Faculty

The UAB Advanced GI/Minimally Invasive Surgery/Hernia and Abdominal Wall Fellowship Program, established in 2003, is fully accredited by the Fellowship Council to offer advanced training in a broad range of surgical disciplines. Our goal is excellence in advanced operative techniques, clinical care, and education that targets each fellow’s specific clinical interests, from bariatric and foregut to hernia and advanced endoscopy.

Professor
Division Director of GI Surgery
Selwyn M. Vickers, M.D., F.A.C.S. Endowed Chair

Areas of Interest
colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, diverticular disease and anorectal pathology, health care disparities research, Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS), microbiome research

Why choose UAB for your colorectal fellowship?

• Our fellowship program is focused on training the next generation of academic colorectal surgeons and leaders.
• Our faculty bring unique clinical expertise, experiences, and academic enrichment to the program.
  
  • Strong clinical expertise in all areas of colorectal surgery and techniques including advanced MIS (robotic, laparoscopic, hand-assist, transanal).
  • Strong research expertise and mentorship - our CRS faculty serve or have served as PI on 4 R01s, 1 U01, 2 K-awards, and national society grants including from the American College of Surgeons (ACS), the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS), the Association for Academic Surgery (AAS), and the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT).
  • Strong training backgrounds and history at all major CRS programs.
  • High-level leadership roles at all major surgical societies where we love to sponsor trainees (current leadership in ACS, ASCRS, AAS, SUS, SSAT, SAAS).
  • Invested in mentorship and education with a long track-record of successful graduates
  • Passionate about providing the highest-level care for our community - our faculty travel to rural sites to bring colorectal expertise to patients rather than expect patients to come to Birmingham.
• The UAB colorectal surgery fellowship will expose fellows to a busy clinical practice:
  
  • Fellows see a high-volume of cases from bread-and-butter to complex referrals.
  • Faculty perform over 500 anorectal cases, 900 abdominal cases (including >15 pouches and >100 LARs), and 500 endoscopies per year.
  • Faculty provide colorectal surgery expertise at UAB Hospital, UAB Highlands, VA Birmingham, and affiliated community sites.
  • UAB Hospital alone is the 8th largest public hospital in the country (>1200 beds), the #1 hospital in Alabama, and the main tertiary-referral center for the entire state of Alabama and surrounding regions.
  • GI/GI Surgery (Digestive Health Program) ranked in top 50 of U.S. News and Reports.
  • Over 40 operating rooms at UAB Hospital, 10+ robots, and colorectal surgery operations daily.
• UAB CRS fellows will become experienced with the entire spectrum of colorectal diseases:
  • Weekly multidisciplinary conference that reviews all colorectal cancer cases.
  • Weekly clinics and endoscopy sessions with colorectal faculty.
  • Co-management of complex inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients with GI.
  • On-call experiences at UAB Hospital – the Emergency Department cares for over 140,000 patients per year with a wide variety of emergency colorectal cases.
• Broad exposure to advanced surgical techniques:
  
  • Advanced sphincter sparing techniques including intersphincteric proctectomies and coloanal anastomoses.
  • Advanced robotic surgical techniques including single-port transanal excisions.
  • Reoperative techniques in redo abdomens and abdominal catastrophes.
  • Advanced laparoscopy and hand-assist laparoscopy.
  • Complex joint cases with urology, gynecology oncology, surgical oncology, vascular surgery, cardiothoracic, spine, and many others specialists (these include sacrectomies, colon conduits for esophageal reconstructions, and exenterations).

Attendings

Contact

For more information, please contact:
Daniel Chu, M.D., MSPH
dchu@uabmc.edu

Associate Professor
Program Director, General Surgery Residency
Marshall Urist, M.D., Endowed Professor

Areas of Interest
minimally invasive GI surgery, foregut and anti-reflux, abdominal wall hernias, surgical education

On Monday, February 17, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. in the Hoover Public Library, Department of Surgery Associate Professor Colin Martin, M.D., FAAP, FACS, will speak on "Diet, Stress, and Gut Health" along with Professor and Graduate Program Director of Biology Stephen Watts, Ph.D.

