General Surgery
MD, MS, FACS, Professor, Division Director, Division Of Acute Care Surgery, Interim Division Director, Immunology & Organ Transplantation and Jack H. Mayfield, MD Chair in Surgery, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center, USA
High-achiever Lillian Kao was born in Chicago, and raised in the city’s suburbs. She was recently president of the Association for Academic Surgery, a society which promotes the development of young academic surgeons through courses on surgical research and career development, research awards, and early opportunities for leadership.
After completing a seven-year undergraduate and medical school program at the University of Michigan, Lillian did her residency at the University of Washington.
The focus of her research is to improve disparities of care. “I have found that the key is to align your clinical work with your research in order to be the best surgeon you can be. You’ve also go to know yourself, and recognize your strengths and limitations.”
In her free time, Lillian likes kickboxing with her trainer because “nobody hits me back!”. She also enjoys going to the dog park with her half-lab, half border collie, Jude. Growing up, she studied piano and violin.
Selected publications from PubMed
A Recipe for a Continuous Quality Improvement Program in Surgical Residency.
Sutyak KM, Fisher T, Kim DH, Wandling MW, Kawaguchi AL, Adams SD, Kao LS, Lally KP, Saunders TE
J Surg Educ. 2025 Sep;82(9):103589 doi: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2025.103589.
Equity Landscape in Healthcare Quality: A Mixed-Methods Study of Efforts Within Surgical Quality Programs.
Liu JK, Collins CE, Moturu A, Pollitt K, Kao LS, Mason BS, Nathens A, Ko CY
J Am Coll Surg. 2025 Aug 1;241(2):220-229 doi: 10.1097/XCS.0000000000001254.
Moving from prognostication to prevention of SSIs in LMICs.
Martinez Ugarte S, Fajemisin MO, Kao LS
Trauma Surg Acute Care Open. 2025;10(3):e001946 doi: 10.1136/tsaco-2025-001946.
Hernia Recurrence Risk Matters More Than Mesh Type to Patients Undergoing Ventral Hernia Repair.
Martinez Ugarte S, Fajemisin MO, Guy-Frank CJ, Ferguson DM, Stulberg JJ, Kao LS, Holihan JL
J Surg Res. 2025 Jul;311:212-220 doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2025.04.028.
Taking action to achieve health equity and eliminate healthcare disparities within acute care surgery.
McCrum ML, Zakrison TL, Knowlton LM, Bruns B, Kao LS, Joseph KA, Berry C
Trauma Surg Acute Care Open. 2024;9(1):e001494 doi: 10.1136/tsaco-2024-001494.
It has been well demonstrated that quality correlates with outcomes. Defining and measuring quality outcomes requires meticulous data capture and ideally external data verification. Since its inception in 1913, the American College of Surgeons (ACS) has introduced numerous quality programs. This panel of surgical leaders will discuss the significant value of various ACS quality programs and explain the initiatives designed to ensure access to these programs for all patients.
With American College of Surgeons
Published
Oct 2024
Diversity in Surgery, Inclusion is a Choice (and it's about belonging) and Justice
With American College of Surgeons
Published
Sep 2023
Despite significant improvements in trauma care over the past few decades, inequities persist which prevent all patients from achieving the best possible outcomes. In this program sponsored by the American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Trauma (ACS-COT), we will explore the history and current state of disparities and inequities by race and ethnicity in the United States, the challenges in optimizing outcomes among older adults, international variation in both injury burden and post-injury outcomes, and the role of intersectionality in understanding and addressing health inequities. We will then discuss the role of addressing social determinants of health in optimizing outcomes and reducing inequities among trauma survivors. We will also discuss best practices in researching both inequities in trauma care as well as interventions to mitigate disparities. Finally, we will explore policy interventions that improve health insurance coverage, reduce financial toxicity, and address unmet social health needs in order to achieve more equitable outcomes.
With Johnson & Johnson MedTech
Published
Apr 2023
Welcome and Introduction – Dr. Steven D. Wexner (USA) and Dr. Tracy Wang (USA)Implicit Bias and the Model-Minority Myth – Dr. Tracy Wang (USA)Mentorship and Sponsorship from residency to retirement – Dr. Anai Kothari (USA) and Dr. Jennifer Tseng (USA)Allyship and Advocacy by Affinity Societies – Dr. Kasper Wang (USA) and Dr. Susan Tsai (USA)Addressing health care disparities among Asian Americans – Dr. Lillian Kao (USA)Addressing racial disparities by Research design – Dr. Ankush Gosain (USA)Developing diversity in national and international surgical leadership – Dr. Quan-Yang Duh (USA)Discussion –All faculty moderated by Dr. Eugene Kim (USA) and Dr. Allan Tsung (USA)
Published
Sep 2021
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