SAGES 2022-2023 Official Ballot

The President and President-Elect will each serve a one-year term, from March 19, 2022 through April 1, 2023. The 1st and 2nd Vice Presidents will each serve a two year term (the !st VP has one year left in his term). The Secretary and Treasurer each serve a three year term (each have one year left in their terms).

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John D. Mellinger, MD, FACS
Springfield, IL
President

Current Teaching/Academic Title: Vice President, American Board of Surgery; Professor Emeritus, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine.

Current Hospital Title: No current hosptial affiliation

Professional Activities and Distinctions: Dr. Mellinger is currently SAGES President-Elect, serves on the Educational Resources, Finance, FES and Nominating Committees, as well as the RPS and Data AnalyticsTask Forces, and serves as Executive Committee liaison for the Education Council. He previously Co-Chaired the FES and RAFT Committees, and previously served on the Standards of Practice, Flexible Endoscopy, Ethics, Hernia and Telemedicine Committees, as well as the Fellowship Council Upper GI Task Force. He was formerly SAGES liaison to the Association of Program Directors in Surgery (APDS).

Dr. Mellinger is Vice President of the American Board of Surgery (ABS). He previously served as APDS President, and was prior Chair of the ABS Board of Directors as well as the ABS General Surgery Residency Committee. He is a member of several associations, including the American Surgical Association, Southern Surgical Association, Central Surgical Association, and Association for Surgical Education. His national teaching awards include the Association for Surgical Education (ASE) Outstanding Teacher Award, Educator of the Year Award of the Christian Medical and Dental Association, and SAGES Jeffrey L. Ponsky Master Educator in Endoscopy Award; he has also received more than 30 institutional teaching awards. He has previously served as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the ACS Resources in Surgical Education and is a Past Chair of the ACS Flexible Endoscopy Postgraduate Course.

Areas of Research and Publication: Surgical education, surgical endoscopy including ERCP, minimally invasive surgery, international surgery

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Patricia Sylla, MD
New York, NY
President-Elect

Current Teaching/Academic Title: Professor of Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, NY

Associate Director, Colorectal Surgery Fellowship Program

Current Hospital Title: Attending Surgeon, Department of Surgery, Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery

Professional Activities and Distinctions: Dr. Sylla has served on SAGES Board since 2015, and is current Chair of the Colorectal Committee. She previously Chaired SAGES Conflict of Interest Task Force, and was the 2019 Annual Meeting Program Chair. She currently serves on the Alternative Funding Solutions Task Force, the Education and Technology Councils, and the Reimaging the Practice of Surgery Task Force. She won the SAGES IRCAD Fellowship Travel Award in 2008, SAGES Young Researcher award in 2013, and was the SAGES sponsored recipient of the SUS Leadership Agility Program in 2019. She co-chairs the NOSCAR Joint Committee with ASGE, and previously served as subject editor for Surgical Endoscopy.

She received the Columbia University Department of Surgery Blakemore Award in 2005, and Blakemore Prize in 2006 and the SLS Young Educator Award in 2014. She is Chair of the New Technology Committee for ASCRS and a member of the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC) Accreditation Committee. She also serves as Section Editor for the Disease of Colon and Rectum Online New Technology Section. .

Areas of Research and Publication: Minimally invasive surgery for rectal cancer (laparoscopic, robotic and transanal endoscopic) Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), Diverticulitis, Transanal NOTES. She currently serves as the Lead PI for the North American Multicenter Phase II Study of Transanal TME for rectal cancer, sponsored by SAGES and the ASCRS Research Foundation.

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Robert Lim, MD, FACS, FASMBS
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Retired, United States Army, Medical Corps
1st Vice President

Current Teaching/Academic Title: Professor of Surgery, Oklahoma University School of Medicine Tulsa Vice Chair of Education

Current Hospital Title: Residency Program Director, Oklahoma University Physicians.

