Gracia M. Vargas, MD

About Dr. Vargas

Dr. Vargas is a PGY4 resident in general surgery at the University of Pennsylvania. She is currently in her first dedicated year of research during which she is studying clinical outcomes in surgical oncology and melanoma in Dr. Giorgos Karakousis' lab. She is one of two Resident Executive Committee (REC) chair-elects for the general surgery residency program and one of the lead residents for the Center for Surgical Health. She is interested in pursuing a career in academic surgical oncology or hepatobiliary surgery, with an ongoing commitment to medical education and caring for the underserved.

Dr. Vargas grew up in Stamford, CT as a proud daughter of Guatemalan immigrants. She completed her undergraduate studies at Yale University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Global Affairs and conducted research on healthcare access in the Dominican Republic as a Global Health Fellow. Gracia earned her medical degree at the University of Michigan, where she conducted research on pediatric post-operative opioid prescribing and served in various leadership roles in the Latino Medical Student Association.

Education

2016 - 2021
MD - University of Michigan

2011 - 2015
BA - Yale University (Global Affairs)

Societies

• Latino Surgical Society

Awards

University of Michigan Medical School

• Dean's Scholarship
• Alpha Omega Alpha 

Yale University

• Yale Club of New York Scholarship
• Global Health Fellowship
• Daniel Merriman Prize
• Seymour L. Lustman Memorial Prize

Research

2024 - present
Research Topics: Clinical outcomes in surgical oncology; Melanoma
Mentor: Dr. Giorgos Karakousis

2017 - 2021
Research Topics: Pediatric post-operative opioid prescribing patterns and new persistent opioid use
Mentors: Dr. Michael J. Englesbe, Dr. Jennifer F. Waljee (Michigan O.P.E.N.)

Publications

Papers

1. Vargas GM, Farooq MS, Karakousis GC. Adjuvant Therapy for High-Risk Stage II Melanoma: Current Paradigms in Management and Future Directions. Cancers (Basel). 2024 Jul 29;16(15):2690. doi: 10.3390/cancers16152690.
2. Vargas GM, Shafique N, Xu X, Karakousis G. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes as a prognostic and predictive factor for Melanoma. Expert Rev Mol Diagn. 2024 Apr;24(4):299-310. doi: 10.1080/14737159.2024.2312102.
3. Acker R, Vargas GM, Hoffman RL, Aarons CB. The Road to Mastery: An Analysis of Goal Orientation in the Transition from Medical School to Surgical Residency. J Surg Educ. 2023 Nov;80(11):1574-1581. doi: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2023.08.017. Epub 2023 Sep 27.
4. Vargas GM, Gunaseelan V, Upp L, Deans KJ, Minneci PC, Gadepalli SK, Englesbe MJ, Waljee JF, Harbaugh CM. High-risk Opioid Prescribing Associated with Postoperative New Persistent Opioid Use in Adolescents and Young Adults. Ann Surg. 2023 May 1;277(5):761-766. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000005193. Epub 2021 Aug 27.
5. Santos-Parker JR, Santos-Parker KS, Caceres J, Vargas GM, Kwakye G, Englesbe MJ, Valbuena VSM. Building an Equitable Surgical Training Pipeline: Leadership Exposure for the Advancement of Gender and Underrepresented Minority Equity in Surgery (LEAGUES). J Surg Educ. 2021 Sep-Oct;78(5):1413-1418. doi: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2021.01.017. Epub 2021 Mar 2.
6. Sloss KR, Vargas G, Brummett CM, Englesbe MJ, Waljee JF, Gadepalli S, Harbaugh C. Association of caregiver-reported education with locked storage and disposal of prescription opioids after children's surgery. J Pediatr Surg. 2020 Nov;55(11):2442-2447. doi: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2020.04.022. Epub 2020 May 11.
7. Harbaugh CM, Vargas G, Sloss KR, Bohm LA, Cooper KA, Thatcher AL, Zopf DA, Chua KP, Waljee JF, Gadepalli SK. Association of Opioid Quantity and Caregiver Education with Pain Control after Pediatric Tonsillectomy. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2020 May;162(5):746-753. doi: 10.1177/0194599820912033. Epub 2020 Mar 24.
8. Harbaugh CM, Vargas G, Streur CS, Li GY, Thatcher AL, Waljee JF, Gadepalli SK. Eliminating Unnecessary Opioid Exposure After Common Children's Surgeries. JAMA Surg. 2019 Dec 1;154(12):1154-1155. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2019.2529.

Abstracts

1. Vargas GM, Harbaugh C, Gunaseelan V, Englesbe M, Waljee JF. Multiple Perioperative Opioid Prescribers Associated with New Persistent Opioid Use after Operations Among Adolescents and Young Adults. JACS. 231(4):p S142, 2020 Oct. doi: 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2020.07.274.
2. Sloss, K; Harbaugh, C; Vargas, G; Waljee, J; Brummett, C; Englesbe, MJ; Gadepalli, S. Effectiveness of Patient Education for Safe Opioid Storage and Disposal in Pediatric Surgery. JACS. 229(4):p S201, 2019 Oct. doi: 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2019.08.442.