Surgical Critical Care Fellowship Faculty
Ramon F. Cestero, M.D., MBA, FACS, FCCM
Associate Professor / Clinical
Program Director, Surgical Critical Care Fellowship
Program Director, Executive Development Program
Program Director, Executive Health EMBA Program
Medical Director, Surgical Trauma Intensive Care Unit
Biosketch
Dr. Cestero received his medical degree from the University of California, San Diego. He completed his general surgery residency at the University of California, San Francisco – East Bay in 2003, followed by fellowships in Trauma Surgery in 2009 and Surgical Critical Care in 2010 at Los Angeles County/University of Southern California. Dr. Cestero is board certified in both general surgery and surgical critical care. During his time at Los Angeles County/USC, Dr. Cestero was awarded two commendations from the County of Los Angeles for his efforts as team leader of the LAC/USC Haiti Trauma/Critical Care Task Force after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. From 2003 to 2013, Dr. Cestero served as an active duty Navy surgeon and served as Department Head, Combat Casualty Care Research at the US Naval Medical Research Unit in San Antonio. Throughout his Navy career, Dr. Cestero has completed multiple combat surgical deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan and served as the Chief of Trauma for the NATO Role 3 Combat Hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan in 2012. His military awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, and Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
Currently, he is an Associate Professor of Surgery at UT Health San Antonio, Medical Director of the Surgical/Trauma Intensive Care Unit, and Program Director of the Surgical Critical Care fellowship as well as the Trauma Surgery fellowship. Additionally, he is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons as well as the American College of Critical Care Medicine, and he is Vice Chair of the South Texas American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma. He is also the Program Director of the UT Heath San Antonio School of Medicine Executive Leadership Program, including the Executive MBA for Health Professionals and the Executive Development Program for Emerging Health Leaders. As the inventor of a novel surgical retractor and in coordination with UT Health San Antonio, he has successfully licensed the technology to a medical device company. His research interests include clinical trauma care, critical care diagnostics, surgical device development, and medical leadership and management.
John G. Myers, M.D.
Professor/Clinical
Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs, Department of Surgery
Biosketch
Dr. Myers received a BA in Biology (1986) and a Masters in Clinical Gerontology (1988) from Baylor University and his medical degree from UTHSCSA in 1992. He completed his General Surgery residency training at UT Health San Antonio in 1999, at which time he joined the faculty in the Trauma and Emergency Surgery Division. He completed a Surgical Critical Care fellowship in 2002 and is board certified in general surgery and surgical critical care. He is now the Division Chief of Trauma and Emergency Surgery. He is the Chief of Staff at University Hospital and serves on numerous other committees there as well as the Health Science Center. His current interests include trauma diagnostics, outcomes studies, process improvement and protocol development.
Brian J. Eastridge, M.D.
