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Steven T. Brower, M.D., FACS  

Steven T. Brower, M.D., FACS
Director, Department of Surgical Education
Surgical Oncology

Dr. Brower serves as director of surgical education and chairman of surgery for the Mercer University School of Medicine, Savannah Campus. Before joining Memorial University Medical Center, he served as the chief of the division of surgical oncology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. Dr. Brower is highly skilled in performing major gastrointestinal surgical procedures, such as liver resections and pancreatic surgery. His clinical expertise includes surgical oncology, laproscopic surgery, and research. Throughout his career, Dr. Brower has received numerous awards and honors and has published 53 original peer-reviewed articles and 11 book chapters. He has earned the E.W. Friedman Endowed Professorship in Surgical Oncology for the Department of Surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center, Best Doctors in America designation, and the Clinical Oncology Career Development Award from the American Cancer Society.

Dr. Brower graduated from medical school at the State University of New York in 1978. He completed his general surgery residency at the Lahey Clinic at Boston University Medical Center. He also completed a fellowship in surgical oncology at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md.

Dr. Brower's Research Interests

In collaboration with the Department of Pathology at the Medical College of Georgia:

  • Identify serum protein profiles and gene expression profiles for GI cancers with the potential to develop clinical diagnostics tools
  • Biomarker discovery for diagnosis/early detection, prognosis, and monitoring in the treatment of GI cancers
  • Comparison of protein profiles and gene expression profiles to specific tumor type and correlating to tumor differentiation and clinical outcome

Clinical Research:

  • Results of MIS approaches to liver cancer
  • Identification of novel proteins involved in PANIN transformation of the pancreas
  • Investigation of new approaches to patients at high risk for esophageal cancer

John D. Angstadt, M.D.  

John D. Angstadt, M.D.
Bariatric Surgery, Laparoscopic and General Surgery

John Angstadt, M.D., received his undergraduate degree from Penn State University. He graduated from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, and did his general surgery training at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Dr. Angstadt then completed a fellowship in transplantation surgery at the same hospital. He joined Memorial in 2001. Dr. Angstadt is the founder and medical director of Memorial Health Bariatrics. He is specially trained to perform the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure and the adjustable gastric band laparoscopically. Dr. Angstadt is the director of minimally invasive surgery for the Department of Surgical Education. He is certified by the American Board of Surgery and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Bariatric Surgery.

Dr. Angstadt's Research Interests

  • Nutrition following bariatric surgery
  • Laparoscopic management of ventral hernias
  • Minimally invasive colon surgery

Anthony J. Avino, M.D.  

Anthony J. Avino, M.D.
Vascular Surgery

Dr. Avino completed his undergraduate education at Vanderbilt University and received his medical degree at the University of Florida College of Medicine. Following graduation, he entered general surgery residency training at the University of Florida Health Science Center. After completing his residency in 1997, Dr. Avino continued training in vascular surgery by participating in a vascular surgery fellowship at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla. Dr. Avino has several publications to his credit and is also a member in several medical societies. He is board certified in general surgery and vascular surgery.


Prabhakar K. Baliga, MBBS  

Prabhakar K. Baliga, MBBS
Transplant Surgery

Dr. Baliga received his MBBS degree from Madras Medical College, Madras, India in 1982 and his postdoctoral degree from Tulane University in 1985. Following a National Institutes of Health clinical research fellowship at the University of Michigan Medical School, Baliga joined the faculty at Medical University of South Carolina. He served as chief of the division of transplant surgery and is currently serving as professor of surgery there. Dr. Baliga has received many awards, including the Gift of Life, Physician of the year Award from the House of Representatives and Senate of South Carolina.


Angela N. Beck, M.D.  

Angela N. Beck, M.D.
General Surgery

Dr. Beck attended the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta as an undergraduate and graduate student. She completed medical school at Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon, Ga. Dr. Beck then entered into a surgical residency at Mercer University School of Medicine -- Savannah Campus, at Memorial University Medical Center in 2000. After completing her residency training in 2005, she joined Memorial University Medical Center as a faculty member in the Department of Surgical Education.


William C. Boswell, M.D.  

William C. Boswell, M.D.
Pediatric Surgery

Dr. Boswell completed his undergraduate training at Armstrong State College where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1986. He earned his medical degree at the Medical College of Georgia and, while there, was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He completed his general surgery training at Memorial University Medical Center and then completed a two-year fellowship in pediatric surgery at Children's Memorial Hospital, Northwestern University Medical Center, Chicago. During his training, Dr. Boswell received numerous awards, including the Resident of the Year Award. He also received the Resident Award in trauma surgery. Dr. Boswell returned to his hometown of Savannah to establish the division of pediatric surgery in 1997. Dr. Boswell is board certified in both general surgery and pediatric surgery.


