Mark A. Talamini, MD, professor and chairman of the department of surgery at UC San Diego Medical Center has assumed the role of president of The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons, the largest professional organization of gastrointestinal surgeons in the United States and the leading international society for modern minimally invasive and endoscopic surgery.
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Mark Talamini, MD (right) assumes national role of president of The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons.
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As president of SAGES, Talamini will guide the 5,400-member association in fulfilling its mission of increasing training in laparoscopy and therapeutic endoscopy, evaluating emerging technologies, continuing to set the standards of practice in laparoscopy, fostering clinical and basic science research, and expanding educational activities in laparoscopy across the globe.
“Dr. Mark Talamini is a person of great integrity, character, and vision. He has spent his career as a surgical innovator and is a natural leader. SAGES will certainly increase its sphere of global influence under his capable direction,” said Steve Eubanks, MD, outgoing SAGES president, and professor and chair of the department of surgery at the University of Missouri.
Talamini and the UC San Diego Center for the Future of Surgery attracted global attention in 2008 for advancing Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES). Natural orifice surgery allows surgeons to remove diseased organs through a natural opening in the body, such as the mouth or vagina. By avoiding major incisions through the abdomen, patients may experience a quicker recovery with less pain while reducing the risk of post operative hernias. This year, Talamini’s surgical team was the first in the United States to remove a diseased appendix through a natural orifice.
Prior to UC San Diego Medical Center, Talamini was director of minimally invasive surgery at The Johns Hopkins Hospital from 1992 to 2004, where he pioneered new minimally invasive surgical techniques for abdominal diseases. Talamini was one of the first surgeons at Johns Hopkins to use robot-assisted laparoscopic techniques for general abdominal procedures such as gallbladder removal and treatment of gastroesophageal reflux.
About UC San Diego Health Sciences
UC San Diego Health Sciences encompasses the School of Medicine, the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and UCSD Medical Center – the system of patient services provided at UCSD Medical Center-Hillcrest; UCSD Thornton Hospital-La Jolla; Shiley Eye Center, and the Moores UCSD Cancer Center, one of 39 centers in the United States to hold a National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center. As a top-ranked academic medical institution, the role of UC San Diego Health Sciences is to consistently provide both local and global leadership in improving health through innovative research, education and patient care.
***Photos available upon request***
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Media Contact: Jackie Carr, 619-543-6163, jcarr@ucsd.edu