Melissa S. Phillips, MD

Dr. Melissa S. Phillips is originally from Kingsport, Tennessee. She received her B.S. in Chemistry from Tennessee Tech in 2000 and her M.D. from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 2005. Dr. Phillips did her residency in General Surgery at University of Virginia Health System from 2005 until 2010.  She then joined University Hospitals, Case Medical Center in Cleveland for an advanced fellowship in Minimally Invasive Surgery and Surgical Endoscopy with a focus on gastrointestinal pathology.  Dr. Phillips joined the faculty at University of Tennessee as Assistant Professor in 2011.

With regards to her clinical practice, Dr. Phillips’s surgical focus includes minimally invasive techniques and abdominal wall reconstruction. She also performs advanced surgical endoscopy with a specific interest in the management of post-surgical complications. Her research interests parallel these topics with numerous publications and book chapters on single incision surgery, flexible endoscopy including ERCP, abdominal and flank hernia repair, and resident education in endoscopic surgery. Her research has been presented at many national and international conferences.

Dr. Phillips is board certified in General Surgery by the American Board of Surgery.  She holds positions on committees in the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons and the Surgical Society for the Alimentary Tract.  She is also a member of many national medical societies including the American College of Surgeons, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, and the Association of Women Surgeons.

Dr. Phillips has been awarded the Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, the James Ernest Kindred Award, and the Resident Teaching Award by University of Virginia.  She is actively involved in education, teaching courses to other surgeons and residents in laparoscopic technique, flexible endoscopy, and abdominal wall reconstruction.

In her spare time, Dr. Phillips enjoys spending time on the water. She has done multiple sea kayak trips, enjoys water skiing and tubing, and has been a certified scuba diver since 2000. She has backpacked across Europe, camped in the Appalachians, and hiked glaciers in Alaska. She likes spending time with her niece and nephew and her cat, Squirrel.
 

Related Links and Resources

awards

• Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award, Arnold P. Gold Foundation
• James Ernest Kindred Award
  
  
• Resident Teaching Award, University of Virginia