Dr. Gantt is board-certified in general surgery. Her clinical and research interests are breast disease, medical education and women’s health. She has served on national committees for the American College of Surgeons and is Chair of the Clerkship Directors’ committee of the Association for Surgical Education. Dr. Gantt is the President of the very active Ohio Chapter of the American College of Surgeons. At NEOMED she is the M3 Curriculum Director, SIG Advisor, M4 Surgical Specialty Advisor, and the faculty advisor to the AWS Medical Student Chapter. Dr. Gantt is a Chicago native and earned her medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. She completed an internship and general surgery residency at University of Pittsburgh Hospitals and Clinics. As a resident, she found in AWS the personal and professional support and encouragement she needed to succeed as a surgeon. Dr. Gantt and her husband, Raymond J. Boniface, MD FACS (Orthopedic Surgery) practice in his hometown where they have also raised their two sons. Dr. Gantt’s personal leadership and mentoring skills have been honed as she has been led and mentored by some of the amazing women surgeons preceding her on the AWS Council. The friendship and camaraderie she has found in the AWS have inspired her to be the very best friend and mentor that she can be to those that follow behind her. She will continue to advocate for women in both surgery and positions of leadership long after her clinical career ends.

Dr. Andrew Warshaw, a graduate of Harvard College and of Harvard Medical School, trained in surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and in gastroenterology at the National Institutes of Health. On the faculty of Harvard Medical School since 1972, he chaired the MGH Department of Surgery from 1997 – 2011. Dr. Warshaw was a Director of the American Board of Surgery and its Chairman in 1993. He conceived the volunteerism program of the American College of Surgeons, Operation Giving Back. In 1999, he founded the Political Action Committee of the American College of Surgeons and was appointed Chair of its Health Policy and Advocacy Group (2007-2013). Dr. Warshaw has made important contributions to the understanding of inflammatory and malignant lesions of the pancreas. His bibliography lists more than 450 original reports as well as 240 book chapters and reviews, and 13 books. He was Editor-in chief of SURGERY from 1997 – 2015. He has received the Master Educator Award of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, the Lifetime Achievement Award of the American Pancreatic Association, the Founders Medal of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, and the James Ewing Medal of the Society of Surgical Oncology. Harvard Medical School has given him the Joseph B. Martin Dean’s Award for Advancement of Women and the Harold Amos Faculty Diversity Award. In January 2012, the Harvard Medical School inaugurated the Warshaw Family Professorship in Surgery, honoring Dr. Warshaw’s career and accomplishments as a surgical leader.

Elinore Kaufman is a general surgery resident at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center. She graduated from Harvard Medical School. She is currently using her research time to pursue a Master of Science degree in Health Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as to explore Philadelphia with her partner and their daughter.

Patricia L. Turner, MD, FACS is the director of the Division of Member Services at the American College of Surgeons and a clinical associate professor of surgery at The University of Chicago. Prior to joining the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Turner spent eight years in full-time academic practice on the faculty of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where she was the surgery residency program director. She previously served as a member of the AMA Council on Scientific Affairs, and is currently a delegate to the AMA from the American College of Surgeons and a member of the Executive Committee of the AMA Council on Medical Education. She also is a member of the AMA Foundation Board of Directors. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest University, Dr. Turner continued her training as an intern and resident in surgery at Howard University Hospital in Washington, DC. Her fellowship training in minimally invasive and laparoscopic surgery was completed at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Weill-Cornell University School of Medicine, and Columbia University School of Medicine in New York City. Dr. Turner is board-certified in surgery, and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

Dr. Amalia Cochran received her general surgery training at the University of Utah and her burn/critical care training at Shriner's Hospital for Children in Galveston. Her clinical practice focuses on acute burn care, critical care in burns, and burn reconstruction. Dr. Cochran has a particular interest in advancing the clinical care of frostbite patients and has contributed significantly to the clnical care and body of research in this area in addition to an interest in the use of telemedicine to delivery specialty care in rural and frontier regions. She is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American College of Critical Care Medicine. Dr. Cochran is the Vice Chair of Education and Professionalism for the Department of Surgery. She is heavily involved in undergraduate medical education, serving as the Surgery Clerkship Director. Dr. Cochran has completed a Surgical Education Research Fellowship and has won university-wide and national teaching awards. Her research interests lie in the areas of education and clinical outcomes. Her current research projects in education address the impact of gender in academic surgical careers and developing definitions of professionaism disruptive physician behavior. Her current clinical research priorities include management and outcomes in frostbite, optimizing burn shock resuscitation, and telemedicine. Dr. Cochran has a number of leadership roles outside of the University, including serving as President-Elect for the Association of Surgical Eduction and Chair of the American College of Surgeons SurgeonsPAC Board of Directors. She is a member of the American College of Surgeons Board of Governors and the ACS Health Policy and Advocacy Group. She is also the Past President of the Association of Women Surgeons

