Sharmila Dissanaike MD FACS FCCM is Peter C. Canizaro Chair and University Distinguished Professor at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, TX. She is a clinically active trauma, burn and acute care surgeon who has won over 50 awards for clinical, academic and research excellence during her career. She has over 150 peer-reviewed articles and textbook chapters, and over 300 regional, national and international presentations and invited lectureships.
Dr. Dissanaike holds multiple national leadership roles, including as President-Elect of the American Burn Association, Vice-President of the Southwest Surgical Congress, Governor of the American College of Surgeons. She has served on the Ethics Committees of the American Surgical Association, American Burn Association, and currently the American College of Surgeons, where she also serves on the DEI subcommittees for the Committee on Trauma, and Program Committee. She has worked locally and nationally to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in surgery through education and advocacy, and towards directed efforts to address longstanding healthcare disparities and inequity.