Professional Activities and Distinctions: Dr. Lim is currently an Executive Committee member of SAGES and the co-Chair of the Immunofluorescence Task Force. In response to the COVID crisis, he co-authored the SAGES primer on mechanical ventilation management and the SAGES repository for safe smoke evacuation, while also moderating and chairing a virtual conference on safe care of emergent patients during the COVID-19 crisis. He was Program Co-Chair for the World Congress of Endoscopic Surgery in 2018 and former Chair of the Acute Care Surgery and the Military Committees. He previously served as Program Chair for the SAGES-Society of Military Surgeons Military Surgical Symposium in 2014-2016. He was President of the ACS Excelsior Surgical Society in 2019-20, and co-Chaired several combined educational conferences on the subject of Acute Care Surgery with the SSAT, the EAST, the AAST, the ASMBS, and the ASCRS. He is actively involved in committees and/or faculty for SAGES, ACS, ASMBS, SSAT, ASE, and the Oklahoma chapter of the ACS. He represents SAGES on the Emergency General Surgery Task Force of the ACS. He has served six Combat Duty tours and earned the Bronze Star, the Legion of Merit, Combat Medic Badge and Combat Action Badge, as well as the Military Alpha Designator, the military’s highest academic award. He is a member of the Order of Military Medical Merit (O2M3). He won the SAGES Excellence in Clinical Care (Arnold P. Gold Foundation) Humanism award in 2015 and the SAGES Military Service Award in 2021. .

Areas of Research and Publication: Editor, General Surgery Examination and Board Review textbook, published 2017 and updated 2022, McGraw-Hill Publisher, Inc. Editor, Surgery during Combat, Natural Disasters, Terrorist Attacks, and Crisis Situations, Published 2016, Springer, Inc. Editor, Multidisciplinary Approaches to Common Surgical Problems textbook, published in 2019, Springer, Inc. Co-Editor, The SAGES Manual of Acute Care Surgery, published 2020, Springer, Inc. Editor, Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Board Review, expected publication 2022. Contributing author to SESAP 16, 17, and 18 Author, monograph, “Benchmarking Best Practices in Weight Loss Surgery” Current Problems in Surgery, Feb 2010, 47(2):69-176. Author, monograph, “Minimally Invasive Techniques in Acute Care Surgery” Current Problems in Surgery, expected publication in winter 2022. Obesity Care, Bariatric Surgery, Simulation Training, Robotic Surgery, NOTES Surgery, Military and Combat Surgery, Patient Safety

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Dana Telem, MD, MPH
Ann Arbor, MI
2nd Vice President

Current Teaching/Academic Title: :Lazar J. Greenfield Professor of Surgery

Current Hospital Title: :Lazar J. Greenfield Professor of Surgery Section Chief, General Surgery Vice Chair, Quality and Safety, Department of Surgery Associate Professor of Surgery Department of Surgery University of Michigan

SAGES Professional Activities and Areas of Distinction: Dr. Telem serves as Program Chair for the 2021 SAGES meeting, Chair (previous co-chair) of the Safe Cholecystectomy Task Force, and as the previous chair and a current member of the Diversity and Leadership and Professional Development Task Force (formerly We R SAGES). She is also a member of the Education Council, Program and QOS Committees. She was the recipient of the SAGES Researcher in Training (2012), Career Development (2014), Young Researcher (2016) and Advocacy Summit (2017) Awards. Dr. Telem has served on the SAGES Board of Governors since 2016

Areas of Research and Publication: : Dr. Telem’s academic interests lie in health services research with a focus in implementation science. Specifically, the effective and sustainable adoption of evidence-based recommendations into actual practice. Dr. Telem receives research funding from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the National Institute of Health and the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES). She serves on the editorial boards of Annals of Surgery and Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases, is an Associate Editor for Surgical Endoscopy, The American Journal of Surgery and Hernia. Her research and commentaries have been published in several prominent journals such as the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), JAMA surgery and Annals of Surgery. She serves on the Foundation for Surgical Fellowships Board of Governors, and holds key leadership positions across several organizations and societies including American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons, American College of Surgeons, Americas Hernia Society (AHS), and Leapfrog, focused on quality and patient safety, as well as diversity and inclusion.

