Dr. Novitsky is internationally known for his expertise in advanced laparoscopic and robotic surgery as well as complex inguinal and ventral hernia repairs. He is a US Surgical Professor of Surgery at the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons and Chief of the Division of the Abdominal Wall Surgery at the Department of Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. He is perhaps best known for pioneering techniques for minimally-invasive ventral hernia repair and open abdominal wall reconstructions, including the transversus abdominis muscle release (TAR) procedure. His is an Immediate Past-President of the American Hernia Society and leads their Practice Designation Task Force. Dr. Novitsky has received over $2 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health, Industry and Professional societies to research improvements in hernia repair and mesh materials. He has published over 130 peer-reviewed journal articles and numerous book chapters. He was the editor of a highly acclaimed Hernia Surgery: Current Principles Textbook and more recently has edited an Atlas of Robotic General Surgery. In addition to his clinical and research activities, Dr. Novitsky remains active in medical education and leads Columbia’s Advanced Abdominal Wall surgery fellowship. Dr. Novitsky earned his medical degree at Albany College and completed residencies in General Surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center and University of Massachusetts, Worcester, followed by fellowships in Advanced GI and Minimally invasive surgery at the Carolinas Medical Center.