Awards

Titled Professor - 2021

Willis D. Gatch Professor of Surgery

School of Medicine Early Career Achievement Award - 2010

About Don J. Selzer

Dr. Don J. Selzer earned his B.A. and M.D. from the University of Wisconsin in 1993 and 1996, respectively. He completed his postgraduate training in general surgery at the Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) followed by a one-year fellowship in bariatric and advanced minimally invasive surgery at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.

In 2003, he returned to IU as the first faculty member with postgraduate training in minimally invasive surgery in the Department of Surgery. His clinical interests include bariatric and foregut surgery and complex incisional hernia repair. His research has focused on these areas examining optimal patient selection for bariatric surgery and new technologies in incisional hernia repair.

His leadership roles at IUSM have included being director of the Section of Minimally Invasive, Bariatric, and General Surgery and the medical director of the Department of Surgery Skills Lab. Most recently, he was appointed the chief of the Division of General Surgery. He held leadership roles in IU Health including Surgery Section Chair and president of the medical staff at IU Health North Hospital. He is currently the chief of the Surgery Section at the IU Health Adult Academic Health Center.

Early in his career, he developed an interest in health policy and advocacy and has held the roles of chair of the Advocacy and Health Policy Committee for the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) and the chair of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Legislative Committee. He established a national reputation in advocating for change in surgical practice in the United States as a SAGES and ACS advisor to the American Medical Association (AMA) Resource-Based Relative Value Scale (RBRVS) Update Committee and a member of the ACS General Surgery Coding and Reimbursement Committee.