Professor/Clinical
Division Chief, Trauma & Emergency Surgery
Jocelyn and Joe Straus Endowed Chair in Trauma Research
Trauma Medical Director, University Hospital
Biosketch
COL Brian J. Eastridge, M.D., received his BS in biochemistry from Virginia Tech in 1985 and his MD from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1989. He entered the US Army Reserve as a second lieutenant Medical Service Corps officer in 1988. COL Eastridge did his residency in general surgery at the University of Maryland Medical System and then pursued fellowship training in surgical critical care at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX. During his tenure on the academic faculty at UTSW, COL Eastridge was deployed three times in support of combat operations Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom as a U.S Army Reserve surgeon in 2002, 2003, and 2004. During his deployment in 2004, he was appointed as the first Joint Theater Trauma System Director. COL Eastridge matriculated to active duty U.S Army in 2005 and served as Trauma Medical Director for the Brooke Army Medical Center, Surgical Critical Care Program Director for SAUSHEC, Director of the Joint Trauma System (U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research of the U.S. Army’s Medical Research and Material Command (MRMC), and Trauma Consultant to the US Army Surgeon General. During his active duty service, he was deployed two more times to combat in Southwest Asia during which time he lead the development and implementation of the military trauma system. During his career, COL Eastridge has published extensively in the peer reviewed the literature and edited three books focused upon improving the military trauma system and improving combat casualty care outcomes for our Wounded Warriors. COL Eastridge left active service and returned to the active US Army Reserves in late 2012 and is currently the DCCS of the 228th Combat Support Hospital.. His military awards and decorations include the Combat Medical Badge, Combat Action Badge, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the Joint Service Commendation Medal. He is a member of Order of Military Medical Merit. For his military service, he has been awarded the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Honorary Medal for Combat Surgical Care in 2004 and the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command Combat Casualty Care Program Award for Excellence in 2011
Currently, Dr. Eastridge is Professor of Surgery at the UT Health San Antonio and was appointed as the Trauma Medical Director of the University Health System in San Antonio, TX. He holds the Jocelyn and Joe Straus Endowed Chair in Trauma Research. His current research interests are currently focused on trauma system development, including the development of the regional trauma system performance improvement initiatives, predictive modeling of injury outcomes, and improved pre-hospital resuscitation strategies for casualties.
Donald H. Jenkins, M.D., FACS
Professor/Clinical
Vice Chair for Quality, Department of Surgery
Betty and Bob Kelso Distinguished Chair in
Burn and Trauma Surgery
Associate Deputy Director, Military Health Institute
Dr. Jenkins completed his undergraduate education at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry in 1984. He went on to attend and graduate from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He completed a general surgery internship at Wilford Hall U.S. Air Force Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. Following a three-year assignment, he returned to Wilford Hall and completed his general surgery residency in 1996. Following Wilford Hall, he then went to the University of Pennsylvania where he completed a trauma/critical care fellowship. Following his fellowship, Dr. Jenkins went on to serve as the Trauma Medical Director for the 59th Medical Wing at Lackland Air Force Base (Wilford Hall Medical Center). Dr. Jenkins served our country as an officer in the US Air Force from 1984-2008. He was the Trauma Medical Director at Wilford Hall Medical Center’s Level I trauma center. Following the attack on 9/11/2001, he became the principal architect of the Joint Trauma Theater Trauma System in Iraq and Afghanistan. In his service he was deployed five times, two as the Trauma Director of the Joint Trauma System in Iraq and Afghanistan. Colonel Jenkins was prominently and repeatedly honored by the US Air Force. He received almost every award that can be given to a physician by the US Air Force.
Dr. Jenkin’s work in the Joint Trauma Theater Trauma System dramatically improved the care of the wounded, coalition service men and women. This system also provided a great deal of care to wounded civilians in both countries. When the wars broke out in Afghanistan and Iraq the US Department of Defense had no trauma system in place, and many of the lessons of Vietnam were long forgotten. Dr. Jenkins and a small number of colleagues built, from the ground up, the most sophisticated and successful military trauma system in the history of warfare. It is not hyperbole to state that Don Jenkins personally got this system off the ground and then placed it on a trajectory that has saved thousands of lives. Dr. Jenkins experience, expertise and leadership style were absolutely critical to this endeavor.
In 2008, Dr. Jenkins left active duty to become the trauma medical director of the Mayo Clinic’s Level I trauma center. Dr. Jenkins expertise in trauma system development is evident throughout Minnesota. Before moving to San Antonio and joining our faculty, he effectively transformed the Minnesota Trauma System into one of the best trauma care systems in the world. Dr. Jenkins has a stellar national and international reputation. The Mayo Clinic is clearly one of the most recognized and respected medical organizations in the world. The reputation of the Mayo Clinic is remarkable for quality, expertise, commitment to the patient, and innovation. Dr. Jenkin’s reputation is remarkable for the same characteristics: quality, expertise, commitment to the patient, innovation and integrity. He has been president of the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (one of the three most prominent, academic trauma/acute care surgical societies in the country) and he currently serves on the Foundation Board of the organizations. He is the immediate past chair of the National Trauma Institute, where he was also a founding member. He served as Vice Chair of the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Committee and is Chair of the Southern Minnesota Regional Advisory Committee. He was president of the Society of Air Force Clinical Surgeons. He is on the editorial board of the American Journal of Disaster Medicine and serves as a reviewer for six other national peer reviewed journals. He is Chair of the American College of Surgeons Performance Improvement and Patient Safety Committee of the ACS Committee on Trauma. He has given many national and regional presentations in his field of study. He has published 86 peer reviewed publications, provided 5 invited editorials/commentaries, and published 15 book chapters.
