Curtis P Artz MUSC Surgical Society

Originally founded in 1974, the Curtis P. Artz MUSC Surgical Society is a member organization representing alumni of the MUSC surgery residency programs, fellows, and Department of Surgery faculty members. The Society is led by Aaron P. Lesher, M.D., MSCR, FACS Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics. 

Mission Statement

The mission of the Curtis P. Artz MUSC Surgical Society is to:

• cultivate an enduring relationship among the trainees, students and faculty of the Department of Surgery, past and present,
• enrich, excite and instill pride in the MUSC Surgery Residency Program; facilitate networking and build camaraderie among alumni and faculty,
• provide an avenue for dissemination of information and advancement of science,
• promote growth of the Department of Surgery through communication, education and financial support.

The Department of Surgery aspires to establish and maintain communications with its alumni to share in their activities and professional accomplishments.

Throughout the year, the Society hosts several alumni receptions across the country. 

About Aaron P. Lesher, M.D., MSCR, FACS

Dr. Lesher received his medical degree in 2006 from Duke University School of Medicine. He then completed his internship and general surgery residency at the Medical University of South Carolina in 2012. His final two years of training were spent in Memphis, Tennessee at LeBonheur Children's Hospital and St. Jude's Cancer in Pediatric General and Thoracic Surgery. Dr. Lesher maintains a comprehensive practice in pediatric surgery, treating neonatal, pediatric, and adolescent surgical conditions, including ECMO, anorectal anomalies, thoracic surgery, pectus excavatum, esophageal atresia, and many other congenital and acquired anomalies. He is board-certified in General Surgery and Pediatric General Surgery.

Dr. Lesher has also developed specific interests in the management of children with burn injuries. Working alongside the adult burn program, Dr. Lesher and colleagues have created a comprehensive pediatric burn center; bringing the full breadth of care to burned children, including innovative regenerative medicine, minimally invasive burn wound debridement, and reconstruction. He was instrumental in forming a partnership with Shriner's Children's to support the burned children in the state further. 

Dr. Lesher also runs the Adolescent Bariatric Surgery Program at MUSC. Focusing on the unique needs of this vulnerable teenage population, Dr. Lesher performs robotic surgery for teens with obesity and leads a specialized team of adolescent psychologists, obesity medicine doctors, dieticians, and gastroenterologists who provide the full breadth of expertise needed to deliver optimal care for this population. MUSC is one of the only adolescent bariatric programs in the Southeast accredited by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

Since returning to MUSC as faculty in the Department of Surgery and Pediatrics, Dr. Lesher has developed a research program focusing on clinical pediatric surgery, healthcare delivery, and health equity through telemedicine. He has NIH funding to study a novel telemedicine solution for the treatment of outpatient burns. He has also participated in and led numerous clinical trials to improve the lives of children, focusing on providing care to underserved communities.

About Curtis P. Artz, M.D.

Curtis P. Artz (1915-1977) was a renowned trauma and burn surgeon who joined the faculty at the Medical University of South Carolina in 1965. He served as professor and chairman of the Department of Surgery until his untimely death in 1977. Dr. Artz was chairman of the Committee on Trauma of the National Research Council, president of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, president of the American Burn Society, and president of the Southeastern Surgical Congress. Throughout his career, he made notable contributions to American surgery in a wide field including surgical metabolism, burns, shock, and trauma.