Adrian G. Dan, MD FACS - Executive Director and Founder

General, MIS, Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery

• Assistant Professor of Surgery – Northeastern Ohio Medical University

• General Surgery Residency Program Director – Western Reserve Hospital

• Co-Director Advanced Laparoscopic and Bariatric Surgery Fellowship

• Chief – Division of Robotic General Surgery

• Associate Medical Director – Bariatric Care Center

• Akron City Hospital – Summa Health System

Dr. Dan is a practicing general surgeon with particular clinical and research interests in minimally invasive and metabolic surgery. He has a distinct passion for surgical education and serves as General Surgery residency program director at Western Reserve Hospital and Advanced Laparoscopy and Bariatric Surgery fellowship co-director at Summa Health System in Akron Ohio. Dr. Dan received his medical degree from Northeastern Ohio Medical University (NEOMED). He completed a residency in General Surgery at Michigan State University where he served as Instructor in Surgery and Chief Surgical Resident. He credits Dr. Richard E. Dean (former chairman and Professor Emeritus) and Dr. Sukamal Saha with instilling the enthusiasm and passion for surgical education and research that have led to the foundation of his career in surgical education. Following residency, Dr. Dan completed a fellowship in Advanced Laparoscopy and Bariatric Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation where he trained under the guidance of Dr. Phillip Schauer and Dr. Bipan Chand. Over the past decade Dr. Dan has authored a multitude of review manuals, peer reviewed articles and textbook chapters. He has completed a fellowship in Academic Medical Education and Research Methods. He actively participates as faculty in National Surgery Board Review courses covering numerous topics including foregut, bariatric, hernia, abdominal wall and minimally invasive surgery.

Stephanie A. Valente, DO FACS

• Director-Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship

• Assistant Professor of Surgery

• Case Western Reserve School of Medicine & Cleveland Clinic Learner College of Medicine

Dr. Stephanie Valente is a staff breast surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic and Assistant Professor of Surgery at Cleveland Clinic, Lerner College of Medicine / Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Valente earned her medical degree from Ohio University, completed her surgical residency at Summa Health System, followed by breast surgical oncology fellowship at the University of Southern California. She is certified by the American Board of Surgery in General Surgery.

Dr. Valente is the Director of the Breast Surgical Oncology fellowship program at the Cleveland Clinic and works closely with teaching the fellows, residents and medical students. She specializes in the treatment of breast cancer, as well as benign breast disease. Her interests include oncoplastic breast surgery, nipple sparing mastectomy, and intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT).

She has authored numerous peer-reviewed journal publications and has given many presentations on her research both nationally and internationally. She frequently directs and teaches at advanced breast surgical technique training courses.

Lindsay Berbiglia, DO

Surgical Oncology, Head & Neck, Minimally Invasive, Bariatric Surgery

• Attending Surgeon

• Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery

• Detroit Medical Center, Detroit, MI

Dr. Berbiglia is a board certified general surgeon who is currently completing fellowship training in minimally invasive and bariatric surgery. She received her medical degree from Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her general surgery residency training at the Detroit Medical Center in Detroit, Michigan. Dr. Berbiglia has a passion for oncology and completed an apprenticeship in surgical oncology and head and neck surgery at McLaren Regional Medical Center, Karmanos Cancer Institute in Flint, Michigan. She has a particular interest in thyroid and parathyroid disease, and minimally invasive management of colon cancer.

Sherif R. Abdel-Misih, MD

• Assistant Professor, Surgical Oncology

• Assistant Clerkship Director, General Surgery

• The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

Sukamal Saha, MD FACS FRCS

• Director Surgical Oncology Fellowship Program-McLaren Regional Medical Center

• Associate Professor of Surgery/Anatomy-Michigan State University

• Chief of Section: Division of General Surgery, Dept. Of General Surgery-McLaren Regional Medical Center

• Attending Surgeon-Genesys Regional Medical Center and Hurley Medical Center

• McLaren Regional Medical Center-Michigan State University

Dr. Saha is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He is affiliated with McLaren Flint Medical Center, Genesys Regional Medical Center, and Hurley Regional Medical Center, and has been successfully practicing in the mid-Michigan area for more than twenty years. He is an Associate Professor of Surgery and Anatomy for the College of Human Medicine at Michigan State University in East Lansing, and serves as Chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology at McLaren Flint Regional Medical Center.

