General Surgery Trauma Surgery Expert Witness

Expert Witness No.2189

Education

Medical School, Hahnemann Medical College, Philadelphia, PA, M.D. 1972

Honors:  Lange Medical Book Publishing Company Book - Award for scholarship in freshman year; elected to Membership and as president of Alpha Zeta Chapter of Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society.

College, Cornell University – College of Arts and Sciences, Ithaca, NY, B.A. 1968 with major in Biological Sciences

Honors:  Dean’s List – Senior year; New York State, Regents Scholarship for study in medical school

High School, Erasmus Hall High School, Brooklyn, NY, Academic Diploma, 1964

Post Graduate Training

7/1/72-6/30/73, Straight Surgical Internship – Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY

7/1/73-6/30/74, Junior Assistant Resident – Surgery, Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY
           
7/1/74-6/30/77, Intermediate Residency – Surgery, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY

7/1/74-6/30/78, Chief Residency - Surgery, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY

Residency Training Summary

My training included general surgery involving abdominal and soft tissue tumor (mainly breast, melanoma, thyroid, parathyroid) work.  I have had eight months of cardiac and thoracic surgery as well as rotations on trauma (soft tissue and orthopedic) and pediatric surgical services.  My training at Presbyterian Hospital included several weeks on the transplant service at Francis Delafield Hospital.  As part of my chief residency I had an extended rotation on an active peripheral vascular surgery service.  My training has included experience at private and municipal hospitals as well as at a V.A. hospital.

Employment History (Permanent Positions)

Nov. 2005-Sept 2006, Surgicalist
Samaritan Hospital, Troy, NY

Jan. 2001-June 2002, Assistant Professor – UMDNJ
Stratford, New Jersey

Dec. 1999-June 2000, New York Medical Group, New York, New York
Group filed for bankruptcy and closed on 6/30/00 due to relocation of patients by a major HMO

Aug. 1996-Aug. 1998, Full Time Director of  Surgery
Hoots Memorial Hospital, Yadkinville, North Carolina

1979-1996, Independent practice of general and peripheral vascular  
Surgery as well as practice of traumatic surgery at Level II
Trauma Center – Hackensack Medical Center

1978-1979, Clinical association for the practice of general and
Peripheral vascular surgery in northern New Jersey

1979-1982, Member Hackensack Emergency Physicians Group

1980-1988, Team Physician, Hackensack High School Football Team

Locum Tenens

        
Oct. 2004 – April 2005, Angel Medical Center, Franklin, NC

Oct. 2004 –Dec.2004, James H. Quillen VA Medical Center, Mountain Home, TN

Sept. 2003 –  June 30, 2004, St. Peters Medical Center, New Brunswick, NJ
                                   
July 2003 – August 2003, St. Francis Hospital, Escanaba, MI   
           
April 2003 –June 2003, Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital at Fort Polk, Louisiana

July 1999 –August 1999, Beaufort County Hospital, Washington, NC (weekend coverage)
           

Board Certification

December 1979 Certified, American Board of Surgery
October 1988 Recertified, American Board of Surgery
October 1998 Recertified, American Board of Surgery
(exp. 2010; ranked in 94th percentile on exam)

Licenses

Michigan Granted in 2003 (active)
New Mexico Granted in 2005 (inactive)
New York Granted in 1973 (active)
North Carolina Granted in 1996 (active)
New Jersey Granted in 1978 (active)
Pennsylvania Granted in 2000 (active)

Societies

August 1998 American Society of Breast Surgeons

October 1997 John Jones Surgical Society (Honorary Member – Alumni Of Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center)

October 1996 North Carolina Medical Society

October 1981 Initiation, American College of Surgeons

1971, Initiation, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society (Chapter President 1972)

Publications

Available upon Request.

