.7 percent after, and the number of women who had screening mammograms and were uninsured declined almost tenfold, from 0.53 percent before to 0.05 percent after expansion.

Breast cancer incidence and treatment rates did not vary significantly from year to year. But the changes in the rates of early-stage vs late-stage disease treated in the pre- and post-Medicaid expansion periods were statistically significant. 

Early stage (stage I-II) breast cancers accounted for 64.5 percent of the diagnoses in 2011-2013, compared with 66.7 percent in 2014-2016. Late-stage (III-IV) cancers accounted for 15 percent, compared with 12.9 percent.

Rates for breast-conserving surgery increased significantly after Medicaid expansion, from 44 percent pre-expansion to 48.8 percent, while rates of other resections, including mastectomy, declined, falling from 50.5 percent to 44.5 percent.

While the time from diagnosis to surgical treatment for the disease was shorter before expansion, an average of 28.6 days compared with 36, two other key treatment variables were either unchanged or improved after expansion: time from the operation to chemotherapy (47.5 days before, and 46.6 days after); and time from the operation to radiation (96.4 days before, and 91.5 after).

“Chemotherapy and radiation didn’t happen as quickly as we’d like,” Polk said.

The study noted the findings were mirrored by experiences in other states, but Polk said a thorough analysis of the Medicaid expansion in Kentucky requires longer-term study. 

“Two years is a very short run,” Polk said. “But on the other hand, it’s a very pure study.”

“The availability of suitable donor lungs for transplantation continues to be a major obstacle to increasing the number of lung transplants performed annually, and this study demonstrated that reasonable outcomes are possible with the use of advanced age donors,” said William Micah Whited, MD, University of Louisville Department of Surgery. “Research such as this that explores the means of expanding the donor pool is of critical importance.”

Whited, along with senior author Matthew Fox, MD, of the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery and other colleagues from UofL, queried the United Network of Organ Sharing thoracic transplant database to identify lung transplant recipients age 18 years or older.

Between January 2005 and June 2014, 14,222 lung transplants were performed. Of these lung transplant recipients, 26 percent were age 50 years or younger, with 2 percent receiving lungs from donors older than age 60. Among this group of younger patients who received older donor lungs, there was no significant difference in five-year survival when compared to patients who received lungs from younger donors.

The researchers also examined the impact of double versus single lung transplant on long-term survival, finding that younger patients who received older donor lungs experienced much better outcomes when a double versus a single transplantation was performed.

The study showed that in younger patients who received a single lung transplant using organs from older versus younger donors, there was a lower five-year survival: 15 percent versus 50 percent. However, with a double lung transplant, there was no significant difference in five-year survival: 53 percent versus 59 percent.

“Ideal donor” criteria vary by hospital, but the researchers said that the criteria generally consist of brain death, age less than 45 to 50 years, minimal smoking history, and no evidence of pneumonia or trauma. Donor organs that do not meet all of the ideal donor criteria are sometimes accepted, but not always.

Whited said that while the use of extended criteria donor lungs varies from program to program, most surgeons should be willing to accept non-ideal donors, especially those who are older but otherwise good candidates.

“The vast majority of potential donors do not meet the relatively strict donor criteria,” he said. “As a result, we need to continue exploring options that would expand the donor pool and more aggressively utilize extended criteria donors. Much like the general population, the donor pool has continued to grow older. Now more than ever, we have to rely on older donors.”

The U.S. Organ Procurement & Transplant Network reports that 1,399 people currently are waiting for a lung transplant in the United States. The overall median waiting time for candidates on the wait list is four months, while more than 200 people die annually waiting for a lung transplant, according to an OPTN report.

Thanks to a pledge of $1.05 million throughout five years from the GSG III Foundation Inc., the UofL School of Medicine will create the Gibbs Lung Research Program at the Cardiovascular Innovation Institute (CII). The program will use established research and existing partnerships at CII to develop improved methods for studying diseased lungs and to explore new treatments for inflammatory lung disease.

“Given the number of people in Louisville and Kentucky who suffer from lung diseases, from COPD to cystic fibrosis to asthma, we are happy to support the community by creating a program that can ultimately lead to life-changing therapies for the people of Louisville and across the United States,” said George Gibbs, chair of the GSG III Foundation, which is based in Louisville.

Lung disease is the third leading cause of death in the United States, with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) alone affecting 13.5 million people. Inflammation of the lungs is often the first sign of more serious lung disease. However, scientists have limited methods for studying inflammation in lungs to better understand how and why it occurs and to develop treatments.

“Other than lung cancer, most people do not understand the extent of the problem of lung disease,” said Laman Gray Jr., MD, executive and medical director of the CII. “Inflammatory lung diseases are debilitating and affect millions of individuals. What is worse is the scientific world has limited capabilities for studying these diseases. This gift from the GSG III Foundation will allow us to develop expanded modeling opportunities with the goal of reducing human suffering from lung disease.”

More than 70 percent of donor lungs are unusable for transplant. Support from University of Louisville Hospital and Jewish Hospital, both part of KentuckyOne Health, will enable the program’s investigators to obtain donated human lungs that cannot be used for transplant. Researchers in the new program plan to develop techniques to sustain these donor lungs over a longer period of time, allowing them to study the causes of inflammation as well as test potential therapies.

The goals for the program are three-part:

1. Establish an ex vivo human lung model allowing lungs that are unsuitable for transplant to be brought to CII for research. The donated lungs will be enclosed in a sterile plastic dome, attached to a ventilator, pump and filters. The lungs will be maintained at normal body temperature and treated with a bloodless solution containing nutrients, proteins and oxygen.
2. Develop methods for long-term support of the ex vivo lungs. Current processes enable the lungs to be supported for up to 12 hours, which is long enough to transport them for transplant, but not long enough for meaningful study.
3. Once these techniques are in place, researchers in the program intend to use the research models explore areas of potential benefit, including:

• Cell therapy – Explore the use of stem and regenerative cells isolated from a patient’s own fat tissue to treat lung inflammation.
• Mechanics – Develop improved methods of respiratory support by studying the biomechanics of diseased lungs and the benefits of ex-vivo lung perfusion, a method of strengthening lungs outside the body.
• Gene expression – Understand the course of dysfunction and dysregulation among the more than 40 different cell types within the lung and profile the functional changes that occur in diseased lungs and compare the gene expression to healthy lungs.

The program’s investigators will include Gray, James B. Hoying, PhD, division chief, cardiovascular therapeutics, Stuart K. Williams, PhD, division chief, bioficial organs, George Pantalos, PhD, professor of surgery and bioengineering, Victor van Berkel, MD, cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon, and Shizuka Uchida, PhD, associate professor of medicine, all of UofL.

UofL researchers hope the Gibbs Lung Research Program ultimately will become a comprehensive lung research program, leading to valuable treatments that will slow or reverse the course of lung disease, improving quality of life for millions of people.

There’s stiff competition among UofL medical students to be selected for Kasdan’s “Suture Sunday” classes, which feature a breakfast, a discussion about the medical field and hands-on training in suturing and stitches.

“It really speaks to his generosity and dedication to teaching to do it for groups of students month after month every year, just out of his own desire to share” said UofL medical school student Jordan Jones. “That’s pretty incredible.”

Kasdan calls his “Suture Sunday” time with students a blessing.

“I just really enjoy it and I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t like it” he said.

Check out the video below from a recent Suture Sunday.