Faculty - Surgery Residency Program

Dr. Dozier completed his general surgery internship and residency at Rutgers University NJMS in Newark, New Jersey. During his residency, he completed a two-year research fellowship focusing on immunotherapy for thoracic malignancies at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York. He completed his fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Dr. Dozier has been on staff at Ochsner since 2022. He specializes in removing both benign and malignant tumors of the lung, esophagus, mediastinum chest wall, trachea, and diaphragm. He has a special clinical interest in robotic surgery. Dr. Dozier's research interests include immunotherapy and healthcare disparities. He has published 10 peer-reviewed scientific papers and presented his work at several international conferences.

Dr. Babin's practice involves Acute Care Surgery and Trauma/Critical Care, in addition to elective General Surgery. He has special interest in abdominal wall reconstruction, intensive care performance improvement, and Robotic Surgery. Resident education and training are a central part of his practice and he is heavily involved with resident didactics and simulation training. He believes resident autonomy is key to develop the clinical skills necessary to function independently and actively involves them in all phases of patient care.

Dr. Jacob E. Dowden received his undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University and medical degree from LSU Health Science Center in New Orleans. Following this he completed an internship and residency in General Surgery at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Chattanooga. He completed a fellowship in Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Dr. Dowden has been on staff at Ochsner since 2020 and practicing medicine since 2015. Dr. Dowden's expertise is in the treatment of benign and malignant diseases of the liver, pancreas and biliary system/gallbladder. He also practices general surgery with a particular interest in minimally invasive/robotic surgery.

Dr. John Gordon practices general surgery at Ochsner Health. He received his medical degree from Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans in 1997, and he completed his residency in general surgery at LSU New Orleans. Dr. Gordon previously worked at East Jefferson General Hospital, where he was the chief of staff and division chief of general surgery.

Dr. Kyle Ingram practices general surgery at Ochsner Health. He received his medical degree from the University of South Florida, Morsani College of Medicine in Tampa in 2015 and completed his internship and residency at Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans. He is board-certified by the American Board of Surgery and has been on staff at Ochsner since August 2020.

Dr. Elliot Jessie earned his undergraduate degree from Xavier University of Louisiana and his medical degree from the Tulane University School of Medicine in 2002. He subsequently completed his General Surgery residency at the National Naval Medical Center and his fellowship in Trauma/Surgical Critical Care at the University of Maryland - R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. He joined the Ochsner faculty in 2023 after 21 years of active duty service in the U.S. Navy. Dr. Jessie's areas of expertise include general and gastrointestinal surgery, hernia surgery, breast cancer surgery and surgical critical care. He is heavily interested in abdominal wall reconstruction (ventral/incisional hernia), the use of robotics in surgery and resident education.

Dr. McGrew earned his degree in Medicine from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, in 2010. He is board-certified in General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care by the American Board of Surgery in 2015 and 2016, respectively. He completed an Acute Care Surgery fellowship at University of Nevada, Reno in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2017. Dr. McGrew actively participates in the American College of Surgeons and the Eastern Association for the surgery of Trauma to stay updated on medical advancements.

Dr. Jeffanne Millien received her medical degree with a focus on global health from the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, DC. She then completed her internship and residency at Ochsner Clinic Foundation. She successfully completed a fellowship in trauma and surgical critical care at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. Her interests include global health medicine, critical care surgery and medicine, and resident education.

Dr. William Richardson is board-certified in surgery and has been on staff at Ochsner Health since 1997. Dr. Richardson is the program director of the Ochsner Surgical Weight Loss Program. His expertise includes laparoscopic, minimally invasive surgeries, robotics and bariatric surgery. Dr. Richardson earned his medical degree from Harvard University and completed his internship, residency and surgical research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He completed his fellowship in laparoscopic surgery at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. He has a special research interest in upper abdominal disorders.

Elliot J. Scott, MD, practices general surgery and endocrine surgery at Ochsner Health. Dr. Scott earned his medical doctorate from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans in 2015. He is board-certified in general surgery by the American Board of Surgery. He completed a fellowship in endocrine surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai in New York. Dr. Scott actively participates in the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons to stay updated on medical advancements. Dr. Scott is dedicated to addressing the medical needs of his patients.

Dr. John Walsh is a surgeon who specializes in vascular surgery. He treats patients at Ochsner Baptist in New Orleans.

Dr. Jennifer Wellington specializes in general surgery at Ochsner Health. She earned her undergraduate degree from Belmont University in Tennessee and her medical degree from the James H. Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University in 2014. She subsequently completed her general surgery residency at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. She joined the Ochsner faculty in 2025 after 22 years of active-duty service in the U.S. Army. Dr. Wellingtons areas of expertise include general and gastrointestinal surgery, hernia surgery and breast cancer surgery. She is board-certified by the American Board of Surgery and is trained in both laparoscopic and robotic surgery.