Hospital Affiliations

Nov 2005-Nov 2006 Samaritan Hospital Northeast Health, Albany, NY
Oct. 2004–Apr 2005 Angel Medical Center, Franklin, NC (locum tenens)
Oct  2004–Dec 2004 James H. Quillen VA Medical Center, Mountain Home, TN (locum tenens)
Sept. 2003-July 2004 St. Peters Medical Center, New Brunswick, NJ (locum tenens)
April 2003-June 2003 Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital, Fort Polk, LA (locum tenens)
Feb. 2001-July 2002 Kennedy Health Care System affiliated hospitals, NJ
Nov. 1999-June 2001 St. Barnabas Hospital, Bronx, NY
Aug.1996-Sept. 1998 Hoots Memorial Hospital, Yadkinville, NC
1986-1996 Pascack Valley Hospital, Westwood, NJ
1980-1996 Holy Name Hospital, Teaneck, NJ
1978-1996 Hackensack Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ
June 1999-Sept. 1999 Beauford County Hospital, Washington, NC (locum tenens)
           

Specialty Certifications

A.C.L.S. (exp. 9/2006)
A.T.L.S. (exp. 2006)
B.L.S. (exp. 3/2008)

Committee Assignments

Cancer Committee and Tumor Board, Hackensack University Medical Center

Oct. 1996 – Present, Member Cancer Committee,
American College of Surgeons – North Carolina Chapter

Nov. 1998 – Present, Case Reviewer for North Carolina Medical Board

Faculty Appointments

2004, Participation in surgical resident and medical student training at Eastern Tennessee State University School of Medicine at James H. Quillan V.A. Hospital

2001-2002, Assistant Professor of Surgery, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Stratford Campus

1979-1999, Clinical Assistant Professor, Clinical Assistant Professor, College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, NJ

1996-1998, Clinical Faculty, Wake Forest University School of Medicine

1978, Clinical Instructor Surgery, NYU affiliated hospitals

Peer Review and Quality Improvement Experience

1989-1994 Surgical consultant and QI reviewer for New Jersey Physicians Review Incorporated

1993-1996 Rotating peer reviewer and member of Trauma Quality Improvement Committee

1994-1996 Member Surgical Quality Improvement Committee Representing northern New Jersey – U.S. Healthcare HMO

Continuing Medical Education

Nov. 7, 1996, Annual Cancer Symposium of the North Carolina chapter of the American College of Surgeons Cancer Committee
Charlotte, North Carolina (Presbyterian Hospital) 8 Hours, Category 1 credit

June 22-26, 1997, Annual Convention of the American Society of Colon  and Rectal Surgeons, Philadelphia, PA
31.25 Hours, Category 1 credit

Nov. 14, 1997, Participation in Annual Cancer Symposium of the Cancer Committee of the North Carolina Chapter of the American College of Surgeons at Duke University Medical Center
7 Hours, Category 1 credit

March 28, 1998, Participation in Advances in Women’s Health Care Mercy Diagnostic Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
7 Hours, Category 1 credit

Dec. 3, 1998, Participation in Annual Cancer Symposium of the Cancer Committee of the North Carolina Chapter of the ACS East Carolina University
6.5 Hours of Category 1 credit

Jan. 20-24, 1999, Mediation Course sponsored by Mediation, Inc. –
Superior Court of North Carolina approved course
40 Hours continuing legal education; CME credits currently being investigated.

April 23, 1999, Symposium on Radio Frequency Ablation of Hepatic Tumors
M. D. Anderson Hospital
6 Hours Category 2 CME

April 26-27, 1999, Specialty Case Presentation Rounds at M. D. Anderson Hospital (Colorectal and Hepatic Conferences)
2 Credits Category 1 CME

April 23-30, 1999, Took part in all activities of the Hepatic Surgical Oncology Group at M. D. Anderson Hospital
20 Category 2 CME Hours

June 18-19, 1999, Seminar regarding modern treatment of Varicose Vein Disease at Cincinnati Vein Center, Cincinnati, OH
10 Category 2 Credit Hours

Sept. 1999 –Aug. 2002, Selected Readings in General Surgery for CME credit
Total – 260 Category 1 Hours

Sept. 1999 –Nov. 1999, Attendance at Weekly Grand Rounds
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
7 ½ Hours approximate

Nov. 18, 1999, Seminar Management of Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer and Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
6.5 Category 1 Hours

Dec. 1999 –May 2000, Grand Rounds, St. Barnabas Hospital, Bronx, NY
16 Category 1 Hours

March 2, 2000, Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy Course
Sponsored by University of Louisville, Norton Healthcare at Ethicon Labs, Cincinnati, OH
7.5 Category 1 Hours

Oct. 22-27, 2000, Attendance 2000 Fall Convocation Clinical Congress
American College of Surgeons, Chicago, IL
20 CME Hours

April 5, 2001, Inservice Practical Course regarding stereotactic breast
Biopsy by technical rep of Ethicon
6 Category II Hours