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Brent Matthews, MD
Charlotte, NC
Secretary

Current Teaching/Academic Title: Professor and Chair of Surgery, Carolinas Medical Center Center

Current Hospital Title: Surgeon-in-Chief, Atrium Health, Charlotte, NC Senior Academic Chair of the Atrium Health Medical Group Surgery Care Division

Professional Activities and Distinctions: Dr. Matthews has been a member of SAGES since 1998 and has served on SAGES Board since 2013. He is an active member of the Acute Care Surgery Task Force, Leadership and Professional Development Task Force (formerly We R SAGES) and RAFT Committee. He previously Chaired the Bylaws and RAFT Committees and was Co-Chair of the Program Committee. He received the SAGES Young Investigators Award in 2003 and the Inaugural SAGES Excellence in Medical Leadership Award in 2011. He has been the Principal Investigator or Co-investigator on 8 SAGES research grants. Dr. Matthews is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Past President of the Americas Hernia Society, and a member of the American Surgical Association and Southern Surgical Association. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Fellowship Council and ERAS®USA Society. He most recently served as the Chair of the Fellowship Council Accreditation Committee. In 2020, Dr. Matthews was elected as a Director of the General Surgery Board of the American Board of Surgery. Dr. Matthews is co-founder and on the Board of Directors for Surgical Outreach for the Americas, a nonprofit organization that provides surgical services in developing countries of Central America. Surgical Outreach for the Americas has completed 17 brigades and performed more than 1,400 operations in partnership with Hospital Santo Hermano Pedro in Catacamas, Honduras, Hospital Maternidad La Divina Providencia in Santiago Texacuangos, El Salvador and ILAC in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic.

Areas of Research and Publication: Dr. Matthews has received 7 faculty teaching/mentoring awards. He has authored or co-authored 199 peer- reviewed manuscripts, 57 of these publications in Surgical Endoscopy, 379 scientific abstracts and 22 book chapters. His clinical and basic research has focused on biomaterial for abdominal wall reconstruction, connective tissue biologic response to hernia repair and clinical outcomes and quality improvements in hernia and emergency general surgery. Dr. Matthews has been funded by the National Institute of Health for the evaluation of photoacoustic imaging of Barrett’s esophagus.

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Christopher Schlachta, MD
London, Ontario, Canada
Treasurer

Current Teaching/Academic Title: Professor of Surgery / Professor of Oncology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University

Current Hospital Title: : Chief of Surgery, University Hospital Site, London Health Sciences Centre. Medical Director, CSTAR (Canadian Surgical Technologies & Advanced Robotics)

Professional Activities and Distinctions: Dr. Schlachta has been a member of SAGES since 1997, has served on SAGES Board since 2011, and is currently SAGES Treasurer. He currently chairs the SAGES Technology Council and the Finance Committee and serves as a member of the Artificial Intelligence Task Force and Education Council. He has served the SAGES program for years as a speaker and faculty instructor, but also as PG Course Chair for: Current Common Dilemmas in Colorectal Surgery (2015) and Equipping the Surgeon / Training the Jedi (2008). He also served as Chair of SAGES Technology Luncheon: Industry/Surgeon Partnerships in Promoting Surgical Innovation (2009), Technology into Meeting (2012), Ultimate SAGES (2013), Presidential Debates (2015), Telementoring – A new paradigm in surgical training (2016), Wild Cases presented in the Wild West (2017), Image is Everything: Near Infrared Fluorescence in Every OR? (2018), co-chair of Adopting Innovations in the OR: What Lies Beneath (2019), and chair of SAGES Webinar: Returning to Operations after COVID-19 (2020). In 2010, he was program co-chair (CAGS) of the 12th World Congress of Endoscopic Surgery (Washington, DC), chair of the SAGES Project 6 Summit (Los Angeles, 2015) and Chair of the Next Big Thing Summit (Houston, 2020). He brought SAGES resident courses to Canada, with the 29th offerings (nearly 500 attendees) since 2008. Dr. Schlachta is past president of the Canadian Association of General Surgeons (CAGS) and a past Governor of the American College of Surgeons. He is a past section editor for Surgical Endoscopy. He has served on multiple SAGES committees including: Global Affairs, Open to MIS, Program, Research, Resident Education, Curriculum Task Force, co-chair of Education Resources and chair of the Telementoring Taskforce force.