Carl R. Boyd, M.D., FACS  

Carl R. Boyd, M.D., FACS
Colorectal Surgery

Carl R. Boyd, M.D., FACS, received his undergraduate degree at the University of Louisville in 1972 and completed medical school at the University of Kentucky in 1976. He did his surgical residency training at Memorial University Medical Center. From 1983 to 1993, Dr. Boyd had his own surgical practice and was appointed director of trauma services and medical director of LifeStar and MedStarOne, Memorial’s emergency transport program. In 1993, he was named director of the department of surgical education, a position he held until 2001. Dr. Boyd is a member of numerous local and national professional societies and has published more than 40 articles in nationally recognized journals. He is a full professor at Mercer University School of Medicine and an associate professor of surgery at the Medical College of Georgia. In addition to being board certified in general surgery and surgical/critical Care, Dr. Boyd is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

Dr. Boyd's Research Interests

  • Instructional videos for laparoscopic repair of abdominal hernias
  • Computer simulations for laparoscopic repair of abdominal wall hernias

William J. Bromberg, M.D.  

William J. Bromberg, M.D.
Trauma/Critical Care

William J. Bromberg, M.D., graduated from the University of Virginia and received his medical degree at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in 1996. He completed his general surgery residency at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, Pa., in 2001. After his residency, he completed a fellowship in traumatology and surgical critical care at Lehigh Hospital in Pennsylvania. Dr. Bromberg joined the Savannah Surgical Group at Memorial University Medical Center in August 2002.

Dr. Bromberg's Research Interests

  • The role of pre-hospital transport in patient outcomes
  • Clinical studies in wound healing
  • Studies involving the clinical care of traumatically injured or critically ill patients

David E. Carney, M.D.  

David E. Carney, M.D.
Pediatric Surgery

Dr. Carney graduated cum laude from Siena College in 1991. He earned his medical degree at SUNY - Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, N.Y., in 1995. Following graduation, he entered into a general surgery residency at SUNY – Upstate Medical University Syracuse. During this time he received several awards, including the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Award for Humanism, Teaching and Resident Role Model, and Upstate New York chapter, American College of Surgeons Award for Best Manuscript of Original Research. Following the completion of a fellowship in pediatric surgery at Indiana University in 2004, Dr. Carney was appointed assistant professor, Department of Surgery: Division of Pediatric Surgery, SUNY- Upstate Medical University.

Dr. Carney is board certified in general surgery and pediatric surgery. He has membership in several professional medical societies and has many publications and book chapters to his credit.


E. Jerry Cohn, Jr., M.D.  

E. Jerry Cohn, Jr., M.D.
Vascular Surgery

E. Jerry Cohn, Jr., M.D., received his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio and his medical degree from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. He completed his residency at the University of Florida Health Science Center in Jacksonville, Fla., and then did a fellowship in general vascular surgery at the University of Maryland Medical System in Baltimore. Dr. Cohn joined Memorial University Physicians – Savannah Vascular Surgery in 2003. He is board certified in vascular surgery as well as general surgery.


Frank E. Davis, III, M.D., FACS  

Frank E. Davis, III, M.D., FACS
Trauma/Critical Care

Frank E. Davis, III, M.D., FACS, completed undergraduate school at the University of Georgia and received a medical degree at the Medical College of Georgia. After completing a general surgery residency at Memorial in 1984, Dr. Davis entered private practice in Georgia and then in Alabama. From 1992 to 1994, Dr. Davis completed a fellowship in trauma/critical care at the University of Maryland in Baltimore and a fellowship in vascular surgery at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. In 1994, he was appointed assistant chief of trauma services and surgical/critical care at Memorial University Medical Center. Dr. Davis has membership in several professional medical societies, he is board certified in surgery with added qualifications in surgical/critical care, and he is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.


Alvaro H. Fonseca, M.D.  

Alvaro H. Fonseca, M.D.
Trauma/Critical Care

Dr. Fonseca graduated cum laude from the University of Georgia in 1996 and earned his medical degree at the Medical College of Georgia in 2000. He continued his training in surgical residency at Mercer University School of Medicine – Savannah Campus, at Memorial University Medical Center in 2005. During this time he received several awards, including Resident Physician of the year and Resident Surgeon of the year. After completing a fellowship in trauma and critical care at the University of California – San Diego, Dr. Fonseca joined Memorial University Medical Center as a faculty member. Dr. Fonseca is board certified in general surgery and has membership in several professional societies.