June 5-9, 2001, Essentials in Bariatric Course/Cadaver Lab
American Society of Bariatric Surgeons
Washington, D.C.
34 Category 1 Hours

June 12, 2001, Laparoscopic Colon Resection Course
Ethicon Labs, Sommerville, NJ
4 Hours Category II Didactic
3.5 Hours Lab

June 29, 2001, On-Site Inservice regarding Mammary Ductal Lavage including patients
6 Hours Category II credit

Nov. 1, 2001, Cancer Symposium:  What’s New in GI Malignancy?
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Winston-Salem, NC
5 Hours Category 1 credit

Nov. 2, 2001, Laparoscopic Ventral and Incisional Herniorrhaphy
Workshop, Carolina Medical Center, Charlotte, NC
5 Hours Category 1 credit

Jan. 25, 2002, Modern Day Hernia Repair (Laparoscopic Techniques)
Pennsylvania Hospital
9 Hours Category 1 credit

March 21, 2002, ATLS Refresher Course
Cooper Hospital, Camden, NJ
7 Hours Category 1 credit
Extension of ATLS Certification to March 2006

Feb. 2001 –June 2002, Full Time Teaching Resident and Medical Students
150 Category 1 Hours

July 2001 – June 2002, Intern Case Conferences
40 Category 1 Hours

Sept. 2002 –Aug. 2005, Selected Readings in General Surgery for CME credit
Total – 280 Category 1 Hours

Sept. 10-11, 2002, Advanced Cardiac Life Support Course (ACLS)
Wake Forest  University North Carolina Baptist Hospital
15 Category 1 credits (recommended renewal 2004)

June 3, 2003, Myths About Diagnosing and Treating Diabetic Foot Infections
The Dannemiller Memorial Educational Foundation
1 Category 1 Credit

March 2004, Basic Life Support Course (BLS)
American Red Cross Course
St. Peters Medical Center, New Brunswick, NJ
3 Category 1 Hours (expires March 2006)

Jan. 2004 – June 2005, Self-supervised practice hours in minimally invasive skills lab
St. Peters Medical Center, New Brunsick, NJ
10 Hours

Sept. 14-15, 2004     ACLS Renewal Course
Wake Forest University North Carolina Baptist Hospital
14 ½ Hours
Extension of ACLS certification to September 2006

Oct. 2004 – Nov. 2004, Surgical conferences of Department of Surgery of Eastern
Tennessee State University School of Medicine
Morbidity and Mortality – 4 Hours
Grand Rounds – 3 Hours
GI Conference – 3 Hours
Resident and Medical Student teaching – 20 Hours

December 2004, Patient Safety/Risk Management Course Offered by Infor Med
3 Category I Hours

Sept. 2005 – Aug. 2008, Selected Readings in General Surgery for CME credit
Total – 140 Category 1 Hours

Lectures

Available upon request.

Recurrent Lectures To Medical Students

Basic Trauma
Intestinal Obstruction
Hernias
Perianal Problems

Career Summary

For the first 18 years of my career, I practiced general, vascular, and trauma surgery at what became a Level II trauma center while also being active in practice at two community hospitals.  I then accepted a full time position working for Wake Forest University at a small community hospital as director of surgery.  While working in Winston-Salem, I became a member of the Cancer Committee of the American College of Surgeons in North Carolina.  I used this opportunity to build up my oncology skills.  This included spending some time on the liver service at M.D. Anderson Hospital in Houston, Texas.  I also brought myself completely up to date on all of the facets of breast surgery.  I attempted to develop a diagnostic and therapeutic breast care center under the auspices of both Wake Forest University and the Novant Health Care System.   I visited several breast centers during this project and was successful at obtaining a corporate sponsor the center.  Unfortunately, this project could not be completed due to contention between the above two entities.  When I went to work for UMDNJ, I brought the technique of mammary ductal lavage into the faculty practice.  I have subsequently lectured on this technique for the company on medical school campuses.  Also while at UMDNJ, I helped to developed the surgical arm of a bariatric program.  Since that time, I have been involved in doing long term (as much as a year) locum tenens assignments, frequently at academic training hospitals, frequently to cover military call-ups.  I have done quite a bit of surgery during the last few years and continue to eagerly add new techniques to my practice.  I have even at times been called upon to function in the area of trauma.  I am not looking to slow down or curtail my practice, including emergency room coverage.