Dr. Schlachta is Past-President of the Canadian Association of General Surgeons (CAGS) and a past Governor of the American College of Surgeons. He is a past section editor for Surgical Endoscopy. He has served on multiple SAGES Committees including: Global Affairs, Open to MIS, Program, Research, Resident Education, Curriculum Task Force, Co-Chair of Educational Resources and Chair of the Telementoring Task Force.

Areas of Research and Publication: Simulation training and health technology assessment of minimally invasive computer assisted surgery and technologies.

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Ross F. Goldberg, MD, FACS
Phoenix, AZ
Re-appointed Board Member

Current Teaching/Academic Title: Associate Professor of Surgery, Creighton University School of Medicine Associate Professor of Surgery, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Current Hospital Title: Vice-Chair, Department of Surgery Specialty Ambulatory Medical Director

Professional Activities and Distinctions: Dr. Goldberg has had an interest and passion focused on health policy and advocacy on both the state and federal level since medical school. He has held multiple local, state, and national positions while lecturing at all levels on a variety of topics, ranging from clinical surgical issues to advocacy and health policy, and have actively lobbied on behalf of his patients and fellow physicians for over the past 20 years. Currently, he is the Chair of the SAGES Advocacy & Health Policy Committee, as well as the SAGES representative both to the Surgical Care Coalition and to the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchasers Coalition, serving as the first surgeon to sit on their Medical Director Advisory Council. Dr. Goldberg is a previous recipient of the 2014 Brandeis Award and the 2019 Excellence in Medical Leadership Award. Outside of SAGES, and is currently the Vice-Chair and Advocacy Pillar Lead for the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Board of Governors, as well as the Chair of the ACS Health Policy Advisory Council, and member of the ACS Health Policy & Advocacy Group. I serve on the American Medical Association’s Council on Legislation; the Immediate Past-President of the Arizona Medical Association and was appointed by Governor Doug Ducey to serve on the Arizona Telehealth Advisory Committee on Telehealth Best Practices.

Areas of Research and Publication: Dr. Goldberg's current areas of research focus on diseases related to the gallbladder and its function, integration of robotic surgery into a public health system, evaluating quality within the public health systems and health policy and advocacy. He has been an author for a few book chapters presenting updated clinical algorithms, was a part of the SAGES Social Media Task Force White Paper, has written about federal regulations and laws and the impact it has had on physician burnout and has published a manuscript on the surgeons’ role within the opioid epidemic.

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Jose Martinez, MD, FACS
Miami, FL
Re-appointed Board Member

Current Teaching/Academic Title: : Professor of Clinical Surgery at University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine

Current Hospital Title: : University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine Chief, Division of Minimally Invasive Surgery Director, Laparoendoscopic Fellowship Director, Minimally Invasive Surgical Training and Educational center

Professional Activities and Distinctions: : Jose Martinez, MD, is a Professor of Surgery and Chief of the Division of Minimally Invasive Surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He is also Director of the Minimally Invasive Training and Educational Center, Director of the Hernia Center and the Director for the MIS/Flexible Endoscopy Fellowship Program at University of Miami. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, as well as a member of the Society of American Gastrointestinal Surgeons (SAGES). He is active on the SAGES committee as Chair of the Fundamental of Endoscopic Surgery (FES) Program, member of the Resident and Fellow Training (RAFT) Committee as well as the Flexible endoscopy committee. Served as prior co-chair to the Flexible endoscopy committee as well as member to Go Global committee. He also has been a member under several committees for the Fellowship Council, including, research, accreditation, communications, case log and currently serves in the Board for the Fellowship Council.