Professor
Vice Chair, Basic Research
Director for Gastrointestinal Biology Research
Champ Lyons Endowed Chair in General Surgery
Distinguished Professor in the Heersink School of Medicine

Areas of Interest
brain development and plasticity, neurotransmitters, substance abuse

Assistant Professor
Primary Practice Location: Whitfield Regional Medical Center, Demopolis

Areas of Interest 
global surgery, rural surgery, health informatics, genetic epidemiology

Assistant Professor

Areas of Interest 
progression from immune homeostasis that leads to permissive dysplasia in colitis-associated cancer and novel avenues for its prevention, diagnosis, and treatment

Assistant Professor
Co-Director, Women in Surgery

Areas of Interest
colon, rectal, and anal cancer; surgical management of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis; diverticulitis; benign anorectal disorders; robotic and minimally invasive surgery

Professor
Vice Chair, VA Affairs
Associate Chief of Staff, VA Surgical Services
Director, Minimally Invasive Surgery at Birmingham VA
Assistant Program Director, Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship

Areas of Interest
foregut and bariatric surgery, achalasia, gastroesophageal reflux disease, hiatal or paraesophageal hernias, morbid obesity and metabolic syndrome, role of the microbiome in obesity, outcomes research

Professor

Professor
Associate Vice Chair, Basic Research
Program Co-Director, Future Surgeons and Scientists Investigating Oncology (FUSSION)
Associate Director, Physician Scientist Development Office (PSDO)
Assistant Program Director for Resident Research, General Surgery Residency Program
Strange Family Endowed Professorship in Surgical Sciences Research

Areas of Interest
colon and rectal surgery, intestinal surgery

Assistant Professor
Member, Institute for Cancer Outcomes & Survivorship
Leader, Colorectal Cancer Management Team for the O’Neal Cancer Service Line 
Co-Director, Short-Term Research Experiences Advancing Medical Students (STREAMS)

Areas of Interest
clinical interests include colon, rectal, and anal cancer; hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes (i.e. Lynch syndrome, familial adenomatous polyposis); surgical management of inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease); pelvic pouch surgery; diverticulitis; rectal prolapse; benign anorectal disorders; enterocutaneous fistula; minimally invasive surgery; re-operative surgery

research interests include hereditary colorectal cancer; ostomy care; health inequities; quality of care

Assistant Professor

Areas of Interest
gastrointestinal surgery, general surgery, outcomes research

Professor
Vice Chair, Perioperative Services
Chief of General Surgery, Birmingham VA Hospital
Associate Chief Quality Officer, UAB Medicine

Areas of Interest
minimally invasive colorectal surgery, colon and rectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis), diverticulitis, and rectal prolapse

Assistant Professor
Course Director, UAB Department of Surgery Clerkship

Areas of Interest 
gallbladder disease, abdominal wall hernias, health services research, surgical education, and bariatric surgery

Clinical Assistant Professor
Primary Practice Location: Riverview Medical Center Gadsden

Areas of Interest 
robotic surgery, bariatric surgery outcome improvement, patient education

Assistant Professor

Areas of Interest
Biological, psychological and social mechanisms of pain, acute-to-chronic pain after surgery, precision-focused prediction and prevention of post-operative pain, quantitative sensory testing & pain phenotyping, gastrointestinal pain (IBD & colorectal cancer), and population-level differences in health outcomes

Associate Professor

Areas of Interest
Complex abdominal wall hernias, including ventral hernias, groin hernias, flank hernias, recurrent hernias, core abdominal wall health, chronic groin pain, and mesh-related complications

Associate Professor

Areas of Interest
health services research, biostatistics

Assistant Professor

Areas of Interest
laparoscopic and robotic minimally invasive general surgery, including foregut, bariatric surgery, and complex abdominal wall hernias

Clinical Assistant Professor
Primary Practice Location: Mobile Infirmary

Areas of Interest
colon cancer, rectal cancer, anal cancer, endoscopic treatment of colonic disease

Professor
Medical Director, Bariatric Surgery
Program Director, Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship

Areas of Interest
surgical treatment of obesity and metabolically related diseases; minimally invasive and open gastric bypass surgery, adjustable gastric banding, and sleeve gastrectomy

Clinical Assistant Professor
Primary Practice Location: Russell Medical Center, Alexander City

Areas of Interest
Robotic minimally invasive surgery, abdominal wall inguinal and hiatal hernia repairs, gallbladder disease, colon and rectal cancer and diverticulitis, skin and soft tissue procedures and endoscopy

President & CEO, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Voluntary Professor, UAB Department of Surgery

Areas of Interest
gastrointestinal surgery, pancreatic cancer, hepatobiliary tumors, health disparities, hernia surgery

Assistant Professor

Areas of Interest
minimally invasive surgery, bariatric surgery

Clinical Assistant Professor
Primary Practice Location: Russell Medical Center, Alexander City

Instructor

Areas of Interest
Membrane physiology, dopamine and gut-brain axis, bile acids and neurotransmission, neuromodulation