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Dr. Kimberly Kopecky

Assistant Professor
Co-Director, UAB Women in Surgery

Areas of Interest
peritoneal surface malignancies, HIPEC, gastric cancer, small bowel cancer, colorectal cancer, health services research, palliative care

Biography

Dr. Kimberly Kopecky joined the UAB Division of Surgical Oncology in February of 2024. She obtained her medical degree from Harvard Medical School and completed her residency in general surgery at Stanford Hospital. Dr. Kopecky went on to complete two fellowships — studying hospice and palliative medicine at UW Health University Hospital and surgical oncology at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She also earned a Master of Medical Science in Clinical Investigation from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. 

Selected Publications

Kopecky KE, Campbell TC. Renaming Palliative Cancer Therapies: Call It What It Is. Oncologist. 2024 May 3;29(5):367-368. doi: 10.1093/oncolo/oyae039. PMID: 38498046; PMCID: PMC11067813.

Ekaireb RI, Kopecky KE. Are we measuring what matters most? ACP completion among patients undergoing gastrostomy tube placement. Am J Surg. 2024 Jul;233:2-3. doi: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2024.02.003. Epub 2024 Feb 10. PMID: 38365556.

Tariq M, Kopecky KE. The canaries in the coal mine: Medical and surgical trainees. Am J Surg. 2025 Apr;242:116173. doi: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2024.116173. Epub 2025 Jan 6. PMID: 39799005.

Kopecky KE, Urbach D, Schwarze ML. Risk Calculators and Decision Aids Are Not Enough for Shared Decision Making. JAMA Surg. 2019 Jan 1;154(1):3-4. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2018.2446. PMID: 30326000.

Education

Graduate School 
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Master's in Clinical Investigation

Medical School
Harvard Medical School

Residency
Stanford Hospital and Clinics
General Surgery

Fellowships
UW Health University Hospital
Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellow

Johns Hopkins Hospital
Surgical Oncology Fellow

Honors and Awards

  • American College of Surgeons Faculty Research Fellowship Award (2025)
  • Recipient of the Palliative Research Enhancement Project (PREP) Award, supported by the University of Alabama at Birmingham Center for Palliative and Supportive Care
  • Society of Surgical Oncology Young Investigator Award (YIA), supported by the SSO and ACPMP Foundation

Contact Information

Campus Address
BDB D585

Phone
Patient Appointments and Questions:
Academic Office:

Email
kimberlykopecky@uabmc.edu