Areas of Research and Publication: Dr. Martinez’s primary areas of interests include MIS foregut surgery, donor nephrectomy, open, laparoscopic and Robotic hernia repair, gallbladder disease and therapeutic flexible endoscopy. His foregut practice focuses on anti-reflux surgery, hiatal hernia repair and Heller myotomy

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Eric M Pauli, MD, FACS, FASGE
Hershey, PA
Re-appointed Board Member

Current Teaching/Academic Title: : Professor of Surgery

Current Hospital Title: :David L. Nahrwold Professor of Surgery Chief, Division of Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery Director of Endoscopic Surgery

Professional Activities and Distinctions: : Dr. Pauli currently serves as the chair of the SAGES Flexible Endoscopy Committee and leads multiple projects in the training of flexible endoscopy for our membership. As a consequence of this role, Dr. Pauli has also had the opportunity to interface with The Fellowship Council as a SAGES representative for multiple projects including the development of Entrustable Professional Activity based curriculum, redefining flexible endoscopy fellowships and re-designing the case log system. He continues to serve as member at large for the FC Executive Committee. He has additional leadership roles at the Americas Core Health Quality Collaborative and Americas Hernia Society.

Areas of Research and Publication:Dr. Pauli has two distinct and parallel areas of research and publication which mirror my split clinical practice. He publishes in the field of therapeutic flexible endoscopy, including the development of novel endoscopic procedures and the follow up of patients who undergo such procedures (eg PEBL, rendezvous ERCP, endoscopic closure of GI tract defects). He also publish in the area of abdominal wall reconstruction, in particular in the realm of posterior component separation hernia repairs. As with his endoscopy practice, they perform, evaluate and follow patients who undergo novel hernia repair procedures to assess long term success and complication rates. He has a particular area of interest in the management of parastomal hernia patients.

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Rebecca Petersen MD, MSc, FACS
Seattle, WA
Re-appointed Board Member

Current Teaching/Academic Title: Associate Professor, University of Washington

Current Hospital Title: University of Washington Medical CenterAssociate Professor Department of Surgery Division of General Surgery Section of Gastrointestinal Surgery

Professional Activities and Distinctions: Rebecca Petersen MD, MSc, FACS is an Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Washington. Dr. Petersen specializes in advanced minimally invasive gastrointestinal surgery and was one of the founding members of the UW Medicine Hernia Center. She serves as an Associate Program Director for the General Surgery Residency Program. Dr. Petersen has been an active and highly engaged member of SAGES since she was a resident. As a fellow she was awarded the SAGES Research in Training Award. Over the years she has been a member on a variety of committees, participated as faculty for several ADOPT Courses, contributed to SAGES manuals, and has served as a reviewer for Surgical Endoscopy. She has previously served as the Chair of the Research & Career Development Committee, and is looking forward to being a Program Co-Chair for the SAGES 2023 Annual Meeting. Dr. Rebecca Petersen attended Oregon & Health Sciences University Medical School. During medical school she also received a Master of Science in Epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health. She went on to complete General Surgery Residency at Duke University Medical Center, after which she completed a minimally invasive fellowship at University of Washington Medical Center. Dr. Petersen’s clinical interests include advanced laparoscopy, gastrointestinal disorders, complex abdominal wall hernia repair and reconstruction, in addition to inguinal, femoral, sports and hiatal hernias. .

Areas of Research and Publication: Dr. Petersen’s research efforts have focused on surgical outcomes and quality improvement, GERD, paraesophageal hernias, and achalasia. She has over 50 publications.

Christopher DuCoin, MD, MPH, FACS
Tampa, FL
New Board Member

Current Teaching/Academic Title: Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of South Florida, Tampa Chief, Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery – Sections of Bariatric, Foregut, Complex Abdominal Core Health & Hernia, Surgical Endoscopy Fellowship Director – Foregut & Bariatric Surgery

Current Hospital Title: Director of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, Chair of Robotics Committee, Director of Surgical Suites at Tampa General Hospital

Professional Activities and Distinctions: Within SAGES , Dr. DuCoin serves as Chair of the Research and Career Development committee. This committee oversee the allocation of grants and funded awards, and oversees Taskforces specific to 1) Medical Student Research Awards, 2) Extramural Funding, 3) SAGES Research Network, and 4) Multi-Society Studies. It is the mission of this committee to bring research to the forefront of SAGES in a meaningful way to, while furthering the belief of innovation through collaboration with our membership and industry. Dr. DuCoin has served has served (or serving on) the Membership Committee, Foregut Committe, Resident & Fellow Training Committee, Technology Council, the Surgical Data Science Task Force, and the Fluorescence Imaging Task Force. Dr. DuCoin has contributed to the Next Big Thing and multiple endoscopic courses held by SAGES. His journal of choice is of course Surgical Endoscopy for his publications and he is a Reviewer of Distinction for the journal. Dr. DuCoin was the SAGES recipient for the Brandies Leadership Program for Health Policy and Management Award. In other profession activities Dr. DuCoin on the Governors Council for the Young Fellows the Chair of Communications Committee

