2. Education
  3. Fellowship Programs
  4. Advanced GI/MIS and Bariatric Surgery Fellowship Program
  5. Research

Research

Jonah J. Stulberg, MD, PhD, MPH – Vice Chair, Research, Department of Surgery
Shinil K. Shah, DO, EdD – Medical Director, Research, Division of Minimally Invasive and Elective General Surgery

The Division of Minimally Invasive and Elective General Surgery is committed to innovative and collaborative research. Our division has an experienced research support staff with experience in all study types, including national and international multi-center randomized clinical trials. Multiple fellowship faculty have formal training in basic science/translational, clinical, medical informatics, and surgical education research.

Deborah B. Horn, MD, MPH (Obesity Medicine)
Oscar A. Olavarria, MD, MS
Michelle Scerbo, MD, MS
Shinil K. Shah, DO, EdD
Jonah J. Stulberg, MD, PhD, MPH
Peter A. Walker, MD

Multiple other faculty with formal research training in the sections of Surgical Oncology, Breast Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery, and Colorectal Surgery add to the breadth of research expertise in the division. The Division has participated in multiple first-in-human clinical trials.

Current research studies span a spectrum of topics, including bariatric and metabolic surgery, medical weight loss, non-bariatric foregut surgery, hernia/abdominal wall reconstruction, surgical education, and surgical technology. We have a diversity of funding sources, including industry as well as federal research funding.

This is a busy one-year clinical fellowship program. However, fellows are required to complete and submit at least one academic work (peer-reviewed abstract, manuscript, book chapter, video, etc).

A sampling of peer-reviewed publications (not including abstracts, videos, and book chapters) involving our minimally invasive surgery fellows over the last five years

Carnabatu CJ, Kajese TM, Wilson EB. An unusual case of gastrointestinal bleeding in a recent roux-en-y patient (external link). CRSLS. 2025 Nov 4;12(4):e2025.00090.

Olavarria OA, Chhabra KR, Levi ST, Wilson EB, Hutter MM. Small bowel magnetic compression anastomosis creation for bypass procedures in a porcine model (external link). Surg Endosc. 2025 Mar;39(3):2155-2163.

Owen CK, Felinski MM, Bajwa KS, Walker PA, Mehta SS, Wilson EB, Boodoo S, Kudav V, Akhtar SJ, Shah SK, Kling ME. Frequency of clinically significant findings in the surgical pathology specimen following laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and concordance with preoperative endoscopy: Insights from a large single-center experience (external link). Obes Surg. 2024 May;34(5):1442-1448.

Crawford LS, Jafri NS, Foote D, Felinski MM, Walker PA, Bajwa KS, Shah SK. Isolated ischaemic appendicitis as a rare complication of selective angioembolization for lower gastrointestinal bleed (external link). ANZ J Surg. 2023 Jan;93(1-2):404-406.

Iranmanesh P, Shah SK, Chevallay M, Toso C, Mönig SP, Hagen ME, Wilson EB, Jung MK. Assessment of predictors of early postoperative complications after primary robotically assisted Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: a multicenter, retrospective cohort study (external link). Surg Endosc. 2023 Apr;37(4):2851-2857.

Monfared S, Weis JJ, Shah SK, Scott DJ, Felinski MM, Wilson EB. The rising tide of revisional surgery: tracking changes in index cases among bariatric-accredited fellowships (external link). Surg Endosc. 2022 Sep 22:1-5.

Liu YZ, Shah SK, Sanders CM, Nwaiwu CA, Dechert AF, Mehrotra S, Schwaitzberg SD, Kim PCW, Wilson EB. Utility and usability of laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) for displaying real-time tissue perfusion/blood flow in robot-assisted surgery (RAS): comparison to indocyanine green (ICG) and use in laparoscopic surgery (external link). Surg Endosc. 2022 Sep 15:1-9.

Iranmanesh P, Fam J, Nguyen T, Talarico D, Chandwani KD, Bajwa KS, Felinski MM, Katz LV, Mehta SS, Myers SR, Snyder BE, Walker PA, Wilson TD, Rivera AR, Klein CL, Shah SK, Wilson EB. Outcomes of primary versus revisional robotically assisted laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: a multicenter analysis of ten-year experience (external link). Surg Endosc. 2021 Oct;35(10):5766-5773.

Felinski MM, Abbas D, Walker PA, Primomo JA, Kajese TM, Kar B, Gregoric ID, Banjac I, Janowiak L, Nathan S, Hussain R, Mehta SS, Bajwa KS, Shah SK, Akkanti B. Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Rescue for Severe Aspiration Pneumonitis in Two Patients after Roux-en-y Gastric Bypass Procedure (external link). J Extra Corpor Technology. 2021 Sep;53(3):199-203.

Cowling JC, Zhang X, Bajwa KS, Elliott EG, Felinski MM, Holihan J, Scerbo M, Snyder BE, Trahan MD, Wilson TD, Courtney SL, Klein CL, Rivera AR, Wilson EB, Shah SK, Cattano D. Thromboelastography-Based Profiling of Coagulation Status in Patients Undergoing Bariatric Surgery: Analysis of 422 Patients (external link). Obes Surg. 2021 Aug;31(8):3590-3597.

Nathan SS, Iranmanesh P, Gregoric ID, Akay MH, Kumar S, Akkanti BH, Salas de Armas IA, Patel M, Felinski MM, Shah SK, Bajwa KS, Kar B. Regression of severe heart failure after combined left ventricular assist device placement and sleeve gastrectomy (external link). ESC Heart Fail. 2021 Apr;8(2):1615-1619.

Iranmanesh P, Manisundaran NV, Bajwa KS, Thosani NC, Felinski MM, Wilson EB, Shah SK. Management of Acute Gastric Remnant Complications After Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass: a Single-Center Case Series (external link). Obes Surg. 2020 Jul;30(7):2637-2641.

Chang VC, Pan P, Shah SK, Srinivasan A, Haberl E, Wan C, Kajese TM, Primomo JA, Davis G. Routine preoperative endoscopy in patients undergoing bariatric surgery (external link). Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2020 Jun;16(6):745-750.

Sowards KJ, Holton NF, Elliott EG, Hall J, Bajwa KS, Snyder BE, Wilson TD, Mehta SS, Walker PA, Chandwani KD, Klein CL, Rivera AR, Wilson EB, Shah SK, Felinski MM. Safety of robotic assisted laparoscopic recurrent paraesophageal hernia repair: insights from a large single institution experience (external link). Surg Endosc. 2020 Jun;34(6):2560-2566.

Iranmanesh P, Bajwa KS, Felinski MM, Shah SK, Wilson EB. Robotic Primary and Revisional Bariatric Surgery (external link). Surg Clin North Am. 2020 Apr;100(2):417-430.

Iranmanesh P, Rivera AR, Bajwa KS, Alibhai M, Snyder BE, Wilson TD, Felinski MM, Mehta SS, Chandwani KD, Klein CL, Walker PA, Shah SK, Wilson EB. Trocar site closure with a novel anchor-based (neoClose®) system versus standard suture closure: a prospective randomized controlled trial (external link). Surg Endosc. 2020 Mar;34(3):1270-1276.