Biography


Dr. Thomas Weiser is a general, emergency, and trauma surgeon, and surgical intensivist. He treats and cares for injured patients and those with acute surgical emergencies as well as manages critically ill surgical patients in the Intensive Care Unit.

His research is focused on evaluating the role surgical care plays in the delivery of health services in resource poor settings, in particular low and middle income countries. He is interested in barriers to access and provision of surgical care, the quality of surgical services, and outcomes research as well as the science of implementation, how improvements can be made, and how to strengthen compliance with best practices and change behaviors for the better. He also has an interest in domestic policy as it relates to trauma outcomes, trauma systems, insurance coverage and costs of care, and firearm violence.

Dr. Weiser's projects have focused on the quality of surgical care, strategies for improving the safety and reliability of surgical delivery, and team communications. He works closely with Lifebox, a nonprofit focused on improving surgical and anesthetic safety worldwide, where he was previously the Consulting Medical Officer. Lifebox delivers programs throughout the world in combination with local partners including individual professionals, professional societies, hospitals, other NGOs, and ministries of health. Lifebox works with hospitals in Ethiopia, Liberia, Madagascar, India, Honduras, and Nicaragua, amongst others, to improve care and evaluate the impact of our work. A few programs of particular impact are the distribution of low cost devices to improve the safety of care (including pulse oximeters for the routine monitoring of patients undergoing anesthesia and a new surgical headlight program) and Clean Cut, a surgical infection prevention and control program now being introduced in several countries.

From 2006-2009, he was part of the World Health Organization’s Safe Surgery Saves Lives program where he quantified the global volume of surgery and created, implemented, evaluated, and promoted the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist. He has worked with the WHO and the World Bank, and is completing a Gates Grand Challenge Grant-funded study to improve the safety of cesarean section in Ethiopia.

He is a Program Director at Wellcome Leap where he leads Surgery:Assess/Validate/Expand (SAVE).

Professional Summary


Education & Certifications
  • Board Certification: American Board of Surgery, Surgical Critical Care (2012)
  • Board Certification: American Board of Surgery, General Surgery (2012)
  • Fellowship: Harborview Medical Center (2002) WA
  • Residency: Brigham and Women's Hospital Harvard Medical School (2002) MA
  • Residency: UC Davis Medical Center (2002) CA
  • Medical Education: University of New Mexico (2002) NM

Honors & Awards
  • Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) National Honors Society, University of New Mexico School of Medicine (2000)
  • Dean's List, Georgetown Universtiy (1990-1993)
  • Faculty Award for Academic Excellence, University of New Mexico School of Medicine (2002)
  • Intern of the Year, University of California Davis Medical Center (2003)
  • McGraw-Hill Award for academic excellence, University of New Mexico School of Medicine (1998)
  • Mentorship appreciation, Stanford Biodesign India Program, Stanford University (2013)
  • Robert T. Osteen Award for Excellence in Teaching of Medical Students, Brigham and Women's Hospital (2011)
  • Sigma Xi National Research Society, Georgetown University (1993)

Memberships
  • Consulting Medical Officer, Lifebox (2020 - 2023)
  • Fellow (ad hom), Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (2019 - Present)
  • Member, Society of University Surgeons (2019 - Present)
  • Fellow, College of Surgeons of East, Central, and Southern Africa (2017 - Present)
  • Member, American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (2016 - Present)
  • Member, Surgical Infection Society (2016 - Present)
  • Fellow, American College of Surgeons (2015 - Present)
  • Member, Clinical Competency Committee (PGY3), Department of Surgery, Stanford University (2014 - 2020)
  • Board Member at Large, Lifebox (2014 - 2018)
  • Coauthor, Stanford Hospital and Clinics & Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Trauma Guidelines Handbook, Department of Surgery, Stanford University (2013 - Present)
  • Member, Society of Critical Care Medicine (2013 - Present)
  • Chair, Program Evaluation Committee, Surgical Critical Care Fellowship, Department of Surgery, Stanford University (2013 - 2020)
  • Member, Professional Practice Evaluation Committee (Trauma), Department of Surgery, Stanford University (2012 - Present)
  • Fellow representative, Graduate Medical Education committee, University of Washington Health Sciences Center (2011 - 2012)
  • Chief Resident, Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital (2010 - 2011)

Administrative Appointments
  • Assistant Professor of Surgery (MCL), Stanford University Medical Center (2013 - 2017)
  • Co-Director of Resident Professional Development, Stanford University Medical Center (2015 - 2019)
  • Senior Fellow, Center for Innovation and Global Health (2015 - 2019)

Publications

Clinical Trials

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Specializing In

  • Trauma Services

Practice Locations


Trauma Service Palo Alto, CA
Palo Alto, CA

900 Blake Wilbur Drive, Garden Level

Palo Alto , CA 94304

(650) 736-5800

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