Benedict Nwomeh, MD, MPH is a pediatric surgeon and professor of surgery and pediatrics at the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. He is the fellowship director for the pediatric surgery training program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and associate director for the general surgery residency program at The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. Dr. Nwomeh received medical training at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Nigeria, where he graduated with Honors. Also, he holds a Master in Public Health from Ohio State University. He received surgery residency training in Nigeria, UK, and US, and completed a pediatric surgery fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Nwomeh is a fellow of several colleges including the Royal College of Surgeons of England, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, American College of Surgeons, American Academy of Pediatrics, and West African College of Surgeons. At Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, where he is attending pediatric surgeon, Dr. Nwomeh is the Director of Surgical Education, Medical Director of the International Scholarship Program, and Surgical Director of the Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Inflammatory Bowel Disease. In addition, Dr. Nwomeh is an Associate Academic Program Director at the Ohio State University College of Medicine. Dr. Nwomeh has authored several books and book chapters, and over 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications. He serves on several Editorial Boards and advisory panels, including the NIH/NLM Literature Selection Technical Review Committee. Dr Nwomeh is currently Co-Chair of the Committee on Global Academic Surgery for Society of University Surgeons (SUS). Among Dr. Nwomeh’s interests is the use of social media in medical education. He is active on Twitter @bnwomeh

Julie A. Freischlag joined Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in April 2017 as Chief Executive Officer. Consistently ranked among the nation’s top 50 medical centers, Wake Forest Baptist includes Wake Forest Baptist Health, a growing, multi-hospital health system and physician network, the state-of-the-art and highly competitive Wake Forest School of Medicine, and Wake Forest Innovations, its technology transfer, commercialization enterprise. As CEO, she has the overall responsibility for the Medical Center’s clinical, academic and innovation enterprises and its annual operating budget of $2.5B. On February 1, 2018, Freischlag became the Dean of Wake Forest School of Medicine. Previously, Freischlag was Vice Chancellor for Human Health Sciences and Dean of the School of Medicine at UC Davis. Freischlag has helped to drive change in academic medicine with a deep commitment to diversity and inclusion. For more than 15 years, she has led education and training programs at top medical schools in her role as professor and chair of surgery and vascular surgery departments. Freischlag also has more than 30 years of experience leading patient-care services as chief of surgery or vascular surgery at nationally ranked hospitals. She served as professor, chair of the surgery department and surgeon-in-chief at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. She led initiatives to expand research, add specialty clinical services, improve patient-centered care and patient safety, redesign the surgical training program and enhance academic career paths for faculty. Her national leadership includes serving as a former governor and secretary of the Board of Governors and a regent and past chair of the Board of Regents of the American College of Surgeons. She is the past president of the Society for Vascular Surgery and the Society for Vascular Surgery Foundation, and past president of the Association of VA Surgeons and the Society of Surgical Chairs. Freischlag was the editor of JAMA Surgery for ten years (2005-2014) and is a member of the editorial boards of the Annals of Vascular Surgery, Journal of the American College of Surgeons, and British Journal of Surgery. She has published more than 250 manuscripts, abstracts and book chapters, primarily addressing the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms, carotid artery disease and peripheral vascular disease utilizing outcome data and clinical trials; additionally, she has published on burnout and work-life balance. Freischlag is an internationally recognized expert in the treatment of thoracic outlet syndrome which can require a specialized surgical procedure. Her present research involves completing assessment of a prospective randomized trial that tracks more than 800 patients from 34 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers across the country to compare outcomes in patients who received either open or endovascular repair of their abdominal aortic aneurysm. Freischlag has received numerous teaching awards, an achievement award from the Department of Veterans Affairs, and was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2015. She was selected to the 2017-2018 Best Doctors in America, as well as a Triad Power Player in 2017 by the Triad Business Journal. She has mentored students, residents and young faculty and is a frequent speaker on topics ranging from her expertise in vascular diseases, teamwork and patient safety, leadership and work-life balance to women succeeding in health professions. Freischlag has dedicated her career to serving as a role model for her students, a respected colleague across health professions, a strong community leader and a national voice for improving health and health care.