Dr. Fonseca’s Research Interests:
ARDS, MOOS/MOF, Blunt Chest Trauma, Sepsis


James C. Garber, M.D.  

James C. Garber, M.D.
Surgical Oncology

Dr. Garber earned his undergraduate degree at Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Ga. He completed medical school at the Medical College of Georgia in 1998. Dr. Garber graduated with honors from the general surgery residency program at Mercer University School of Medicine – Savannah Campus, at MemorialUniversity Medical Center in 2003. He received fellowship training in surgical oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. Dr. Garber specializes in all aspects of cancer surgery and the multidisciplinary approach to solid tumors. He is board certified in general surgery and is an assistant professor in our Department of Surgery.

Dr. Garber's Research Interests

  • Secondary pathways of estrogen metabolite phenotypic and genetic transformation of benign immortalized breast cell lines
  • Proteonomic and genetic profiles of solid tumors to provide improvements in prognosis and treatment
  • Induction/neoadjuvant treatment of marginally resectable locally advanced solid tumors

Patrick F. Hammen, M.D.  

Patrick F. Hammen, M.D.
Colorectal Surgery

Dr. Hammen earned his undergraduate degree at Furman University in Greenville, S.C. He then completed medical school at Mercer University School of Medicine. Dr. Hammen continued his training in the surgery residency program at Memorial University Medical Center and graduated from the residency program in 1997. Dr. Hammen then completed a fellowship in colorectal surgery at The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, Texas. He is board certified in general surgery and colorectal surgery. Dr. Hammen is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, a fellow of the American Society of Colon & Rectal Sugeons, and assistant professor, Department of Surgery, Mercer University School of Medicine.

Dr. Hammen's Research Interests
Clinical:

  • Minimally invasive surgery for colorectal disease
  • Sentinal lymph nodes in colorectal cancer
  • Transanal excision of rectal villous adenomas
  • Effective population-based colorectal cancer screening
  • Treatment alternatives in benign anorectal disease (e.g.: chemical sphincterotomy)

Basic Science:

  • Use of molecular markers in colorectal cancer screening
  • Molecular genetics of colorectal cancer

S. Alan Lord, M.D., FACS  

S. Alan Lord, M.D., FACS
Colorectal Surgery

Dr. Lord graduated cum laude from the Medical College of Georgia in 1981, attended Mercer University School of Medicine, and earned his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia 1988. He continued his training in the surgical residency program at Memorial University Medical Center and graduated in 1994. During that time, he received several awards, including the Resident of the Year Award, both in the department of medical education and the department of surgical education. He also received the Resident Research Award and the Resident Award in trauma surgery. After his residency, Dr. Lord completed a fellowship in colorectal surgery at Orlando Regional Medical Center. In addition to membership in several medical societies, Dr. Lord is a fellow in the American College of Surgeons and Southeastern Surgical Congress.

Dr. Lord's Research Interests

  • Post-operative pain control in relation to bowel function and length of hospitalization
  • Epidural anesthesia for postoperative pain control in relation to bladder function
  • Efficacy of Botulinum toxin for the control of symptomatic anal fissure

M. Gage Ochsner, M.D., FACS  

M. Gage Ochsner, M.D., FACS
Trauma/Critical Care

M. Gage Ochsner, M.D., FACS, received his B.A. from Southern Methodist University in 1975 and graduated from medical school at Tulane University in 1979. From 1980 to 1985, he completed an internship and residency at National Naval Medical and Naval Regional Medical Center. Following the completion of a fellowship in trauma/critical care surgery at the Washington Hospital Center in 1990, Dr. Ochsner was appointed assistant professor at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences and staff surgeon at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. In 1994, he was appointed chief of trauma services and surgical/critical care at Memorial University Medical Center. Dr. Ochsner has membership in several professional medical societies, is board certified in surgery with added qualifications in surgical/critical care, and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.


John D. Paletta, M.D.  

John D. Paletta, M.D.
Plastic Surgery

Dr. Paletta received his undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1991 and his medical degree from the University of Pittsburg School of Medicine in 1995. Following graduation, he entered general surgery residency training at York Hospital in York, Pa. He then continued with a two-year plastic surgery residency at the University of Pittsburg School of Medicine. Dr. Paletta has received numerous awards, including America’s Top Surgeon, Plastic Surgery for 2004-2005. He is a member of several medical societies and is board certified in both general surgery and plastic surgery. Dr. Paletta is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.


