Sean Stokes, MD MS
Education and Work Experience
| 2006-2010 | Bachelor of Science, Engineering Science, Minor Bioengineering Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA |
| 2010-2014 | Doctor of Medicine, University of Kentucky College of Medicine Lexington, KY |
| 2014-2021 | General Surgery Residency University of Utah School of Medicine Salt Lake City, UT |
| 2017-2019 | Master of Science in Clinical Investigation University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT |
| 2017-2019 | Research fellow, Division of Thoracic Surgery University of Utah School of Medicine Salt Lake City, UT |
| 2021-2023 | Complex General Surgical Oncology Fellowship Univ. of South Florida-Morsani, Moffitt Cancer Center Tampa, FL |
| 2023-Present | Surgical Oncology and General Surgery Lexington Surgical Specialists Baptist Health Lexington |
About Dr. Stokes
One of two surgical oncologists at Baptist Health Lexington, Dr. Stokes specializes in the surgical treatment of breast, gastrointestinal, cutaneous, and soft tissue malignancies.
Originally from Lexington, KY, Sean was born at Central Baptist Hospital. He grew up in Lexington and attended The Lexington School and Dunbar High School before receiving an undergraduate degree in engineering science and bioengineering at Pennsylvania State University. He received his medical doctorate from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in 2014, completed general surgery residency at the University of Utah in 2021, and completed complex general surgical oncology fellowship at the Moffitt Cancer Center/University of South Florida program in Tampa, FL. He has published extensively in the fields of surgical oncology and general surgery and has been awarded numerous awards for teaching, mentorship, and academics.
Dr. Stokes seeks to maintain a broad practice in surgical oncology with a focus on hepatobiliary, pancreatic, and gastrointestinal surgery. Family is the most important thing to Dr Stokes, and a major reason he was drawn back to Lexington. It has also been a root as to why he chose medicine. The following is an excerpt from Dr. Stokes’s personal statement when applying to surgical oncology fellowship:
“My interest in medicine was born during my involvement in Penn State Dance Marathon, a student-run charity whose mission was to raise funds for the treatment and research of pediatric cancers. I was struck by these patients’ ability to live meaningful lives, rather than fighting the hands on the clock. I formed meaningful relationships with several families and tried to facilitate a message of hope amid a difficult reality. These relationships are the essence of what I find most alluring about surgical oncology. There is no greater reward than bearing witness to the ability of people to heal in the face of incurable disease. Recently, my cousin was diagnosed with recurrent metastatic breast cancer. The grace with which she confronts her disease is inspiring as she remains the light in the room at family gatherings. She attributes this ability, in no small part, to her medical and surgical providers. This is a pillar of support I want to provide, and this desire confirms that I am pursuing the correct specialty.”
Outside of medicine, he tries to stay active, enjoying soccer, running/cycling, tennis, and skiing. While surgery is his passion, he still maintains some personal interests/hobbies including cooking/barbecuing, video games, writing, sketching, and graphic design.
Media/Commentary/Editorials
“Dr. Sean Stokes on Improving Opioid Prescribing Patterns.” Accelerate. 11 August 2017. URL: http://healthsciences.utah.edu/accelerate/blog/2017/08/making-crisis-manageable-sean-stokes-on-improving-opioid-prescribing-patterns.php Manuscript type: Feature article
“ACS Leadership & Advocacy Summit: A resident’s perspective.” ACS Bulletin. 1 August 2018. Manuscript type: Editorial.
“PENETRATING CHEST – HERE NOW.” The Pharos. Spring 2020. Manuscript type: Poem.