Dr. Kathryn A. (Kathy) Hughes is a board certified General Surgeon, who has spent the majority of her career in private practice in community hospitals. She is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. She is a member of the Association of Women Surgeons, The American Society of Breast Surgeons, and the American Medical Association. She is a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society, where she is Vice-President of the North Essex District, also representing her district in the House of Delegates, and serves on the Committee on Women in Medicine. She has been active throughout her career on numerous hospital committees, and has held hospital leadership positions including Chief of Surgery positions and Vice-President of Medical Staff; these positions have fostered and developed her interest and expertise in medical ethics and quality/peer review including measures and processes, in addition to her clinical interests and practice. She has given numerous talks and lectures, to both colleagues and for community events, and has appeared on radio and local television. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mount Holyoke College, graduating Magna cum Laude with a degree in Biochemistry. Her Doctor of Medicine degree was earned at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, DC. Her Post-graduate Surgical training (residency) began in the University of Nevada School of Medicine system (University Medical Center in Las Vegas, and the Reno Veteran's Administration Hospital), from which she transferred back to Washington, DC to complete her residency at The George Washington University Hospital program. She blogs from Behind the Mask, behindthemaskmd.com. You can follow the blog directly on Wordpress, or via Facebook on the Behind the Mask page.

Dr Paula Ferrada MD FACS, is an Associate Professor of Surgery at Virginia Commonwealth University. She also holds the title of Director for the Surgical Critical Care Fellowship, Medical Director for the Trauma and Surgery ICU at this institution. She is an accomplished educator, recipient of multiple teaching awards at her current institution and previous training locations She trained in general surgery at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. She completed a fellowship in surgical critical care at the University of Pittsburg and spent an additional year of fellowship training at Shock Trauma Center, University of Maryland as their first Acute Care Surgery Fellow. She is committed to medical education, particularly in the subject of surgeon- performed ultrasound. She is an active member of the American College of Surgeons National Ultrasound Faculty (NUF) and the International Director for Ultrasound Courses Development (USET courses) for the Pan-American Trauma Society. Both of these roles have allowed her to become an accomplished educator in this subject locally, nationally and internationally. She has been a Councilor for the Virginia Chapter of the ACS, and is currently the Secretary-Treasurer of the Virginia chapter. She is the Chair for the Education and Research Committee for the Panamerican Trauma Society and current Young Fellows Association Councilor. Locally she serves as the immediate past president of the Association of Women Surgeons Virginia Chapter

Monica Miller, MD, is a plastic & reconstructive surgeon who is fellowship-trained in hand & microsurgery. 

General surgery resident interested in the intersections of surgery, health, healing and technology.

Sandra L. Wong, MD MS FACS is an Associate Professor in the Division of Surgical Oncology and the Associate Chair for Clinical Affairs for the Department of Surgery. Dr. Wong graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with an undergraduate degree in Molecular and Cell Biology. She received her medical degree from Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Wong completed her General Surgery residency at the University of Louisville and a clinical fellowship in Surgical Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, where she served as the Chief Administrative Fellow. Dr. Wong has clinical expertise in soft tissue sarcomas (including gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST)), melanoma, Merkel Cell carcinoma, and gastrointestinal cancers. She is active in surgical education and has received medical student teaching awards (2009, 2011) and the resident teaching award (2011). She has an active research program at the University of Michigan Center for Healthcare Outcomes & Policy (CHOP). With funding from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the American Cancer Society, her work examines variation in treatment intensity for poor prognosis cancers. She also studies prognostic modeling for melanoma, socioeconomic disparities, and factors related to the quality of cancer care. Dr. Wong has expertise in the development of clinical practice guidelines and advises on health policy and technology evaluation nationally. She is on the Editorial Board of Annals of Surgical Oncology and Journal of Surgical Oncology; she is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Oncology Practice. Dr. Wong is an active member of several national professional societies and has leadership positions with the American Society of Clinical Oncology (Chair of the Clinical Practice Guidelines Committee 2009-10 and Chair-Elect of the Health Disparities Advisory Group 2012-13), the Association for Academic Surgery (Chair of the Outcomes Research Committee 2012-13), and the Society of Surgical Oncology (Executive Council 2012-2015).

