Medical College of Wisconsin MIGS Bariatric Fellowship Team

Faculty

Our faculty hold a variety of education leadership positions in the medical school as well as the residency program. We also hold a variety of national leadership positions in the realms of minimally invasive surgery, hernia surgery, surgical education, foregut surgery, endoscopy, and bariatric surgery.

Amir A. Ghaferi, MD, MSc, MBA

Dr. Amir Ghaferi completed his training at the University of Michigan in 2012. He specializes in minimally invasive bariatric, foregut, and hernia surgery, and complex abdominal wall reconstruction. His research focuses on understanding the relationship of organizational systems and design to quality and efficiency. He is a national leader in the evaluation and improvement of quality and safety in bariatric surgery.

Matthew Goldblatt, MD

Dr. Matthew Goldblatt completed his Minimally Invasive Fellowship at the Ohio State University in 2005. He specializes in hernia surgery, complex abdominal wall reconstruction, foregut surgery, robotics and endoscopy. He is the Director of the Condon Hernia Institute. He is involved in research related to hernia repair, abdominal wall reconstruction, and hernia mesh assessment.

Jon Gould, MD, MBA

Dr. Jon Gould, the Chief of Gastrointestinal and Minimally Invasive Surgery Division, completed his Minimally Invasive Fellowship at Ohio State in 2002. His clinical practice is focused on complex minimally invasive foregut and bariatric surgery. His research focus is on surgical quality, clinical outcomes in foregut surgery, and device development/new surgical technology.

Rana Higgins, MD

Dr. Rana Higgins completed her Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery Fellowship at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin in 2016. She specializes in minimally invasive foregut, bariatric, hernia, and general surgery, including both laparoscopic and robotic approaches. Her research focus includes surgical education and outcomes research in minimally invasive general surgery and she is the Program Director for the General Surgery Residency.

Andrew Kastenmeier, MD

Dr. Andrew Kastenmeier is the Fellowship Program Director and Chief of the Division of Education in the Department of Surgery. He completed his Minimally Invasive Fellowship at Legacy in Portland, OR in 2011. He specializes in minimally invasive foregut surgery, hernia surgery, complex abdominal wall reconstruction, advanced therapeutic endoscopy, and surgical education. His research focus includes the clinical outcomes in foregut and hernia surgery, and surgical education research.

Tammy Kindel, MD, PhD

Dr. Tammy Kindel is the Associate Fellowship Program Director. She completed her Bariatric and Minimally Invasive Surgery fellowship at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in 2015. She directs the MBSAQIP-accredited bariatric surgery program, including adolescent bariatric surgery, and has a NIH-funded translational science laboratory dedicated to metabolic surgery research.

Kate Lak, MD

Dr. Kate Lak completed her Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery Fellowship at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin in 2017. She specializes in minimally invasive foregut, hernia and general surgery in addition to bariatric surgery. Her research interests include clinical outcomes research in benign foregut, hernia and bariatrics.

Wen Hui Tan, MD

Dr. Wen Hui Tan completed her Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery Fellowship at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin in 2022. She specializes in minimally invasive foregut, hernia and bariatric surgery with a special interest in robotic surgery. Her research interests include opioid reduction in surgery and robotic surgery including robotic abdominal wall reconstruction.