UAB Department of Surgery Professors Gregory Kennedy, M.D., Ph.D., Jayleen Grams, M.D., Ph.D., and Melanie Morris, M.D., were selected as officers of the Society for Surgery for Alimentary Tract (SSAT) at the organization’s 65th annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

About the Officers

Dr. Gregory Kennedy was chosen as president-elect of the SSAT. In the UAB Department of Surgery, he serves as Executive Vice Chair. Kennedy also leads the O’Neal Cancer Service Line as Cancer Network Director and has played an instrumental role in the expansion of UAB’s Surgery Community Network to provide equitable care in rural areas of the Southeast. 

UAB Gastrointestinal Surgery Professor Dr. Jayleen Grams was selected as the recorder of the SSAT. Grams serves as the UAB Department of Surgery’s Vice Chair of VA Affairs for the Birmingham VA Health Care System, in addition to her role as the Associate Chief of Staff of VA Surgical Services at the VA Medical Center.

UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery Professor Dr. Melanie Morris was renewed as a trustee of the SSAT. Morris serves as the Vice Chair of Perioperative Services in the UAB Department of Surgery, the Chief of General Surgery at Birmingham's Veterans Affairs Hospital, and an Associate Chief Quality Officer for UAB Hospital.

About the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract

The Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT) aims to advance the science and practice of gastrointestinal surgery. The main goals of the organization are to stimulate surgical leadership, promote education regarding gastrointestinal diseases, provide a forum for knowledge to be presented, and stimulate trainees to pursue new research efforts.