About our medical authors...

Robert C. Allen, M.D.,

is Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at Virginia Commonwealth University's Medical College of Virginia and Professor of Ophthalmology, Pharmacology and Toxicology. Prior to coming to MCV, Dr. Allen taught ophthalmology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and Emory University School of Medicine. One of the founding members of the American Glaucoma Society, Dr. Allen has served on national committees of the AGS, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Board of Ophthalmology and the FDA's Advisory Committee on Anti-infectives and Ophthalmic Drugs. He is active in local, state, regional and national general and specialty medical societies and is a nationally and internationally recognized author and speaker.

Charles E. Bagwell, M.D.,

is Professor and Chairman of the Division of Pediatric Surgery for Virginia Commonwealth University's Medical College of Virginia. Dr. Bagwell is certified with the American Board of Surgery with Special Competence in Pediatric Surgery and Critical Care and the American Board of Laser Surgery. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Surgeons and the American College of Emergency Physicians and is an active member of the American Medical Association, the Southern Society for Pediatric Research and the Society of Critical Care Medicine. He is also a reviewer for the Journal of Pediatric Surgery and the American Journal of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Bagwell serves on several committees and is the Surgical Director of the Pediatric ECMO Program for the Medical College of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University.

Harry D. Bear M.D., Ph.D.,

is Chairman, Division of Surgical Oncology and Professor of Surgery and Microbiology and Immunology for Virginia Commonwealth University's Medical College of Virginia. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the Society of Surgical Oncology, the American Association for Cancer Research, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Association for Cancer Education and others. Dr. Bear serves as a reviewer for numerous journals and has published extensively.

Robert J. Brager, M.D.,

is in practice with the Virginia Ear, Nose & Throat Associates in Richmond, VA. Dr. Brager is a member of the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and the Richmond EENT Society among others. He has given presentations on head and neck tumors and published in several national journals.

Timothy J. Broderick, M.D.,

is Assistant Professor of Surgery (General, Trauma and Minimally Invasive Surgery) and Director of the General Surgery M3 Clerkship for Virginia Commonwealth University's Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, VA. Dr. Broderick is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American College of Surgeons and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics among other local, regional and national medical and scientific societies. He has published widely and created several video presentations.

James W. Brooks, M.D.,

is Professor Surgery and Attending Thoracic Surgeon for the Virginia Commonwealth University's Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia. Dr. Brooks is a member of numerous general and specialty medical societies including the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association and the American College of Surgeons. He is a past President of the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association and the American College of Chest Physicians Potomac Chapter. Dr. Brooks has published extensively.

Jefferson W. Chen, M.D., M.S.,

is Director of Neurotrauma for the Legacy Hospital System in Portland, Oregon. Prior to coming to Portland, Dr. Chen served as Director of the Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit and Assistant Professor of Neuroscience and Cell Biology at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Texas and a member of the scientific staff at the Shriners Burns Institute. He is active in local, state, regional and national general medical and specialty societies and is a reviewer for The Journal of Biomedical Sciences and on the Editorial Advisory Board of The Journal of Neurovascular Diseases. Dr. Chen is also a noted researcher and author.

J. Kent Garman, M.D., M.S.,

is Professor of Anesthesiology at Stanford University Medical Center. Prior to coming to Stanford, Dr. Garman taught at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and earned an MS in Management from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Dr. Garman is Chairman of the American Society of Anesthesiologists' Committee on Quality Improvement and Practice Management and is responsible for ASA's liaison with JCAHO and other accrediting agencies. He is active in local, state, regional and national medical societies and has served as president of the California Society of Anesthesiologists. Dr. Garman has published extensively and serves as editor of ASA and CSA publications.

Algin B. Garrett, M.D.,

is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Dermatology and Associate Professor of the Division of Plastic Surgery at Virginia Commonwealth University's Medical College of Virginia and Director of the Surgical Clinic, Department of Dermatology, Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Hospital, Richmond, Virginia. He is active in local, state, regional, national and international medical societies and serves on the American Society of Dermatology Advisory Board. Dr. Garrett has published extensively and serves as editor of several clinical journals. He was named as one of the Best Doctors in America 1997 and 1998.

Clifton C. Hickman, M.D.,

is in practice with the Virginia Ear, Nose & Throat Associates and serves as Chief of the Department of Otolaryngology at Johnson-Willis and Chippenham hospitals in Richmond Virginia. Dr. Hickman is active in numerous local, regional and national general and specialty medical societies and has served as President of both the Richmond EENT Society and the Virginia Society of Otolarnygology.

