Our Medical Advisors
Steve Moran, MD
Hand &Wrist, MAYO
Contributing vascular, pediatric matters
Dr. Moran is a Professor of Plastic Surgery and Orthopedic Surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and staff surgeon at the Shrine Hospital for Sick Children in Minneapolis. Dr. Moran is the former Chairman of the Division of Plastic Surgery at Mayo Clinic and is now the Surgical Director of the Mayo Clinics’ vascularized composite tissue allotransplant program. Dr. Moran’s practice focuses on disorders of the upper extremity as well as microsurgical reconstruction. His primary interests are congenital hand surgery, wrist arthritis and microsurgical reconstruction of the upper and lower extremity. Dr. Moran has published over 325 peer reviewed papers, over 90 book chapters and has edited three text books. He was the associate editor for the Journal of Hand Surgery, Hand and the Year Book of Hand Surgery. He is presently the associate editor for The Journal of Wrist Surgery.
Kavi Sachar, MD
Steadman Clinic
Contributing hand & wrist
Dr. Kavi Sachar is a nationally known orthopedic surgeon specializing in hand, wrist, and elbow surgery. As a physician at The Steadman Clinic, Dr. Sachar focuses on restoring function through innovative open and arthroscopic techniques while treating athletes from the NFL, NHL, and NBA. As a board-certified Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Sachar is a member of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and the American Society for Surgery of the Hand.
Dr. Sachar has served as an associate editor for the Journal of Hand Surgery starting in 1999. He is on the editorial board of the Journal of Orthopaedic Techniques and has been a reviewer for the journal Current Orthopedic Practice since 2009. He has been an examiner for the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery since 2010. Dr. Sachar has been the director of the successful Doctors Demystify Teaching Symposium for over ten years. Dr. Sachar served on the State of Colorado Cumulative Trauma Task Force Committee in 2009. He is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Medical Honor Society and the Sigma XI Scientific Research Honor Society.
Dr. Sachar has had numerous publications in peer-review journals and books. He lectures both locally and nationally, including the Hand Society (ASSH) annual meeting and the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) annual meeting. Dr. Sachar enjoys all aspects of Hand and Elbow surgery but has special interests in elbow arthritis, elbow ligament reconstruction, elbow arthroscopy, compressive nerve syndromes, distal radius fractures, work-related injuries, sports-related injuries, and trauma.
Luis B. Suarez, MD
TUFTS
Contributing vascular matters
Dr. Luis Suarez is a vascular surgeon specializing in the treatment of peripheral arterial and venous disease. He trained at Yale New Haven Hospital in general surgery followed by a vascular surgery fellowship at Tufts Medical Center. He currently practices at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Dr. Suarez is a board-certified vascular surgeon, a registered physician in vascular interpretation, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the Society for Vascular Surgery.
Dr. Suarez has been a reviewer for the Journal of Vascular Surgery, Journal of Vascular Surgery: Venous and Lymphatic Disorders and the Journal of Vascular Surgery:Cases and Innovative Techniques. He has multiple publications in peer-reviewed journals and books. He has presented at multiple national meetings and has been an invited lecturer at local, regional, and international meetings.
As a surgeon, Dr. Suarez provides care in all areas of vascular surgery, including carotid disease, aortic aneurysm, and venous insufficiency. He has a special interest in the management of peripheral arterial disease, advanced wound care, and limb salvage.
Thoralf M. Sundt, III, M.D.
Cardiothoracic Surgeon
Contributing cardiothoracic surgery perspective
Contributing research interest in human factors and patient safety
Dr. Thoralf Sundt’s clinical focus has been on surgery for the correction of acquired cardiovascular conditions in adults. He is an internationally recognized thought-leader on thoracic aortic diseases, having written and lectured extensively on the subject. He is also widely recognized as an expert in reparative procedures for valvular heart disease as well as the use of arterial conduits to improve the long-term durability of coronary bypass procedures.
His research interests have ranged from organ transplantation to the genetics and genomics of bicuspid aortic valve disease. He has received funding by the National Institutes of Health, the American Association for Thoracic Surgery and The Mayo Foundation for this work. Most recently, he collaborated with investigators in the disciplines of human factors and systems engineering to improve the safety and efficiency of healthcare delivery. On a national level, he was the first chair of the Workforce on Patient Safety for the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.
He has served in numerous executive roles, including surgical director for cardiac transplantation at Washington University in St. Louis, surgical director of the Thoracic Aortic and Marfan Clinic at the Mayo Clinic and vice-chair of the Department of Surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Dr. Sundt is a Past-President of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery.
Thomas A. Zdeblick, M.D.
Department of Orthopedics & Rehabilitation
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Contributing spine matters
Dr. Thomas Zdeblick received his Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Marquette University, where he also captained the soccer team. He completed medical school at Tufts University in 1982 and his Orthopedic Surgery training was performed at Case Western Reserve University, which included a Microsurgery Research Fellowship. Following residency, he completed a Spine Surgery Fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD.
Dr. Zdeblick joined the Faculty at the University of Wisconsin (UW) in 1989. He established the UW Spine Center in 1990 and continues as its Director. In 2000, he became the A.A. McBeath Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and Chairman of the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at UW. He served on the original Board and Executive Committee of the UW Medical Foundation from 1995-2001. Dr. Zdeblick’s research interests have included spinal biomechanics, fusion healing, interbody fusion cages, artificial discs, and bone graft substitutes. Dr. Zdeblick holds 20 patents for innovations in spinal surgery. He currently has seven spinal implants of his design being used world-wide.
Dr. Zdeblick has authored over 104 scientific publications, 7 text books, 33 book chapters, has been a visiting professor on 37 occasions and has given over 500 scientific presentations. He was the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Spinal Disorders and Techniques from 2002 – 2017. He has served as the President of the Cervical Spine Research Society (CSRS) and as the President of the Lumbar Spine Research Society (LSRS). Dr. Zdeblick was instrumental in the development, construction, and organization of a surgical specialty hospital, The East Madison Hospital, formerly known as UW Health at the American Center.
