Gerard M. Doherty, M.D.
First Norman Thompson Professor of Surgery
Section Head, General Surgery
Chief, Endocrine Surgery Division

University of Michigan Health Systems
1500 E. Medical Center Drive, SPC 5331
2920B Taubman Health Care Center
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5331

Gerard M. Doherty, M.D., joined the General Surgery Section in April 2002, as the first Norman Thompson Professor of Surgery. Dr. Doherty will serve as Chief of the Endocrine Surgery Division and also as Section Head for General Surgery. Dr. Doherty graduated from the College of Holy Cross and received his MD degree from Yale University School of Medicine. His General Surgery residency was at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center. Dr. Doherty went on to the National Cancer Institute as a medical staff fellow and two years later joined the faculty in the Department of Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri.

Dr. Doherty’s clinical interests focus on endocrine surgery. His special interests include thyroid, parathyroid, adrenals, gastrinomas, and multiple endocrine neoplasia syndromes. He is actively involved in laboratory research and focuses on immune regulation of oncogenesis.

Dr. Doherty is the author of over 50 articles, 52 chapters and 5 textbooks. He holds board certification in Surgery and is a member of numerous professional societies. He is currently an editorial reviewer for five journals and holds a position on the editorial board for Annals of Surgical Oncology. Dr. Doherty is also the Chair of the Endocrine Organ Site Committee for the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group.

Paul G. Gauger, M.D.

Paul G. Gauger, M.D. is an Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Division of Endocrine Surgery. Dr. Gauger received his B.A. and M.D. concurrently at the University of Missouri in Kansas City. Postgraduate training in General Surgery was undertaken at the University of Michigan where he also completed fellowships in Extracorporeal Life Support and Surgical Critical Care. It was here that he developed a strong interest in Surgical Endocrinology. After graduation, he served as the T.S. Reeve International Fellow in Endocrine Surgery at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, Australia. He returned to join the University of Michigan Faculty in 1999.

Dr. Gauger concentrates his clinical efforts in the field of Endocrine Surgery - including benign and malignant diseases of the thyroid, parathyroid, pancreas, and adrenal glands. He has a special interest in minimally invasive and laparoscopic operative alternatives to treat these diseases.

Dr. Gauger's research interests have included advanced techniques in life support such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and liquid ventilation. His current research activities include intraoperative hormone monitoring and anesthetic alternatives for thyroid and parathyroid operations. Dr. Gauger also has a strong interest in medical informatics and has applied this to innovative database projects based on a novel combination of clinical, gene expression, financial, and outcomes data to guide patient care and future research in endocrine cancers.

Dr. Gauger is also deeply involved in graduate medical education issues such as residency program administration and regulation of resident work hours. He has spearheaded the development of an integrated web-based process for resident scheduling and documentation of compliance with national regulations. This activity is related to his duties as the Assistant Program Director for the General Surgery Resident Program.

Barbra Miller, M.D.

Barbra S. Miller, M.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Endocrine Surgery. Dr. Miller received her medical degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and went on to complete both an internship and a residency at in general surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Miller was formerly a clinical lecturer at the University of Michigan and the Norman W. Thompson, M.D., Fellow in Endocrine Surgery. She also served as Assistant Professor in the Endocrine Surgery Division at the University of Texas Health Science Center before joining the University of Michigan Department of Surgery.

Dr. Miller's research interests include intraoperative parathyroid hormone monitoring, minimally invasive surgery techniques, use of ultrasound in clinical practice and resident education and clinical outcomes and access to healthcare.

Brian D. Saunders, M.D.

Brian D. Saunders, M.D., is a Clinical Lecturer in the Division of Endocrine Surgery, Section of General Surgery. Dr. Saunders received his undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Harvard College in 1996 and his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 2000. He completed his internship and residency at the University of Michigan, where he also completed a fellowship in extracorporeal life support (ECMO) and surgical critical care. Dr. Saunders is the Norman W. Thompson Fellow in Endocrine Surgery.

Dr. Saunders' clinical interests are in surgical diseases of the thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal and pancreas. He is particularly interested in the endocrine complications of chronic psychiatric (e.g., lithium) medication use. His research interests are in clinical aspects of endocrine surgery (imaging evaluation, intraoperative hormone assessment of disease resolution) as well as surgical education.

Norman W. Thompson, M.D. (Emeritus)

After graduating from the University of Michigan Medical School, Norman W. Thompson, M.D. remained at the University for his surgical training and completed a residency in General Surgery in 1962. He was then appointed to the faculty as Instructor and rose through the ranks to full Professor in 1971. In 1979, he was appointed the first Henry King Ransom Professor of Surgery and Chief of the Division of Endocrine Surgery.

His clinical and research interests focused on surgical diseases of the thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal glands as well as endocrine diseases of the pancreas and gastrointestinal tract. In addition, he maintained a special interest in hereditary endocrine diseases including MEN I and MEN II and their detection by gene mutational analysis. He was a founding member of both the American and International Associations of Endocrine Surgeons and has served as President of both societies. Dr. Thompson retired in 2002. At that time a professorship in endocrine surgery was established in his name.