About the Author
Hector A. De Paz, MD, FACS, is a board-certified general surgeon, surgical educator, and transplantation immunology researcher. He currently serves as Surgery Residency Program Director and Attending General Surgeon in the Department of Surgery at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York.
Education
Dr. De Paz earned his MBBS from the University of the West Indies (UWI) Faculty of Medical Sciences in Kingston, Jamaica, with honors in Anatomy and Biochemistry. He completed postgraduate surgical training at the University Hospital of the West Indies (1984–1991), serving as Chief Resident in the Department of Surgery (1991). He was awarded the Doctor of Medicine in Surgery (DM) from UWI.
Surgical Training
After serving as Attending General Surgeon and Lecturer at UWI (1992), Dr. De Paz completed a second surgical residency at Harlem Hospital Center, New York, affiliated with Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons (1994–1999), where he again served as Chief Resident. He subsequently trained as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics (1999) and in the Transplantation Immunology Laboratory, Department of Surgery (2000–2002), at Columbia University. He was a clinician in the Surgery Intensive Care Unit at Harlem Hospital Center (2003–2004).
Clinical Career
Dr. De Paz has held attending appointments at multiple New York City hospitals, including North General Hospital (2001–2003), Harlem Hospital Center (2005–2018), Woodhull Hospital (2007–2011), and Wyckoff Heights Medical Center (current). He holds board certification from the American Board of Surgery (2003, recertified 2013).
Academic Appointments
- Surgery Residency Program Director, Wyckoff Heights Medical Center (2023–present)
- Associate Program Director, Wyckoff Heights Medical Center (2019–2023)
- Special Lecturer, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons at Harlem Hospital Center (2012–2018)
- Assistant Professor of Clinical Surgery, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons at Harlem Hospital Center (2005–2012)
Research
Dr. De Paz’s research focuses on transplantation immunology, particularly tolerance induction using allopeptides, dendritic cells, and regulatory T cells in cardiac and islet transplant models. His postdoctoral work at Columbia University in the laboratory of Dr. Soji F. Oluwole investigated mechanisms of acquired thymic tolerance, the role of immature myeloid dendritic cells in prolonging allograft survival, and the function of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells in transplant tolerance.
He received the Young Investigator Award from the American Society of Transplant Surgeons and American Society of Transplantation at the American Transplant Congress (Washington, DC, 2002).
Publications
Dr. De Paz has authored or co-authored over 60 publications, including 28 original peer-reviewed articles, 13 case reports, and 30 abstracts presented at major surgical and transplantation conferences. His work appears in journals including Transplantation, Diabetes, American Journal of Transplantation, Obesity Surgery, Journal of the American College of Surgeons, and the West Indian Medical Journal. His clinical publications span transplant immunology, bariatric surgery outcomes, breast cancer, and surgical case reports.
Professional Memberships
- Fellow, American College of Surgeons (FACS), 2014
- Fellow, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (FRCS(Ed)), 1990
- Member, American Medical Association
- Member, Association of Surgeons in Jamaica
About This Site
SurgicalInSite is a medical education and personal reflection website created by Dr. De Paz. It features original clinical articles from his surgical practice in Jamaica, educational outlines covering a broad range of surgical topics, slideshow presentations, and personal essays exploring Mayan heritage, the philosophy of medicine, and the experience of surgical training.
SurgicalInSite 