Academy of Master Surgeon Educators Grand Rounds Series

Michael M. Awad, MD, PhD, FACS, currently serves as the director at the Washington University Institute for Surgical Education, and the director of the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Comprehensive Robotics Program in St. Louis, MO. Dr. Michael M. Awad received his MD/PhD from Brown University School of Medicine and completed his general surgery residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital followed by a minimally invasive surgery foregut fellowship in Portland, OR. He is the former program director for the general surgery residency and the associate dean for medical student education at Washington University in St. Louis. His clinical practice is focused on the advancement of minimally invasive approaches to benign disease of the foregut, including the first general surgery robotic procedure and first POEM procedure in the state of Missouri. He has one of the largest robotic foregut experiences in the country. His passions are in the fields of surgical and medical education. He has held education leadership positions in several national surgical societies including Treasurer and Executive Committee of the Association for Surgical Education (ASE), Board of Directors of the Association of Program Directors in Surgery, chair of the Resident and Fellow Training committee for the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons, chair of the Education and Training Committee for the American Foregut Society, question writer for the American Board of Surgery (ABS), and the Editorial Board of the Surgical Council on Resident Education. He is the recipient of more than $5 million in federal, society, and industry education grants and has been recognized with several local and national teaching awards, including the distinguished Phillip J. Wolfson Outstanding Teacher Award from the ASE.

John R. Porterfield, MD, MSPH, FACS, is the associate professor in the department of surgery at the University of Alabama, Birmingham (UAB). Dr. John R. Porterfield joined the UAB department of surgery in 2008, returning to Alabama—his home state—after training at the Mayo Clinic. He has since been promoted to full professor with tenure and additionally served as director of the general surgery residency program for a decade. A skilled instructor, with a gift for teaching, he has won numerous awards including several UAB Faculty Teacher of the Year awards. He is a dedicated mentor to a group of UAB student researchers and thrives on counseling high school, college, and medical school students. He also is an active member of numerous professional organizations including the Southern Surgical Association, Southeastern Surgical Congress, the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons, the Association of Program Directors in Surgery where he is a former board member, and he also serves on the American College of Surgeons Committee on Resident Education. Dr. Porterfield speaks nationally and internationally regarding his expertise in surgical education and endocrine and robotic surgery. He has authored five book chapters and contributed to numerous journal articles

Dana A. Telem, MD, MPH, FACS, is the Lazar J. Greenfield Professor of Surgery, section chief of general surgery, the vice chair for quality and patient safety, and director of the Michigan Women's Surgical Collaborative in the department of surgery at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Dr. Telem completed her surgical training at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York and her fellowship in minimally invasive and bariatric surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Telem also completed a masters in public health in the Executive Masters of Healthcare Management program at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Her clinical practice is devoted to minimally invasive therapies focused on hernia, benign diseases of the esophagus, and morbid obesity. Dr. Telem's academic interests lie in health services research with a focus in implementation science—specifically, the effective and sustainable adoption of evidence-based recommendations into actual practice. Dr. Telem receives research funding from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, National Institute of Health, and Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES). She serves on the editorial boards of Annals of Surgery, The American Journal of Surgery, Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases, and Hernia and is an associate editor for Surgical Endoscopy. Her research and commentaries have been published in several prominent journals such as the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), JAMA Surgery, and Annals of Surgery. She serves on the SAGES and Foundation for Surgical Fellowships Board of Governors and holds key leadership positions across several organizations and societies including the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons, American College of Surgeons, Americas Hernia Society, and Leapfrog, focused on quality and patient safety, as well as diversity and inclusion.