James R. Korndorffer Jr., M.D.

James R. Korndorffer Jr., M.D., MHPE, FACS, leads Dell Medical School’s continuum of medical education to train the next generation of physicians and health care professionals. In addition, he leads efforts across The University of Texas at Austin and The University of Texas System to support interprofessional education, curricular innovation, research and other learning activities.

Korndorffer graduated cum laude from Tulane University with an undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering. He received his medical degree from the University of South Florida College of Medicine. He completed his general surgery internship and residency at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he received the award for best resident teacher.

With a strong interest in teaching, Korndorffer left a successful private practice after eight years and joined the faculty at Tulane University School of Medicine as a fellow in minimally invasive surgery and as an instructor. He became an associate professor of surgery in 2005 and professor in 2010. He served in numerous leadership roles at Tulane, including vice chair of the surgery department from 2012 to 2017, program director for the surgical residency from 2006 to 2017, assistant dean for graduate medical education and founding medical director for the Tulane Center for Advance Medical Simulation. As program director for surgical residency, he was responsible for redesigning the educational experience after the catastrophic events of Hurricane Katrina. Continuing his passion for education, Korndorffer completed his Master of Health Professions Education at the University of Illinois Chicago while working full time at Tulane.

Korndorffer joined Stanford School of Medicine’s Department of Surgery as the inaugural vice chair for education in 2017. He assumed additional leadership responsibilities within the department, including director of the Goodman Surgical Simulation Center and the surgical education fellowship program. He had the opportunity to create and direct several novel educational programs, including the Scholarly Concentration in Surgery and the required courses for the concentration. Korndorffer also served as the designated institutional official for several non-Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited fellowships. He also became a medical school faculty senator, a specialty career advisor and a member of the Committee on Curriculum and Academic Policy.

He is active in numerous societies, including the American Board of Surgery as a member of the Surgical Council on Resident Education editorial board, the Entrustable Professional Activities revision workgroup and Entrustable Professional Activities writing group. He served as the inaugural chair of the research division for the Association for Program Directors in Surgery and inaugural co-chair of the education council for the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons. He also serves on the board of governors for the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons. He has served the American College of Surgeons in numerous capacities, including the ACS-AEI Program as a recorder, program chair, research committee chair and as a member of the faculty development committee. He was an associate editor for the Journal of Surgical Education and was recently inducted in the Academy of Master Surgeon Educators.

Korndorffer’s clinical interests include minimally invasive surgery for gastrointestinal disorders and hernias. His research interests include medical education, medical simulation, patient safety and patient care quality. He was one of the early adopters of using simulation for surgical training and has been actively involved in surgical education research since 2003. He is currently involved in investigating the role simulation education has in patient quality and health care system safety.

Korndorffer has published over 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals as well as 10 book chapters, and he has held over 150 presentations at national and international meetings.