Research Profile: Mark P. Callery, MD

Mark P. Callery, MD

Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School

 

Chief of General Surgery

Research Focus

Clinical outcomes research in pancreaticobiliary surgery

Our group’s work focuses on outcomes research in high-acuity pancreaticobiliary surgery. Fueled by a robust clinical practice that focuses on treatment of pancreatic malignancies, cystic lesions, pancreatitis, and complex biliary conditions in a multidisciplinary setting, we perform more than 200 major pancreaticobiliary operations per year.

A prospective database of more than 4,000 operations and 750 pancreatic resections has been developed and maintained from this practice, providing the substrate for our investigations. Areas of emphasis are the development and critical analysis of clinical pathways and other systems initiatives for optimal patient care. Separate investigations are centered on technical and perioperative management aspects of surgical care for diseases of the pancreas and biliary tree. We have also explored the impact of surgical complications associated with pancreatic operations, especially the Whipple procedure.  We continue to assess and develop metrics for quality assessment in high acuity surgery especially as aligned with quality of life measures and risk mitigation strategies.  Additional recent efforts have included investigations into readmission after pancreatectomy with goals of understanding how and why they occur, and when and when not readmissions can be avoided.

Our original description of the Fistula Risk Score (FRS) for pancreatectomy has been embraced worldwide for daily clinical use.  As part of a national and international pancreatectomy research consortium, we have participated in its validation nationally and internationally, and proud of its validation at many high-volume pancreatic surgery centers across the USA.  Our consortium also has evaluated the FRS in terms of economic impact, quality and detailed manners of risk mitigation.

Other outcomes studies over the last year have involved the investigation of the relationship between pancreatectomy for cancer, complications, and initiation/completion of adjuvant therapy, and the analysis of outcomes for patients undergoing palliative surgery in the setting of pancreatic cancer. Work is also ongoing to develop, employ, and evaluate a patient-education tool to provide additional and improved information to patients upon discharge after pancreatectomy. The effectiveness of this tool will be evaluated via patient-satisfaction surveys and readmission rate/cause assessment.

Accomplishments 2016-2017

  • Elected President of the Boston Surgical Society, 2017
  • Elected President of the Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (AHPBA) Foundation, 2017
  • Invited Professor, World Pancreas Forum in Bern, Switzerland, 2017
  • Gastrointestinal Surgery Advisory Council, American Board of Surgery, 2016-2017
  • Editor, HPB
  • Invited Faculty, SAGES Leadership Development and Health Care Policy Program
  • Treasurer, Executive Committee, Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, 2016
  • Nominated for a Harvard Medical School Excellence in Mentoring Award, 2017

Teaching, Training, and Education

I have taught medical students, residents, and fellow physicians in many settings for over 20 years. I was a founding faculty advisor for Harvard Medical School’s John Warren Surgical Society for students interested in surgical careers. For my longstanding efforts as a teacher to Harvard Medical School students, in 2005 I was awarded the George W. Starkey Award for Excellence in Teaching, which is given annually to a faculty member by third-year HMS students. More recently, I was honored to be nominated by HMS students to receive the S. Robert Stone Award for Excellence in Teaching, which is presented annually to a member of the BIDMC faculty for outstanding achievement in the teaching of medical students. I continue to serve on  the Harvard Medical School Committee on Admissions.  In 2017, I was nominated for a Harvard Medical School Excellence in Mentoring Award.

Selected Publications

Kasumova GG, Eskander MF, Kent TS, Ng SC, Moser AJ, Ahmed M, Pleskow DK, Callery MP, Tseng JF. Hemorrhage after pancreaticoduodenectomy: does timing matter? HPB 2016;18(10):861-869.

McMillan MT, Ecker BL, Behrman SW, Callery MP, Christein JD, Drebin JA, Fraker DL, Kent TS, Lee MK, Roses RE, Sprys MH, Vollmer CM Jr. Externalized stents for pancreatoduodenectomy provide value only in high-risk scenarios. J Gastrointest Surg 2016;20(12):2052-2062.

McMillan MT, Soi S, Asbun HJ, Ball CG, Bassi C, Beane JD, Behrman SW, Berger AC, Bloomston M, Callery MP, Christein JD, Dixon E, Drebin JA, Castillo CF, Fisher WE, Fong ZV, House MG, Hughes SJ, Kent TS, Kunstman JW, Malleo G, Miller BC, Salem RR, Soares K, Valero V, Wolfgang CL, Vollmer CM Jr. Risk-adjusted outcomes of clinically relevant pancreatic fistula following pancreatoduodenectomy: a model for performance evaluation. Ann Surg 2016;264(2):344-52.

de Geus SW, Eskander MF, Bliss LA, Kasumova GG, Ng SC, Callery MP, Tseng JF. Neoadjuvant therapy versus upfront surgery for resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma: a nationwide propensity score matched analysis. Surgery 2017;161(3):592-601.

Gouma DJ, Callery MP. Bile duct injury: examining results of early repair by the index surgeon. HPB (Oxford) 2017;19(1):1-2.

McMillan MT, Allegrini V, Asbun HJ, Ball CG, Bassi C, Beane JD, Behrman SW, Berger AC, Bloomston M, Callery MP, Christein JD, Dickson E, Dixon E, Drebin JA, Fernandez-Del Castillo C, Fisher WE, Fong ZV, Haverick E, Hollis RH, House MG, Hughes SJ, Jamieson NB, Kent TS, Kowalsky SJ, Kunstman JW, Malleo G, McElhany AL, Salem RR, Soares KC, Sprys MH, Valero V 3rd, Watkins AA, Wolfgang CL, Zureikat AH, Vollmer CM Jr. Incorporation of procedure-specific risk into the ACS-NSQIP surgical risk calculator improves the prediction of morbidity and mortality after pancreatoduodenectomy Ann Surg 2017;265(5):978-86.