Dr. Wooldridge earned his medical degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and completed his internship and residency at the University of Missouri Hospitals and Clinics in Columbia, Missouri. He completed his fellowship in laparoscopic and bariatric surgery at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center. Dr. Wooldridge is board certified in general surgery and has been on staff at Ochsner since 2009. He is also a Fellow of both the American College of Surgeons and the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. He acts as the Medical Director of the Post-OP Surgical Services floor. His expertise includes laparoscopic (minimally invasive) and bariatric surgery. He has a special interest in foregut, anti-reflux, and weight loss surgery.

Dr. Jessica Dahle completed her fellowship training in Endocrine Surgery at Duke University and is the faculty member of the Endocrine Surgery service. Fourth year surgical residents rotate on the Endocrine Surgery service, a one-on-one apprenticeship model service designed to teach senior level residents comprehensive understanding of endocrine disorders of the adrenal, parathyroid, and thyroid glands. Endocrine surgical techniques are taught with graduated responsibility to build operative skills in robotic and open adrenalectomy, minimally invasive surgery parathyroidectomy, thyroidectomy, and lymph node dissection. Dr. Dahle is also actively involved in resident recruitment, didactics, and medical student education.

Adwoa Opoku-Boateng, MD, specializes in endocrine surgery at Ochsner Health.

Dr. Vincent Adolph specializes in pediatric general surgery at Ochsner Health. He earned his medical degree from Louisiana State University and served as an intern and resident at New Orleans Charity Hospital. He completed an extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) fellowship in pediatric surgery at Ochsner and finished his surgical residency at the Medical College of Virginia where he served as chief resident. He completed a research fellowship at Pennsylvania State University and a pediatric general surgery fellowship at Montreal Children's Hospital. Dr. Adolph is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Pediatrics (Surgery Section) and a member of the American Pediatric Surgical Association and the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization. He has been on staff at Ochsner since 1994. Dr. Adolph is board certified in surgery and holds a certificate of special competence in pediatric surgery. His expertise includes congenital diaphragmatic hernia, extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and pediatric thoracic surgery. He is the chief medical officer at Ochsner Children's Hospital, section head of pediatric general surgery and Ochsner regional medical director for North Louisiana and Lake Charles. He has served on the Ochsner Health Board of Directors since 2016.

Dr Roybal is active in teaching residents in clinic, on the wards, and in the operating room. She helps give the SCORE lectures for pediatric surgery.

Dr. Rodney Steiner completed medical school at the University of Texas in Houston. He completed his general surgery residency and an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) fellowship at LSU in New Orleans and Ochsner. His pediatric surgery fellowship was completed at LeBonheur Children's Hospital and the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. His clinical interests are pediatric congenital anomalies, pediatric oncology, short gut syndrome and ECMO. Dr Steiner is board certified in general surgery and pediatric general surgery. He is a member of the American Medical Association, the American Pediatric Surgical Association, the American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Dr. Dennis Wells specializes in the care of infants and children as well as adults with congenital heart disease. He earned his medical degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He completed his cardiothoracic surgical training at the University of Cincinnati and congenital cardiac surgical fellowship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. His clinical interests include neonatal surgery, single ventricle palliation, the Ross procedure, mechanical circulatory support, and transplantation. He enjoys opportunities to work with medical students, residents, and fellows.

Dr. Friel is the director of pediatric craniofacial surgery and pediatric plastic surgery. He is board certified by the American Board of Surgery, the American Board of Plastic Surgery, and the American Board of Plastic Surgery - Subspecialty in Hand Surgery. In addition to his residencies in general surgery and plastic surgery, he completed fellowship training in hand and microsurgery, craniofacial and pediatric plastic surgery, and aesthetic surgery. He is the director of Ochsner Children's Hospital comprehensive cleft lip and palate team. He holds active memberships in the American Cleft Lip-Craniofacial Association,  International Society of Craniofacial Surgeons, the American Society of Craniofacial Surgery, the American Association of Plastic Surgeons, and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. 

Dr. Babycos is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and has been on staff at Ochsner since 1995. He is board certified in surgery and plastic surgery. Dr. Babycos specializes in plastic and reconstructive surgery with specific interests in craniofacial and cosmetic surgery including aesthetic, breast, and reconstructive surgeries.

Meredith Collins, MD, FACS, specializes in plastic and reconstructive surgery, with a focus in breast surgery at Ochsner MD Anderson Cancer Center. She serves as the chief of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Ochsner Medical Center - New Orleans. Dr. Collins specializes in breast surgery, including reconstructive surgery for breast cancer, cosmetic breast procedures and pediatric breast surgery. She has a particular interest in cancer care and completed her reconstructive microsurgery fellowship at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. She performs microsurgical breast reconstruction such as deep inferior epigastric perforator and profunda artery perforator flaps, as well as implant-based and oncoplastic breast reconstruction. Dr. Collins is considered a renowned expert in aesthetic breast reconstruction.

