Clinical Interests

Dr. Hill is a comprehensive hand and upper extremity surgeon who treats most conditions from below the shoulder to the finger tips.  His areas of expertise include fractures, trauma, arthritis, tendon injuries, sports and repetitive motion injuries of hand and wrist, as well as finger and limb reattachment, salvage and preservation.  

Dr. Hill offers minimally invasive approaches for common conditions, such as targeted denervation for arthritis, endoscopic carpal tunnel release surgery and joint arthroscopy, preferring his patients to have shorter recovery and return to work or activity.

Professional Involvement

Dr. Hill is active among university-wide teams for trauma and limb reconstruction. He is a champion for patients with trauma, limb loss or other devastating injuries of the arm or leg. He has a particular interest in the care of musicians and performing artists. 

Research

Dr. Hill’s research interests are primarily related to advancing patient care and outcomes within hand surgery, trauma and reconstructive microsurgery. His work has generated dozens of peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters and presentations at national meetings.

Education

Dr. Hill received his undergraduate education at the University of Florida, where he graduated as Valedictorian. He graduated from medical school at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.  He then completed a combined residency in General Surgery and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at New York University, followed by an Orthopedic Surgery Fellowship in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery at the Curtis National Hand Center.  He is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery with a subspecialty certification in Surgery of the Hand.

Dr. Hill sees patients at:

Nashville
Adult Plastic Surgery
The Vanderbilt Clinic
1301 Medical Center Drive, Suite 3701
Nashville, TN 37232

Brentwood
343 Franklin Road, Suite 108
Brentwood, TN 37027

Vanderbilt Plastic Surgery - Spring Hill
3098 Camptbell Station Parkway, Suite 202
Spring Hill, TN 37174

Dr. Smith joined our surgical faculty after having served as a fellow at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN. He is board certified in General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care Surgery. His clinical areas of expertise include trauma, emergency general surgery, surgical critical care, and hernias.

Research
Dr. Smith’s research interests include outcomes in trauma and emergency general surgery and the development and optimization of trauma systems. His recent publications include Temporal Factors Drive Motorcycle Collision-Related Trauma, American Surgeon; Can the Laparoscopic Approach Be Employed in Octogenarians? Journal of Surgical Research; and Identifying Temporal Patterns in Trauma Admissions: Informing Resource Allocation, PLoS One. 

Memberships and Honors
Dr. Smith received the award for outstanding resident from the Department of Surgery from the State University of New York Downstate, the Thomas W. Pollock Award from the State University of New York Downstate, and the Fellow Teaching Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Smith is a member of the American Board of Surgery, the American Board of Surgery, the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, and the American College of Surgeons

Education
Dr. Smith received his Bachelor of Science in biology from Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA. He earned his MD degree from New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, and completed his internship and residency at State University of New York Downstate Medical Center/Kings County Hospital Center, Brooklyn, NY. He received a fellowship from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN.

PATIENTS 
EGS/Trauma Surgery Clinic
The Vanderbilt Clinic, Suite 3501
1301 Medical Center Drive
Nashville, TN 37232
Fax: (615) 343-2210
Appointments: (615) 343-1616

CONTACT
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Division of Acute Care Surgery
Suite 4040, Medical Arts Building
1211 21st Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37212
Fax: (615) 936-0185
Office (615) 875-5843

WEBSITE:  Division of Acute Care Surgery

Medical School:

• Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY

Residency:

• Medstar Washington Medical Center, Washington D.C.

Board Certifications:            

• American Board of Surgery, Surgery, Certified
• American Board of Surgery, Surgical Critical Care, Certified

Dr. Kassis joined our surgical faculty as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Plastic Surgery after completing a Plastic Surgery Fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN. His clinical areas of expertise include cosmetic plastic surgery, acute and reconstructive burn surgery, and chronic headache. Dr. Kassis is certified by the American Board of General Surgery.

Research

Dr. Kassis’s research interests include migraine surgery, nerve surgery, breast reinnervation, burn surgery, platelet rich plasma/aesthetic surgery, lymphedema, and biofilms. His recently published articles include: Comparative Antimicrobial Activity of Commercial Wound-Care Solutions on Bacterial and Fungal Biofilms, Annals of Plastic Surgery; Applied Bioengineering in Tissue Reconstruction, Replacement, and Regeneration, Tissue Engineering; Characteristics of Patients With Injury Secondary to Smoking on Home Oxygen Therapy Transferred Intubated to a Burn Center, Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

Education

Dr. Kassis received a Bachelor of Science from American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon, and his medical degree from American University as well. He completed his general surgery internship and his residency at Yale University Medical Center, New Haven, CT, where he served as a chief resident in General Surgery. Dr. Kassis received a post-doctoral research fellowship from American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon; a fellowship from the Interdepartmental Program in Cardiothoracic, Pulmonary and Critical Care from Bridgeport/Yale Health System, Bridgeport, CT; and a Plastic Surgery Fellowship from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN.

WEBSITE:  Department of Plastic Surgery

Peter J. Morone, MD, MSCI joined our surgical faculty after having completed his residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. Dr. Morone’s clinical areas of interest include neurosurgical oncology, skull base neurosurgery and all aspects of complex cranial neurosurgery.

Research

Dr. Morone’s main research interests include neuro-oncology outcomes and delayed cerebral ischemia after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. He is also interested in neuroanatomy and using biostatistics to synthesize information from large datasets. He has received the following research grants:

• NIH StrokeNet grant: Using Fresh Frozen Plasma, Vitamin K, and Platelets to Stop Intracranial Bleeding in Patients Presenting with Spontaneous & Traumatic Intracerebral Hemorrhage
• Brain Aneurysm Foundation grant: A Cell Permeant Peptide Nanoparticle to Prevent Cerebral Vasospasm After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage​

His recently published articles include: 

• A Virtual, Three-dimensional Temporal Bone Model and its Educational Value for Neurosurgical Trainees in World Neurosurgery
• Awake Craniotomy in Glioma Surgery: Is it Necessary? in the Journal of Neurological Sciences
• A Comparison of the Existing Wellness Programs in Neurosurgery and Institution Champion's Perspectives in Neurosurgery
• Neck Remnants and the Risk of Aneurysm Rupture After Endovascular Treatment With Coiling or Stent-Assisted Coiling: Much Ado About Nothing? in Neurosurgery​

See Dr. Morone' s publications on PubMed

Education & Awards

Dr. Morone completed his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from Indiana University in Bloomington, IN. He attended medical school at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, IN where he was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha.

During residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Dr. Morone completed an enfolded training in skull base neurosurgery and a Master of Science in Clinical Investigation. He received the Vanderbilt Neurosurgery Teaching and Leadership Award, and Vanderbilt MSCI Scholarship.

Dr. Morone has a strong interest in education and developed a neurosurgery anatomy curriculum. He routinely delivers lectures and leads other residents through dissections. Additionally, Dr. Morone developed multiple neurosurgical simulation applications that are available on iOS and Android-based devices and are used worldwide.

Organizations

Dr. Morone is a member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.
 

CONTACT

Patient Appointment Questions or Scheduling:
Vanderbilt Neurosurgery Clinic
Village at Vanderbilt
1500 21st Avenue South, Suite 1506
Nashville, Tennessee 37212
Phone: (615) 322-7417
Fax: (615) 322-7596

Academic & Administrative Office:
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Department of Neurological Surgery
Village at Vanderbilt, Suite 4340
1500 21st Ave. South
Nashville, TN 37240-7923
Phone: (615) 322-6638