Areas of Research and Publication: N/a

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Denise W. Gee, MD
Boston, MA
New Board Member

Current Teaching/Academic Title: Associate Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School

Current Hospital Title: Surgical Director, Massachusetts General Hospital Weight Center Section Head, Foregut and Bariatric Surgery Program Director, Advanced GI MIS/Bariatric/Foregut Fellowship Co-Director, ACS AEI Surgical Education Research and Simulation Fellowship Associate Program Director, MGH General Surgery Residency

Professional Activities and Distinctions: Denise W. Gee, MD is a busy advanced laparoscopic surgeon specializing in minimally invasive foregut and bariatric surgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital. In addition to her clinical and academic roles within the Department of Surgery, she also serves on the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization (MGPO) Executive Committee and the MGH General Executive Council. She was recently selected to be part of the MGPO Physician Leadership Development Certificate Program. Dr. Gee brings her expertise onto a national level by serving in various leadership roles in SAGES, Association for Surgical Education (ASE), and the Fellowship Council (FC). Within SAGES, Dr. Gee serves as co-Chair of the Resident and Fellows Training Committee, where she specifically oversees fellowship programming/certification, and Chair of the Assessment and Program Evaluation Committee (within the SAGES Education Council) where she is currently leading societal efforts to develop video-based assessment of key laparoscopic procedures. Most recently, she represents SAGES as the Chair of the newly created Foregut Fellowship Committee comprised of members from three societies: SAGES, ASMBS, and SSAT. Finally, she is the SAGES representative to the SCORE (Surgical Council on Resident Education) committee. Outside of SAGES, Dr. Gee served as Chair of Simulation Committee in ASE (Association of Surgical Education) last year and remains an active member of the group. She is currently Vice-Chair of the ASE Awards Committee and was recently selected to be on the ASE Program Committee. Dr. Gee is the SSAT Representative to the Fellowship Council serving on the Accreditation Committee and is also an active member of the FC Education and Curriculum Committee and Curriculum Redesign Task Force.

Areas of Research and Publication: Dr. Gee’s active areas of research are in surgical education and simulation. As the Director of Surgical Simulation at MGH, Dr. Gee leads simulation-based training efforts within Surgery and across all disciplines throughout the hospital. She is the surgical lead and principal investigator in the MGH Operating Room Multidisciplinary Team Training Program sponsored by CRICO, the medical malpractice insurance carrier for the Harvard medical community, where she trains over 200 surgeons and their OR teams in key concepts and strategies regarding team-based communication and effectiveness with a goal of improving patient safety. In the area of surgical education research, Dr. Gee has led the creation of a comprehensive, longitudinal, surgical skills curriculum for MGH surgical residents. Her research focuses on both technical and nontechnical skills development in surgical trainees. She has received multiple grants for this work and has published extensively in this field. In addition, Dr. Gee has lectured locally, nationally, and internationally in the areas of her clinical and academic expertise. She has been regularly invited to the SAGES and ASE annual meetings both as a research presenter and as faculty. She was recently inducted as member of the ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators.

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Shaneeta M. Johnson, MD, MBA, FACS, FASMBS
Atlanta, GA
New Board Member

Current Teaching/Academic Title: Professor of Surgery, Chief Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery, General Surgery Residency Program Director

