Advisory Committee Biosketches
Ninh T. Nguyen, MD, FACS
Dr. Nguyen is Chair of the ACS BSCN Advisory Committee, medical director, bariatric program, and chief, division of gastrointestinal
surgery, at the University of California, Irvine, where he also serves
as an associate professor of surgery. He has pioneered the development
of laparoscopic esophagectomy and gastrectomy for the treatment of benign
and malignant esophagogastric pathology and the development of laparoscopic
Roux-en-Y gastric bypass for the treatment of morbid obesity.
He has been the principal investigator on numerous research grants and
has published more than 100 peer-reviewed publications.
Dr. Nguyen
completed his fellowship in advanced laparoscopic surgery at the University
of Pittsburgh Medical Center. In addition to being a member of the American
College of Surgeons, he holds memberships in the Society for Surgery
of the Alimentary Tract, American Society for Bariatric Surgery, and
the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons.
Daniel B. Jones, MD, MS
Dr. Daniel Jones is Vice-Chair of the ACS BSCN Advisory Committee. Dr. Jones received his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College, New York,
NY. He is chief of minimally invasive surgical services, Beth
Israel Deaconess Medical Center, director of Beth Israel’s Bariatric
Program, and associate professor of surgery, Harvard Medical School,
Boston, MA. An internationally recognized leader in the field,
he is the author of over 150 professional publications. His recent
book publications in 2007 include Lap-Band Companion Handbook
and Weight Loss Surgery: a Multidisciplinary Approach.
Dr. Jones is the recipient of the James IV Association Travel Award (2005) and the
SAGES Gold Laparoscope Award (2001). He is a member of the American
College of Surgeons Advisory Committee on Bariatric Surgery. He
serves on the expert panel on weight loss surgery for Betsy Lehman Center.
He is also a member of the board of governors, Society of American Gastrointestinal
and Endoscopic Surgeons; Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract
Foundation; and the American Society for Bariatric Surgery. He
was selected by colleagues as one of the “Best Doctors in America
in 2007.”
Matthew M. Hutter, MD, MPH
Dr. Matthew Hutter is the Chair of the ACS BSCN Data Outcomes Subcommittee. Dr. Hutter is a surgeon and the Director of the Codman Center for Clinical Effectiveness
in Surgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. His
clinical work includes bariatric surgery, as well as a general, gastrointestinal,
and advanced laparoscopic surgery. He received his medical degree from
the Harvard Medical School, his surgical training at the Massachusetts
General Hospital, and his masters degree in public health at the Harvard
School of Public Health. Dr. Hutter is the co-chairman of the
SAGES Bariatric Committee, the co-chair of the SAGES Outcomes Committee,
and the co-chair of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health/Betsy
Lehman Center Expert Panel on Weight Loss Surgery. Dr. Hutter
has been instrumental in developing and implementing the ACS BSCN Accreditation
Program national data collection system. His overall academic
focus is the development, implementation, and responsible use of data
collection systems in surgery, with a focus on assessing and improving
the quality of surgical care.
Dr. Robin Blackstone, MD
Dr. Blackstone grew up in the Grand Canyon National Park and is a fourth generation Arizona native.
She attended the University of Arizona in Tucson after high school and graduated with a Bachelor's
degree in Philosophy. After being accepted as a medical student at the University of Texas in San Antonio,
she graduated and received her Doctor of Medicine in 1988. Dr. Blackstone then completed her General Surgery
residency at the University of Colorado graduating in 1993 as a General Surgeon. For the first few years
after graduating she served the indigent population of Monterey County, California as a general and
laparoscopic surgeon. In 1996, Dr. Blackstone returned to Arizona and established her private practice
in Scottsdale – specializing in Advanced Laparoscopic General Surgery and Surgical Oncology.
Dr. Blackstone first became interested in gastric bypass surgery for the morbidly obese after a close family
member had the surgery in 1999. Fascinated by very successful and obviously life-changing outcomes,
she established a medical model for obesity treatment that spans the continuum of disease and includes medical
and surgical weight loss. In 2005 Scottsdale Bariatric Center at Scottsdale Healthcare achieved national
recognition as an American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence.
They re-certified in 2008. Her program is also one of 88 programs in the United States
awarded a five star rating by HeatlhGrades. The practice is unique in that it maintains a prospective IRB approved
database of over 3000 patients. This has led to collaboration and development of the SBC Research Group that studies
innovative devices and conducts studies in collaboration with the NIH/NIDDK. Dr. Blackstone joined the clinical
faculty at the University of Arizona School of Medicine-Phoenix and has helped to establish didactic lectures
and rotations in obesity medicine. Dr. Blackstone serves as the Secretary/Treasurer of the Executive Council
of the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, is Co- Chair of the Access Committee of the ASMBS, is a
board member of the Surgical Review Corporation for National Centers of Excellence and as a founding Board Member of
the Obesity Action Coalition. Dr. Blackstone is an outspoken advocate of outcome based medical practice.
Dr. Ronald Clements, MD
Dr. Clements is Professor of Surgery and Director of Bariatric Surgery at Vanderbilt University.
