Surgeons Launch a Gourd Attack Because They Like To Cut Things

Doctors Unmask Safety Reminders at Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest

News provided by

Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center

Oct 31, 2018, 21:12 ET

PHOENIX, Oct. 31, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- They arrived early this morning with daggers, scalpels, knives, drills and saws.

With only 30 minutes to do their worst, world-renowned surgeons at Dignity Health St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, which includes Barrow Neurological Institute and Norton Thoracic Institute, were let out of the operating rooms just long enough to showcase their cutting talents at this year's annual Doc-O-Lantern Pumpkin Carving Contest.

Dr. Ronald Gagliano and Nurse Practitioner Derik Alexander sliced, diced and even used a hammer while competing against nearly a dozen other top surgeons at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s in Phoenix in the hospital’s annual pumpkin carving contest. The event is held to remind the community about important Halloween safety tips.

Nearly a dozen surgeons sliced and diced at helpless pumpkins to create scary Halloween masterpieces before a roaring crowd outside the hospital's main entrance. While previous years have seen surgeons carve using everything from operating room tools, to a surgical robot, to a blow torch and a chain saw, this year's contest brought a new level of entertainment. Surgeons carved "Haunted Hollywood" creations that included Frankenstein, the Joker, an exploding Cheshire Cat, Oogie Boogie from Nightmare Before Christmas, a craniotomy patient and a fire-breathing dragon.

In the end, it was old-fashioned slicing and some creative showmanship that brought victory. This year's winner was carved by Kris Smith, MD, a Barrow neurosurgeon, who slashed a hair-raising interpretation of E.T. and then transformed himself into the movie's child star Elliott to steal the trophy from the defending champion, Ronald Gagliano, MD, who carved a massive "Polyp from the Black Coloon" scene this year.

While the contest showcases the surgeons' creative abilities, the participating doctors also remind Arizona residents about important Halloween safety tips.

"Hospitals all over the nation are haunted by Halloween-related injuries this time of year," says President and CEO of Barrow and first-time Doc-O-Lantern contestant, Michael Lawton, MD. "As surgeons, we know the importance of safety and of being prepared at all times. We don't want anyone to have a truly frightening Halloween."

SOURCE Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center