•  
  •  
 
Jefferson Surgical Solutions

Dr. Shaheen Timmapuri

Knowing Jefferson’s reputation for training successful surgeons, Shaheen Timmapuri, MD, MBA, was thrilled to match in surgery at Jefferson Medical College, now Sidney Kimmel Medical College, in 2000. Although it’s been nearly 20 years since she completed her residency, she still vividly recalls the quality of her experience.

Dr. Timmapuri notes that she not only received an excellent clinical education, but also learned valuable lessons in compassion, respect, teamwork and integrity. She also remembers a specific incident that helped her achieve her goal of becoming a pediatric surgeon.

“This was before residency included a mandatory year of research,” she explains. “But I knew that to get a competitive fellowship, like pediatric surgery, I would benefit from being well-rounded and having some research experience.”

She joined the lab of her mentor, Marshall Schwartz, MD, in which she and her research partner were investigating intestinal adaptation (also known as short gut syndrome). Their project was almost cut short when the lab needed to be relocated and their funding was threatened. The late Dr. Francis E. Rosato, Sr., who previously served as the Samuel D. Gross Professor and Chair of Surgery, stepped in and offered grant money to help Dr. Timmapuri and her research partner continue their work.

“Thanks to his generosity, we were able to publish papers and present at national meetings,” she says. “I’m confident that his support and those experiences helped me to match in pediatric surgery.”

In 2008, Dr. Timmapuri completed her fellowship and began practicing at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia before moving to Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital and then Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey. In March 2020, she was recruited by St. Luke’s University Health Network in Bethlehem, PA, where she established a new Pediatric General Surgery Program.

In every position, Dr. Timmapuri has retained her passion for helping young people — whether as patients, residents or students. In fact, she has regularly contributed to the Jefferson Department of Surgery Residency Fund, and in 2023, she committed to supporting the Jefferson Department of Surgery Pilot Grant Program. This initiative funds independent research of surgical faculty, residents and fellows at Jefferson. Pilot grants are vital to the growth of the Department’s members, and they rely heavily on philanthropic funding to continue.

For her, supporting this program felt like the perfect way to honor Dr. Rosato, Sr.’s generosity.“

Just as he helped me, I’m hoping to help some residents pursue their surgical interests so that they can achieve their career goals, as well,” she says.

To learn more or make a gift online, please visit: Jefferson.edu/GiveSurgery or contact Amanda Malinchak at 215-955-4955 or Amanda.Malinchak@jefferson.edu.

Download

Share

COinS