The American Board of Surgery (ABS), the national certifying body for general surgeons and related specialists, is pleased to welcome eight new councilors who joined the ABS Council as of July 1. Each councilor will serve a six-year term, unless stated otherwise. All ABS Councilors are currently certified by the ABS and meeting the requirements of the ABS Continuous Certification Program.
Andrea A. Hayes, M.D.
Dr. Hayes is the Byah Thompson Doxey Distinguished Professor of Surgery, division chief for pediatric surgery and surgeon-in-chief of the University of North Carolina Children’s Hospital in Chapel Hill, NC. In 2019, she was elected to serve as a member of the Pediatric Surgery Board of the ABS (PSB) to represent the American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA), and this year was elected to the ABS Council.
Originally from Los Angeles, Dr. Hayes completed medical school at Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, NH, followed by a fellowship in molecular biology at University of California, San Francisco. Her practice scope covers pediatric surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), and her research interests include pediatric surgical oncology and molecular biology.
As a member of the ABS Council, Dr. Hayes will also serve on the Research Committee and as a director of the Pediatric Surgery Board. In addition to her roles with ABS, Dr. Hayes serves as a governor for APSA, governor for the American College of Surgeons, board member for the National Cancer Advisory Board, and board member for the International Society of Paediatric Surgical Oncology.
Thomas S. Huber, M.D.
Dr. Huber is the Edward R. Woodward Professor of Surgery for the Department of Surgery, chief of the Division of Vascular Surgery and vice chairman for the Department of Surgery at the University of Florida College of Medicine. Elected to serve as a member of the Vascular Surgery Board of the ABS (VSB) to represent the Southern Association for Vascular Surgery (SAVS) in 2017. As chair of the VSB, Dr. Huber will serve as a member of the ABS Council for the duration of his term as chair.
Born and raised in the Midwest, Dr. Huber completed all of his medical training at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, from medical school, to his general surgery residency, to a fellowship in vascular surgery. His current practice scope includes complex aortic disease, mesenteric ischemia, dialysis access, and tertiary care vascular surgery, and his research interests are in aortic diseases, hemodialysis access, and mesenteric ischemia.
As a member of the ABS Council, Dr. Huber will also serve on the Assessment Committee, the Nominating Committee, and as chair of the VSB. In addition to these roles, Dr. Huber is the current president of the Florida Vascular Society.
Krista L. Kaups, M.D.
Dr. Kaups serves as a professor of clinical surgery at University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Fresno and as the associate program director of the Surgical Critical Care fellowship, and is also the director of surgical critical care at Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno. First elected to serve as a member of the Trauma, Burns and Surgical Critical Care Board of the ABS (TBSCCB) to represent the Surgical Critical Care Program Directors Society (SCCPDS), she has now been elected to a two-year term as chair of the TBSCCB. Dr. Kaups will serve as a member of the ABS Council for the duration of her term as chair.
A native of Chicago, Dr. Kaups completed medical school at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, followed by residency training at Southwest Michigan Area Health Education Center in Kalamazoo and a fellowship in surgical critical care at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester. Her practice scope includes both general surgery, and trauma/critical care, and her research interests lay with end-points of resuscitation, surgeon wellbeing, and global health and surgery.
As a member of the ABS Council, Dr. Kaups will also serve on the Education and Training Committee and as a director and chair of the TBSCCB. In addition to these roles, she is the secretary for the Surgical Critical Care Program Directors Society, vice president of the United States Chapter of the International Society of Surgery, a consultant for the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Governor’s Committee on Physician Competency and Health, and a member of both the ACS Committee on Trauma and the ACS Health Policy Advisory Group.
Brenessa M. Lindeman, M.D.
Dr. Lindeman is an assistant professor of surgery and medical education, associate designated institutional official for the Clinical Learning Environment, section chief and fellowship director of endocrine surgery, and the wellness officer for the Department of Surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine.
Originally from Phelps, KY, Dr. Lindeman completed medical school at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, followed by residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and a fellowship in endocrine surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. She currently practices endocrine surgery, and has research and clinical interests in surgical education, competency-based assessment, physician wellbeing, and outpatient adrenal surgery.
Dr. Lindeman has served as chair of the ABS General Surgery EPA Revision Committee since 2020. As a member of the ABS Council, Dr. Lindeman will also serve on the Assessment Committee and as a director of the General Surgery Board. In addition to her roles with ABS, she is a councilor of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons (AAES), current chair of the AAES Endocrine Surgery EPA Drafting Panel, and co-chair for the Association for Academic Surgery Diversity, Equity Inclusion Committee.
Steven Moran, M.D.
Dr. Moran is a professor of plastic surgery and orthopedic surgery, director of the Mayo Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation Program, and director of the Mayo Microsurgical Training Center at the Mayo clinic in Rochester, MN. He joins the ABS Council as the representative of the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS).
Originally from Milford, CT, Dr. Moran Completed medical school and residency at the University of Rochester, followed by a fellowship in hand and microvascular surgery at the Mayo Clinic. His current practice scope includes reconstructive microsurgery in addition to adult and pediatric upper extremity surgery, and has research interests in skin, tendon and bone healing, arthritis, and exosomes.