He is a graduate of the University of Alabama School of Medicine and the general surgical residency program at Carraway
Methodist Medical Center. Dr. Clements completed the Laparoscopic Fellowship program at Vanderbilt University in 1998,
a program he now directs. Prior to his current position, Dr. Clements was Professor of Surgery and the Director of Bariatric
Surgery at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, a Level 1A Center of Excellence.
Dr. Clements is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Southern Surgical Association, and the Southeastern
Surgical Congress. He is also a member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, Society of American
Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons and Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract. He is also serves on a number
of committees in these organizations. Dr. Clements has published a number of peer-reviewed manuscripts, and his research
interests include nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, metabolic changes associated with bariatric surgery and clinical
outcomes of bariatric surgery.
J. K. Champion, MD, FACS
Dr. Champion is a private practice general surgeon in Atlanta, GA, where he currently serves as director
of bariatric surgery for Northside Hospital. He holds an academic appointment as clinical professor of surgery
at Mercer University School of Medicine, Macon, GA. He serves as associate editor of Obesity Surgery
and on the editorial board for Surgery for Obesity and
Related Diseases. His practice is limited to bariatric surgery,
performing laparoscopic gastric bypass, adjustable gastric banding,
sleeve gastrectomies, and revisions.
Edward L. Felix, MD, FACS
Dr. Felix is internationally known as an expert in laparoscopic surgery and has lectured,
authored numerous peer-reviewed articles, and taught other surgeons
his techniques on four continents. In 1990, he was the first surgeon
in central California to use advanced laparoscopic surgical techniques
to treat patients. In 1999, Dr. Felix opened the Center for Bariatric
Surgery in Fresno, CA, which is an ACS Accredited Bariatric Center that
has performed over 4,000 bariatric procedures. Dr. Felix is an
assistant clinical professor of surgery at UCSF, a fellow of the American
College of Surgeons, and a member of the American Metabolic and Bariatric
Society as well as multiple other societies. He is also director
of bariatric surgery at the Clovis Community Hospital and Advanced Bariatric
Center of California.
Dr. Felix is a graduate of the University of Michigan and received his medical degree from the
University of Illinois Medical School, Chicago. He was a fellow
at the NIH Cancer Institute and completed his residency at the University
of Illinois.
Giselle G. Hamad, MD, FACS
Dr. Hamad is an assistant professor of surgery, associate program director for the
department of surgery residency program, and director of education in
minimally invasive surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Hamad
is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge,
MA, and received her medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University
School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. She completed her residency
in general surgery at the Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth
University and underwent fellowship training in minimally invasive surgery
at the University of Pittsburgh. Her practice is devoted primarily to
advanced laparoscopic general surgery and bariatric surgery. In addition
to being a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, she is a member
of the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons, the American
Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, and the Association of
Women Surgeons.
Thomas H. Inge, MD, FACS
Dr. Thomas H. Inge is an associate
professor in the department of surgery and pediatrics at University
of Cincinnati. In addition to being a Fellow of the American College
of Surgeons, he is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
He became a full-time member of the surgical faculty at Cincinnati Children's
Hospital Medical Center Pediatric Surgery, in July 2000.
Dr. Inge's clinical and research
focus is adolescent bariatric surgery. He has been honored as
co-chairman of the research committee of the American Society of Bariatric
Surgery (2006-2007) and by chairman of the pediatric surgery committee
of the American Society of Bariatric Surgery (2007-2008). In addition,
Dr. Inge was awarded two grants from the National Institutes of Health
(NIH) for bariatric clinical research projects, which examine the role
of surgery in the management of adolescent obesity. Dr. Inge has
published over 60 scientific and clinical manuscripts and has given
over 50 invited lectures on clinical topics internationally. He
has served as a consultant to the federal agencies for bariatric research
and development efforts including the Federal Drug Administration (FDA),
the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and for the NIH.
David Lautz, MD, FACS
Dr. David Lautz is the Director of Bariatric Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where he developed the minimally invasive bariatric surgical program, and has subsequently built one of the largest minimally invasive bariatric surgery practices in the Northeast. His clinical work currently focuses on minimally invasive bariatric surgery with an emphasis on laparoscopic revisional procedures. In collaboration with Dr. Christopher Thompson, he has also developed novel techniques in the field of endoscopic management of bariatric complications, as well as new endoscopic primary bariatric procedures currently in early clinical trials. He was a member of the Expert Panel on Bariatric Surgery selected by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety and Medical Error Reduction, which published best practice recommendations for all aspects of bariatric care in 2005 and 2008. These guidelines have served a supporting role in the drafting of portions of the American College of Surgeons Bariatric Surgery Center Network Accreditation Program requirements.
Dr. David Lautz received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Illinois Wesleyan University and his medical degree from the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine. He completed his residency in general surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School where he has been on staff as an attending surgeon since 1997. Dr. Lautz’s research interests include surgical outcomes of the bariatric patient. He is a member of numerous professional societies including the American Medical Association, the Massachusetts Medical Society, the New England Surgical Society, the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons, and the American Obesity Association.
