The Division of Minimally Invasive Surgery within the Department of Surgery and Perioperative Care provides comprehensive management of hernias, gallbladder disease, benign and malignant colorectal problems, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), hiatal hernias, surgical management of endocrine disorders (thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal disorders) and soft tissue masses.
The majority of operations on this service are performed either robotically or with advanced laparoscopic and endoscopic techniques.
Educational Programs
Division faculty contribute to the department’s educational mission through the following offerings.
Undergraduate Medical Education
Second-year Dell Medical School students complete an eight-week surgery clerkship to learn about the surgical patient through a combination of hands-on patient care, interactive instruction and simulation-based training workshops. Students rotate for four weeks with the Division of Acute Care Surgery team at Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas. The second portion of the clerkship allows students to choose a team to rotate with based on their interests, with a rotation in general surgery being one of the options. Kimberly Brown, M.D., FACS, serves as the clerkship director alongside associate clerkship director Jayson Aydelotte, M.D., FACS.
The division hosts an opportunity for an acting internship in general surgery for fourth-year medical students preparing to enter residency. The four-week rotations include increased responsibility with the care team. This provides the student with excellent exposure to a variety of robotic, advanced laparoscopic and open procedures.
The division also accepts applications from fourth-year medical students from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education to apply for the acting internship in general surgery. See information for visiting students, including a list of all available acting internships.
Graduate Medical Education
The division is proud to partner with faculty throughout the department in offering a five-year General Surgery Residency. The residency offers three categorical and three preliminary positions per year and has a special focus on value-based care and patient-centered health care delivery. Residents also complete a Foundations in Care Transformation training, which emphasizes value-based care, quality improvement, equity, leadership and other key competencies in health systems science. The foundational training is part of Dell Med’s signature graduate medical education curriculum, Advancing Care Transformation.
Clinical Programs
Division faculty are part of the care team of the Heartburn and Esophageal Disorders Center at UT Health Austin. The center focuses on the treatment of conditions of the foregut, taking a multidisciplinary approach to treating GERD, achalasia, Barrett’s esophagus, complex hiatal hernias and other esophageal disorders.
Research
Research areas of interest include new approaches in the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux; hiatal hernia repair; outcomes of anti-reflux surgery, including psychosocial factors affecting outcomes; and diagnostic technologies for Barrett’s esophagus. Division faculty collaborate on industry and investigator-initiated multicenter clinical trials and participate in national databases such as ROARS (National Registry of Outcomes of Anti-Reflux Surgery).
Do you want to connect or learn more about the team’s work? Explore Dell Med’s Research Networking System for information on faculty members’ research areas of interest and publications.
Events
The division offers Surgery Grand Rounds monthly on the second Thursday of the month as well as a Surgical Endocrine Conference on the third Friday of the month. The division partners with the department to host faculty development events and continuing medical education offerings.