Dr. Laurel L. Humphrey is an Assistant Professor in the Division of MIS/Foregut Surgery in the Department of Surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). Prior to practicing at UTMB Dr. Humphrey was in private practice in General Surgery and Endoscopy in Dallas, Crockett, and La Grange, Texas.

Dr. Humphrey earned her Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas. Her residency in General Surgery was completed at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine in New Orleans, Louisiana. She received her Doctorate of Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas.

Dr. Humphrey has been a part of scientific societies such as the Brazoria County Medical Society, Colorado-Fayette County Medical Society, Tarrant County Medical Society and membership in the Texas Medical Association and the American College of Surgeons.

Dr. Humphrey's specialties include endoscopy, breast and colon cancer, thyroid, hernia repair, gall bladder, appendectomy, and emergency surgery.

Dr. Uma R. Phatak is an Assistant Professor and Section Chief of Colon and Rectal Surgery in the Department of Surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas. She is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery.

Dr. Phatak obtained her medical degree at New Jersey Medical School in Newark, New Jersey, in 2009. She went on to begin her general surgery resident training at the University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHSC) in Houston, Texas, in 2009.

After her second year of residency in 2011, Dr. Phatak was accepted to be a clinical research fellow in the Center for Surgical Trials and Evidence-Based Practice at UTHSC. Upon completing her fellowship in 2013, she earned her Master of Science in Clinical Research from UTHSC. She then continued her general surgery resident training at UTHSC, which she completed in 2016. She did a fellowship in Colon and Rectal Surgery at the University of Massachusetts in Worcester, Massachusetts, from 2016-2017.

In 2017, Dr. Phatak became an Assistant Professor in Colon and Rectal Surgery at Boston University Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. A year later, she became the Clerkship Site Director for MS3 Colorectal Surgery Rotation where she taught medical students.

Dr. Phatak joined UTMB in 2020. She is a member of several national scientific societies in surgery, has authored over 15 peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals and three book chapters, and is a journal reviewer for three scientific journals.

Mr. Davis, a Southeast Houston native, graduated from Baylor University in Waco, Texas with a Bachelor’s degree in Medical Humanities. He returned to his hometown of Deer Park and taught high school Biology and Anatomy before continuing his medical education. Reagan then obtained his Master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston in 2018, where he served as class Vice President. Mr. Davis began his medical career as a PA here at UTMB and sees both adult and pediatric patients for General ENT disorders, with a specialty interest in head and neck cancers and myofascial pain. He remains passionate about education and enjoys teaching rotating clinical students as well as providing lectures to didactic students. During his free time, Mr. Davis enjoys cooking, reading, traveling, and going on walks with his wife and newborn daughter, and their dog, Oliver.

Dr. H. Colleen Silva is currently a Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch where she also attended medical school and completed an internship in General Surgery. She completed her residency in General Surgery at Columbus Hospital, an affiliate of Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois and her fellowship in Surgical Oncology at The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Dr. Silva is Director of Breast Health and Medical Director at the UTMB Health Breast Health and Imaging Center. Dr. Silva's special and research interests include the treatment of breast disease and breast cancer.

Dr. Silva has received awards and honors, which include Houstonia Magazine Top Doctors and an American Cancer Society Physician Award for Outstanding Cancer Care. She is author or co-author of various publications and abstracts in several medical journals specializing in cancers.

Dr. Ruth L. Bush is a professor of vascular surgery and the Associate Dean for Educational Affairs at the John Sealy School of Medicine-UTMB. She is board certified in both general and vascular surgery. She has over two decades of experience in vascular surgery and undergraduate (UME) and graduate medical education (GME). Prior to joining the faculty at UTMB, she was the founding Associate Dean for Medical Education and Professor at the University of Houston College of Medicine. She has also held leadership roles at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas A&M College of Medicine where she was the former Vice Dean for Academic Affairs, holding tenured professor rank at both institutions.

