I am excited about the opportunity to let you know a little bit about myself and the unique credentials and experience I possess that allow me to offer the highest standard of care to all women who entrust me with their gynecologic health.
I am a native Texan and completed my undergraduate and master’s degrees at Baylor University. I completed medical school at Ross University and my residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago, IL. I was then honored to be accepted by Dr. C.Y. Liu into his highly competitive fellowship program in Advanced Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery in Chattanooga, TN.
Upon graduation from fellowship, I joined Dr. Liu in private practice at Chattanooga Women’s Laser Center (now Women’s Surgery and Aesthetic Center) and continued my interest in academic medicine as Co-Director of the MIGS Fellowship Program in Chattanooga. I was blessed and honored to be able to train and work with Dr. Liu as he is a true pioneer in the field of minimally invasive surgery. Upon Dr. Liu’s retirement from active practice in 2009, Dr. Stephen Rich and I took over Directorship of the MIGS Fellowship Program and affiliated the Fellowship with the University of Tennessee College of Medicine to enhance the academic aspects of the program.
I am board-certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a Fellow in good-standing of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. I serve as Director of the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists (AAGL) Fellowship in Advanced Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery in Chattanooga. Our Fellowship was the first of its kind in the world and is fully accredited by the AAGL.
Over the last several years, I have continued the pioneering spirit of Dr. Liu in order to advance women’s healthcare and minimally invasive surgery. In 2006, I was one the first gynecologists in the State of Tennessee to be certified in robotic surgery. By 2009, I was pushing the surgical envelope in minimally invasive surgery by performing the first single-incision robotic hysterectomy in the state of Tennessee. I have continued to advance and promote this technology and am now able to offer surgical management of complicated endometriosis and pelvic floor reconstructive procedures through a single incision in the belly button.
Surgical expertise is important, but it is worthless if it is not promoted and passed down to others. Therefore, I am committed to training gynecologists in our methods both nationally and internationally. I have authored and co-authored chapters in textbooks on minimally invasive surgery not only in the United States, but in Europe, Central America and the Middle East. I have been asked to participate as a guest lecturer and surgeon on numerous occasions in the United States, China and Russia. As Division Director of Minimally Invasive Surgery for the Department of OB/GYN at the University of Tennessee, I have the distinct honor to serve as a mentor to Ob/Gyn Residents and our Fellows, and oversee numerous research projects in minimally surgery and women’s health.
My patients are the true benefactors of this continuum of learning. By participating in academic endeavors and collaborating with experts in women’s health and minimally invasive surgery around the world on a daily basis, I am able to offer my patients the highest standard of care, cutting edge technology and advances in surgical techniques before they are even presented to the general Ob/Gyn community. I look forward to any opportunity to apply my experience and knowledge with all women who may have the most complicated cases that require expertise in gynecologic healthcare and surgical management.