Education

Biography

I became a trauma/critical care attending at the University of Iowa following my fellowship in Surgical Critical Care at Washington University 2001.  I currently serve as the surgical director in the SICU at the University of Iowa since 2005.  I established and currently direct an ACGME-accredited Surgical Critical Care Fellowship as well as the Director in the Division of Acute Care Surgery at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

My research interests include epidemiology study in traumatic injury prevention, trauma system set-up, morbid obesity and trauma care outcome, surgical infection control and immunology and inflammatory response in obesity.

Research Interest

1. Epidemiology study in traumatic injury prevention
2. Trauma system set up and care outcome.
3. Morbid obesity and trauma outcome
4. Surgical infection control
5. Immunology and inflammatory response in obesity

Professional Activities:

Publications

1. Choi K, Sherry RM, and Wei JP:  Traumatic pseudoaneurysm of the supra-orbital artery associated with von-Willebrand Factor Deficiency.  Journal of Trauma Dec, 3(6): 966-967, 1993.
2. Choi K, Peek-Asa C, Lovell M, Zwerling C, Torner JC, Kealey GP;     Complications following therapeutic trauma laparotomy   Journal of the American College of Surgeons, Vol 201(4),  pp.546-553, Oct. 2005
3. Royer N, O’Brien A, Choi K:   Potential etiology of increased mortality among obese trauma patients.  Journal of Surgical Research Vol. 137(2) pp 284-285, February 2007.
4. Liao J. Choi KC. Cost Expansion vs. Cost Control—Lessons from the Canadian System. The New England Journal of Medicine: 361(21):e107, November 2009.
5. Hallam DM, Liao J, Choi KC. Manure Pit Injuries: Deadly and Preventable. Journal of Emergencies, Trauma and Shock. 2012 Jul;5(3):253-6. doi: 10.4103/0974-2700.99702
6. Sun R. Skeete D, Wetjen K, Lilienthal M, Choi K, et al. A pediatric cervical spine clearance protocol to reduce radiation exposure in children. Journal of Surgical research (Impact Factor: 2.02) 01/2013; DOI: 10.1016/j.jss.2012.12.048.
7. Philip AF, Fangman W, Liao J, Lilienthal M, Choi K. Helmets Prevent Motorcycle Injuries. Traffic Injury Prevention vol 14(2013) 496-500
8. Sun R, Choi K, Coots B. The use of the Mitek anchoring system on the iliac crest for flank incisional hernia repair. European Journal of Plastic Surgery 08/2013; 36(5). DOI: 10.1007/s00238-012-0793-0.
9. Mohr NM, Harland KK, Skeete D, Pearson K, Choi K. Duration of prehospital intubation is not a risk factor for development of early ventilator-associated pneumonia J Crit Care. 2014 Apr 5. Pii: S0883-9441(14)00130-0. Doi: 10.1016/j.jcrc.2014.03.030 (Epub ahead of print) PMID: 24793661, in press March 31, 2014
10. Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine entitled "Entero-paraspinous fistula from recurrent spinal metastatic renal cell carcinoma" - [SPINE14-294R1]., accepted for publication July 23,2014.
11. Obesity Delays Functional Recovery in Trauma Patients Journal of Surgical Research: JSURGRES-D-14-00329R2, accepted for publication June 27,2014
12. Not Just an Urban Phenomenon: Uninsured Rural Trauma Patients at Increased Risk for Mortality. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine (1936-9018) 16:5, 2015, www.westjem.org Ahmed A, Harland K, Hoffman B, Liao J, Choi K, Skeete D, et al.