September 2024 Faculty Promotions

Congratulations to the following Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine faculty on their recent appointment or promotion.

Associate Professor

Donald Hess, MD, Surgery, is a leader in bariatric surgery, quality improvement and resident education. He has been the chief of bariatric surgery since 2004 during which he has participated in many university research initiatives, including Dr. Noyan Gocke’s NIH-funded Inflammation and Vascular Dysfunction in Obesity and an Evans Center Affinity Research Collaborative (ARC), Metabolic Diseases and Insulin Resistance: Studies in Patients Undergoing Bariatric Surgery with Neil Ruderman, MD. He combines bariatric surgery and quality improvement by serving as site surveyor for the American College of Surgeons Metabolic Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program and sits on the Committee on Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, Standards and Verification Subcommittee. He has been instrumental in the development of the new entrustable professional activity (EPA) method of resident assessment working with American Board of Surgery. He is a governor of the American College of Surgeons.

 Clinical Associate Professor

head and shoulders of Kay Leissner wearing white shirt and dark suitjacket. He has gray hair and wears rimless eyeglassesKay B. Leissner, MD, Anesthesiology, serves as chief of anesthesiology, critical care and pain medicine for the VA Boston Healthcare System. He has a proven track record of introducing successful initiatives, demonstrating his commitment to refining the services his department provides. Notably, he was the first to implement acupuncture for chronic pain management within the Veterans Administration, paving the way for a more holistic approach to pain management. Additionally, his contributions to transesophageal echocardiography training protocols, operating room infection control practices and the development of standardized clinical pathways have demonstrably improved care for veterans. Dr. Leissner is the chair of the VA National Anesthesia Field Advisory Board (FAB). In this capacity, he spearheaded several initiatives with national impact, such as publication of VA policies to reduce the environmental impact of waste anesthesia gases, regulate moderate sedation, non-OR airway management, and transcatheter aortic valve replacement within the VA. Dr. Leissner also contributed significantly to the VA’s invasive procedure matrix and new guidance for perioperative diabetes management.