The UNC Health Hernia Center
The UNC Health Hernia Center is a collaboration across multiple divisions in the department of surgery with the goal to provide the best hernia care to our patients by:
- Providing skilled care in both minimally invasive and open surgical techniques for the repair of abdominal wall hernias and complex abdominal wall reconstruction
- Offering a multidisciplinary approach for optimization of perioperative outcomes and provision of more advanced procedures
- Holding a monthly case conference to discuss and review complicated and difficult cases
- Embracing innovation in concepts, technology and teaching
- Advancing the field of hernia treatment through research and innovation
Surgeons of the UNC Health Hernia Center are dedicated to:
- Improving outcomes through long-term follow-up, data collection, analysis, and continuous quality improvement (CQI)
- Critically evaluating the latest up to date information in publications and communications for the best evidence on how to provide hernia care
- Participating in the Americas Hernia Society Quality Collaborative (AHSQC) for continuous quality improvement
- Contributing at conferences to evaluate and improve patient care
UNC Health Hernia Center surgeons specialize in repairing the following types of hernias:
- Inguinal hernia
- Femoral hernia
- Umbilical hernia
- Ventral hernia
- Spigelian hernia
- Epigastric hernia
- Incisional hernia
- Parastomal hernia
- Enterocutaneous fistulas
UNC Health Hernia Center Surgeons and Collaborators:
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Hernia Surgery
- Arielle J. Perez, MD, MPH, MS – Director of the Hernia Center
- Randal Zhou, MD, MIS (Hernia, Foregut and Bariatric)
- Shanelle Campbell, MD
- Anthony Charles, MD
- Matthew Eckert, MD
- Elizabeth Dreesen, MD
- Jared Gallaher, MD, MPH
- Daryl Johnson II, MD
- Mark Koruda, MD
- Anthony A. Meyer, MD, PhD
- Wayne Overby, MD
- Lauren Raff, MD
- Trista Reid, MD
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Plastic Surgery
-
Tobacco Cessation
-
Physical Therapy
History of the Hernia Center:
Spearheaded by Dr. Hartwig Bunzendahl, MD, PhD, the UNCHC Hernia Center was created in 2013 by UNC surgeons realizing a need for directed collaboration of care for hernia patients. With a multitude of repairs, new and ever-changing recommendations, and more complicated recurrences, it was felt a team of surgeons dedicated to learning and advancing the care of hernia repair would help to improve patient experiences and outcomes. Other founding members of the UNCHC Hernia Center include: Lynn Damitz, MD (Plastic Surgery), C. Scott Hultman, MD (Plastic Surgery), Mark Koruda, MD (Gastrointestinal Surgery), Anthony A. Meyer, MD, PhD, (Department of Surgery), Wayne Overby, MD (Gastrointestinal Surgery), and Preston B. Rich, MD (Trauma & Critical Care).