Adam Hauch, MD, MBA, FACS, practices plastic and reconstructive surgery at Ochsner Health. Dr. Hauch has advanced expertise in both aesthetic and reconstructive surgery, offering compassionate and comprehensive care for various medical, surgical and cosmetic needs.

Dr Smith attended medical school at the Kansas City University of Medicine, then followed by General Surgery residency at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center. Afterwards, he completed his Plastic Surgery residency at Tulane. He is board certified in General Surgery and board eligible in Plastic Surgery. Dr Smith's primary interests are implant based and microvascular breast reconstruction, complex extremity reconstruction, and aesthetic surgery.

Shoichiro Tanaka, MD, MPH, is a plastic, reconstructive, and hand Surgeon at Ochsner Health. Dr. Tanaka has expertise in aesthetic surgery, head-to-toe reconstruction for cancer, trauma, and infection, as well as complex hand and wrist surgery, limb salvage, and peripheral nerve surgery, offering comprehensive patient-centered care for various medical and surgical needs.

Dr. Nathan Bolton received his Doctor of Medicine from LSUHSC in New Orleans and completed his General Surgery residency at Ochsner, where he served as chief resident. He moved on to complete a Surgical Oncology fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York before returning home to Ochsner as a member of the Upper GI/HPB Surgical Oncology team. He is a member of the resident education committee and has an active interest in surgical resident training.

Dr. Russell Brown is a surgical oncologist at Ochsner MD Anderson Cancer Center. He earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center School of Medicine in San Antonio, Texas. He then completed a general surgery residency at the Ochsner Clinic Foundation. Dr. Brown went on to complete a surgical oncology fellowship at the University of Louisville. He is board certified by the American Board of Surgery.

Dr. Andrew Newton received his medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He completed his general surgery residency at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. After residency, Dr. Newton completed a fellowship in complex general surgical oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He is board certified in General Surgery and Complex General Surgical Oncology by the American Board of Surgery. Dr. Newton's expertise is in hepatopancreaticobiliary malignancies, gastroesophageal malignancies, neuroendocrine tumors, peritoneal surface malignancies including HIPEC, sarcoma, and melanoma.

Dr. David Pointer completed medical school and general surgery residency from Tulane. Dr. Pointer completed fellowship training in Surgical Oncology at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Florida. His clinical interests include gastrointestinal, hepatopancreaticobiliary, skin and soft tissue malignancies with a specific focus on the application of robotic techniques. Dr. Pointer has an interest in resident education, technical development, and mentorship.

Dr. Elder received her medical degree from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine after completing a degree in Neurobiology at the University of Miami. She underwent general surgery training at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL. She then completed subspeciality training in breast surgical oncology at Atrium Health/Levine Cancer Institute in Charlotte, NC.

Dr. Amy Rivere graduated from LSU and earned her Doctor of Medicine from LSUHSC in Shreveport, LA. She then completed general surgery residency at Ochsner and a fellowship in Breast Surgical Oncology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, AR.

Dr. Forrest Johnston attended Baylor College of Medicine for medical school followed by General Surgery training at the University of Virginia.  He completed Colon and Rectal Surgery felllowship at the Lahey Clinic.  He be board certified in Surgery and Colon & Rectal Surgery.  Dr. Johnston serves as the program director for the Colon and Rectal fellowship program.  His expertise is colon and rectal cancer, diverticular disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and anorectal disease.

Dr. Kethman earned his undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering and medical doctorate from Tulane University. He completed his general surgery residency at Stanford University and a colon and rectal surgery fellowship at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center - Case Western Reserve University. He completed a research fellowship at the Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign. He is interested in leveraging technology to improve the care we provide patients.

Dr Paruch earned her medical degree from the University of Michigan and completed her General Surgery Residency at the University of Chicago. While there, she earned an award for excellence in teaching from the junior residents. She completed her fellowship in Colon and Rectal Surgery at the Lahey Hospital and Medical Center. Dr Paruch is board certified in general surgery and colon and rectal surgery. She has been an instructor for several advanced endoscopy courses for residents and fellows.

Dr. Pettiford earned a doctor of medicine degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine where he continued his general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery training. He is certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery, is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and holds memberships in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the Southern Thoracic Surgical Society and the Eastern Cardiothoracic Surgical Society. He has authored or coauthored over 40 journal articles and book chapters.

