The campus for the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV lies within the burgeoning Las Vegas Medical District, and the school’s impact is felt both in this neighborhood and far beyond. The 250 medical students, 150 faculty physicians, and more than 335 medical residents and fellows who call the school their academic home are transforming health care not only in Las Vegas but throughout Nevada. 

Research from a Unique Wheelhouse 

When Anne Weisman, director of Well-Being & Integrative Medicine at the school, asked David Bandbaz what topic he was interested in exploring for a required research project, the medical school graduate settled on motorcycle safety and licensing. Through his research, Bandbaz — a motorcyclist himself who sustained an injury while riding — uncovered “systematic issues related to motorcycle licensing” that were tied to accidents. He was inspired to use his research findings to propose statewide changes. 

Guided by Dr. Weisman, who connected him to members of the UNLV community with legislative know-how, Bandbaz helped draft the language that would become Senate Bill 423, which aimed “to improve Nevada’s motorcycle licensure rate by waiving repercussions for riders who get pulled over without licenses if they attend a motorcycle course and get a license within nine months.” SB423 passed with a constitutional majority in the senate this April. 

“As a doctor, especially if I pursue a trauma fellowship, I want to advocate for policy related to my field of work that would benefit my community,” Bandbaz says.

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Las Vegas Needs CSI … For Real

That the U.S. – and Nevada in particular – has a critical need for forensic pathologists is backed by staggering statistics. Nevada ranks 49th in coroners and medical examiners per capita with one coroner and medical examiner per 721,931 people. “As a whole, we have very few forensic pathologists across the country. There's roughly 500 to 700 forensic pathologists that are actively practicing for the entire country,” says Dr. Lisa Gavin, the senior forensic pathologist at the Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner. 

To curb this shortage and recruit more forensic pathologists to Southern Nevada, the coroner’s office partnered with the School of Medicine’s graduate medical education office to develop a fellowship program, which was approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in January. The program will take on its first cohort of fellows next July.

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Surgery With a Speedy Recovery

Dr. Ashley Pistorio, a plastic surgeon and director of the department’s residency program, is one of approximately 100 physicians in the U.S. performing a new method for carpal tunnel surgery. This procedure can be done in less than an hour, with the patient able to return to work with normal hand and wrist function within days, compared to traditional recovery of four to six weeks. 

Unlike the long-used “open” carpal tunnel release procedure that required an incision to open up the hand from the wrist to the center of the palm, the endoscopic procedure requires only a tiny incision at the wrist, through which a Sonex carpal tunnel release device is inserted and guided into the palm of the hand with real-time ultrasound guidance. 

Dr. Pistorio will be heading up a national clinical trial, which is the next step in making the procedure more widely available. In the meantime, she will continue performing the less invasive procedure here in Las Vegas, getting locals back to work sooner. 

• Read more: UNLV doctor offers new carpal tunnel procedure (KSNV )

Researcher and Ringmaster

When he’s not on the emergency room floor, you can find emergency medicine resident Nate Hollister perfecting his trapeze skills at the Las Vegas Circus Center. A lifelong gymnast, Dr. Hollister partnered local circus performers to host a first-of-its-kind conference in March, “Circus Meets Medicine.”

At the conference, performers, researchers, businesspeople, and physicians were able to connect, present research, and – in the case of the performers – show off their gravity-defying skills, all with the purpose of highlighting the unique health care needs of this community of athletes, who have not often been included in traditional sports medicine research. Hollister sees the conference, which he hopes to become an annual event, as a space where current and future health care providers can learn more about one of the valley’s most unique populations.

• Read more: Resident Juggles Work and Trapeze (UNLV News Center)

Checking Up on UNLV Health

The school of medicine’s affiliated clinical practice, UNLV Health, continues to provide quality health care to Nevadans through both long-established and new initiatives.

UNLV Health’s Mojave Counseling has been serving clients with mental illness for the past 31 years and threes years ago launched a new program to provide effective treatment to individuals who are experiencing psychosis for the first time. 

Another program bolstering community well-being is the UNLV Health Maternal Child Wellness program, which provides care to women, infants, children, and youth who are infected with or affected by HIV. Last year, this program received a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources of $190,000 per year over the next four years. 

And, UNLV Health is keeping the valley’s children safe and healthy with clinic embedded in two local schools — one at Bailey Middle School and one at the Clark County School District Family Support Center (CCSD). The clinics accept scheduled appointments and walk-ins at no cost for all CCSD students. 

• Read more: UNLV Health offering 2 free health clinics to CCSD students (KLAS Ch 8)