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You are here: Home / SAGES Speaker Catalog

Welcome to the SAGES Speaker Catalog, a listing of SAGES members willing to give talks on various subjects.  Please use the search bar below to find members who can speak on your desired topic and click their names to get their full information, contact information, and sample talks when available.

SAGES Members: Please go to the signup page to create your listing or edit an existing listing.

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James Bittner

Director, Robotic Surgery

Sentara Health, Sentara Obici Hospital

Suffolk, VA

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About Me

Dr. Bittner recently transition to community practice after serving as an Associate Clinical Professor of Surgery and Site Director of the General Surgery Residency at University of Connecticut School of Medicine and Quinnipiac University Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine. He also served as Director of Robotic Surgery and Director of the Advanced GI Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship within the Department of Surgery, Saint Francis Hospital, Hartford, CT, USA. His practice incorporates robotic and minimally invasive foregut surgery (primary and recurrent paraesophageal hernia, primary and recurrent hiatus hernia, gastroesophageal reflux disease, esophageal dysmotility disorders, achalasia), primary and recurrent complex hernia, and bariatric surgery.

Dr. Bittner graduated magna cum laude from Washington and Jefferson College, Washington, Pennsylvania with a bachelor of arts in both Molecular Biology and English. While at Washington and Jefferson College, he was the recipient of the Howard J. Burnett Presidential Scholarship and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Grant.

Dr. Bittner went on to complete medical school at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio where he was awarded the Gross Anatomy Silver Scalpel and a Mary S. Stern Foundation Research Grant. Following this, he completed a residency in General Surgery and a Surgical Education Research Fellowship at Augusta University, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia where he was awarded the Chairman's Research Award for projects related to minimally invasive surgery. Next, Dr. Bittner trained at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri where he specialized in minimally invasive surgery, bariatric surgery, and complex abdominal wall reconstruction (hernia repair).

Topics I Can Speak About
  • Hernia
  • Foregut
  • Bariatric
  • Robotics
  • Acute Care
  • Career Development
  • Wellness
  • Education
Examples of Presentations Given at SAGES Meetings

SAGES 2022 Presidential Address: Surgical Revolutions and Revelations
SAGES 2022 Karl Storz Lecture: FutureProof: Rules for Humans in the Age of Automation
SAGES Resident Webinar: Fundamental Use of Surgical Energy (FUSE) - May 3, 2022

Examples of Presentations Given at other Venues



My Contact Information

Preferred Contact Method: Email

[email protected]

Hours & Info

11300 West Olympic Blvd, Suite 600
Los Angeles, CA 90064

1-310-437-0544

[email protected]

Monday – Friday
8am to 5pm Pacific Time

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