In 2014, Dr. Jenkins was presented the highest honor that The American Legion can bestow, the Distinguished Service Medal, at their 96th National Convention. Some previous recipients of this award include Presidents Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George HW Bush, George W. Bush; Gen. Colin Powell; Drs. Michael E. Debakey and Howard Rusk; Senators Orin Hatch and Richard Lugar; and Henry Kissinger.
Lillian Liao, M.D., MPH
Assistant Professor/Clinical
Pediatric Trauma Medical Director
University Hospital Pediatric Trauma and Burn Director
Biosketch
Dr. Liao completed her undergraduate training in Economics with Honors from the University of Texas Austin where she was a member of the Dean’s Scholars Program. Her interest in how people make everyday life choices lead her to pursue graduate studies in Microeconomic theory and subsequently Health Economics where she earned a Master’s Degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center School of Public Health in Houston. Dr. Liao completed her medical training at the UT Health San Antonio in 2004 and her surgical residency in 2010. She pursued additional fellowship training in Trauma and Critical care and joined the Trauma Faculty at the Health Sciences Center in 2011. Dr. Liao is board certified in General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care. Her primary clinical and research interests are in vascular trauma, pediatric trauma and burn, and injury prevention/patient education. She is currently the Pediatric Trauma and Burn Director at University Hospital.
Ronald M. Stewart, M.D.
Professor and Chair, Department of Surgery
Jocelyn and Joe Straus Endowed Chair in Trauma Research
Biosketch
Dr. Stewart graduated from medical school and completed his surgical residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Following residency, he completed a two year Trauma and Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis.In 1993 he returned to San Antonio as the Director of the Trauma Service. Since 1996 Dr. Stewart has served as the Board Chair of the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council for Trauma. In 1999 he was awarded the Faculty Member of the Year Award from The University Health System. That same year he and the Shattered Dreams development team were awarded the Bronze Quill for writings on the award winning injury prevention program Shattered Dreams/D.E.A.D. (Drinking and Driving End All Dreams).
In May 2000, Governor George W. Bush appointed Dr. Stewart to the Governor’s Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Advisory Council where he has served since that time. He currently is the Vice Chair and the senior member of the Council. He served as the chair of the South Texas Chapter of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma for six years, and followed for another six years as the ACS COT Region VI Chief (Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana and Arkansas). He currently serves on the national ACS Committee on Trauma. Dr. Stewart was the recipient of the UTHSCSA Presidential Award for Clinical Excellence (2004), the Distinguished Alumnus of the UT Health San Antonio School of Medicine (2005) and the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award (2007). In 2013 he was the recipient of the National Safety Council Surgeon’s Award and the American College of Surgeon’s Arthur Ellenbarger Award for Excellence in State Advocacy. He has received multiple medical student and resident teaching awards.
He is a tenured Professor of Surgery and Anesthesia, and since 2008, he has served as the Chair of the Department of Surgery, holding the Dr. Witten B. Russ Chair in Surgery. He is the Southern Surgical Society’s representative to the American College of Surgeons Board of Governors. He is a member of the American Surgical Association, the President-Elect of the Southwestern Surgical Congress and the Secretary of the Texas Surgical Society.
Basil A. Pruitt, Jr., M.D.
