Techniques in Minimally Invasive Surgery

Marco G. Patti, MD is a Professor of Medicine and Surgery at the University of North Carolina. He graduated from the University of Catania, Italy, and completed a research fellowship and residency in general surgery at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). He did a fellowship in esophageal cancer at the Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong. He served as faculty at UCSF for 14 years and at the University of Chicago for 8 years. Between 2016 and 2020 he worked at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill as Professor of Medicine and Surgery and Co-Director of the Center of Esophageal Diseases and Swallowing

Amer H. Zureikat, MD is Associate Professor of Surgery and Chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr Zureikat also holds the UPMC Clinical Chair in the Department of Surgery. He received his medical degree from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, did his general surgery training at the University of Chicago Medical Center and went on to complete a fellowship in complex surgical oncology at the University of Pittsburgh/UPMC. Dr Zureikat joined the faculty at UPMC in 2010 and his clinical and academic interests are in hepatopancreatobiliary diseases and minimally invasive robotic surgery.

Alessandro Fichera earned his M.D. from the Catholic University of Rome, completed General Surgery Residency at the University of Chicago and two year fellowship in laparoscopic and colorectal surgery at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York. In September 2019 he became the Division Chief of Colorectal Surgery at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas and the Surgery Safety and Quality Officer since July 2020. His clinical and research interest include colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease.

Francisco Schlottmann, MD MPH received his medical degree with honors at the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina. He then completed his general surgery residency at the Hospital Alemán of Buenos Aires. After his surgical training, Dr. Schlottmann completed the Soudavar fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, focusing his research on esophageal cancer. He then did a 2-year gastrointestinal surgery fellowship at the University of North Carolina. Dr. Schlottmann obtained his Master of Public Health at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health. He currently serves as an Affiliate Professor of Surgery at the Hospital Alemán of Buenos Aires with an active clinical and research interest in benign esophageal disorders, obesity, gastric cancer, and esophageal cancer.