Ray Rudolph, M.D., FACS  

Ray Rudolph, M.D., FACS
General Surgery, Breast Surgery

Dr. Rudolph received his medical degree in 1986 from the University of South Dakota School of Medicine. He entered the surgical residency program at Memorial University Medical Center and was named Surgical Resident of the Year in each of his last three years. Upon completion of his residency in 1991, Dr. Rudolph joined the faculty of the surgical education department at Memorial and began a surgical practice. He was the associate director of surgical education from 1992 until 2002, when he co-founded the only surgical practice in the region dedicated exclusively to the treatment of women’s breast diseases. The practice is called the Center for Breast Care. Dr. Rudolph is an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Surgery at both the Medical College of Georgia and Mercer University School of Medicine. He has served as Memorial Univeristy Medical Center's cancer liaison physician for the American College of Surgeons since 1998. In 2002, he was accepted by the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute for a six-week summer curriculum studying cancer prevention. In May 2003 he earned a master’s in public health degree from Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah. He was the vice president of the medical staff at Memorial University Medical Center in 2003 and 2004 and served as chairman of the Department of Surgery for two years. Dr. Rudolph is the chief of the breast disease team at the Cancer Institute at Memorial Health University Medical Center.

Dr. Rudolph's Research Interests

  • Support of NSABP and ACOSOG trials related to breast cancer, specifically in the area of neoadjuvant therapy with aromatase inhibitors and application of locally applied high dose rate radiation therapy
  • Investigator initiated research: perception of genetic risk in the local cancer population

Christopher K. Senkowski, M.D., FACS  

Christopher K. Senkowski, M.D., FACS
Surgical Oncology
Trauma/Critical Care

Christopher K. Senkowski, M.D., FACS, graduated summa cum laude from the University of Michigan in 1986 and received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in Boston. After completing a general surgery residency at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City in 1995, Dr. Senkowski entered a fellowship in trauma/critical care at the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, affiliated with The University of Miami School of Medicine. Dr. Senkowski was an assistant attending in surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center and a visiting attending surgeon for humanitarian surgical relief in Paris. In 1998, he joined the full-time faculty of the surgical education department at Memorial University Medical center. He is board certified in surgery and surgical critical care. Dr. Senkowski serves on the American College of Surgeons coding and reimbursement committee and represents the ACOS as an advisor to the AMA relative value update committee. He is active on a national level in areas of health policy, quality initiatives, and legislative action for general surgery.

Dr. Senkowski's Research Interests

  • Acute pancreatitis global consensus definition statement and EBM
  • ACOSOG E2202, Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy: A Multicenter Feasibility Study
  • An intergroup randomized phase II study of bevacizumab or cetuximab in combination with gemcitabine and in combination with chemoradiation in patients with completely resected pancreatic carcinoma
  • Neoadjuvant chemoradiation with oxaliplatin and capecitabine for patients with surgically respectable gastric cancer
  • Oxaliplatin plus protracted 5 fu and radiation for potentially curable esophageal cancer: A phase II trial with molecular correlates
  • Phase III randomized double blind study of adjuvant ST1571 versus placebo in patients following the resection of primary gastrointestinal stromal tumors
  • Flexible transgastric peritoneoscopy: feasibility and applicability in large animal model

Oliver C. Whipple, M.D.  

Oliver C. Whipple, M.D.
Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery

Dr. Whipple attended the University of Georgia as an undergraduate. He was in his second year of pharmacy school there when he decided to change paths and become a surgeon. He entered medical school at Mercer University School of Medicine in 1995. In 1999, he began his residency training at Mercer University School of Medicine -- Savannah Campus, at Memorial University Medical Center. Dr. Whipple then completed fellowship training in minimally invasive and bariatric surgery at The Cleveland Clinic Florida in Weston, Fla. He returned to Memorial as a faculty member in the Department of Surgical Education. Dr. Whiple is certified by the American Board of Surgery in general surgery and is an assistant professor of surgery for Mercer University School of Medicine -- Savannah Campus.

Dr. Whipple's Research Interests

  • Clinical application of minimally invasive techniques, particularly the implementation of these techniques for the treatment of morbid obesity, abdominal wall defects, and various gastrointestinal disorders

Christopher L. Wixon, M.D.  

Christopher L. Wixon, M.D.
Vascular Surgery

Dr. Wixon received his B.A. from Franklin and Marshall College in Reading, Pa., in 1988. He then completed medical school in 1992 at Pennsylvania State University Hospital in Hershey. His surgical residency training was done at University Hospital at Eastern, N.C. He went on to complete a vascular fellowship at the University of Arizona Medical Center in June 2000. Dr. Wixon has many publications and book chapters to his credit.



 

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