Academy Fireside Chat with Dr. Diana L. Farmer

Diana L. Farmer, MD, FACS, FRCS, FAAP, MAMSE, is a distinguished professor, Pearl Stamps Stewart Endowed Chair, and chair of the department of surgery at the University of California, Davis, and founding director of the UC Davis Center for Surgical Bioengineering.

A recognized leader in pediatric and fetal surgery, Dr. Farmer is known for her surgical treatment of congenital anomalies and her expertise in cancer, airway, and intestinal surgeries in newborns. She is the principal investigator of the CuRe Trial, the world’s first clinical trial using stem cells to treat spina bifida before birth and the first FDA-regulated human trial of stem cell therapy delivered prenatally. The CuRe Phase 1 results were recently published in The Lancet.

Dr. Farmer has received numerous awards throughout her career, including the Wellesley College Alumnae Achievement Award and recognition as a Luce Scholar and Harrington Institute Scholar Innovator. She currently serves as the 2026 president of the Pacific Coast Surgical Association. She has previously served as president of the American Surgical Association, the American Pediatric Surgical Association, and the International Fetal Medicine and Surgery Society. She is a Regent of the American College of Surgeons, a member of the National Academy of Medicine, and a fellow by election of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

Dr. Farmer founded the Global Initiative for Children’s Surgery (GICS) to improve pediatric surgical care in underserved areas worldwide. At UC Davis, she recruited Aijun Wang, PhD, and founded the Center for Surgical Bioengineering, which has grown to include six PhD principal investigators and trained more than 10 PhD students and 35 postdoctoral scholars. As a mentor, educator, and researcher, she continues to influence the next generation of surgeon-scientists while pursuing pioneering work in fetal surgery and regenerative medicine.

Host and Welcome Remarks

The host for the Fireside Chat is Mohsen M. Shabahang, MD, PhD, FACS, MAMSE, who until recently was the vice president and chief medical officer of the WellSpan Surgery Service Line in York, PA. After four years at WellSpan, Dr. Shabahang is pursuing a Masters in Leadership and Organizational Change at Case Western Reserve University. Currently, Dr. Shabahang serves as the Chair of the Subcommittee of Novel Teaching and Assessment Methods and Educational Resources for the ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators.

Ajit K. Sachdeva, MD, FACS, FRCSC, FSACME, MAMSE, Senior Vice President of the ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators and Co-Chair of the ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators, will deliver welcoming remarks.