USA Health welcomes new pediatric surgeon
Aaron D. Seims, M.D., FACS, said he was drawn to surgery because of his experience growing up with a condition called pectus excavatum, a chest wall malformation. “Ultimately, I wanted to do for others what my surgeon was able to do for me,” he said.
By Carol McPhail
cmcphail@health.southalabama.edu
USA Health is expanding its pediatric care and surgery services with the addition of Aaron D. Seims, M.D., FACS, a board-certified pediatric surgeon with a strong interest in minimally invasive surgery.
A graduate of the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine, Seims comes to USA Health from the Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando, Florida, where he served as a pediatric surgeon and teaching faculty member. In his new position, he also will hold faculty appointments as an associate professor of surgery and associate professor of pediatrics at the Whiddon College of Medicine.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Seims, who has extensive training in pediatric surgery, especially in minimally invasive surgery techniques,” said William O. Richards, M.D., FACS, professor and chair of surgery at the Whiddon College of Medicine. “USA Health continues to build a strong complement of pediatric surgeons who provide excellent care for sick children in our region.”
Seims said he was drawn to surgery because of his experience growing up with a condition called pectus excavatum, a chest wall malformation. “I had this surgically repaired when I was in college, and subsequently, as an undergraduate student, shadowed a pediatric surgeon,” he said. “Ultimately, I wanted to do for others what my surgeon was able to do for me.”
Seims holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Florida, where he graduated summa cum laude. He completed a surgical internship at the University of Virginia and served as a surgical resident at Orlando Health. He also was a clinical research fellow at the Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis.
Seims completed a fellowship in pediatric endosurgery at Children’s of Alabama/UAB Heersink School of Medicine in Birmingham, Alabama, and a pediatric surgical oncology fellowship at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. He returned to the Riley Hospital for Children for a pediatric surgery fellowship.
Seims developed an interest in minimally invasive surgery – in particular, single-incision surgery called “keyhole” surgery – during his pediatric endosurgery fellowship. “I was trained to do this type of surgery at UAB by its team of pediatric surgeons, who introduced me to the International Pediatric Endosurgery Group (IPEG),” he said. “Through this organization, I have been able to share my work and understand how complex surgical problems are handled by surgeons in countries with far fewer resources.”
Because of his personal health history, Seims also has an interest in the correction of congenital malformations, he said.
A fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Seims is a member of the IPEG, the Children’s Oncology Group and the American Pediatric Surgical Association. He is an author of multiple publications in academic journals and has presented research findings at national and international meetings.