As a member of the ABS Council, Dr. Moran will also serve on the Education and Training Committee and as a director of the Trauma, Burns and Surgical Critical Care Board. In addition, he is former chair of the Plastic Surgery Mayo Clinic, former board member of the American Association for Hand Surgery, the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, and the American Society of Reconstructive Transplantation, and the current associate editor of the Journal of Wrist Surgery.
Valentine N. Nfonsam, M.D.
Dr. Nfonsam is a tenured professor of surgery, interim chief for the Division of Surgical Oncology, and program director for the General Surgery Residency Program at the University of Arizona.
A native of Buea, Cameroon, Dr. Nfonsam completed medical school at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, followed by residency at UT Southwestern in Dallas and North Shore-LIJ Health System in Long Island, NY. He then completed a colon and rectal surgery fellowship at the University of South Florida in Tampa. His practice scope includes colon and rectal surgery in addition to surgical oncology, and his research focuses on colorectal cancer, especially in young patients and outcomes disparities.
As a member of the ABS Council, Dr. Nfonsam will also serve on the Research Committee and as a director of the Complex General Surgical Oncology Board. In addition to his roles with ABS, Dr. Nfonsam is a councilor for the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Health Policy Advisory Council, governor at-large for the ACS, chair of the ACS Diversity Pillar Toolkit Subcommittee, treasurer for the Association of Program Directors in Surgery (APDS), and a member of the Board of Trustees for the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT).
Carmen T. Ramos-Irizarry, M.D.
Dr. Ramos-Irizarry is a pediatric surgeon with KIDZ Medical Services (KIDZ), and practices with NCH Healthcare Systems in Naples, FL.
Originally from Ponce, Puerto Rico, Dr. Ramos-Irizarry completed medical school at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine in Rio Piedras, followed by residency at both the University of Puerto Rico and Harvard University, and a fellowship in pediatric surgery at the University of Toronto Hospital for Sick Children in Canada. She focuses her practice on pediatric general surgery, and has research interests in health disparities in pediatric surgical care, trauma systems, pediatric injuries, and systems thinking.
As a member of the ABS Council, Dr. Ramos-Irizarry will also serve on the Diplomates and Surgeons in Practice Committee and as a director of the Pediatric Surgery Board. In addition to her roles with ABS, she is a member of the Delta Omega Alpha Honor Society for Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, member of the Board of Directors of the Safe and Healthy Children’s Coalition of Collier County, Florida, member of the American Association of Public Health, member of the Florida Association of Public Health, member of the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST), a fellow of the American Pediatric Surgery Association (APSA), a fellow of the Surgical Section of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), an editorial reviewer for the Journal Injury Epidemiology and the Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, and a NHLAP Cohort 8-member of the Center for Health Leadership and Practice at the CDC/Public Health Institute.
Bryan K. Richmond, M.D.
Dr. Richmond is the Bert Bradford Professor and chair of surgery at West Virginia University-Charleston Division and the William J. Maier Endowed Chair of Research at West Virginia University.
Born and raised in Beckley, WV, Dr. Richmond completed medical school and residency at West Virginia University. His practice is focused in general and endocrine surgery, with research interests that include functional biliary diseases, as well as outcomes after complex hernia repair.
As a member of the ABS Council, Dr. Richmond will also serve on the Diplomates and Surgeons in Practice Committee and as a director of the General Surgery Board. In addition to his roles with ABS, he is president-elect of the Southeastern Surgical Congress (SESC), West Virginia governor-at-large for the American College of Surgeons (ACS), Communications Pillar lead for the ACS, member of the ACS Board of Governors Executive Committee, and the membership committee member for the Society of University Surgeons (SUS).
In Thanks
The ABS gratefully acknowledges the dedication and commitment of the following outgoing councilors, whose term on the Council ended in July:
- Marwan S. Abouljoud, M.D. – Director, General Surgery Board; Member, Transplantation Advisory Council; Chair, Diplomates and Surgeons in Practice Committee; Member, Nominating Comittee
- Marjorie J. Arca, M.D. – Chair, Pediatric Surgery Board; Chair, Education and Training Committee; Member, Nominating Committee
- Michael W. Neumeister, M.D. – Director, Trauma, Burns and Surgical Critical Care Board; Member, Education and Training Committee
- John H. Stewart, IV, M.D., M.B.A. – Director, Complex General Surgical Oncology Board; Member, Research Committee
- Gilbert R. Upchurch, Jr., M.D. – Chair, Vascular Surgery Board; Chair, Nominating Committee; Member, Assessment Committee
About the ABS
The American Board of Surgery is an independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1937 for the purpose of certifying individuals who have met a defined standard of education, training and knowledge in the field of surgery. Surgeons certified by the ABS have completed at least five years of surgical training following medical school and successfully completed a written and oral examination process administered by the ABS. They must then maintain their board certification through ongoing learning and practice improvement activities.
The ABS offers board certification in general surgery, vascular surgery, pediatric surgery, surgical critical care, complex general surgical oncology, surgery of the hand, and hospice and palliative medicine. It is one of the 24 member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties.
Aug. 13, 2021