The UAB Department of Surgery was represented at the recent annual meeting for the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), which was held in Long Beach, California.

Gina Kim, M.D., a fellow in the Advanced Bariatric and Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship, presented her project “Patients’ perceptions of bariatric surgery in the Deep South: The impact of health literacy.”

Three residents in the UAB General Surgery Residency Program also presented. Eunise Chen, M.D., gave a video presentation on “Dilation of duodenal stenosis through gastrostomy tube tract in a patient with Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.” Connie Shao, M.D., also delivered a video presentation on “Robotic repair of subxiphoid hernia.” Kaitlin Burge, M.D., MBA, spoke during a poster presentation session on “Differences in the occurrence of GERD by sex following POEM.”

Department of Surgery faculty members Abhishek Parmar, M.D., associate professor in the Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery, and Lauren Tanner, M.D., associate professor in the Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, also gave talks on emergency treatment of hernias, surgical ergonomics, robotic hernia surgery, and more.

“I’m proud of our trainees in the department for having a strong showing at SAGES this year,” Parmar said. “SAGES is the preeminent meeting in the world for minimally invasive surgery, including advances in laparoscopic, robotic, and endoscopic therapies. I'm glad they had an opportunity to showcase their research and at the same time experience what I think is a remarkable educational experience.”

Preparing for the 2026 SAGES Annual Meeting

The 2026 SAGES Annual Meeting is in Tampa next spring. The deadline for abstract submission is in September. Residents interested in participating in a research project for submission are encouraged to reach out to MIS faculty.