“How Lucky am I?” Voices from the Residents. Spring 2021. Manuscript type: Poem
Scientific Publications and Presentations
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Ehrick JD, Stokes S, Bachas-Daunert S, Moschou EA, Deo SK, Bachas LG, Daunert S. Chemically Tunable Lensing of Stimuli-Responsive Hydrogel Microdomes. Advanced Materials. Oct. 2007; 19 (22): 4024-27
Stokes S, Breheny P, Radulescu A, Radulescu V. Impact of Obesity on the Risk of Venous Thromboembolism in an Inpatient Pediatric Population. Pediatr Hematol Oncol. Aug. 2014; 31 (5): 475-480. PMID: 24684263
Stokes SM, Iocono JA, Brown S, Draus JM. Intussusception Clinical Pathway: A Survey of Pediatric Surgery Practices. The American Surgeon. September 2014; 80 (9): 846-848. PMID: 25197867
Stokes SM, Iocono JA, Draus JM. Peritoneal Drainage as the Initial Management of Intestinal Perforation in Premature Infants. The American Surgeon. September 2014; 80 (9): 851-854. PMID: 25197869
Stokes SM, Scaife ER, Stevens AM, Fenton SJ. Longitudinal Analysis of Hospital Charges Following Injury in a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma System. Journal of Pediatric Surgery. November 2018; 53 (11): 2189-2194. PMID: 29576401
Stokes SM, Wakeam E, Swords DS, Stringham JR, Varghese Jr. TK. Impact of insurance status on receipt of definitive surgical therapy and posttreatment outcomes in early stage lung cancer. Surgery. December 2018; 164(6): 1287-1293. PMID 30170821
Stokes SM, Wakeam E, Antonoff MB, Backhus LM, Meguid RA, Odell D, Varghese TK Jr. Optimizing health before elective thoracic surgery: systematic review of modifiable risk factors and opportunities for health services research. J Thorac Dis. March 2019; 11(Suppl 4): S537-S554. PMID: 31032072
Stokes SM, Massarweh NN, Stringham J, Cooke DT, Varghese Jr. TK. Clinical and Pathologic Correlation in Surgically Resectable Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Annals of Thoracic Surgery. September 2019; 108(3): 837-844. PMID: 31026431
Stokes SM, Kim RY, Jacobs A, Esplin J, Kwok AC, Varghese Jr. TK, Glasgow RE, Brooke BS, Finlayson SRG, Huang LC. Home Disposal kits for Excess Opioid and Non-opioid Pain Medications After Surgery: Do they work? Journal of Surgical Research. August 2019; 245: 396-402. PMID: 31425882
Wakeam E, Adibfar A, Stokes SM, Leighl NB, Giuliani ME, Varghese Jr. TK, Darling GD. Defining the Role of Adjuvant Therapy for Early Stage Large Cell Neuroendocrine Lung Cancer. The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.
Robinson KA, Thiels CA, Stokes SM, Duncan S, Feranil M, Fleishman A, Cook CH, Nathanson LA, Huang LC, Habermann EB, Brat GA. Comparing Clinician Consensus Recommendations to Patient-Reported Opioid Use Across Multiple Hospital Systems. Annals of Surgery. 2020 Jun 24. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 32590547
Thiesset H, Huang LC, Stokes SM, Schliep KC, Valentin VL, Gren LH, Porucznik CA. Opioid misuse and dependence screening practices prior to surgery. Journal of Surgical Research. 2020 Aug; 252:200-205 PMID 3228333
Stokes SM, Scaife C, Brooke B, Glasgow R, Finlayson S, Varghese Jr. TK. Hospital Costs following Surgical Complications: A Value-Driven Outcomes Analysis of Cost Savings Due to Complication Prevention. Annals of Surgery. 2022 Feb 1. PMID: 33074874
Stokes SM, Massarweh NN, Stringham JR, Varghese Jr. TK. Association Between Multimodality Treatment Sequence and Survival in Stage IIB Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Annals of Thoracic Surgery. December 2020: S0003-4975(20)32147-0. PMID: 33352174
Bleicher J, Stokes SM, Brooke BS, Glasgow RE, Huang LC. Patient-centered Opioid Prescribing: Breaking Away from One-Size-Fits-All Prescribing Guidelines. Journal of Surgical Research 2021 Mar; 264:1-7. Epub ahead of print PMID: 33744772
Stokes SM, Cohan JN. The history of transanal surgery. Seminars in Colon and Rectal Surgery 2022 Sep; 33 (3)
Stokes, SM, Haider M, Vadaparampil ST, Levitt C, Hardy O, Kim R, Castillo DL, Denbo J, Fleming J, Anaya DA. Patient’s Informational Needs and Outreach Preferences: A Cross-sectional Survey Study in Patients with Hepatobiliary Malignancies. Submitted to Patient Education and Counseling. PEC Innov. 2023 Dec 2024. PMID: 38292078
Oral Presentations
Stokes S, Iocono J, Draus J. Peritoneal Drainage as the Initial Management of Intestinal Perforation in Premature Infants. Southeastern Surgical Congress for the 2014 Annual Scientific Meeting. Savannah, Georgia. Feb 22-25, 2014.
Stokes SM, Scaife ER, Stevens AM, Fenton SJ. Longitudinal Analysis of Hospital Charges Following Injury in a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma System. Pediatric Trauma Society, Nashville, TN. Nov 10-12, 2017.
Stokes SM, Short S, Barnhart DC, Scaife ER, Bucher BT. Practice Variation in the Management of Uncomplicated Gastroschisis at U.S. Children’s Hospitals. Academic Surgical Congress. Las Vegas, NV. February 7-9, 2017.
Stokes SM, Gutnik L, Cannon A, Dzuiba A, Martin L, Taylor M, Brooke B. Reducing Overuse of Opioid Prescriptions in Outpatient General Surgery. University of Utah Value Symposium, Salt Lake City, UT. July 12, 2017.