Dr. Pagteilan finished his cardiothoracic surgery fellowship at the University of Southern California/Keck Hospital after completing his general surgery program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and medical school at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. During his training, Dr. Pagteilan published clinically focused research in thoracic surgery, won multiple teaching awards, and was inducted into the Gold Humanism Society and Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He is a member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and Western Thoracic Surgical Association.

Dr. Barr earned a PhD in history from Yale University before graduating from medical school at the University of Virginia in 2015. He completed his seven-year general surgery residency at Duke University in Durham, NC and a fellowship in abdominal organ transplant and advanced hepatopancreaticobiliary surgery at the University of Toronto in Canada. He is board-certified in general surgery, with a certificate in hepatopancreaticobiliary surgery. Dr. Barr holds leadership positions in the American College of Surgeons and American Association for the History of Medicine and is an active member of the American Association of Transplant Surgeons and American Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association. He serves as an associate editor of Annals of Surgery – Open.

Dr. Humberto Bohorquez, is a general surgeon with subsequent fellowship training in abdominal transplantation. He has mentored trainees from first year medical school to final year residency. His areas of interests include organ allocation, liver, kidney, pancreas transplantation and liver surgery.

Dr. Bruce has been a member of the Ochsner faculty since 2008. His clinical interests include liver, kidney, and pancreas transplantation, as well as robotic living donor nephrectomy. After graduating from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1985, he did his general surgery residency at University of Chicago, where he also completed a research fellowship in immunology and a clinical fellowship in liver and kidney transplant surgery. Since 2012, Dr. Bruce has been active in medical informatics at Ochsner, and spends most of his non-clinical time working on Epic implementation for both the transplant program and the Ochsner health system as a whole.

Dr. Emily Bugeaud completed her undergraduate and medical degrees at the University of Michigan. She then went on to complete her residency in General Surgery at the University of Chicago. During her clinical training, she simultaneously earned her doctorate in immunology studying the role of bacterial infections in transplantation tolerance. Dr. Bugeaud then went on to continue her clinical training in Abdominal Organ Transplantation, completing her fellowship at the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Bugeaud joined the Ochsner Multi-Organ Transplant Institute in August 2014 with an interest in liver, kidney and pancreas transplant as well as organ donation, including living donation.

Dr. Seal is actively involved in the General Surgery residency program through clinical rotations in Multi-Organ Transplantation and Critical Care, didactic lectures and weekly multi-disciplinary transplant conferences. During the transplant rotation, operative instruction is focused on nuances of abdominal anatomy and approaches through the organ recovery operation and technical skill development in vascular anastomoses.

Dr. Dennis Sonnier attended medical school at LSU in New Orleans. He completed his surgical residency at the University of Cincinnati and his transplant surgery fellowship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Sonnier’s areas of interest include organ allocation, liver, kidney and pancreas transplantation.

Dr. Blackstock joined Ochsner in 2022. He offers surgical therapies for nearly all areas of vascular disease including thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms, carotid artery disease, peripheral arterial disease, chronic-limb threatening ischemia, thoracic outlet syndrome, hemodialysis access, and venous disease (including varicose veins).

Genevieve Hayek, MD, specializes in vascular surgery at Ochsner Health.

Dr. Charles Leithead received his Doctor of Medicine from LSUHSC, and completed an Integrated Vascular Surgery Residency at The University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Leithead treats a wide variety of vascular conditions including aneurysms, carotid artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, DVT (blood clots), spider veins and varicose veins with both open surgery and minimally invasive procedures.

Samuel R. Money attended the State University of New York College of Medicine – SUNY Downstate and graduated with distinction. He trained in vascular surgery at Ochsner under the tutelage of Larry H.Hollier and John Ochsner. He later worked at Mayo Clinic in Arizona where he served as professor and Chairman of the Department of Surgery. He has served in numerous leadership positions including presidency of the society for clinical vascular surgery, the southern association of vascular surgery and the vascular and endovascular society.

Ross Parkerson attended LSU school of Medicine in New Orleans where he earned his MD and was elected to the AOA Honor Medical Society. Afterward, he moved to Tampa where completed integrated vascular surgery residency at the University of South Florida. While in Tampa, Dr. Parkerson was able to participate in numerous clinical trials of novel endovascular devices designed for the treatment of complex thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms.

Dr. Sternbergh's educational background includes an undergraduate degree from Brown University and a M.D. from Duke University School of Medicine. He performed his general surgical training at the Medical College of Virginia and his vascular fellowship at Emory University. Dr Sternbergh has been on staff at Ochsner since 1996. He is nationally recognized for his expertise in Vascular Surgery, and is the author of more than 100 scientific publications and book chapters pertaining to vascular disease. Dr. Sternbergh literally wrote the book on the endovascular treatment of abdominal and thoracic aortic aneurysm.

Dean Yamaguchi, MD, specializes in vascular surgery at Ochsner Health.