SUNY Downstate Surgery iNSPIRe Group Publishes Two Studies in JAMA Surgery

Nov 30, 2025

The SUNY Downstate Department of Surgery is proud to announce that two studies from the iNSPIRe research group have been published in JAMA Surgery.  

The first study, “Association between Preoperative  Home Support Status and Postoperative Outcomes in Older Adults after Elective Surgeries,” was authored by public health student Karlynn Holland, MPH; medical students Patrycja Lis, BA and Steven Medvedovsky, BA; research fellow Claire Ferguson, MD; research program manager Dewi Sihaloho, MPH; Assistant Professor and Director of Clinical and Health Services Research, Sherene Sharath, PhD, MPH; and Professor and Chair of Surgery, Panos Kougias, MD, MSc, FACS.  The study showed patients living alone undergoing elective surgeries are not at increased 30-day readmission or mortality odds, suggesting the safety of high-risk interventions in this high-risk cohort, with respect to home support.  

The second study, “A Sentinel Rise in Non-Traumatic Major Lower Extremity Amputation Mortality,” was authored by Claire Ferguson, MD; Danylo Orlov, MPH, Dewi Sihaloho, MPH; Steven Medvedovsky, BA; Sherene Sharath, PhD, MPH; and Panos Kougias, MD, MSc, FACS. The study demonstrated that over the past decade, the decline in mortality of below-knee amputation is at best stagnant, and the mortality of above-knee amputation is increasing, indicating an urgent need to identify the causes of the increasing mortality for major lower extremity amputation. 

Together, these publications highlight the Department of Surgery’s commitment to impactful, patient-centered research and its ongoing efforts to improve surgical outcomes and advance health equity.