Felix Fernandez, MD
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RoleThoracic Surgery
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Specialty
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Research Program
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Practicing Since2009
Background
A Board Certified Surgeon and a Board Certified Thoracic Surgeon, Dr. Fernandez specializes in esophageal and lung cancer, achalasia, gastroesophageal reflux disease, hiatal hernia, esophageal diverticulum, and hyperhidrosis. Dr. Fernandez performs the majority of his surgeries with minimally invasive and/or robotic assisted procedures. He is affiliated with Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University.
Dr. Fernandez earned his MD with highest distinction from Wayne State University School of Medicine, earned a Master of Science in Clinical Research degree from the Laney Graduate School at Emory university, and completed his general surgery residency and cardiothoracic surgery fellowship at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, MO.
Dr. Fernandez's research interests include outcomes in quality improvement and patient reported outcomes. In 2014, the Graham Foundation of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) named Dr. Fernandez a Cardiothoracic Surgical Investigator for 2014-2015. The Foundation provided support for his pilot study to integrate patient reported outcomes data (PROs) into Emory's General Thoracic Surgery Database of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS). That same year, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) awarded Dr. Fernandez an RO1 grant for a study that has helped identify the most advantageous surgical strategies for patients with lung cancer.
As an active member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) since 2011, Dr. Fernandez has served in various capacities on multiple STS committees and has led and collaborated on several projects designed to refine and enhance components of the STS National Database, a highly impactful initiative for quality improvement and patient safety among cardiothoracic surgeons and their institutions across the U.S. In 2018, Dr. Fernandez was appointed chair of the STS Workforce on National Databases, which oversees the Adult Cardiac, General Thoracic, Congenital Heart Surgery, and Intermacs/Pedimacs Databases that are part of the STS National Database.
Titles & Roles
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Professor, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of SurgeryEmory University School of Medicine
Education & Training
Education
- Fellowship, Cardiothoracic Surgery, 2009Barnes - Jewish Hospital
- Residency, General Surgery, 2007Barnes - Jewish Hospital
- Internship, General Surgery, 2001Barnes - Jewish Hospital
- Medical Education, MD, 2000Wayne State University School of Medicine
Board Certifications
- Thoracic and Cardiac SurgeryAmerican Board of Thoracic Surgery, 2010Surgery (General Surgery)American Board of Surgery, 2007
Professional Memberships
- Alpha Omega Alpha, 1998-present
- Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, 2010-present
- American College of Surgeons (Initiate 2011), 2004-present
- Society of Thoracic Surgeons (Active member 2011), 2007-present
- Alliance for Clinical trials in Oncology 2011-present
- American College of Chest Physicians, 2011-present
- Surgical Outcomes Club, 2011-present
- Southern Thoracic Surgical Association, 2011-present
- American Association for Thoracic Surgery, 2015-present
- 21st Century Cardiothoracic Surgical Society, 2017-present
Research
Awards
- Resident Traveling Fellowship Grant, American Association of Thoracic Surgery, 2008
- Best Scientific Poster, Clinical Congress, American College of Surgeons, 2014
- Richard E. Clark Paper in General Thoracic Surgery, Society of Thoracic Surgery (STS) 51st Annual Meeting, 2015
- Richard E. Clark Paper in General Thoracic Surgery, STS 52nd Annual Meeting, 2016
- Richard E. Clark Paper in General Thoracic Surgery, STS 53rd Annual Meeting, 2017
- J. Maxwell Chamberlain Paper in General Thoracic Surgery, STS 53rd Annual Meeting, 2017
- Richard E. Clark Paper in General Thoracic Surgery. STS 55th Annual Meeting. San Diego, CA. January 26-29, 2019.
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