A native North Carolinian, Dr. Bush graduated from R.J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, medical degree from University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine, juris doctorate from William Taft Law School, and masters in public health from UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Dr. Bush completed residency at the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, CA where she also spent an additional two years doing vascular surgery research. Following completion of general surgery residency, she completed a vascular surgery fellowship at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, GA. She practiced in the VA healthcare system for 18 years and recently retired from federal service. She also has practiced in private and academic settings. Over the past decade, her clinical practice has focused primarily on venous disorders including chronic venous insufficiency, venous ulcerations, and post-thrombotic syndrome.

She is a member of several prestigious professional organizations and was elected in 2018 to the American College of Surgeons Academy of Master Surgeon Educators. Additionally, the Society for Vascular Surgery and the American Venous Forum have awarded her Distinguished Fellow status. Dr. Bush is past president of the Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Society (formerly known as the PVSS) and is president-elect (2023) of the American Venous Forum. She is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Vascular Surgery – Venous and Lymphatic Disorders.

She has authored over 150 peer-reviewed articles, >35 book chapters, and is on the editorial board of several medical journals. Dr. Bush has been an invited speaker and led workshops/courses at more than 200 national and international programs. She also is involved with her community as a volunteer at Dress for Success Houston, as a member of the American Heart Association’s Circle of Red which promotes cardiovascular health in women, and as a global volunteer to Haiti providing much needed primary care and general surgical procedures. She is passionate about medical education at all levels, patient care and barriers to care, and studying and improving health disparities in venous care.

Throughout her career, Dr. Phillips has received a number of accolades. She has been included in the Best Doctors in America database, was listed in the Guide to America's Top Surgeons, was named a Texas "Top Doc" and has been listed in Super Doctors®. She was honored with the "Young at Heart" award from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons for her membership, and the Distinguished Service Award from the Plastic Surgery Foundation.

Linda G. Phillips, M.D., is the Truman G. Blocker, Jr., M.D. Distinguished Chair; Chief, Division of Plastic Surgery in the Department of Surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. She went to Medical School at the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Phillips also did her Residency at University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, at Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan (Plastic Surgery); and Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois (General Surgery). Dr. Phillips specializes in the healing of difficult wounds; body contouring after massive weight loss; reconstructive and aesthetic breast surgery; cosmetic facial and body contouring of all types. Dr. Phillips has Research Projects in Biology of surgical infection; use of pharmaceuticals to decrease postoperative nausea and vomiting; complications/outcomes in body contouring after massive weight loss.

Dr. Phillips is a member of 25 professional organizations, including the American Surgical Association, the Plastic Surgery Research Council, the American Society of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons, the Society of University Surgeons, the American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons, the American Association for Hand Surgery, the Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation, the American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons and the Singleton Surgical Society. She is a fellow of both the American Association of Plastic Surgeons and the American College of Surgeons. She has served as President or Chair of the Association of Women Surgeons, the Plastic Surgery Research Council, the Residency Review Committee for Plastic Surgery, the American Board of Plastic Surgery, the Plastic Surgery Foundation, the American Council of Academic Surgeons, and the Texas Society of Plastic Surgeons.

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Dr. Alexander Perez is a Professor of Surgery, Vice Chair of Quality for the Department of Surgery, Chief of the Division of Minimally Invasive and Foregut Surgery, the Surgical Director of the Sealy and Smith Laboratory for Surgical Training Assessment and Research at the University of Texas Medical Branch, and Adjunct Professor at the MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Dr. Perez was born in Bayonne, New Jersey. He completed his Research Fellowship and Internship in General Surgery at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School. He then did his Residency in General Surgery at Baystate Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine and his Fellowship in Endosurgery at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. Dr. Perez received his Medical Degree at the Bosque University Colombian Medical School in Bogota, Colombia.

