Article by Mio Kitano, MD MS
Dr. Callisia N. Clarke completed her medical degree at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine where she was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honors Society. She completed a general surgery residency at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2013 and a fellowship in Complex General Surgical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2016. She joined the faculty at the Medical College of Wisconsin in 2016 as an Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Division of Surgical Oncology. Dr. Clarke specializes in hepato-pancreatic-biliary malignancies, melanoma and sarcoma, with her research efforts centered on Epigenetic regulation of Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors. Dr. Clarke serves as the Chair of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee of the Association for Academic Surgery.
When I was asked to nominate a member of the Association for Academic Surgery for the August member spotlight, the person who immediately came to my mind was Dr. Clarke. I first met her during the fellowship interview trail for Complex Surgical Oncology in 2014 when she was a first year fellow at MD Anderson Cancer Center. She gave the tour of the hospital and she immediately made an impression on me. She has always been very active and involved with AAS as a Council member and most recently, she has been involved in founding the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee for the AAS of which she currently serves as the chair. She has drafted the AAS statement and commitment to diversity and has organized webinars to raise awareness on diversity, equity, and inclusion in Academic Surgery. She is one of the most talented, passionate, and hardworking individuals I have met and I feel honored and privileged to call her my colleague and a friend.