David B. Adams was born in 1950 in Annapolis, Maryland. He was a Morehead Scholar at the University of North Carolina and graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1973 and obtained his medical degree at the Medical College of Virginia in 1977. After completing his internship and residency in surgery in 1982 at the U.S. Naval Hospital, Portsmouth, Virginia he was named Chief of Surgery at the U.S. Naval Hospital, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In 1983 he came to the U.S. Naval Hospital, Charleston where he was named Chief of Surgery prior to joining the faculty in the department of Surgery at MUSC in 1986. He has served as Medical Director, One West Trauma Center, and Program Director in the General Surgery Residency training program, and is currently Course Director of the MUSC Annual Postgraduate Course in Surgery and Professor of Surgery and Head, Section of Gastrointestinal and Laparoscopic Surgery.

Dr. Adams’ research interests are focused on gastrointestinal and laparoscopic surgery. He has special interests in the surgical management of chronic pancreatitis. He has published over 100 works and presented over 100 talks related to his clinical interests. His teaching and clinical interests have been recognized with several awards including the Best Clinical Instructor in General Surgery, MUSC Faculty member Alpha Omega Alpha, MUSC Faculty Excellence Award, the Paul H. O’Brien Resident Teaching Award, The Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award, and the MUSC Health Sciences Foundation Outstanding Clinician Award.

Dr. Baker Ruppel received her undergraduate degree in Political Science and Economics from Columbia University in New York, NY. Thereafter she completed her graduate medical training at Wright State University School of Medicine in Dayton, OH, receiving her MD in 1999. She went on to complete her general surgical training at the Medical University of South Carolina, devoting an additional year of training to breast cancer research.

Dr. Baker Ruppel joined the faculty at the Medical University of South Carolina as an Assistant Professor of Surgery and serves as the Medical Director for Comprehensive Breast Care at Hollings Cancer Center. She is also a member of the MUSC Weight Loss Surgery Team. Dr. Baker Ruppel’s special interests include cancer and obesity.

Dr. Byrne, a native of Ireland, obtained his medical degree at The Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland. After initial training in surgery in Ireland and England, he came to The Medical College of Virginia (MCV), as a research fellow, and completed his surgical residency at MCV. While a resident at MCV, Dr. Byrne developed an interest in weight loss surgery, under the mentorship of Dr. Harvey Sugerman. After residency, Dr. Byrne was appointed on staff at The Medical University of South Carolina, as a trauma and critical care surgeon. Because of a need to provide weight loss surgery to morbidly obese patients in the area, Dr. Byrne started a small program at MUSC in 1992. Since then the program has grown exponentially and in 2006 was designated by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) as a Center of Excellence.

Dr. Byrne currently practices as a general surgeon, with a special interest in weight loss surgery which comprises 80% of his practice. He has performed over 2,000 bariatric cases including open and laparoscopic gastric bypass, adjustable bands, sleeve gastrectomies as well as revisions. Dr. Byrne is a Professor of Surgery, board-certified by The American Board of Surgery, and is also a fellow of The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. He is a member of ASMBS and is the medical director of the Bariatric Surgery Program at MUSC. Dr. Byrne enjoys student and resident teaching, and has won several teaching awards, including a Golden Apple.

E. Ramsay Camp, MD is a graduate of Davidson College and the Medical University of South Carolina. He completed a residency in general surgery at Shand's Hospital - University of Florida. He subsequently completed a clincal fellowship in surgical oncology and a NIH T32 basic science research fellowship at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. He joined the Department of Surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina in August 2007 where he is currently Assistant Professor. Dr. Camp specializes in gastrointestinal surgical oncology and in the treatment of melanoma and sarcoma patients. His research, which has been funded by both the American Cancer Society and the Hollings Cancer Center focuses on gene therapy and mechanisms of therapeutic resistance in gastrointestinal malignancies.

Dr. Cole received his BS in Biology at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces where he graduated with highest honors and was a Rhodes Scholarship finalist. He received his MD from Cornell University Medical College in New York. He interned and had his residency at Emory University Affiliated Hospitals in Atlanta and subsequently completed a fellowship in Surgical Oncology at the National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Cancer Institute (NCI) Surgery Branch in Bethesda. He is Board Certified through the American Board of Surgery and his primary clinical field of interest is breast cancer and GI malignancies. His research focus is novel cancer vaccine development and molecular diagnostics for which he has had continuous NIH funding since 1997.

He is a member of many professional and scientific societies such as the American Surgical Society, the Southern Surgical Association, Society of University Surgeons, and the International Society of Surgery. He has served on many national committees and is currently on the Foundation board for the Society of University Surgeons, a State Councilor for the Southeastern Surgical Congress, and also on the program committee for the American Society of Clinical Oncology. He has served on numerous NCI review panels and study sections and has over 90 peer review publications and chapters. Dr. Cole currently serves as the McKoy Rose Professor and Chairman, Department of Surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Chadrick Denlinger graduated with honors from the Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health in 2000 and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. He then completed training in general surgery at the University of Virginia in 2007 which included a two year research fellowship investigating cell signaling pathways in non-small cell lung cancer. Following this training, Dr. Denlinger went to Washington University where he completed cardiothoracic surgery training in June 2009. Dr. Denlinger has recently been recruited to join the thoracic surgical faculty at the Medical University of South Carolina and was attracted here by the strong leadership of the surgery department and the interest of the division to advance treatment options for thoracic diseases from both a clinical and basic science perspective.