After general surgery training in Pennsylvania, Dr. Saha completed a two-year fellowship in Surgical Oncology at Tulane University in New Orleans and a second fellowship in Head & Neck Cancer Surgery at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York. He is board certified in the Specialty of Surgery, and specializes in surgical oncology, with subspecialty of head and neck cancer, endocrine surgery, breast cancer, hepato-biliary cancers and melanoma.

He is a member of numerous international and national medical organizations. Known world-wide for his study of sentinel lymph node mapping, he is the first surgeon in the world to perform this technique for accurate staging of colorectal cancer. Dr. Saha has participated in a large number of national trials for breast cancer, liver tumors, and colorectal cancer. Surgically, he has a special interest in cancers of the breast, head and neck, pancreas, liver, gastrointestinal, and gynecological cancers, including melanoma and sarcoma. Other procedures that Dr. Saha has pursued in this area include radiofrequency ablation of liver tumors, sentinel lymph node mapping for melanoma, carotid body tumor, and minimally invasive radioguided parathyroidectomy for hyperparathyroidism. Dr. Saha is dedicated to research in the field of surgical oncology. His work has been published and featured in many prestigious meetings and peer reviewed journals. He has authored over 200 articles, including more than 60 manuscripts and book chapters within his specialty; he has also delivered over 100 presentations at state, national, and international meetings.

Todd A. Ponsky, MD FACS

• Associate Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics – Northeastern Ohio Medical University

• Staff Surgeon Division of Pediatric Surgery

• Akron Children's Hospital

    Todd Ponsky is currently Associate Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics at Northeast Ohio Medical University and a Pediatric Surgeon at Akron Children’s Hospital. He attended medical school at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio from 1995-1999, Residency in General Surgery at The George Washington University in Washington, DC from 1999-2005, Pediatric Surgery Fellowship at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC from 2005-2007, and an Advanced Minimally Invasive Pediatric Surgery Fellowship at The Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children in Denver, CO from 2007-2008. Dr. Ponsky has a particular interest in minimally invasive pediatric surgery. He has trained over 200 surgeons in Single Port and Needlescopic Surgery. He has written over 60 manuscripts and almost 20 book chapters. He has a strong focus on surgical education and virtual education and has directed over 20 national / international courses. He has won numerous teaching awards including “The Faculty Teaching Award” at Case Western Reserve University Department of Surgery in his first year as faculty. He is a reviewer for over 15 medical journals and is on four editorial boards. He is on the leadership committee of four national societies and has been Program Chair and is currently serving as secretary on the Executive Committee of The International Pediatric Endosurgery Group (IPEG). He is involved in both outcomes and animal research, with a focus on inguinal hernia physiology, foregut motility and gastric stimulation, as well as endoscopic repair techniques for pure esophageal atresia. He has a wife, Diana, and three daughters, Sasha, Josie, and Ella.

Oliver Soldes, MD FACS FAAP

• Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery

• Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

• Northeast Ohio Medical University Medical School-Rootstown, OH

• Attending Surgeon-Pediatric Surgery-MetroHealth System, Cleveland, OH

• Staff Surgeon-Division of Pediatric Surgery-Akron Children’s Hospital, Akron, OH

Dr. Oliver Soldes is a graduate of The College at Brown University and the Brown University School of Medicine. He received his General Surgery residency and Surgical Critical Care/ECMO fellowship training at the University of Michigan Hospitals. He completed a fellowship in Pediatric Surgery at the UM C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. He has held faculty positions at University of Michigan Medical School, the Cleveland Clinic and the Northeast Ohio Medical University. He is currently a Staff Pediatric Surgeon at The Akron Children’s Hospital and Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery at NEOUCOM. Dr. Soldes is board certified in Pediatric Surgery, General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care by the American Board of Surgery.

Michael Valente, DO FACS

• Associate Program Director-Colorectal Surgery Fellowship

• Assistant Professor of Surgery-Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine/Case Western Reserve University

• Staff Surgeon Department of Colorectal Surgery-Digestive Disease Institute

• Cleveland Clinic

Michael A. Valente, DO, FACS, FASCRS is a staff surgeon in The Department of Colorectal Surgery and The Digestive Disease Institute at Cleveland Clinic. He was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio and completed his medical degree at The Ohio University. Dr. Valente completed his internship and general surgery residency at Summa Health System, Akron City Hospital, which was followed by advanced fellowship training at Ohio Health/The Ohio State University in Colon and Rectal Surgery in Columbus, Ohio.

