OPUS 12 Foundation                              
= OPUS 12 FOUNDATION = OUR BOARD MEMBERS =
About OPUS 12 Foundation Board of Directors
  • Our Board of Directors has four tiers:
    • Permanent Officers of the Founding Board (a.k.a., Opus 12)
    • The Ordinary Board of Directors
    • The Board of Advisors
    • The Honorary Board of Directors
  • The Permanent Board Members of the Founding Board:
    • This group is also known as OPUS 12, named after the twelve Original Members
    • This group consists of the Founding Board Members of the OPUS 12 Foundation and the OPUS 12 Society
    • OPUS 12 Members are granted permanent voting rights and membership in the Board of Directors of the OPUS 12 Foundation and the OPUS 12 Society
  • Full Board membership requires an aspiring member to go through an initiation process, which entails the following:
    • One must inquire and express interest in joining the OPUS 12 Foundation and the OPUS 12 Society directly to one of the existing members
    • Once the individual is deemed of exceptional integrity and of essential value to the OPUS 12 Foundation and the OPUS 12 Society, one must provide a personal statement and curriculum vitae to be further considered and allowed to proceed with the formal membership application.
    • After one is allowed to proceed with the application to join the OPUS 12 Foundation and the STAR Society, one will be called a Candidate Board Member and a Junior Scientist.
    • In order to be eligible to join the OPUS 12 Foundation Board as a voting member, one will be required to fully participate in at least 10 OPUS 12 Foundation scientific projects and will have to be a member of the STAR Society (including timely and complete payment of OPUS 12 Society dues) for a period of at least 5 years.
    • The final step before joining the OPUS 12 Foundation Board of Directors will be a 75% majority vote by the Board admitting the candidate as a voting member.
  • Honorary Board membership:
    • This unique honor is extended to prominent members of the scientific community, is by invitation only, and is a life-long appointment.
  • The Board of Advisors:
    • This elective option allows Board members who are not able to participate in full Board of Directors activities to remain with the OPUS 12 Foundation family.
    • An appointment to the Board of Advisors can be made by member request only.
    • One can think of this option as being analogous to taking a sabbatical from the STAR Foundation and OPUS 12 Society activities.

OPUS 12 Board Officers (Listed Alphabetically)
  • Dr John Chovanes - OPUS 12 VP for Administrative Affairs, Director of Trauma Systems Research and Associate Scientist, Dr Chovanes completed General Surgery training at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and is currently a Traumatology and Surgical Critical Care Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Dr Chovanes' area of research interest is  improving efficiency and patient flow within trauma systems.
  • Dr. Anthony Dippolito - OPUS 12 Founding Board Member. Dr Dippolito is a distinguished member of the Eastern Pennsylvania surgical community and a well-known colon and rectal surgeon. Dr Dippolito currently serves at the President of the Keystone Chapter of the American College of Surgeons.
  • Dr Brian A. Hoey - OPUS 12 Founding Board Member. Dr Hoey is the General Surgery Residency Program Director at St. Luke's Hospital and Health Network, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA.
  • Dr Jay Jenoff - OPUS 12 Foundation Director of Acute Care Surgery Research and Founding Board Member. Dr Jenoff completed General Surgery Residency at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He is currently a Traumatology and Surgical Critical Care Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Dr Martin's area of research interest is the rapidly evolving field of acute care surgery.
  • Dr Gary Lombardo - OPUS 12 VP for Financial Affairs, Director of Resuscitation Research and Associate Scientist, Dr Lombardo completed General Surgery Residency at St Vincent Catholic Medical Center in New York, New York, USA. He is currently a Traumatology and Surgical Critical Care Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Dr Lombardo's area of research interest is trauma and non-trauma resuscitation.
  • Dr John J. Lukaszczyk - OPUS 12 Foundation Director of Wound Care Research and Associate Scientist, Dr Lukaszczyk completed General Surgery Residency at the Hahnemann University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. In addition to his extensive expertise in wound care, Dr Lukaszczyk specializes in robotic surgery and has been one of the first surgeons in the country to use the DaVinci surgical robotic system.
  • Dr Niels D. Martin - OPUS 12 VP for Public Relations, Director of Trauma Research and Senior Scientist, Dr Martin completed General Surgery Residency at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He is currently a Traumatology and Surgical Critical Care Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Dr Martin's area of research interest is traumatic vascular injury.
  • Sherwin P. Schrag - OPUS 12 VP for Educational Affairs, Current Chairman and Associate Scientist - Dr Schrag completed General Surgery Residency Training at St. Luke's Hospital and Health Network in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA. Dr. Schrag is currently a Traumatology and Surgical Critical Care Fellow at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. Dr Schrag's special area of interest is Surgical Education.
  • Dr Mark J. Seamon - OPUS 12 Current Vice-Chairman, VP for Academic Affairs, Director of Critical Care Research and Senior Scientist - Dr Seamon completed General Surgery Residency Training at Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He subsequently completed Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Dr Seamon is an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Temple University School of Medicine. His research interests include critical care ultrasonography and emergency resuscitative thoracotomy for trauma.
  • Dr S. P. Stawicki - OPUS 12 President, Executive Director and Principal Scientist - Dr Stawicki was born in Krakow, Poland, and is a graduate of the University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky, USA. Dr. Stawicki completed General Surgery Residency Training at St. Luke's Hospital and Health Network in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA. Dr. Stawicki is currently a Traumatology and Surgical Critical Care Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Dr. Stawicki's areas of special interest include management of surgical and medical complications as well as developing inter-disciplinary dialogue between professionals and researchers from various arts and sciences.
Advisory Board Members (Listed Alphabetically)
  • Dr Babak Sarani - OPUS 12 Founding Board Member and Senior Scientist. After completeing General Surgery Residency at the George Washington University, Dr Sarani finished a Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Dr Sarani is an expert on blood product administration in the ICU and is conducting pioneering research on the risks and benefits of plasma transfusion.

Honorary Members of the Board (Listed in Order of Invitation)
  • Dr Vicente H. Gracias (1st Honorary Member - April 2007), Dr Michael L. Nance (2nd Honorary Member - May 2007), Dr Anthony J. Dean (3rd Honorary Member - July 2007).
  • Please click on the STAR/OPUS 12 HONORARY BOARD link above for more information on our Honorary Board Members.