Dr. Denlinger's clinical interest is in treating lung cancer, benign and malignant esophageal diseases as well as lung transplantation. He is interested in advancing minimally invasive surgical techniques, and utilizes this approach as the clinical situation allows.

Dr. Denlinger is interested in the molecular events occurring that allow lung and esophageal cancers to become invasive and metastasize to distant organ sites. He believes that his collaborative research efforts with basic scientists and other physicians at MUSC are critical for improving the care of our current and future generations.

Nestor F. Esnaola, MD, MPH, MBA is a graduate of Rice University and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He completed a residency in general surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School and subsequently completed a fellowship in surgical oncology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. He joined the Department of Surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina in January 2005, where he's currently Associate Professor and Medical Director of Surgical Quality and Safety.

Dr. Esnaola specializes in gastrointestinal surgical oncology and has a particular interest in pancreaticobiliary cancer and hepatic colorectal metastases. His research, which has been funded by both the American Cancer Society and the National Institute on Aging, focuses on the effects of race/ethnicity on surgical outcomes and age, race, and ethnicity-related disparities in surgical cancer care. Dr. Esnaola serves on the editorial board of the Annals of Surgical Oncology and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

Dr. Hammond received her BS in Biochemistry at North Carolina State University, where she graduated summa cum laude and was elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa. She received her MD from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC. After completing residency training in general surgery at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center in Memphis, TN, she pursued additional fellowship training in the specialty of colon and rectal surgery at the Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans, LA. She is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery.

Her clinical interests include colonoscopy (diagnostic and therapeutic) and surgical treatments for disorders of the colon, rectum and anus. She is a member of many professional societies, including the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, American College of Surgeons, Southeastern Surgical Congress, Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, and Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons.

Dr. John Maxwell was raised in Greenville, SC and received his undergraduate degree in Biology from Furman University in 1995. He completed his medical education in Charleston at the Medical University of South Carolina, graduating in 2000. After completing his general surgical training at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, LA, he went on to complete his fellowship training in colon and rectal surgery at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Maxwell joined the faculty at the Medical University of South Carolina as an Assistant Professor of Surgery in 2011, after serving on the faculty at Thomas Jefferson University.

Dr. Maxwell is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery. He is a member of many professional societies including the American College of Surgeons, the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, the Association for Academic Surgery, the Southeastern Surgical Congress, and the Philadelphia Academy of Surgery. His clinical interests include surgery for both benign and malignant diseases of the colon and rectum, anorectal disease, inflammatory bowel disease, diagnostic and therapeutic colonoscopy. He also has a strong interest in medical history as well as a significant interest in medical education, having previously been presented with the Dean's Award for Excellence in Medical Education at Thomas Jefferson University.

Dr. Morgan was raised in Atlanta, GA and received her undergraduate degree with distinction from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA in 1994. She underwent her medical education at Emory University in Atlanta, graduating summa cum laude in 1998. She went on to complete her general surgical training at Emory. Dr. Morgan joined the faculty at the Medical University of South Carolina as Assistant Professor of Surgery in 2003. She is associate residency program director, director of the advanced laparoscopic laboratory, and a member of the weight loss surgery team.

Dr. Morgan is a diplomate of the American Board of Surgery, a member of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery, and a member of the Society of American Gastroinestinal Endoscopic Surgeons. Her special surgical interests include hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery, advanced laparoscopic surgery, and bariatric surgery.

Dr. Pullatt received his medical degree from Madras Medical College in India, where he also completed his Masters in Surgery with honors. During this time frame, Dr. Pullatt won several awards including the prestigious Dr. B. Ramamoorthy gold medal in neurology and neurosurgery. He passed his membership examinations of the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh and was awarded the MRCS degree. Afterwards, he came to the Medical University of South Carolina where he completed a Multiorgan Transplant Surgery fellowship and is now certified by the American Society of Transplant Surgeons. He then completed his residency at MUSC and subsequently joined their faculty. His special interest is advanced Laparoscopic surgery and Bariatric Surgery. He has won several teaching awards from Medical students and also serves as the Director of the Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery programs at the Ralph Johnson VA medical centre.

Carolyn E. Reed, M.D. received her Doctor of Medicine degree with Honor and Distinction in Research from the University of Rochester School of Medicine in 1977. Following a surgical residency at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, she completed a surgical oncology fellowship at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. She returned to the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center to complete a cardiothoracic surgical residency. Dr. Reed moved to the Medical University of South Carolina (Charleston, South Carolina) in 1985 to build a thoracic oncology program. She is presently Professor of Surgery; Chief, Section of General Thoracic Surgery; Deputy Director of Clinical Affairs, Hollings Cancer Center; and holds the Alice Ruth Reeves Folk Endowed Chair of Clinical Oncology. She served as the Director, Hollings Cancer Center from 2000–2004. Her research interests include basic and clinical research in lung cancer and esophageal cancer. She has led national clinical trials in these areas, most recently through the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group (ACOSOG) as Vice Chair of the Thoracic Committee.

She is a member of numerous scientific and medical societies and has provided dynamic leadership to a number of national and international professional associations. She has been Chair of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery from 2005-2007. She was President of the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association in 2007 and is Treasurer of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.