Prof. Sharmila Dissanaike MD is Chair of Surgery at the University of New Mexico since August 2024.Proir to that was the is Peter C. Canizaro Chair of Surgery of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, TX .She is a clinically active burn, trauma and acute care surgeon who has won multiple awards for clinical, academic and research excellence during her career. Dr. Dissanaike holds multiple national leadership roles including President of the American Burn Association, President-Elect of the Southwest Surgical Congress, Director of the American Board of Surgery, Governor of the American College of Surgeons and on the Surgery Residency Review Committee for the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). She is a former Chair of the Verification Review Committee for ABA