Socially Responsible Surgery

• Founded July 2023 at SKMC / Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA

• Mission: amplifying the intersection of surgery and public health; addressing structural inequities in surgical care; supporting underserved populations through community-based action

• Institutional support from the Jefferson Department of Surgery

• Who can join: students, residents, and faculty — any specialty welcome

• Structure: monthly chapter-wide meetings; four interconnected pillars

Partnership with the Jefferson Center for Injury Research & Prevention (JCIRP)

• JCIRP is our formal institutional research partner; SRS coordinates student involvement and recruitment for projects

• Turning data points into advocacy and action

• All participating students are added to active IRBs upon onboarding

Jefferson’s Society for Socially Responsible Surgery (SRS) seeks to elevate social responsibility as a core value of surgical practice, including educating and serving our local community through leadership, research, service, and collaboration in the training of surgeons committed to equity. SRS helps medical students and residents get involved in surgery through a public health lens, transforming research into actionable advocacy and education opportunities in Philadelphia and beyond. Even if you’re a medical student or resident interested in a specialty other than surgery, consider joining a JCIRP/SRS research project. Many projects transcend specialty to focus on bolstering public health and injury prevention in our community, and collaboration with different perspectives are necessary. 

Active Research Projects

Gun Violence

• Barriers to Recovery After Firearm Injury (follow-up factors and missed follow-up predictors)

• Factors Influencing Hospital Readmission After Firearm Injury (30-day readmission)

• Re-injury Risk After Firearm Injury (1-year recurrence and interventions)

• Barriers to Discharge (discharge barriers, readmission, and complications)

• Healing Hurt People (HHP) Program Outcomes (program impact and future implementation)

• Stop the Bleed's Influence (neighborhood-level targeting of resources)

• Cost of Gun Violence on Jefferson Health (financial burden and policy implications)

Technology

• Harnessing AI to Target Suicide Risk (NLP applied to EPIC clinical notes)

Injury Prevention

• Train-Track Trauma in Philadelphia (accidental vs. intoxication vs. mental health-related)

• Bicycle Injuries and Protected Bike Lane Analysis

• Vision Zero Traffic Injury Prevention Program partnership (bike, e-vehicle, pedestrian injury)

• Traumatic Brain Injury as a Health Disparity (across Jefferson Health system)

• Geriatric Head Protection (wearable TBI prevention tech, collaboration with East Falls biomedical engineering)

How to Join a Research Project

• Go to the JCIRP Research Projects Page

• Submit the JCIRP Research Interest Form

• Have ready: CITI training certificates and current CV (more details on JCIRP research page)

• Once onboarded, complete IRB New Personnel Request Form

• Note: many projects transcend surgical specialty and welcome interdisciplinary collaborators

Research Scholar Designation: for students dedicated to injury prevention and advocacy-focused research projects

• Meg Grim

• Marissa Witmer

• Isabella Giglio

• Abby Tingstad

Student Leadership

• Chapter President/Lead (M3 or M4): oversees all activities, convenes meetings, liaises with national SRS

• Student Executive Board Chairs (4, each M1-M3): one per pillar; leads project planning, volunteer coordination, and deliverables

Resident Leadership

• Mitchell Hirsch, George Ibrahim, Maya Vasser, Jen Geller, Betsy Prezioso

• Role: mentorship, surgical liaison, research support, project guidance

Faculty Leadership

• Dr. Stanton Miller — JCIRP / Research Partnership

• Dr. Joshua Marks — Stop the Bleed Training

• Dr. Alec Beekley — Project Oversight and Faculty Connection

Learn more

• Jefferson Center for Injury Research & Prevention (JCIRP)

• Healing Hurt People (HHP)

• CeaseFire PA

• Vision Zero / Traffic Injury Prevention Program

• Gibbon Surgical Society at Jefferson

• National SRS organization (sociallyresponsiblesurgery.org)

• Upcoming: Jefferson Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, Space Medicine