To improve health, advance science, and foster careers of African American and other underrepresented minority surgeons
To be the preeminent surgical organization and relevant voice in healthcare that:
Increases the number of black and underrepresented minority faculty in academic surgery
Cultivates development of surgical scientists
Promotes members to leadership positions in American and global surgery
Eliminates health disparities
The Society of Black Academic Surgeons recognizes that its members are its most valuable asset. These are the organization’s core values:
Excellence – We promote the highest level of scholarship in all clinical, scientific and educational endeavors
Mentorship – We cultivate an environment of mentorship and career development.
Advocacy – We advocate for the success of underrepresented minority surgeons and for healthcare equity of underserved patient populations
Community – We celebrate the importance of fellowship in achieving our mission
Dr. Elliot M. Jessie, MD, MBA, FACS is a highly accomplished general and trauma surgeon based at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans. Specializing in acute care surgery and surgical critical care, he currently serves as the Section Head of Acute Care Surgery at Ochsner. Dr. Jessie earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, graduating cum laude from Xavier University of Louisiana. He went on to receive his MD from Tulane University School of Medicine in 2002. Following medical school, he completed a General Surgery residency at National Naval Medical Center (Bethesda) in 2007, then pursued a fellowship in Trauma and Surgical Critical Care at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, University of Maryland, between 2008 and 2010. Around the same time, he earned an MBA from George Washington University. Dr. Jessie dedicated 21 years to active-duty service in the United States Navy, retiring with the rank of Captain in 2023. During his tenure, he held key leadership roles—including Chief of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery and Associate Program Director at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center—earning numerous awards for operative excellence and resident education. In 2023, Dr. Jessie transitioned from military medicine to academia by joining Ochsner's faculty. His clinical expertise encompasses general gastrointestinal and breast cancer surgery, advanced hernia repair (especially abdominal wall reconstruction), and the application of robotic techniques in acute care. He’s also deeply committed to surgical education for residents and students. He is board certified by the American Board of Surgery in both General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
Published
Jul 2025
Leah Backhus MD MPH FACS is the Thelma and Henry Doelger Professor in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Stanford University. She trained in general surgery at the University of Southern California and cardiothoracic surgery at the University of California Los Angeles. She practices at Stanford Hospital and is Chief of Thoracic Surgery at the VA Palo Alto. Her surgical practice consists of general thoracic surgery with special emphasis on thoracic oncology and minimally invasive surgical techniques. She heads up the Thoracic Surgical Health Services Research group in the Division of Thoracic Surgery, and has grant funding through the Veterans Affairs Administration with a VA Merit Award and is Co-PI on an NIH RO1 translational study examining diaphragm dysfunction among esophagectomy patients. She is a Charter Member Reviewer for Imaging Guided Interventions and Surgery (IGIS) study section in the NIH. Her current research interests are in cancer surveillance and survivorship care in evaluating needs, quality of life, and adherence to national standards of care. She is a member of the National Lung Cancer Roundtable of the American Cancer Society and has served as a professional member of the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Advisory Panel on Improving Healthcare Systems. She is a member of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery and sits on the Board of Directors of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS). As an educator, Dr. Backhus is the Associate Program Director for the Stanford Thoracic Track Residency program and prior Chair of the ACGME Review Committee for Thoracic Surgery. She is also the recipient of national awards in teaching by the Thoracic Surgery Residents Association and excellence in her field with the STS Extraordinary Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery Award.
Published
May 2025
Latifa Silski is an Associate Professor of Surgery at The University of Cincinnati. She also serves as the Surgical Clerkship for the College of Medicine. As a transplant surgeon, she is a passionate advocate for living organ donations, and access to ideal medical care with multidisciplinary care across specialties, hospital systems, and dialysis access centers. Her undergraduate educational journey started at Cuyahoga Community College and Case Western Reserve University. She has similarly broad work experience from a barista at Caribou Coffee through undergrad; to dancing as a guest artist with Anteaus Dance while pipetting stem cell aliquots as a lab manager. She completed her Medical Doctorate at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor then went on to do her General Surgery Residency and her Transplant Surgery Fellowship at the Ohio State University. Over the past six years at the University of Cincinnati, she has enjoyed being at the forefront of advancing and increasing organ utilization of medically complex organs from using Hep C and B discordant organs to recusing DCD organs via normothermic reperfusion techniques. She has participated in many of the UCCOM educational innovations and pilot projects. She enjoys the privilege of assisting students along their own pathways to professional satisfaction.
Published
Apr 2025
Kanenechukwu Ubesie, M.D., F.A.C.S., M.B.A, is a double board-certified Acute Care Surgeon with extensive leadership experience in clinical settings, program development, and education. She also holds expertise in operational management, strategic planning, and diversity initiatives. Dr. Ubesie specializes in surgical critical care, trauma surgery, general surgery, and burns/wound care. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry at the University of Texas in Austin (2003), Dr. Ubesie earned her medical degree at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (2007). After completing residency in general surgery at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Virginia (2014), she received advanced training in burn surgery and wound care through a fellowship at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center (2015). Dr. Ubesie later went on to complete an additional fellowship in surgical critical care at Albany Medical Center in New York (2018). After dedicating some time to practicing clinical medicine, Dr. Ubesie supplemented her knowledge in business by achieving an Executive Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business (2023). Certified in general surgery and surgical critical care by the American Board of Surgery, Dr. Ubesie joined the UT Southwestern Medical Center faculty in 2022 where she enjoyed serving as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery. She previously served at HCA Houston Healthcare Northwest as the Surgical Intensive Care Unit Co-Director, Vice-Chair of Surgery, and Chair of Surgery. Prior to serving at HCA Houston Healthcare Northwest, Dr. Ubesie was the only general surgeon in a multi-specialty hospital group at Dallas Medical Center in Addison, TX. At Dallas Medical Center, Dr. Ubesie successfully curated a general surgery clinic for the hospital from the ground up and served as Vice-Chair of Surgery. Dr. Ubesie’s most notable achievement is serving as the first Trauma Medical Director at Texas Health Resources Frisco, an affiliate hospital of UT Southwestern Medical Center. There, she orchestrated a team and resources to successfully acquire the first Level III Trauma designation in 2023. Texas Health Resources Frisco was recognized by the state as one of the best hospitals prepared for a trauma survey. In addition to her work in clinical medicine, Dr. Ubesie also serves on the general surgery core faculty of The Osler Institute. She has been invited to speak at numerous venues across the country on topics related to her areas of clinical interest in surgery and wellness. She has also spoken on diversity, equity, and inclusion in medicine. Her most influential audiences have been high school and college students. A fellow of the American Board of Surgery, Dr. Ubesie is also a member of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), the National Medical Association (NMA), and the Society of Black Academic Surgeons (SBAS). She has served on the Executive Board of SBAS for 2 years. She is also a recent member of the North Texas ACS chapter and looks forward to opportunities for increased involvement. Dr. Ubesie has been recognized by various organizations as a top physician including, Leading Physicians of the World, Patient Preferred Physicians and Practitioners, SuperDoctor, “Trauma Champion” at HCA Houston Northwest Hospital, and Boss Doctors’ “Most Influential Trauma Surgeon”. Outside of work, Dr. Ubesie enjoys attending church, public speaking, traveling, volunteering, music, and many types of fitness including cross-training, hiking, cycling, marathon running, swimming, skiing, and snowboarding.
Published
Mar 2025
September 18 - 21, 2025: Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
October 15 - 19, 2026: University of Kentucky, Lexington
September 16 - 19, 2027: University of Tennessee, Memphis
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