Kenneth D. Hopper, M.D.,

is Professor of Radiology, Chief of Radiologic Research and Chief of Computed Tomography and Body Imaging at Penn State University's Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Prior to coming to Penn State, he taught radiology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. He is a Fellow of the American College of Radiology and Melvin M. Figley Fellow in Radiology Journalism. He is active in local, state, regional and national medical specialty societies. He is an expert in the field of informed consent and radiological procedures. Dr. Hopper has published extensively and serves on the Editorial Boards of numerous journals.

Leslie S. Kreisler, M.D.,

is in practice with the Virginia Ear, Nose & Throat Associates in Richmond, VA. Dr. Kreisler is a member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology, the American Board of Otolaryngology and the Virginia Society of Otolaryngology. He was also appointed by Virginia Governor George Allen to the VA Board of Hearing Aid Specialists.

Daniel M. Laskin, D.D.S., M.S.,

is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Director of the Temporomandibular Joint and Facial Pain Research Center at Virginia Commonwealth University's Medical College of Virginia. He is also a Professor of Psychology and Radiology at MCV. He is active in numerous professional organizations and serves as Executive Director of the International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Foundation. Dr. Laskin is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and is a member of multiple editorial boards. He has made over 800 contributions to the literature in the fields of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Dental Research; he has authored or co-authored eleven books.

Stephen J. Leibovic, M.D.,

is in practice with the Virginia Hand Center and is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Orthopaedic Surgery at the Virginia Commonwealth University's Medical College of Virginia in Richmond.. He is a member of the Upper Extremity Subcommittee of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and he has presented at several meetings and lectures. Dr. Leibovic has also published extensively.

James L. Levenson, M.D.,

is Vice Chairman for the Department of Psychiatry; Professor of Psychiatry, Medicine and Surgery; and Chairman, Division of Consultation/Liaison Psychiatry for the Virginia Commonwealth University's Medical College of Virginia located in Richmond, Virginia. Dr. Levenson is a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine and is a member of other general and specialty medical societies including the American College of Psychiatrists. Dr. Levenson has published extensively and is a reviewer for General Hospital Psychiatry, JAMA, International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine and the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Jin Sung Lim, M.D.,

is in practice with the Virginia Ear, Nose & Throat Associates in Richmond, VA. Dr. Lim is a member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology and the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. He has given several presentations and has published articles in the American Journal of Otology.

Charles G. Lockhart, M.D.,

is in practice with Cardiac and Thoracic Surgical Associates, Ltd in Richmond, VA. Dr. Lockhart is also an Attending Surgeon with the McGuire Veterans Hospital and is an Associate Clinical Faculty member with the Virginia Commonwealth University's Medical College of Virginia. He is on the Board of Directors for the Medical Society of Virginia Review Organization and Chairman of the Thoracic Surgery Service for Chippenham Medical Center. Dr. Lockhart is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and is also a member of numerous organizations, including the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the Southern Thoracic Surgical Society and the Virginia Thoracic Society.

Curtis L. Lowery, Jr., M.D.,

is currently the Director of Obstetrics and Section Head and Associate Professor for the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine for the University of Arkansas in Little Rock, AR. He is a member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Dr. Lowery has published extensively and has presented at numerous conferences and review courses throughout the United States and abroad.

Laurie J. Lyckholm, M.D.,

is Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Sidney Page Professorship in Bioethics and Humanities and Director, Fellowship Program in Oncology for the Virginia Commonwealth University's Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia. Dr. Lyckholm is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American Society of Internal Medicine; where she serves on the Health and Public Policy Committee. She is also a member of the American Association for Cancer Education, the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities. Dr. Lyckholm has given numerous presentations and has written extensively on the topic of Hematology/Oncology.

Thomas G. Meeks, M.D.,

is in practice with the Virginia Ear, Nose & Throat Associates in Richmond, VA. Dr. Meeks is a member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology, the American Board of Otolaryngology and the Virginia Society of Otolaryngology.

Ronald C. Merrell, M.D.,

is Professor and Chairman and Chief of Surgery for Virginia Commonwealth University's Medical College of Virginia. Prior to coming to Richmond, Dr. Merrell was Professor and Chairman, Department of Surgery for Yale University School of Medicine and Chief of Surgery, Yale-New Haven Hospital. He is a member of the Aerospace Medical Association, the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons where he served as Vice Chair of the Executive Committee on International Relations. He was awarded the Public Service Medal for Outstanding Work in Telemedicine by NASA in 1998. Dr. Merrell has published and presented extensively.

