Research Syposium

Hasan Alam, MD
Loyal and Edith Davis Professor of Surgery
Chair, Department of Surgery, Northwestern University 

Hasan Alam, MD, is the Loyal and Edith Davis Professor of Surgery, and Chair of the Department of Surgery at Northwestern University. Dr. Alam is an Acute Care Surgeon who is certified by the American Board of Surgery in General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care.

With over 20 years as a physician-scientist, Dr. Alam has gained international recognition as a trauma and general surgeon. His clinical interests revolve around the areas of trauma, emergency general surgery and surgical critical care. Dr. Alam has established himself as an exceptional investigator. His research interests are in the areas of novel resuscitation strategies, hemorrhage control, modulation of cell protective strategies, consequences of septic shock, and traumatic brain injury. Dr. Alam is currently involved in multiple clinical trials, several of which he is the principal investigator. In addition, his research is funded by large federal grants including the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Defense. Dr. Alam has also earned numerous awards for excellence in teaching and research, and holds numerous patents as an inventor.

Stephanie Worrell, MD, FACS
Section Chief, Thoracic Surgery
Clinical Associate Professor,  Surgery
Associate Program Director, General Surgery Residency

Stephanie Worrell, MD, is clinical associate professor and thoracic section chief in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery.

Prior to joining the University of Arizona, Dr. Worrell held the titles of assistant professor of surgery, associate program director of the Thoracic Surgery Fellowship and chair of the Robotic Steering Committee at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University, where she received the Mary Hellerstein Junior Faculty Development Award and was selected for FLEX IX Leadership Program.

Dr. Worrell completed her fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Michigan and her residency in general surgery at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. While at USC, Dr. Worrell worked as an esophageal research fellow and was awarded administrative chief resident of the year. She also received the Best Teacher-Chief Resident Award and the most Outstanding Scholar Award from USC's Department of Surgery. She received her Medical Degree from the Creighton University School of Medicine.

Dr. Worrell is active nationally in many societies and holds numerous leadership positions. She is the mentorship chair for the Women in Thoracic Surgery organization, chair of the esophageal cancer guidelines through the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and member of the workforce on evidence-based guidelines and the workforce of the annual meeting.

She has published many peer-reviewed articles on thoracic surgery, with a focus on outcomes and treatments for esophageal and lung cancer, and she is currently an associate editor of the Foregut Journal and section editor for the Society of Thoracic Surgeons learn curriculum. Dr. Worrell is board certified in both thoracic and general surgery.

Jason Wertheim, MD, PHD, FACS​
Vice Dean, Research and Graduate Studies
Professor, Surgery
Professor, Biomedical Engineering

Jason Wertheim, MD, PHD, FACS, joined the University of Arizona from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, where he served as vice chair for research in the Department of Surgery and associate director of the MD-PhD program. Dr. Wertheim’s NIH- and VA-funded laboratory investigates new methods to bioengineer liver and kidney tissue as a future solution to organ shortage in transplantation.

Dr. Wertheim holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He obtained a doctoral degree in bioengineering and a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his clinical training in general surgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital and a transplant surgery fellowship at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Dr. Wertheim was awarded the highly coveted Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers in 2019.