Moderator
Tanaz Ferzandi, MD, MBA, MA, FACS
Dr. Tanaz R. Ferzandi is the director of Urogynecology and Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles; Associate Fellowship Program Director for Urogynecology, and Service Line Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Keck Hospital of USC. She is an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at USC. She is fellowship trained and board certified in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery and in Obstetrics and Gynecology, having completed her residency and fellowship at Beth Israel Deaconess/Harvard Medical School in Boston. She is a national board examiner for the general gynecology boards and the urogynecology subspecialty board exams. Dr. Ferzandi is a reviewer for the Obstetrics & Gynecology Journal (the Green Journal). She also served as Director-at-Large on the American Urogynecologic Society Board of Directors, as Council Chair for Practice Management, oversaw the Coding and Reimbursement Committee and the Payment Reform Committee. Among her many interests, she is passionate about gender equity in the surgical subspecialties and working to promote clinical care at all levels to ensure physicians have strong women in the field as role models. She currently serves as co-chair of the Salary Equity sub-committee within the Center for Gender equity in Medicine and Science at Keck School of Medicine of USC.
Previously, Dr. Ferzandi was Director of Urogynecology and Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery and served as President of the Medical staff at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. Dr. Ferzandi obtained her MD and MS in Cell Biology and Anatomy from University of Kanas School of Medicine and her MBA from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. Dr. Ferzandi is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and serves on the Women in Surgery Committee and served as the International Subcommittee Chair.
Panelists
Asmaa Al-Rashed, MD, FACS, FRCSC
Dr. Asmaa Al-Rashed is a general and a bariatric surgeon in the department of surgery and an intensivist in the department of critical care and anesthesia in Al-Amiri Hospital in Kuwait and Neocare Medical Center. She is also the assistant program director of the Surgical Foundations Program in Kuwait Institute for Medical Specialization (KIMS), a clinical tutor, and a lecturer for three postgraduate programs: the Kuwaiti Boards of Surgery, Critical Care, and PharmaD with a research and clinical focus on the standardization of the care of patients with obesity and bariatric and metabolic surgery. Dr. Al-Rashed is a fierce advocate for empowering women in surgery, she is the founder and the chair of the Women Surgeons Committee (WSC) in the Kuwait Association of Surgeons and has championed the historical documentation and led many activities in tackling gender equity in surgery in the Gulf and the Middle East among many other accomplishments. Additionally, she is a co-founder of the Women Surgeons of Kuwait Research Network (WSKRN) that has encouraged and created research opportunities for many surgeons, physicians, and students. Under her leadership, the WSKRN has spearheaded the production of clinical guidelines during the COVID-19 crisis and conducted research, educational, and learning activities.
She received her training in general surgery at McGill University, Montreal, Canada, with board certification in general surgery. She completed a critical care fellowship at McGill University and a laparoscopic bariatric and metabolic surgery fellowship in Laval University, Quebec City, Canada. Dr. Al-Rashed is a a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada.
Sandra L. Wong, MD, MS, FSSO, FACS, FASCO
Dr. Sandra L. Wong is the William N. and Bessie Allyn Professor of Surgery and chair of the department of Surgery at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth University, NH. She is a surgical oncologist and health services researcher with a long record of funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the American Cancer Society. Dr. Wong has published more than 270 manuscripts and book chapters. Dr. Wong serves as an Associate Editor for Annals of Surgery and the World Journal of Surgery, and as a Deputy Editor for Annals of Surgical Oncology. She is passionate about the education and mentorship of surgeon-scientists and has been honored with numerous medical student and resident teaching awards.
Dr. Wong is a past president of the Society of University Surgeons and Society of Surgical Chairs; she is the president-elect of the Society of Surgical Oncology.
Hosted by the American College of Surgeons International Relations Committee and the Women in Surgery Committee.
Hosted by the American College of Surgeons International Relations Committee and the Women in Surgery Committee.