Dr. Valente is currently assistant professor of surgery at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University and the Associate Program Director for the Colon and Rectal Residency Program at Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Valente has a strong interest in surgical education and teaching both medical students and residents/fellows. Dr. Valente is board certified by and a Fellow of both The American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery and The American Board of Surgery. He is an active member and holds various leadership positions in surgical organizations throughout the country.

Dr. Valente's specialty and research interests include laparoscopic and minimally invasive colorectal surgery, colon and rectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, pelvic floor disorders, advanced endoscopic techniques, and surgical education. Dr. Valente has published numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and has presented his research interests both nationally and internationally.

Bipan Chand, MD FACS FASMBS FASGE FASMBS

• Associate Professor of Surgery

• Director – Center for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery

• Medical Director Surgical Endoscopy & Swallowing Center

Loyola University Medical Center, Chicago, IL

Dr. Chand received his medical degree from the University of Missouri – Kansas City and completed a residency in general surgery and fellowship in advanced laparoscopy and endoscopy at The Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Chand stayed on as faculty at the Cleveland Clinic for over a decade and served as Director of Surgical Endoscopy and Director of the Advanced Minimally Invasive Fellowship. Dr. Chand also served as the Associate Program Director of the surgical residency program for six years. He subsequently joined Loyola University Chicago as Associate Professor of Surgery and Division Chief of Minimally Invasive Surgery. He also has continued his role in resident education and has a faculty appointment in the Stritch School of Medicine. Dr. Chand serves on numerous leadership committees within the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and has recently served as president of the local bariatric chapter.

Dr. Chand is a funded investigator who led research studies focusing on minimally invasive techniques in the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders, metabolic surgery, and endoluminal therapies. He has authored and contributed to over one hundred peer reviewed journals and publications in these fields and has recently published a book on an evidence-based approach to minimally invasive surgery.

Dr. Chand was rated by U.S. News & World Report as a top surgeon in 2012 and 2014. His areas of interest include obesity treatments (surgical and endoluminal), gastrointestinal surgery (gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Barrett's esophagus, hiatal hernia, esophageal cancer), advanced endoscopy (EMR, ESD, Bariatric endoscopy), solid organ surgery (pancreas and spleen), abdominal wall reconstruction (inguinal and abdominal wall hernias) and robotics.

John G. Zografakis, MD FACS FASMBS

• Co-Director Advanced Laparoscopic and Bariatric Surgery Fellowship

• Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery-Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine

• Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery-Northeast Ohio Medical University

• Director, Minimally Invasive Surgery

• Medical Director-Advanced Laparoscopic Surgical Services

• Medical Director-Bariatric Care Center

• Clinical Physician-Advanced Laparoscopic, Bariatric and General Surgical Services

Akron City Summa Health System

Dr. John Zografakis is the Medical Director of the Bariatric Care Center at Summa Health System, an MBSAQIP designated Center of Excellence for bariatric surgery. He is fellowship trained in advanced laparoscopic general and weight loss surgical procedures and is board certified by the American Board of Surgery. Dr. Zografakis also serves as the Director of Summa’s Advanced Laparoscopic Surgical Services. He is currently an Associate Professor of Surgery at Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), and an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Vadim Sherman, MD FRCSC FACS

• Medical Director Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery

• Director Advanced Laparoscopic and Bariatric Surgery Associate Program fellowship

• Director of General Surgery Residency

• Assistant Professor of Surgery-Weill Cornell Medical College Houston, TX

• Staff Surgeon

The Methodist Hospital Houston, TX

Dr. Sherman attended the University of Alberta, where he was enrolled in an Honours in Physiology program. He completed medical school at the University of Western Ontario, in 2000. Dr. Sherman then entered a Surgical Residency at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. In his first year of residency, he became interested in the emerging field of minimally invasive surgery. He subsequently conducted research in surgical education with virtual reality simulators, consequently obtaining a Master in Science in Experimental Surgery from McGill University. He went on to complete a fellowship in Advanced Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio.

Upon completion of fellowship, Dr. Sherman joined the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, where he became the Director of Bariatric Surgery. Dr. Sherman later joined Houston Methodist Hospital, where he is currently the Medical Director of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery. He also serves as the Associate Program Director of the General Surgery Residency.

Dr. Sherman has a high volume bariatric and advanced minimally invasive surgical practice that focuses on revisional surgery and high-risk patients. The clinical practice is geared towards bariatric surgery in patients with previous bariatric surgery, geriatric patients and those with end stage organ disease. His research is intimately intertwined with his clinical practice, allowing him to conduct outcomes research on revisional surgery and pre-transplant patients. Dr. Sherman is also involved in adolescent bariatric surgery, where he collaborates with a pediatric surgeon as part of the TEEN-LABS consortium.

