UA News

The event is free and will highlight research and case studies from 11 graduating residents and fellows in the UA department of surgery.

Dr. Benjamin Paz, a renowned leader in surgical oncology and an expert in minimally invasive and breast cancer surgery is the keynote speaker at the Resident Graduation Scientific Research Day, presented by The University of Arizona department of surgery.

This year's Surgery Resident Graduation Scientific Research Day will highlight research and case studies from 11 graduating residents and fellows in the UA department of surgery.

The event is free and will take place Friday, June 19 at the Kiewit Auditorium in the Arizona Cancer Center.

Paz's presentation "Surgical New Age: How to Bring New Technology into the Operating Room" will explore how technological advances translate to the OR bedside. 

Named the 2009 UA department of surgery Distinguished Alumnus of the Year, Paz is associate professor and vice chair of surgery, and director of the Rita Cooper Finkel & J. William Finkel Women's Health Center at City of Hope National Medical Center.

He is a surgical oncologist with expertise in breast cancer, gastrointestinal and rectal cancers, and tumors involving the bone and soft tissues. Paz is highly experienced with minimally invasive, laparoscopic and robotic-assisted gastrointestinal and colorectal surgery and has developed one of the leading centers for minimally invasive surgery in oncology in California.

Paz's research interests focus on the early diagnosis and prevention of breast cancer and the identification of high-risk patients that will benefit from new screening strategies. He is particularly interested in developing new methods for minimally invasive surgery and cancer treatment that improve patient's function, quality of life and cancer outcome in patients with breast and gastrointestinal cancers.

Paz began working at City of Hope in 1990. In 2003, he was named co-director of the Breast Cancer Program and director of the Rita Cooper City of Hope Women's Health Center; in 2004, he became the vice chair of the department of surgery.

Under Paz's leadership the surgical program has undergone an aggressive expansion and has developed patient-focused multidisciplinary clinics for the treatment of breast, colorectal, bone and soft tissue and head and neck cancers. Since 1997, he has been a member of the City of Hope Medical Group Board of Directors and served as president from 1997-2003.

Paz completed his general surgery residency training at the UA department of surgery in 1990 after attending medical school at the University of Chile. He then completed a fellowship in surgical oncology at City of Hope. He is a member of the Society of Surgical Oncology, a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the Pacific Coast Surgical Society.

The UA department of surgery created the Surgery Distinguished Alumnus Award to acknowledge special achievements of former residents in clinical practice, education and research. "Dr. Paz is a talented and extraordinary surgeon who serves as an inspiration, as well as a role model, for our current residents," said Dr. Rainer Gruessner, department chairman.