Dr. Brandt is a Professor of Surgery, Pediatrics, and Ethics at Baylor College of Medicine. She is a recognized educator, and has been the recipient of numerous teaching awards. She has held various leadership roles in education, and is currently Senior Associate Dean of Student Affairs at Baylor College of Medicine. She is a pediatric surgeon based at Texas Children’s Hospital, with clinical expertise in general pediatric surgery, bariatric surgery, endocrine surgery, biliary atresia, and anorectal malformations. She has served in a number of national leadership positions in the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Pediatric Surgical Association, the American Board of Surgery (Pediatric Surgery Board) and is a Governor of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Brandt is an established and successful clinical researcher with over 170 peer reviewed publications, 26 chapters and 2 books published to date. As a mentor to students, residents and faculty, she has developed a strong interest in self-care for physicians and speaks regularly on compassion fatigue, work-life balance and the art of medicine. She writes about these issues in her blog, www.wellnessrounds.org.

KMarie Reid MD, MS is an accomplished gastrointestinal surgeon, prolific researcher, patient advocate, and Army veteran of Operation Desert Shield. Her passion is not only taking care of patients, but also teaching them how to be active in their care and achieve better surgical outcomes while making choices that lead to A Better Life. Her award winning research in the treatment of liver and pancreas cancers and in the area of health care policy has made her a respected authority in her field. Dr. Reid Lombardo has over 90 combined peer-reviewed publications and book chapters. A sought after media expert and speaker, she earned her medical degree at Washington University in St. Louis, completed her residency in general surgery at the University of Pittsburgh, a fellowship in hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery and a masters degree in Biomedical Sciences at Mayo Clinic where she currently practices as an associate professor and surgeon.

Sharon L. Stein, MD, FACS, FASCRS, is a colorectal surgeon at University Case Medical Center (UH) and Associate Professor, Surgery at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Medicine. She is also the Surgical Director – Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at the Digestive Health Institute as well as Director – Case Acute Intestinal Failure Unit. She serves as associate program director for the general surgery residency program. She is board certified by the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery as well as American Board of Surgery. Dr. Stein also holds certifications for basic/advance cardiac life support and trauma life support. Dr. Stein has myriad of special interests areas that include minimally invasive treatment of colon and rectal diseases, treatment of colon and rectal cancer, Crohn’s disease, diverticular disease and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Additionally she is involved with international healthcare in underserved populations. Dr. Stein’s research includes post-operative recovery for partial bowel resection patients. She has served as an invited presenter nationally and internationally and authored countless original papers and reviewed peer journals in her field as well as contributing to several abstracts in her area of expertise. The University of Colorado School of Medicine (2001) graduate earned her residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, with her fellowship training from New York Presbyterian/Columbia Medical School. Among the litany of honors she has earned, the most recent came last year from CWRU’s FLEX Program: A Professional Development Program for Women Faculty of the School of Medicine.

I'm an Ob/Gyn physician at UMass Memorial Healthcare with a Master's degree in Healthcare Leadership from Brown University. My background includes scientific research, 14 years of clinical experience, and most recently, work on a thesis project on the subject of achieving interoperability of electronic health records. I'm an avid follower of scientific and technology innovations, new ventures, and startups in healthcare and enjoy writing on this subject for MedTech Boston. I'm also an advisor to an early-stage women's health startup, Confi. I'm looking to connect with others who are interested in healthcare & medical innovation.

Andrea is a 2015-2016 NEJM Group Editorial Fellow. She is currently in the middle of her General Surgery residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and is also conducting research focusing on improvements in breast cancer surgery. She plans to pursue a fellowship in Surgical Oncology at the completion of her residency.