Keith Apelgren, MD FACS

• Clinical Professor

West Virginia University Department of Surgery

Dr. Apelgren was born in Chicago and raised in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. His undergraduate degree in Biology was earned at Michigan Technological University. He then went on to the University of Michigan Medical School, graduating in 1974. He did his general surgical residency in the UC Davis program, followed by a fellowship in surgical nutrition at Brigham and Women’s Hospital under Dr. Douglass Wilmore, finishing in 1983. He began his academic career at West Virginia University 1983-88, then went on to Michigan State University 1988-2010. He rose to the rank of Professor and was the Program Director, retiring in 2010. He currently works as a locums surgeon and goes on surgical mission trips 2-4 times per year to Latin America. He is board certified and a member of SAGES and other national organizations. He is married to Dr. Carol Slomski, MD, FACS, a breast surgeon and they have three adult children and a dog named Larka.

Jesse Clanton, MD

• Assistant Professor of Surgery

• Surgery Clerkship Director

• West Virginia University School of Medicine Charleston Division

• Charleston Area Medical Center

Dr. Clanton is currently an Assistant Professor of Surgery at West Virginia University Charleston Division. He graduated from Tulane University School of Medicine, completed a general surgery residency at Summa Health System, and then completed a hepatopancreatobiliary fellowship at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. He is currently certified in Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic surgery through the Fellowship Council and the Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (AHPBA).

Dr. Clanton has an interest in surgical education, being very active in the WVU Charleston General Surgery residency program and is currently the Clerkship Director for the WVU Charleston medical student surgery clerkship. He has also completed a Surgical Education Research Fellowship, serves on the Research Committee for the Alliance for Clinical Education, and is an active member of the Association of Surgery Education. He has multiple presentations, book chapters, and publications in the areas of general surgery, HPB surgery, and surgical education.

Moustafa Hassan, MD FACS

• Associate Professor of Surgery

• Director Acute Care Surgery and Clinical Care Unit

• Surgical Intensive Care Surgical Director

SUNY Upstate Medical University

Dr. Moustafa Hassan is currently an Associate Professor of Surgery at SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse NY. He graduated from Ain Shams School of Medicine in Cairo, Egypt. He then trained in general surgery at Pinnacle Health Hospitals in Harrisburg PA, followed by a surgical critical care and trauma fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Hassan has been a very active academic surgeon. He has held faculty positions at both Michigan State University and The University of South Alabama. He is currently on the faculty at Upstate Medical University. He was the Director of the Trauma Program at the Level 1 Trauma Center from 2007 - 2013 and currently the Director of the Acute Care Surgery Service and the Surgical Critical Care Unit. He is an active surgical educator who has been honored multiple times with the Best Teacher of the Year award in all three academic institutions he has worked. He is also a member of the AOA honor society.

Dr. Hassan has numerous publications and presentations in peer reviewed journals and book chapters. He is a member of EAST, AAST, ACS as well as the Society of Surgical Educators. He is certified by the American Board of Surgery with added certification in surgical critical care.

Douglas Naylor, Jr., MD FACS FCCM

• General Surgeon-Department of General Surgery

• Staff Intensivist-Surgical Intensive Care Unit

• Cleveland Clinic-Cleveland, OH

Douglas Naylor, Jr., MD, FACS,FCCM is a staff physician in the Departments of General Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine and General Surgery located on the main campus of Cleveland Clinic and was appointed in 2005. Prior to this, he was an Associate Professor of Surgery at Michigan State University (MSU) College of Human Medicine and practiced in the Flint, Michigan region. After completing a Chief Residency in Surgery at MSU, he completed a fellowship in Critical Care at the Cleveland Clinic. He is board-certified in Surgery and Surgical Critical Care by The American Board of Surgery. His special interests include critical care guidelines, trauma, infection and burns. He has held faculty appointments at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine and the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine, among others. He has received a “Presidential Citation” from The Society of Critical Care Medicine, Illinois eleven times, as well as the Shubin Weil Award for Excellence Teaching in 2008. He was awarded the “Outstanding Surgical Educator Endorsement by Resident Physicians” from Michigan State University on three occasions. Dr. Naylor has written and presented extensively on topics in his field. He is a Fellow with the American College of Surgeons, as well as the American College of Critical Care. He has delivered the Year in Review in Surgery for the Society of Critical Care Medicine at their annual symposium since 2001.

