Kent Sasse, MD MPH FACS FASMBS

Dr. Sasse grew up in Wisconsin, the youngest of two boys, and he attended Spanish-speaking schools in Central America for a part of high school and learned Spanish. He witnessed poverty but also witnessed the profound impact one can make in the lives of others through caring and service. He was interested in a number of subjects in high school but especially math and science. He felt drawn to medicine as a career from a young age, seeing it as an opportunity to blend his interest in science with his desire to serve others. He played junior tennis competitively and was captain of his high school tennis team and a high school All-American. Escaping the cold weather of Wisconsin for the sunny beaches and tennis courts of San Diego, he attended the University of California San Diego, where he majored in biochemistry and graduated cum laude. He spent his time volunteering, working in the Veterans Hospital, and teaching (as a Teacher’s Assistant) to the lower division students. During college, Dr. Sasse spent a year at the University of Madrid, studying art history and becoming fluent in Spanish. Following his undergraduate degree, Dr. Sasse earned two Masters degrees from the University of California Berkeley, including a Masters in Public Health, stemming from research related to biostatistics and bioethics. After gaining admission to the top medical school the country, University of California at San Francisco (UCSF), he quickly focused on the field of surgery and felt especially drawn to the technological aspects of minimally invasive surgery. (Dr. Sasse immediately recognized what a huge difference it made for a person undergoing surgery to have tiny keyhole incisions rather than large open ones). Medical school brought invaluable challenges, the pursuit of research, several publications in bioethics and much more. Dr. Sasse realized top honors by finishing at the top of his class, earning distinction with election to Alpha Omega Alpha. During medical school, he volunteered time in a dilapidated hospital in Nepal, helping those in need and admiring the compassion of those who served at them. During his surgery training at the UCSF, Dr. Sasse expressed a great interest in teaching and ultimately won the All-Campus Teaching Award as a senior resident. Dr. Sasse joined the United States Air Force Reserve to serve his country, and while stationed at Andrews Air Force Base, served as an expert reviewer for complex surgical cases, a teacher to students and residents, and an attending surgeon. He later completed Fellowship training at the Lahey Clinic in Boston, Massachusetts, before relocating to beautiful northern Nevada to develop his practice, his research and educational missions. Father of five kids, chauffeur, cook, and parent to them all. Today his interests include travel; running long-distance races, including the Boston Marathon; teaching medical students and residents, and medical research. Dr. Sasse is a speaker and mentor to surgeons nationally, and hosts cadaver courses on surgical topics including complex abdominal wall reconstruction at the University of Nevada School of Medicine for visiting surgeons. He has also authored numerous peer-reviewed research articles, and some the most recent papers discuss sleeve gastrectomy, laparoscopic rectopexy, gastric physiology, endoscopic techniques for gastric repairs, and minimally invasive hernia repair. He is an acclaimed award-winning author of five books (https://www.amazon.com/Kent-Sasse/e/B002IRYJUU%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share).