Department of Surgery welcomes eight new faculty members this fall

The Department of Surgery has new faculty members starting in eight different divisions this fall.

The Division of Breast, Endocrine, and Soft Tissue Surgery is welcoming Emily Siegel, MD. Dr. Siegel received her MD from USC. She completed her residency in general surgery at Cedars-Sinai, followed by a fellowship in breast surgical oncology at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. 

The Division of Cardiac Surgery has recruited medical geneticist Bridget Fernandez, MD, MS, to join the USC Genetic Aortic and Related Disorders (GARD) Center.  Dr. Fernandez received her MD and her MS in Clinical Epidemology from the Memorial University of Newfoundland. She taught Disciplines of Genetics and Medicine at Memorial University of Newfoundland from 1999 to 2021.

The Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is pleased to announce the new faculty member Roberto Travieso, MD, an expert in complex gender affirmation procedures. Dr. Travieso received his MD from Duke University School of Medicine and served a fellowship in microsurgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. After completing a fellowship in complex gender surgery at Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Travieso is returning to USC to serve as the Surgical Director of Keck Medicine’s new Gender Affirming Care program, which is launching to offer better care to the historically underserved transgender population.

The Division of Thoracic Surgery welcomes Takashi Harano, MD, an expert in lung transplantation and minimally invasive lung surgery. Dr. Harano previously served in the University of Pittsburgh’s Lung Transplant and Lung Failure Program. Dr. Harano received his MD from the Kumamoto University School of Medicine and served Thoracic Surgery fellowships at Toranomon Hospital in Toyo, Japan and Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Stuart Abel joins the Division of Upper GI and General Surgery after completing a fellowship in minimally invasive, foregut, and bariatric surgery at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Abel Received his MD from Rush University Medical College in Chicago.

Erik Noren, MD, was an outstanding Colorectal Surgery fellow and has accepted a position as an attending surgeon this September. Another exceptional fellow who has been recognized with a faculty position is Emily Switzer, MD, who joins the division of Trauma, Emergency Surgery, and Surgical Critical Care. Nava Mohammadi, DPM, joins the Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy’s successful Podiatric Medicine and Surgical Wound Care program after completing fellowship training with the division earlier this year.