John M. O'Bannon, III, M.D.,

is a neurologist practicing in the metropolitan Richmond, Virginia area. Dr. O'Bannon has served as Chief of Staff of several area hospitals. He is active in numerous local and national professional medical societies, serving as a delegate to the Medical Society of Virginia and to the American Medical Association where he serves on the Ethics Committee. He is currently on the Boards of Trustees of the Richmond Academy of Medicine, Henrico Doctor's Hospital, and Hargrave Military Academy.

Takao Ohki, M.D.,

is Director of the Vascular Surgery Research Laboratory and Chief of Endovascular Program, Division of Vascular Surgery at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York. In 1991, Dr. Ohki received the International Research Award from Jikei University in Tokyo, Japan and was elected to work in London, England in 1987 under the visiting scholar program. He founded and is on the executive committee of the International Society for Carotid Artery Therapy. Additionally, Dr. Ohki has written numerous articles and contributed to a number books in the area of vascular surgery.

Micheal R. Perlman, M.D.,

is in practice with the Virginia Ear, Nose & Throat Associates in Richmond, VA. Dr. Perlman is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and is a member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology and the American Board of Otolaryngology. He is past president of the Richmond EENT Society and Chief of ENT at Johnson Willis and Chippenham hospitals in Richmond, VA.

Thomas A. Raffin, M.D.,

is Professor and Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and Co-director of the University Center for Biomedical Ethics, Stanford University Medical Center. A Fellow of both the American College of Physicians and the American College of Chest Physicians and a Diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Respiratory Medicine, Dr. Raffin is also an active member of a number of other local, state, regional and national general medical and specialty societies. He is a prolific writer and lecturer who serves as Chief Editor of Pulmonary Medicine Update and on the Editorial boards of Chest, Critical Care Medicine, Advances in Pharmacology, Hospital Medicine, Ethics in Cardiopulmonary Medicine and Heart & Lung, among others.

Martin I. Resnick, M.D.,

is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Urology and Professor of Oncology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. He has received numerous awards and honors for his contributions in urological research and has lectured extensively both nationally and internationally. Dr. Resnick is active in local, state, regional, and international medical societies. He is a member of the board of directors of the American Foundation of Urologic Diseases and Governor of the American College of Surgeons. He is a member of a Urological Program Advisory Board with the National Institute of Health. Dr. Resnick has published extensively and serves on the editorial boards of numerous clinical and scientific journals. He served as a former Editor-in-Chief of Contemporary Urology.

Jeannie F. Savas, M.D.,

is Program Director for the Surgical Residency Program and Assistant Professor of Surgery for the Virginia Commonwealth University's Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia. Dr. Savas is also a Staff Surgeon for McGuire VA Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia. She serves on a number of committees including Infection Control, Graduate Medical Education and the Department of Surgery Education. Dr. Savas is an Associate Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the Virginia Surgical Society and the Society for American Gastroenterology and Endoscopic Surgeons, among others.

Carol S. Shapiro, M.D., M.B.A.,

is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon in northern Virginia and is on the faculty of Georgetown University Medical Center. A Fellow of the American College of Executive Physicians, she is a past president of the Medical Society of Virginia and has also served as president of the National Capital Society of Plastic Surgeons and as an AMA delegate. She serves on the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons' Committee on Ethics and is Chair of their Committee on Physician Health. She is active in local, state, regional and national general and specialty medical societies and was honored by the Virginia state legislature in 1993 for her work with the Medical Society of Virginia and Virginia Board of Medicine on physician health. Dr. Shapiro has published numerous articles on plastic and reconstructive surgery and on physician health and effectiveness.

Toby L. Simon, M.D.,

is Vice President of Medical and Scientific Affairs for Serologicals Corporation in Atlanta, Georgia, and Professor of Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine. Prior to coming to Atlanta, Dr. Simon was Professor of Pathology and Medicine at the University of New Mexico. He was also President and CEO of Blood Systems Inc., and President of Blood Systems Foundation, both of Scottsdale, Arizona. A Fellow of the College of American Pathologists and a former President of the American Association of Blood Banks, Dr. Simon currently serves as Chairman of the Medical Directors Committee of the American Blood Resources Association and on the Board of Trustees of the South Central Association of Blood Banks Foundation. He is a member of numerous other local, state, national and international general medical and specialty societies. Dr. Raffin is a member of the Editorial Board of Transfusion and has published extensively.