A native of Ghana, West Africa, Dr. Kpodzo also grew up in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Canada, and moved to the United States during high school. After graduating with honors from the University of California at Berkeley with a B.A. in Integrative Biology, she completed a dual medical doctorate and master in public health at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Kpodzo has received unparalleled education by world-renowned surgeons. She trained in plastic surgery at the Harvard Plastic Surgery Combined Residency Program where she also served as a chief resident and became the first African-American woman to graduate from her program. She then completed her fellowship in oculoplastic (eyelid surgery) and aesthetic (cosmetic) surgery at Paces Plastic Surgery in Atlanta. As an Assistant Professor at Morehouse School of Medicine, Dr. Kpodzo is proud to be the first full time plastic surgeon on faculty. She is dedicated to teaching, academics and service. She has received numerous academic awards, published book chapters and peer-reviewed articles, and presented to national professional medical organizations. She had the honor of participating in 3 full face transplants during her residency training, and received recognition through the Partners in Excellence Award for Teamwork. She has shared her skills internationally providing care in Ethiopia with Operation Smile, as well as spending time in her homeland Ghana. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated and remains involved and active in the community in various ways. Dr. Kpodzo’s warmth, compassion, and attentiveness allow her to appreciate the unique needs of each patient. Her easy bedside manner, skillful artistry, and commitment to safety allow her to truly care for the “whole” patient. Dr. Kpodzo and her staff are dedicated to serving patients in all their cosmetic and reconstructive needs.

Dr. Parangi is a busy endocrine surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School in Boston, with a particular interest and expertise in thyroid and parathyroid tumors. She focuses her clinical efforts on endocrine surgery and applies her basic science knowledge and expertise to tumor progression in thyroid cancer. She has been one of the Boston surgeons named in Best Doctor and her excellent in both research and her clinical expertise have earned her a national reputation. She has been a council member for The Association of Women Surgeons and the most prestigious organization of endocrine surgeons in the US, The American Association of Endocrine Surgeons, and a member of the American Thyroid Association. She has won numerous awards nationally and at Harvard Medical School for her NIH funded research in the role of BRAF oncoprotein in thyroid cancer invasion. Her active research focuses on understanding why some patients with thyroid cancer do worse than others and how to help them. Dr. Parangi graduated from Barnard College and earned her medical degree from Columbia University. She completed her residency at UCSF during which time she completed a Fellowship in Molecular Medicine. She is one of a handful of thyroid surgeons with expertise in molecular biology and has over 70 publications, many on thyroid cancer therapeutics in premier journal. She has taught about thyroid cancer care at the Harvard Course "Advances in Cancer Management for the Surgeon" and about thyroid and parathyroid ultrasound at the American College of Surgeons. She chose to become active in AWS because she feels there is still a large need in promoting women to leadership positions in academia and surgical organizations. Working with the AWS has allowed her to network with capable women from the medical student level all the way up to the president of the American College of Surgeons.

Dr. Hoyt received a BA degree with honors from Amherst College, followed by an MD degree from Case Western Reserve University in 1976. From 1976-1984, Dr. Hoyt was a Surgical Resident and Research Fellow at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and Scripps Immunology Institute. He joined the faculty at UCSD and immediately became involved in their Trauma Service, where his role as Director lasted from 1989 – 2006. In 1995, he was appointed Professor of Surgery and was awarded The Monroe E. Trout Professorship in Surgery at UCSD (1996). In 2006, Dr. Hoyt was appointed to the positions of Chairman, Department of Surgery at the University of California, Irvine and The John E. Connolly Professor of Surgery. In 2008, Dr. Hoyt was also appointed Executive Vice Dean for the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine. In January 2010, Dr. Hoyt was appointed Executive Director of the American College of Surgeons. He remains Emeritus Professor of Surgery at the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Hoyt distinguished himself within the UCSD and UCI Departments of Surgery, having delivered numerous named lectures and has received multiple significant awards from his colleagues, as well as scientific organizations, while serving in positions of leadership. In his current role, he continues to present key and named lectures globally and still serves as an advisor for many graduate students. Dr. Hoyt is a member of the American Surgical Association, Surgical Biology Club, Western Surgical Association, and Society of University Surgeons and holds membership in other prestigious surgical organizations. He is currently a Past President of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, Past President of the Society of General Surgeons of San Diego, Past President of the Shock Society, Past Chairman of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, and Past Medical Director of Trauma at the American College of Surgeons. He has been a visiting professor at a number of institutions nationally and internationally and is an Editorial Board Member of six journals. Dr. Hoyt consistently received significant public research funding, and continues to do so. He is the author of over 620 publications and the recipient of the American Heart Association Resuscitation Science Lifetime Research Achievement Award, the American College of Surgeons Distinguished Service Award and the Shock Society Scientific Achievement Award.