Current Hospital Title: N/A

Professional Activities and Distinctions: Dr. Johnson currently serves within the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) as a member of the Bariatric and Metabolic Committee, Education Council, as well as the We R SAGES Diversity Committee and Diversity, Professional and Leadership Committees. She also serves as a member of the National Academy of Medicine Planning Committee for the Action Collaborative on Decarbonizing the US Health Sector. She currently serves on the Board of the Georgia Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, Executive Board of the Surgical Section of the National Medical Association, and the Board of Outstanding Atlanta. The American College of Surgeons has appointed Dr. Johnson to serve as the Director of the ACS Mentorship program, member of the Governing Council of the YFA, Liaison Representative to the Board of Governors International Chapter Workgroup, and the Health Policy Advisory Council. She currently serves as the President of the Georgia Chapter of ASMBS. Dr. Johnson is a recipient of several awards including the 2021 inaugural SAGES Social Justice and Health Equity Award, 2021 induction as an Associate Member of the American College of Surgeons Academy of Master Surgeon Educators, 2020 National Medical Association Emerging Leader Award, 2020 American College of Surgeons Claude Organ Jr. Traveling Fellowship, 2020 Top Women in Medicine honoree, 2019 BizWomen Outstanding Women Leaders in Healthcare, Excellence in Healthcare Award, 2018 Atlanta 40 under 40 award as well as many teaching awards. Dr. Johnson’s fields of expertise include health equity, climate change, robotic minimally invasive surgery, and bariatric surgery. She is passionate about the impact of climate change on health equity, especially regarding the effects of health systems on the environment. She is a sought-after speaker whose expertise has afforded her invitations to speak both nationally and internationally, including the Pennsylvania Senate, Georgia House of Representatives, the Congressional Black Caucus, and many international venues including Japan, England, Trinidad, Guyana, and the Bahamas. She has advocated for state access to obesity treatment and also advocated extensively on the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on disadvantaged communities and the need for equitable access to testing and treatment. Globally, Dr. Johnson collaborated with private and public sector entities to address the impact of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas, the need for equitable health care, and addressing the effects of climate change.

Areas of Research and Publication: As a researcher, Dr. Johnson is a published author and presenter in health equity, obesity, robotic surgery, preoperative endoscopy, and bariatric surgery. Her work has been published in major scientific journals, and she is a sought-after speaker on these topics both nationally and internationally. She has been an invited guest speaker for more than 150 presentations. Additionally, Dr. Johnson serves as a member of several journal editorial boards and also as a reviewer, including the American Journal of Surgery, the American Surgeon, Surgical Endoscopy, and several others. She developed and implemented a surgical simulation and testing center and robotic surgery training program at Morehouse School of Medicine and Grady hospital and has also obtained more than $2 million of funding for resident and student training.

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Alia P Qureshi MD, FACS
Portland, OR
New Board Member

Current Teaching/Academic Title: Associate Professor of Surgery, Foregut Surgery, Division of General Surgery Oregon Health and Science University, Portland Oregon.

Current Hospital Title: Minimally Invasive Foregut Surgeon

Professional Activities and Distinctions: Dr. Qureshi is passionate about service and contribution and has been involved in SAGES since early in her surgical residency. A great deal of “free” time has been dedicated to learning how to contribute and be an engaged member of SAGES on multiple levels. In so doing, she has learned first-hand the rewards of fruitful collaboration and the value of engaging all members of the committees and societies’ that she has had the privilege of working with. Dr. Qureshi has the opportunity to be involved in many committees and growth opportunities from the beginning. A specific example of this; she enjoyed participating in the Co-Chair SAGES Multi-Society Consensus on Benign Foregut Disease. This was a 3-year effort that is culminating in our Consensus being presented in August, 2021 at the SAGES annual meeting, reflecting collaboration of 5 multi-national surgical societies as well as in the field of gastroenterology. This has been a tremendous opportunity to learn and grow as a surgeon and life-long student of foregut surgery. Dr. Qureshi has had the honor of serving as the Chair of the SAGES DLPD (Diversity, Leadership and Professional Development Committee) as she has observed the transformation of this surgical society from a resident member to a Chair of this Diversity Committee. In this capacity, she has learned strong lessons about the need for transparency and open dialogue. The committee is comprised of 60 members who themselves are section heads and Chairs of surgery across the nation and are very engaged in diversity on many levels; all members continue to be students of DEI as together, they grow and learn to both appreciate and challenge their own biases.

Areas of Research and Publication: Dr. Qureshi’s research is focused on using molecular technologies to elucidate the pathways of Barrett’s esophagus as it progresses from benign BE to esophageal cancer, as she has had the privilege of seeing patients with both of these pathological conditions.