Nicholas G. Tarasidis, M.D.,

is in practice with the Virginia Ear, Nose & Throat Associates in Richmond, VA. He is a member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology, the American Board of Otolaryngology and the Virginia Board of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology, among others.

Walter Thayer, Jr., M.D.,

is Chief of Gastroenterology at Brown University, Providence, RI. Prior to coming to Brown, he was Assistant Professor of Medicine at Yale University. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. He is active in numerous local, state and national committees and organizations. Dr. Thayer is widely published and serves on the Editorial Boards of several clinical journals. He is active on national committees researching inflammatory bower diseases. Dr. Thayer is a member and past Chairman of the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation, Inc.

George A. Trivette, M.D.,

is currently a partner with Virginia Radiation Oncology Associates, Inc. located in Richmond, Virginia. He is board certified in Therapeutic Radiology and is the Director of the Radiation Oncology Department for St. Mary's Hospital, Richmond, Virginia. Dr. Trivette is a member of a number of specialty medical societies including the American College of Radiology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. He is active with several committees including, the Tumor Committee, the Medical Executive Committee, the Medical Care Evaluation and Improvement Committee and the Credentials Committee. He has published extensively on topics such as Radiation Therapy and Oncology.

James C. Tyson, M.D.,

is in practice with the Virginia Ear, Nose & Throat Associates in Richmond, VA. Dr. Tyson is a member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology, the American Board of Otolaryngology and the Virginia Society of Otolaryngology.

Frank J. Veith, M.D.,

is Chief, Vascular Surgical Services for Montefiore Medical Center - Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Program Director, Albert Einstein College of Medicine - Montefiore Medical Center Vascular Surgical Residency. Additionally, Dr Veith is a Clinical Visiting Professor, Department of Surgery, for the F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. A former President of the Society for Vascular Surgery, he has routinely been active in numerous local, state, regional, and national medical societies. Dr. Veith has published extensively throughout his career and serves on editorial boards with multiple international publications. He is much requested as a speaker throughout the world, averaging over forty major presentations over the past five years. In 1996, Dr. Veith was listed as one of the "Best Doctors in America," by American Health.

George W. Vetrovec, M.D.,

is Professor of Medicine, Associate Chairman for Clinical Affairs, Director of the Adult Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory; Chairman, Division of Cardiology and Co-Director of the Heart Center Executive Committee at the Virginia Commonwealth University's Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia. He is a member of numerous local, regional, and national societies and professional organizations and is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, American College of Physicians, the American College of Chest Physicians and the Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions, whom he also served as President. Dr. Vetrovec is an associate editor of Catheterization and Cardiovascular Diagnosis Journal. He has authored or co-authored several books and numerous local and national journal articles and abstracts.

Gwo-Jaw Wang, M.D.,

is Professor and Chairman of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Virginia Medical Center, Charlottesville, Virginia, and Visiting Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Kaohsiung Medical College in Taiwan and HeNan Medical University in HeNan, China. He is Diplomat of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. Dr. Wang is active in numerous local, state, national and international professional organizations and committees. He has published extensively in numerous clinical journals and serves as editor of multiple professional publications.

Richard P. Wenzel, M.D.,

is Professor and Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine for the Virginia Commonwealth University's Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia. He is board certified with the American Board of Internal Medicine with the subspecialty of Infectious Disease. Dr. Wenzel serves as the Director for the Institute for Outcomes Research and is a member of the MCV Hospital Authority Board. Prior to coming to MCV, Dr. Wenzel taught internal medicine at the University of Virginia and the University of Iowa. Dr. Wenzel is a member of a number of general and specialty medical associations, including the Association of American Physicians and is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. He has published extensively and currently serves on The American Journal of Medicine Editorial Board.

Joseph J. Zocco, M.D.,

is with Cardiac and Thoracic Surgical Associates, Ltd. in Richmond, VA. Dr. Zocco has been performing minimally invasive cardiac surgery since 1998 and has performed heart surgery using the beating heart technique (no bypass) since 1999. He is board certified with the American Board of Thoracic Surgery, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American College of Cardiology and is a member of the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. Dr. Zocco has published extensively and is a member of the Virginia Surgical Society, the American Medical Association and the Southern Thoracic Surgical Society, among others.