Stokes SM, Wakeam E, Swords DS, Stringham JR, Varghese TK. Impact of Insurance Status on Receipt of Definitive Surgical Therapy and Post-Treatment Outcomes in Early Stage Lung Cancer. Academic Surgical Congress, Jacksonville, FL, February 1, 2018.
Stokes SM, Brooke B, Glasgow R, Finlayson S, Varghese Jr. TK. Respiratory Complications in Low, Intermediate, and High-Risk Surgery: A Trend Analysis from 2008 to 2016 from ACS NSQIP. American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress, Boston, MA, October 24, 2018.
Wakeam E, Stokes SM, Adibfar A, Leighl N, Giuliani M, Varghese T, Darling G. MA23.07 Defining the Role of Adjuvant Therapy for Early Stage Large Cell Neuroendocrine Lung Cancer. Journal of Thoracic Oncology. October 2018. 13(10): Supplement, Page S440
Stokes SM, Jacobs A, Brooke BS, Esplin J, Kwok A, Glasgow R, Varghese Jr. TK, Huang LC. Home Disposal kits for Excess Opioid and Non-opioid Pain Medications After Surgery: Do they work? Presented at the 14th Annual Academic Surgical Congress. Houston, TX. 2/7/2019.
Bleicher J, Stokes SM, Nguyen BC, Huang LC, Brooke BS, Glasgow RE. Correlation Between Inpatient Opioid Use and Discharge Prescription: Patient-Centered Prescribing. Presented at the 14th Annual Academic Surgical Congress. Houston, TX. 2/5/2019.
Nguyen B, Stokes SM, Bleicher J, Glasgow R, Brooke BS, Huang LC. Adherence to Post-Operative Opioid Guidelines by Trainees, Advanced Practitioners, and Attendings. Presented at the 14th Annual Academic Surgical Congress. Houston, TX. 2/5/2019.
Flannery M, Stokes SM, Jacobs A, Varghese Jr. TK, Glasgow RE, Brooke BS, Huang LC. Post-operative Opioid Prescribing Practices: Do Pills Equal Satisfaction? Presented at the 14th Annual Academic Surgical Congress. Houston, TX. 2/7/2019.
Stokes SM, Brooke BS, Glasgow R, Finlayson S, Varghese TK. Financial Burden of Respiratory Complications Following Intermediate and High-Risk Surgeries. Presented at the 14th Annual Academic Surgical Congress. Houston, TX. 2/7/2019.
Jacobs A, Stokes SM, Huang LC, Glasgow RE, Brooke BS. Brief Educational Intervention at Discharge Reduces Opioid Use and Increases Disposal after Vascular Surgery. Presented at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress. San Francisco, CA. October 2019.
Poster Presentations
Stokes S, Breheny P, Radulescu V. Obesity as a Risk Factor for Deep Vein Thrombosis in Children. UK Center for Translation and Clinical Science Spring Conference. Lexington, Kentucky. March 29, 2012.
Stokes S, Iocono J, Draus J. Intussusception Clinical Pathways: A Survey of Southeastern Pediatric Surgical Practices. Southeastern Surgical Congress for the 2014 Annual Scientific Meeting. Savannah, Georgia. Feb 22-25, 2014.
Buscher J, Griffits B, Arbra C, Bowman W, Cox J, Dao C, Dudley B, Faulkner A, Guerrera H, Grant C, Hennig P, Hensley P, Klimyte E, Kline D, LeMaster B, Loan A, O’Conner M, Odetunde J, Pham C, Robin L, Sexton M, Stitt D, Stokes S, Warren C. Feriá de la Salud. SGEA Regional Meeting Student Poster Session. Lexington, Kentucky. April 2012
Stokes SM, Massarweh NN, Stringham J, Cooke DT, Varghese Jr. TK. Clinical and Pathologic Correlation in Surgically Resectable Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) 55th Annual Meeting. San Diego, CA. January 27-29, 2019.
Stokes SM. The Surgery Nutrition Availability in the Callroom (SNACk) Fund. Wellness Champions End of Year Poster Session. Salt Lake City, UT. June 8, 2021.
Stokes SM, Mihelic E, Zhu S, Laird C, Baez H, Pimiento J, Dineen S. Establishing a Prospective Registry of Gastrointestinal Oncology Acute Care Surgery Patients: A Quality Improvement Project. Moffit Scientific Symposium Poster Session. Tampa, FL. May, 2022.
Stokes SM, Mihelic E, Zhu S, Laird C, Baez H, Pimiento J, Dineen S. Practice Patterns and Outcomes of Acute Care Surgery in Cancer Patients. Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO). Boston, MA. March 22-24, 2023.