This series on “Challenging Robotic Foregut and Diaphragm Procedures” is edited by Dr. Raul Caso and Dr. John F. Lazar.
Raul Caso, MD, MSCI
Department of Surgery, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC, USA
Dr. Raul Caso completed his undergraduate studies in Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Miami, after which he earned his medical degree from the New York University Grossman School of Medicine, in New York. While in medical school, Dr. Caso completed one year of dedicated research in a cancer biology laboratory and earned a Master of Science in Clinical Investigation (MSCI). He completed his internship and is currently a chief resident in the Department of General Surgery at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, in Washington, DC. Dr. Caso will begin Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in August 2023.
During his surgical residency, Dr. Caso completed two years of dedicated research time as a Clinical Research Fellow in the laboratory of Dr. David R. Jones at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. His work focused on thoracic surgical clinical outcomes and the genomics of lung cancer which led to several high-impact publications. During his time as Clinical Research Fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Dr. Caso also served as Chief Academic Research Fellow.
Dr. Caso has 50+ peer-reviewed publications. He has written multiple book chapters, including a chapter in the 3rd edition of Adult Chest Surgery. His research interests include surgical clinical outcomes of patients undergoing thoracic surgery and the genomics of lung cancer and esophageal cancer. Dr. Caso is a member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons.
John F. Lazar, MD
Division of Thoracic Surgery, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Medstar Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC, USA.
John F. Lazar, MD, is a board-certified general thoracic surgeon, director of thoracic robotics at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, and an assistant professor of thoracic surgery at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Dr. Lazar also serves as the medical director of the MedStar Center for Surgical Innovation, part of the MedStar Institute for Innovation. He is a member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the Society of Robotic Surgery, and serves on the executive board of both the Eastern Cardiothoracic Surgical Society and the American Lung Association.
As a general thoracic surgeon, Dr. Lazar specializes in the treatment of malignant and benign diseases of the lung, the esophagus, the mediastinum, the trachea, and the bony structures of the chest wall. Dr. Lazar uses laparoscopic, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), robotic, and open surgical techniques for the treatment of thoracic conditions. Some of the surgeries he performs are robotic esophagectomy, mediastinal resections, hiatal hernia repair, tracheal repair and resection, and complex robotic lung preserving resections.
Series outline:
- Introductory Preface for the Special Series
- Large Paraesophageal Hernia Repair and Nissen Fundoplication
- Redo Paraesohageal Hernia Repair and Fundoplication
- Heller Myotomy
- Redo Heller Myotomy
- Morgagni/Diphragmatic Hernia Repair
- Intrathoracic Paraesophageal Hernia Repair
- Hiatal Hernia Repair/Redundancy in Esophagectomy Patients
Disclosure:
The special series “Challenging Robotic Foregut and Diaphragm Procedures” was commissioned by the editorial office, Journal of Visualized Surgery without any funding or sponsorship. Dr. Raul Caso and Dr. John F. Lazar are serving as the unpaid Guest Editors for the special series.