Dr. Sharona B. Ross, MD, FACS

Expert Publications

• Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication ameliorates symptoms of reflux, especially for patients with very abnormal DeMeester scores.
• CA 19-9 velocity predicts disease-free survival and overall survival after
• A single institution's experience with more than 500 laparoscopic Heller myotomies for achalasia.
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease.
• Prosthetic H-graft portacaval shunts vs transjugular intrahepatic portasystemic stent shunts: 18-year follow-up of a randomized trial.
• Readmissions after pancreaticoduodenectomy: efforts need to focus on patient expectations and nonhospital medical care.
• Targeting early deaths following pancreaticoduodenectomy to improve survival.
• A single institution's experience and journey with over 1000 laparoscopic
• A comprehensive process for disclosing and managing conflicts of interest on perceived bias at the SAGES annual meeting.
• A comprehensive process for identifying and managing conflicts of interest
• The Nonwhite Woman Surgeon: A Rare Species.
• Financial Benefits of a Hepatopancreaticobiliary Program.
• Available technologies and clinical applications of targeted chemotherapy in pancreatic cancer.
• Laparoendoscopic Single-Site (LESS) Nissen Fundoplication: How We Do It.
• Regional differences for pancreaticoduodenectomy in Florida: Location matters.

Media Releases

Get to know Advanced Gastrointestinal and HepatoPancreaticoBiliary Surgeon Dr. Sharona B. Ross, who serves patients throughout the State of Florida and surrounding States.

Holding the title of “Patient Preferred Surgeon” for 2020, Dr. Ross is a board-certified, advanced gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary surgeon specializing in robotic and single incision laparoscopic operations for disorders of the esophagus, stomach, small bowel, pancreas, gallbladder, and liver. She was one of the first surgeons in the United States to undertake Laparo-Endoscopic Single Site (LESS) surgery and continues to develop new techniques and instrumentation to improve its safety and application. 

As a thought leader in American medicine, she continues to push the envelope in the advancement of minimally invasive surgery. She is a Professor of Surgery at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine, the Director of Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery and Surgical Endoscopy at AdventHealth Tampa, the Founder and Director of the AdventHealth Tampa Women in Surgery Career Symposium, as well as the Director of the Advanced GI and HPB Surgery Fellowship at the Digestive Health Institute at AdventHealth Tampa, which trains new surgeons to master minimally invasive single-site laparoscopic and robotic complex surgery.

Born and raised in the State of Israel, Dr. Ross moved to the United States after two years of military service in the Israel Defense Forces. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude from the American University in Washington, D.C. She then went on to earn her medical degree, graduating Alpha Omega Alpha, from the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C.

While in school, she gave birth to four children. Based on her experience, she believes that women can accomplish anything they want. It is why she founded the Women in Surgery Career Symposium – a professional and academic event dedicated to encouraging women to pursue a medical career in Surgery. “I tell women who are considering becoming surgeons: Despite all the obstacles that I had with language and a new culture… it’s possible to succeed. When I started medical school, I had a 17-month-old son and a 2-month-old daughter, and my husband was in law school. Everyone said, ‘It can’t be done,’ but if you want it enough, you’ll make it happen. Believe in yourself.” she stated. 

As for her training, Dr. Ross completed her residency in General Surgery within the Department of Surgery at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine and was also awarded the prestigious Advanced Gastrointestinal Surgery, HepatoPancreaticoBiliary (HPB) and Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) Fellowship there. She then completed a fellowship in Gastroenterology within the Division of Digestive Disorders & Nutrition – Department of Medicine at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine. 

With nearly two decades of achievements in her field, Dr. Ross is board-certified in General Surgery by the American Board of Surgery. In order to remain at the forefront of a challenging field, she maintains her professional society memberships with the American College of Surgeons (Fellow), the Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association, the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons, the Society of Laparoscopic and Robotic Surgeons, Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, SouthEastern Surgical Congress, and the Florida Medical Association. 

Sought after for her knowledge and expertise, Dr. Ross has been a moderator, presenter, and key-note speaker at over 100 events; over 110 peer-reviewed publications, over 30 news articles, over 100 oral presentations, and over 160 operative videos presentations. In addition, she is on the editorial board of several surgical journals, including the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Research, the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery, ISRN minimally invasive surgery, Surgical Endoscopy, the Journal of the Society of Laparoscopic & Robotic Surgeons, and Annals of Surgery.

Awarded the 2018 Nina Starr Braunwald Award by the Association of Women Surgeons, Dr. Ross believes that she enjoys a successful career today due to having support from her family, being focused, having great mentors, and being goal-oriented. She dedicates her very little spare time to horseback riding, Harley riding, Skeet shooting, and playing golf.

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