Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery Assistant Professor Lily Gutnik, M.D., has been named Associate Vice Chair of Global Surgery for the UAB Department of Surgery.
As Associate Vice Chair of Global Surgery, Gutnik will encourage clinical expansion into global arenas, track existing and new UAB Surgery global efforts, and establish global partnerships to facilitate bidirectional education and surgical trainees. In addition to clinical and educational efforts, the role will support the UAB Heersink School of Medicine’s growing international research portfolio.
Gutnik joined the UAB Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery in November 2021 as an assistant professor. She also supports the General Surgery Residency Program as assistant program director for global surgery.
Additionally, Gutnik serves the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB as an associate scientist in the Cancer Control and Population Science Program. In 2022, she was appointed to the Sparkman Center for Global Health Scholars Program.
Gutnik has a long track record of developing or supporting global surgery efforts. While Gutnik completed a research fellowship at the Center for Surgery and Public Health at Harvard University/Brigham and Womens Hospital, she served on the Finance and Economics Committee on the Lancet Commission for Global Surgery. Her longstanding research passion has revolved around the impact of breast cancer screening and early detection in low-resource settings.
Gutnik was previously a Fulbright and Fogarty Fellow in Lilongwe, Malawi where she established and evaluated the efficacy of Malawi’s first breast cancer screening initiative by activating laywomen to become trained breast health workers. In addition, she serves in an advisory board member for two international NGOs.
Finally, Gutnik is a committee member of PreTac—a franchise of Discovering Hands in Geneva, Switzerland. She is currently collaborating on various breast cancer projects and initiatives in Tanzania, Malawi, and Nigeria, and with the WHO Global Breast Cancer Initiative. She is also co-supervisor of a PhD student in Moshi, Tanzania whose thesis is on understanding factors contributing to late-stage breast cancer diagnosis.
“The associate vice chair for global surgery role aligns well with our mission as a department to care for all people while educating the next generation of surgical leaders,” said Fay Fletcher Kerner Endowed Chair Herbert Chen, M.D., FACS. “Dr. Gutnik will lead well in this new position as an experienced global surgery professional.”