Amie Lucia, DO

• Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery

• SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NYGeneral Surgeon

• Syracuse VA Medical Center, Syracuse, NY

Amie Lucia, DO is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery at SUNY Upstate Medical University which is a Level One Trauma Center in Syracuse, New York. There she serves as an Acute Care Surgeon providing services in Trauma Surgery, Emergency General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care. Dr. Lucia also has an appointment as a General Surgeon at the Syracuse VA. She completed her general surgery residency at the University of Missouri in Kansas City and went on to complete a Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at the University of Rochester where she also obtained further training in Trauma Surgery. She is board certified by the American Board of Surgery in both General Surgery and Critical Care.

Her academic interests include resident education and public health. She has become an integral component of the Violence Education and Outreach program for the trauma center and she is very involved in resident education. A native to Upstate New York, she enjoys outdoor activities of all seasons and always planned on returning to the area after training.

Jeffrey Jim, MD MPHS FACS

• Assistant Professor of Surgery-Section of Vascular Surgery-Department of Surgery

• Program Director-Vascular Surgery Fellowship and Integrated Residency Training Programs

• Washington University School of Medicine-St. Louis, Missouri

Dr. Jim is an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine. He is also the Program Director of the Vascular Surgery Fellowship and Integrated Residency Training Programs. He attended medical school at University of California, Irvine School of Medicine. He completed his General Surgery Residency training at UCLA Medical Center followed by a Vascular Surgery Fellowship at Washington University/Barnes Jewish Hospital. He is certified by the American Board of Surgery in Vascular Surgery and General Surgery. He is an active member and holds various leadership positions in multiple vascular surgical societies. He has authored numerous scientific publications and a reviewer for multiple journals. He is active outcomes researcher with a particular interest in the comparative effectiveness of open and endovascular treatment of carotid and aneurysmal diseases. He has extensive experience in both written and oral surgery board exam preparation.

Gregory M. Beddell, MD

• Assistant Professor of Surgery – Northeastern Ohio Medical University

• Staff Surgeon Akron City Hospital

• Fellow – Advanced Training in Head and Neck Surgical Oncology

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center-New York, NY

Dr. Beddell is a board certified general surgeon and board eligible plastic surgeon. He is currently in fellowship training in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Beddell received his medical degree from Northeastern Ohio Medical University (NEOMED). He completed a general surgery internship and residency at Summa Health System, Akron City Hospital. Following his general surgery training, he obtained board certification from the American Board of Surgery. He then completed a plastic surgery residency at Summa Health System. Throughout his residency training, Dr. Beddell has had a passion for surgical education, administering several annual lectures at surgical grand rounds, participating in teaching rounds, and assisting in board review. Upon completion of his plastic surgery training, he began a fellowship in Advanced Training in Head and Neck Surgical Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Beddell has presented his research interests nationally.

Michael S. Firstenberg, MD

• Physician, Cardiothoracic Surgery–Summa Physicians Inc., Summa Health System – Akron City Hospital. Akron, OH

• Assistant Professor of Surgery and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Integrative Medical Sciences, Northeast Ohio Medical University. Departments of Surgery, The Summa Health Care System, Akron City Hospital. Akron, OH

Dr. Firstenberg is an Assistant Professor of Surgery and Integrative Medicine at Northeast Ohio Medical University (Summa Health Care System, Akron, Ohio). He specializes in adult thoracic and cardiovascular surgery. He recently joined the faculty at NEOMED after six years on faculty at The Ohio State University where he was active in research, program development, fellow/resident/student education, and adult cardiac surgery. He is Board Certified in General Surgery and Thoracic/Cardiovascular Surgery. His Thoracic training was at The Ohio State University with advanced training at The Cleveland Clinic. He has been involved with numerous Institution quality, process improvement, and multi-disciplinary committees. He has also served as the Principle investigator on Industry and Translational research projects, as well as serving as a University Senator, member of the College of Medicine’s Admissions Committee, Faculty Council, and Assembly. As an active member of the STS, ACC, and AATS, Dr Firstenberg has participated in Institutional and Extramural leadership and research activities. He has co-authored more than 100 manuscripts, lectured worldwide on ECMO support and program development, and currently serves on the editorial board of several peer-reviewed Journals. He has authored several textbook chapters and edited a textbook on Thoracic surgery.