J. Patrick O’Leary, MD, FACS
Dr. O’Leary is the executive associate dean of clinical affairs and the assistant
vice president for strategic planning at Florida International University
College of Medicine, Miami. He is an emeritus professor and emeritus
chairman of the department of surgery at the LSU Health Sciences Center.
Dr. O’Leary is widely published and, as an authority in the field
of surgical gastroenterology, is an accomplished and sought- after lecturer.
He has served as chief of the surgical service at the Nashville Veterans
Administration Medical Center; professor of surgery at Vanderbilt University;
Seeger Chair in Surgery and Program Director at Baylor University Medical
Center; clinical professor at the University of Texas, Southwestern;
and the Isidore Cohn Jr. Professor, chairman of the department of surgery,
and associate dean of clinical affairs at Louisiana State University’s
Health Sciences Center.
In addition
to having authored over 200 peer reviewed scientific publications, Dr.
O’Leary has been the author of four editions of the textbook Physiologic
Basis of Surgery dealing with the basic sciences as applied to surgery.
Dr. O’Leary has held several positions with the National Board of
Medical Examiners. He also has served as president of the New
Orleans Surgical Society (NOSS), American Society of Bariatric Surgery
(now the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery), the Southeastern
Surgical Congress (SESC), the Association of Program Directors in Surgery
(APDS), and the Louisiana Chapter of the American College of Surgeons
(ACS). Dr. O’Leary received his medical degree and completed
his residency at the University of Florida. He has been the recipient
of the Hippocratic Award for the Outstanding Teacher in the school of
medicine at the University of Florida.
Bruce D. Schirmer, MD, FACS
Dr. Bruce Schirmer is the Stephen
H. Watts Professor of Surgery at the University of Virginia (UVA), Charlottesville,
where he has been a member of the faculty since 1985, serves as the
vice-chair of the department of surgery, the surgery residency program
director, and MIS Fellowship Director. Dr. Schirmer received his
undergraduate degree from Princeton University and completed his medical
school and residency training in surgery at Duke University. He
has practiced bariatric surgery since 1986, and he developed both the
bariatric and minimally invasive surgery programs at UVA.
Dr. Schirmer’s funded investigative work has been in the area of post-operative recovery
of gastrointestinal motility. His publications include chapters
on bariatric surgery in several leading surgical texts. Dr. Schirmer
is on the editorial board of six leading surgical journals and serves
as the emeritus editor of Journal of Laparoendoscopic and Advanced
Surgical Techniques. He is also a director of the American
Board of Surgery; co-chair of Committee on Issues for the American
Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery; past President, Society
of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons; past recorder,
Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract; past president, American
Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association; president, Society of Clinical
Surgery; and president-elect, Fellowship Council.
C. Daniel Smith, MD
Dr. Smith is
currently the chairman of the department of surgery at the Mayo Clinic
in Jacksonville, FL. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota
Medical School and received his training in general and gastrointestinal
surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, as well as training in advanced
laparoscopic surgery in Montreal, Canada. Prior to his position
in Jacksonville, he was the chief of general and gastrointestinal surgery
and director of the Emory Endosurgery Unit and Emory Simulation, Training,
and Robotics Center in Georgia, where he received an appointment as
the W. Dean Warren Distinguished Professor of Surgery. Dr. Smith
is a leader in developing virtual reality simulation for surgeons in
training, and he founded the Cincinnati Institute of Videoscopic Surgery,
OH. His clinical practice and research activities focus on the
management of esophageal and gastric diseases, morbid obesity, and laparoscopic
surgery. He has authored or co-authored over 100 articles and
25 book chapters, and he currently serves as the editor-in-chief of
the Journal for Laparoendoscopic and Advanced Surgical Techniques.
Dr. Smith serves
on the board of governors and is the president-elect of the Society
of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons, and is the past-president
for the Fellowship Council, the organization that oversees non-ACGME
accredited fellowships in GI, bariatric, minimally invasive, and hepatopancreatobiliary
fellowships.
Stephen D. Wohlgemuth, MD, FACS
Dr. Stephen D. Wohlgemuth currently serves as director of the minimally invasive fellowship
at East Virginia Medical School (EVMS) and is the medical director of the Sentara Metabolic and
Weight Loss Surgery Center. He earned his medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine
in 1983 after completing undergraduate studies in biology at the University of Connecticut in 1976.
He received a aasters of sScience degree in marine biology at the University of South Carolina in 1979.
Dr. Wohlgemuth completed his internship and residency in general surgery at the Eastern Virginia Graduate
School of Medicine in Norfolk, in 1988, and has been in private practice with the Norfolk Surgical Group for
the past 20 years. He currently is an assistant professor of clinical surgery at EVMS. He has received numerous
teaching awards from the students and residents at the EVMS and has been voted one of America’s Top Doctors As
Chosen by Their Peers – General Surgery, Center for the Study of Services by Consumers’ Checkbook in 2001 and 2002.
In addition to being a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Wohlgemuth is a member
of the Southern Medical Association, Norfolk Academy of Medicine, Society of Critical Care
Medicine, Virginia Medical Society, Society of Laproendoscopic Surgeons, Virginia Surgical
Society, Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons, American Hernia Society,
and the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons.
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