Clinical Professor
Dr. Ferdinand P. Herff Chair in Surgery
Biosketch
Dr. Pruitt received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and received his medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine in 1957. He completed his residency at the US Army Surgical Research Unit at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, in 1964. During his tour of duty in Vietnam, Dr. Pruitt served as Chief of Professional Services at the 12th Evacuation Hospital and Chief of the Trauma Research Team. He returned to the US to serve as Commander and Director of the BAMC Burn Center for 27 years, after which he retired from the Medical Corps and joined the faculty of UT Health San Antonio. He has held the office of President of the American Burn Association, AAST, Surgical Infection Society, North American Burn Society, Halsted Society, Western Surgical Association, International Society for Burn Injuries, American Trauma Society, Southern Surgical Association, and American Surgical Association. He has also served as a member of the American Board of Surgery and the NIH Surgery, Anesthesiology and Trauma Study Section. He has authored and co-authored over 435 published papers, 162 textbook chapters, and 12 books and monographs. Currently, he is the Editor of the Journal of Trauma.
Harlan D. Root, M.D.
Clinical Professor
Biosketch
Dr. Root completed his undergraduate degree then his medical degree at Cornell Medical School in 1953 and his residency at the University of Minnesota in 1961. He joined the faculty of UT Health San Antonio in 1966 and is a founder of the Department of Surgery. His many offices at the University, each held for over 20 years, have included Emergency Center Medical Director, Trauma Director, Chief of Vascular Surgery, Surgical Residency Director and Deputy Surgery Chairman. During his career, he has been Governor-at-large from South Texas on the ACS Board of Governors, been a member of the ACS Committee on Trauma Verification Review, and served as President of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma. He is currently on the editorial board, Journal of Trauma; a national consultant to the ACS Verification Review Committee; and a reviewer for the American Journal of Surgery. He continues to take trauma call and serves as advisor and mentor to students, residents, fellows and faculty. His areas of research interest included angioscopy in vein preparation and repair, vascular problems and endothelial growth factor, trauma injury detection in trauma patients, and blood volume changes in the injured patient.
Daniel L. Dent, M.D.
Distinguished Teaching Professor,
General Surgery Residency Program Director, and
Professor of Surgery
Biosketch
Dr. Dent completed a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Duke University and obtained his medical degree at the University of South Florida. He subsequently completed his residency at the University of Tennessee in Memphis; his residency included an additional year of research in Trauma and Nutrition Support. He joined the faculty in 1996 and has received numerous teaching excellence awards. As a result of his commitment to surgical and medical education, he was named a Distinguished Teaching Professor. Dr. Dent’s research focus is in trauma, autotransfusion, surgical infection, and surgical education. He is the Program Director for the UT Health San Antonio Surgery Residency. He serves on the Board of Governors of the American College of Surgeons, the Executive Committee of the Association of Program Directors in Surgery, and the Editorial Board of the Journal of Surgical Education.
Deborah L. Mueller, M.D.
Associate Professor / Clinical
Biosketch
Dr. Mueller received her medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina and completed her residency training at Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. After completing a Critical Care Fellowship in 1998 at UT Southwestern, Dr. Mueller joined the faculty at Wilford Hall Medical Center. She has recently retired from the US Air Force, but while at Wilford Hall, Dr. Mueller held the positions of Medical Director of the Surgical Intensive Care Unit and Vice Chairman for the Department of General Surgery. Her research interests include blood transfusion, ventilator associated pneumonia, and end-of-life care.
Mark T. Muir, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Biosketch
Dr. Muir graduated with Honors in Chemical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin in 2000. He earned a medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas in 2006 and was elected to AOA. While in medical school, he completed a year-long Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellowship. He then completed a residency in general surgery at the UT Health San Antonio in 2013, during which time he spent two years as an NIH T32 research fellow and received a Master’s degree in Clinical Investigation (2010). His research fellowship resulted in a grant from the National Trauma Institute for a multicenter study of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in the ICU. He completed a fellowship in Surgical Critical Care at UT Health San Antonio in 2014, and subsequently joined the faculty as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Trauma and Emergency Surgery. He is board certified in General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care. Areas of interest include surgical nutrition, data utilization in the ICU, and the role of atypical bacterial pathogens in ventilator-associated pneumonia and ARDS.