Dr. Alexander Perez is board-certified in Surgery, fellowship-trained in Endosurgery and specializes in minimally invasive general and oncologic surgery - hernias, gallbladder, stomach, spleen, adrenal, and pancreas. He has authored over 30 publications in peer-reviewed journals and 10 book chapters in surgical textbooks. Dr. Perez has been honored with several awards for teaching and clinical work and is active in scientific organizations.

Dr. Ramón L. Zapata-Sirvent is an Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery in the Department of Surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas. He also serves as a Reconstructive Plastic Surgeon at Shriners Hospitals for Children®–Galveston (SHC).

Dr. Zapata-Sirvent earned his Doctor of Medicine in 1981 at the Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV) in Caracas, Venezuela. He then became a research fellow in burn research at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, Colorado, from 1982-1984. Then from 1984-1986, Dr. Zapata-Sirvent became a research fellow in surgical immunology at the University of California Medical Center (UCMC) in San Diego, California. He went on to complete his general surgery resident training at UCV from 1986-1989 and returned to UCMC as a research fellow in burn surgery research from 1990-1992. For the next three years, Dr. Zapata-Sirvent completed his residency in plastic and reconstructive surgery at UCV.

Upon completing his residency in 1995, Dr. Zapata-Sirvent remained at UCV as a Clinical Professor in the Plastic Surgery Training Program. Then from 1996-2016, he worked in private practice as a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon at the Centro Medico de Caracas in Venezuela. In 2016, Dr. Zapata-Sirvent became a clinical fellow in reconstructive and burn surgery at UTMB and then joined as a faculty member in 2017.

Dr. Zapata-Sirvent is a member of several national and international professional medical societies, including being a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and serves as an editorial board member and journal reviewer for numerous scientific journals. He has authored over 70 peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals and 75 books chapters in medical textbooks and has also served as an editor for 8 medical textbooks.

Dr. Konofaos is Professor of Plastic Surgery at the Division of Plastic Surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Dr. Konofaos received his MD degree in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Thessaloniki Greece. Dr Konofaos obtained the Greek Plastic Surgery Boards in 2010 and the European Board of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (EBOPRAS) in 2014. He completed a 2-year fellowship training in brachial plexus, facial paralysis and peripheral nerve reconstruction at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk Virginia. Dr Konofaos also completed fellowship training in Microsurgery (1 year) and in Pediatric Plastic and Craniofacial Surgery (2 years) at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

Dr. Konofaos’ clinical practice focuses on peripheral nerve microsurgery (with emphasis on facial paralysis, brachial plexus, migraines and surgical treatment of pain) in pediatric plastic surgery and craniofacial surgery along with reconstructive microsurgery and facial aesthetics. Dr. Konofaos is a member of national and international Plastic Surgery associations and several Plastic Surgery committees related to Plastic Surgery research and education. Dr Konofaos serves on multiple editorial boards for plastic surgical journals, and he is actively involved in clinical research. Dr Konofaos has published over 130 peer-reviewed articles and co-edited several book chapters.

Dr. J. Patrick Walker is a Professor in the MIS/Foregut Surgery Division in the Department of Surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas. Dr. Walker holds the James C. Thompson, MD, Distinguished Chair in Surgery, is Vice Chair for Surgical Operations and is Surgical Director of Perioperative Services.

He completed his internship and residency at the University of Texas Medical Branch where he became Chief Resident. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology and his Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Walker earned his MD at the University of Texas Medical Branch.

Dr. Walker is a member of the Southern Surgical Association, the Texas Surgical Society, the Texas Medical Association, and the American College of Surgeons. He is a past Director of the American Board of Surgery and a current Governor of the American College of Surgeons. He has been honored with the Ashbel Smith Distinguished Alumni Award at the University of Texas Medical Branch and the Arthur Ellenberger Award from the American College of Surgeons.

Dr. Walker's special interests include surgical education, rural/community surgery, endoscopy, acute care surgery, evaluation of abdominal complaints, gall bladder disease, hernias, colorectal surgery and complex surgical problems.