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.