Dr. Katkhouda, a recognized international leader in the field of minimally invasive surgery, pioneered the development of laparoscopic ulcer operations, called vagotomies. He also developed other laparoscopic techniques including liver, hernia and esophageal laparoscopic surgery.  He served as vice chairman, Department of Surgery, and chief of Surgical Endoscopy at the Hospital St. Roch, University of Nice School of Medicine, Nice, France before joining USC as associate professor of Surgery, chief of the Division of Outpatient and Minimally Invasive Surgery, and director of the Minimally Invasive Surgery Program and Center at USC University Hospital.

Dr. Katkhouda has authored more than 120 peer review articles and book chapters that document several advances in minimally invasive surgery, and has published two books, "Principles of Laparoscopic Surgery: Basic and Advanced Techniques" (Springier Verlag, 1995 New York).  This text covers the range of laparoscopic principles, from basic instrumentation to the critical review of complications to description of advanced procedures.  The book also includes other areas such as urology, obstetrics/gynecology, and thoracic surgery.  The second book entitled "Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery, Techniques and Tips" (W.B. Saunders, 1998) shares practical tips and is a trouble shooting manual illustrated with numerous precise line drawings.

Dr. Bremner earned his medical degree from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, where he did his surgical and medical internship, and his senior internship in pediatric medicine and surgery.  He worked five years in England, in general surgery and orthopedics, before spending more than two years at the prestigious Royal Postgraduate Medical School (Hammersmith Hospital) in London.  He worked at Scotland's St. Andrew's University for a year, then returned to Johannesburg in 1962.  He was a full-time academic surgeon in general surgery at the University of the Witwatersrand for 31 years.  Prior to joining USC in 1992, Dr. Bremner served as professor of Surgery and Chief Surgeon, Hilbrow Hospital, Johannesburg, and the Department of Surgery, University of the Witwatersrand.

After his training, Dr, Bremner had an interest in the pyloric muscle and wrote his senior doctorate thesis on the subject.  His focus switched to the esophagus, however, when in 1967 he spent a year at the Mayo Clinic as a research fellow under esophageal surgeon F. Henry Ellis, Jr., M.D.  After returning to South Africa, Dr. Bremner subsequently performed 7,000 studies on patients' esophageal problems.  He also conducted extensive research on Barrett's esophagus, and actually produced the first animal model demonstrating that reflux caused Barrett's, publishing a paper on the subject in 1970.  Dr. Bremner has published and present hundreds of papers and is the recipient of numerous research grants.  He is an associate founding member of the College of Medicine of South Africa and is active in several professional societies.  For further information about Dr. Bremner, please see his curriculum vitae. For appointment information, please see the contact information area.

Dr. Peter Crookes

Peter F. Crookes, M.D., was born in Belfast, N. Ireland and graduated from the School of Medicine of Queen's University, Belfast, and did his residency training in the Royal Victoria Hospital and its affiliated teaching hospitals.  He did further post residency training in Melbourne, Australia before coming to the United States to work with Tom R. DeMeester, M.D.  He is currently Assistant Professor of Surgery in the USC School of Medicine.  His major interests include esophageal and gastric physiology and gastric cancer, medical education, and the history of medicine and surgery.  He is an active member of numerous surgical societies and actively involved in medical student and resident education.  He is an ardent classical musician and plays violin in a string quartet and is committed to the concept that involvement in artistic activities can be an asset to a career in academic surgery. For more information about Dr. Crookes, please see his curriculum vitae. For appointment information, please see the contact information area.