J U N E 2 0 1 5 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 2 3
S
harona Ross, MD, FACS, director of surgical
endoscopy and director of the advanced GI
and HPB fellowship program at Florida
Hospital Tampa, is one of the nation's foremost gen-
eral surgeons. She's also perhaps one of the most
compassionate. During her talk "From Surgeon to
Patient: My Time on the Table," Dr. Ross will dis-
cuss the career-altering insights she realized by
experiencing surgery from the other side of the
scalpel.
• After the phone call. It took me a while to grasp what
the abnormal biopsy results meant, that I was facing
surgery. I called my doctor back and said, "Let's do
this." He scheduled me as soon as practical.
Ironically, the next week I was scheduled to go on
our first family vacation in years. What would my
children say? The trip was cancelled and, with my
clinic and surgery schedule already clear, I was
instantly transformed from a surgeon into a patient.
I tried to hold back the tears, but couldn't. That first
night was very difficult for me. As a surgeon, I knew
too much about my condition. I knew the entire
The Surgeon Who
Became a Patient
You'll be more compassionate if
your perspective on surgery changes.
Speaker Profile
• Born and raised in Israel, where
she joined the army right after
high school.
• Learned English as she pursued
her undergraduate degree at
American University in
Washington, D.C.
• One of the earliest adopters of
single-site abdominal surgery and
robotic complex abdominal opera-
tions, she continues to advance
minimally invasive techniques.
Sharona Ross, MD, FACS