Susannah Nicholson, M.D, MSCI
Assistant Professor/Research
Director, Research Operations
Biosketch
Dr. Nicholson earned a B.S. in Biology with Distinction at Duke University in 2000 where she graduated cum laude. She completed her medical degree at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in 2005 and her General Surgery residency in 2013. During her residency, she also completed a research fellowship, earned a Master’s degree in Clinical Investigation (UT Health San Antonio, 2009) and was awarded a NIH Loan Repayment Award for her research in the role of endogenous carbon monoxide and hemoperitoneum following trauma. She completed a fellowship in Surgical Critical Care at UTHSCSA in 2014 and is board certified in General Surgery. Dr. Nicholson’s current research focuses on the role of the innate immune system and inflammation in trauma patients. She was awarded a Mentored Research Career Development Award in Clinical & Translational Science in 2014 for her research evaluating the relationship between inflammation and intracellular components released into the circulation following cellular injury called Damage-associated molecular proteins (DAMPs) and patient outcome. Additionally, she has research interests in the microbiome of critically ill and injured patients, trauma systems, geriatric trauma, and pediatric trauma.
Christopher E. Crane, M.D.
Assistant Professor/Clinical
Email
Dr. Crane was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. He attended Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas where he was an all American swimmer, and he earned his BS with a dual major in Biology and Chemistry in 2002. After college, he lived and worked in Little Rock, Arkansas where he did multiple myeloma research at the Myeloma Institute for Research Therapy. He continued his education at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences where he received his MS in Anatomy and Neurodevelopmental Sciences. Dr. Crane attended medical school at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and earned his MD in 2010. He remained at UAMS where he completed his General Surgery Residency in June 2015. He then moved to San Antonio, Texas and completed the Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at the University of Texas Health Science Center in June 2016 and subsequently joined the faculty as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Trauma & Emergency Surgery.
Elizabeth P. Scherer, M.D., MPH
Assistant Professor/Clinical
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Dr. Scherer was born and raised in Austin, Texas. She attended Mount Holyoke College in Western Massachusetts where she earned a BA in Chemistry in 2004. She moved to New Haven, Connecticut following college where she attended Yale University School of Epidemiology and Public Health. She completed an internship between her first and second year at the Government Accountability Office in Washington, DC. In 2006, Dr. Scherer earned her MPH with a focus in Health Policy and Administration. She completed her basic science courses for medical school in College Station, Texas at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine. She had the opportunity to complete her clinical years at Scott & White in Temple and earned her MD in May of 2010. Dr. Scherer completed her General Surgery Residency at UT Health San Antonio in June 2015 after spending her last year as one of two peer-elected Administrative Chief Residents. Dr. Scherer completed the Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at the University of Texas Health Science Center in June 2016 and subsequently joined the faculty as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Trauma & Emergency Surgery.
Ashley C. McGinity, M.D.
Assistant Professor/Clinical
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Dr. McGinity is from Waco, Texas. She attended undergrad at Samford University and graduated with a degree in sports medicine in 2007. She attended medical school at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. She completed her general surgery residency at UT Health San Antonio in 2016 and was selected by her peers as one of two administrative chief residents for the year. Dr. McGinity has served in leadership roles within the general surgery department and at University Hospital. She has been actively involved in medical school education, graduate medical education committees and quality improvement at University Hospital and the VA. Dr. McGinity completed her Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at UT Health San Antonio in 2017 and subsequently joined the faculty as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Trauma & Emergency Surgery. She is happily married to her husband, Michael, who is a neurosurgery resident. She loves cooking, eating, traveling, snow skiing and playing golf.