Ronald C. Merrell, MD, FACS, FATA

Ronald C. Merrell, MD, FACS, FATA is professor emeritus of surgery at Virginia Commonwealth University. He received his MD from the University of Alabama and served his surgery residency as well as fellowship in biological chemistry at Washington University in St Louis. He has had a long career in surgery, especially endocrine surgery, including holding professorship at Stanford, the University of Texas in Houston and MD Anderson where he established the Endocrine Tumor Section. He was chairman at Yale and Virginia Commonwealth University. His surgical research emphasized the Islet of Langerhans and surgical simulation. He has had a long career as a NASA and DoD investigator in telemedicine and is the author of over 300 publications. He has trained scores of chief residents and fellows and hundreds of medical students receiving every teaching award at the various universities he served. He has lectured in over 50 countries as visiting professor and holds two honorary degrees as well as honorary membership in a various surgical societies in Asia, Europe and South America. His research in telemedicine emphasized sensors, transmission, effectors and process simulation. His international telemedicine work included programs in Russia, Pakistan, Ecuador and a dozen other countries. He holds awards from NASA for his work in space medicine and service on the Stafford Commission for the International Space Station. Dr Merrell was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Society of Telemedicine and e-Health in 2013. Dr Merrell received the President’s Leadership Award from the ATA in 2014. He is an Editor-in- Chief of Telemedicine and e-Health, an official journal of the American Telemedicine Association and the International Society for Telemedicine and e-Health.