Dr. Richards is a General Surgeon with main interests in motility disorders of the GI tract. His specific interest is in the treatment of foregut disorders using minimally invasive surgical procedures. Dr. Richards is the Chief of Laparoendoscopic Surgery at Vanderbilt University and has performed laparoscopic cholecystectomy, appendectomy, hernia repair, splenectomy, colon resection, colostomy, Nissen fundoplication, Heller myotomy, Toupet procedure, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, pancreatic pseudocyst drainage, and common bile duct exploration.

Specific Research Interests and Funding

Research interests include the objective assessment of functional laparoscopic surgery. Patients are studied with manometry, 24 hour pH studies and objective questionnaires following laparoscopic Heller myotomy for treatment of achalasia. This research has been funded by grants from SAGES, the United States Surgical Corporation and NIH.

Dr. Richards' current basic science research activity is a cooperative project with John Wikswo, Ph.D., AB Learned Professor of Living State Physics, investigating noninvasive measurement of human gastrointestinal electrical activity using a Super Conducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) magnetometer. Preliminary studies show that intestinal electrical activity can be measured using these devices and that electrical activity of the gut is altered during ischemia. Ultimately, because of recent advances in high temperature superconductivity, it will soon be possible to construct a SQUID magnetometer optimized for recording the electrical activity of the human GI tract that does not require the use of a magnetic shield or liquid helium. This optimized clinical instrument could be used to detect clinically significant pathologic conditions of the human GI tract. Dr. Richards has two active grants involving magnetic activity in the study of intestinal ischemia:

• Biomagnetic Activity of Ischemic Alimentary Tract Smooth Muscle, Veterans Administration Merit Review Support;
• Magnetometry for Early Detection of Intestinal Ischemia, a NIH SBIR subcontract.

Education

Dr. Richards received his M.D. degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1979. Dr. Richards completed his internship at the University of Florida from in 1980 and served his residency at the University of Maryland Hospital from 1980 - 1984.

Post Graduate Training

Dr. Richards pursued fellowship training at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia from 1984 to 1985 in the field of Portal Hypertension and Endoscopy. He then conducted research as a Research Associate in Gastrointestinal Motility from 1986 - 1987 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center/Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Nashville. He was appointed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center as Assistant Professor of Surgery in 1985.

Other Responsibilities

Dr. Richards is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of The Society of University Surgeons; Southern Surgical Association; The Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract; Association for Academic Surgery; Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons; American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy; American Association for Advancement of Science; Association of Veterans Administration Surgeons; Society of Critical Care Medicine; Association of Military Surgeons of the United States; American Federation for Clinical Research; American Motility Society; American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery; Vanderbilt Chapter of Sigma Xi, Scientific Research Society; Nashville Surgical Society; Southeastern Surgical Congress; Southern Medical Association; H. William Scott Jr. Society; and University of Maryland Surgical Society.

He has also served on numerous committees including the Committee on Resident Education, SAGES; State Chairman Committee, SAGES; Practice Guidelines Committee, SES; Program Committee, SAGES; Advisory Committee on Scientific Activities, SMA; Program Committee, ASA. Dr. Richards has also held positions as Vice­Chairman, Surgical Section, SMA; Membership Chairman for the State of Tennessee, SAGES; Chairman, Surgical Section, SMA; Secretary, Surgical Section, SMA; Chairman, Poster Session, SAGES; Program Director, Update in General Surgery, SMA; Chairman, Poster Session, SAGES.

Publications/Teaching

Dr. Richards has published 7 book chapters, 64 peer-reviewed journal publications, over 100 abstracts, 8 conference proceedings, and 2 video presentations. Dr. Richards has instructed over 25 fellows and residents in the research labs in the field of GI motility. He has received several grants from The Society of American Gastrointestional Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) for research on laparoscopic surgery. Review some of his abstracts on PubMed.

CV

Dr. Richards' CV is available in PDF format. With Adobe Acrobat Reader it may be viewed, navigated and printed on all major computing platforms. To download a free copy of Acrobat Reader, follow the link below.

Contact

William O. Richards, M.D.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
D-5203 Medical Center North
Nashville, TN 37232-2577
Phone: (615) 322-0259; Fax: (615) 343-9485
E-mail: bill.richards@vanderbilt.edu