Acknowledgments

Publication Details

This topic was developed in response to a nomination by Dr. William Gunnar, National Director of Surgery (10NC2). The scope was further developed with input from the topic nominators (ie, Operational Partners, listed below), the ESP Coordinating Center, the review team, and the technical expert panel (TEP, listed below).

In designing the study questions and methodology at the outset of this report, the ESP consulted several technical and content experts. Broad expertise and perspectives were sought. Divergent and conflicting opinions are common and perceived as healthy scientific discourse that results in a thoughtful, relevant systematic review. Therefore, in the end, study questions, design, methodologic approaches, and/or conclusions do not necessarily represent the views of individual technical and content experts.

The authors gratefully acknowledge the following individuals for their contributions to this project:

Operational Partners

Operational partners are system-level stakeholders who have requested the report to inform decision-making. They can recommend Technical Expert Panel (TEP) participants; assure VA relevance; help develop and approve final project scope and timeframe for completion; provide feedback on draft report; and provide consultation on strategies for dissemination of the report to field and relevant groups.

  • William Gunnar, MD, JD, FACHE
    National Director of Surgery (10NC2)

Technical Expert Panel (TEP)

To ensure robust, scientifically relevant work, the TEP guides topic refinement; provides input on key questions and eligibility criteria, advising on substantive issues or possibly overlooked areas of research; assures VA relevance; and provides feedback on work in progress. TEP members are listed below:

  • Ehrin J. Armstrong, MD
    VA Eastern Colorado Healthcare System
    Denver, CO
  • Michael V. Beheshti MD
    Central Arkansas Veterans Health Care System
    Little Rock, AK
  • Michael C. Brunner, MD
    University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health
    Madison, WI
  • Michael S. Conte, MD
    University of California San Francisco
    San Francisco, CA
  • David A. Rigberg, MD
    David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
    Los Angeles, CA
  • James M. Edwards, MD
    VA Portland Health Care System
    Portland, OR
  • Leila Mureebe, MD, MPH
    Duke University School of Medicine
    Durham, NC

Peer Reviewers

The Coordinating Center sought input from external peer reviewers to review the draft report and provide feedback on the objectives, scope, methods used, perception of bias, and omitted evidence. Peer reviewers must disclose any relevant financial or non-financial conflicts of interest. Because of their unique clinical or content expertise, individuals with potential conflicts may be retained. The Coordinating Center and the ESP Center work to balance, manage, or mitigate any potential nonfinancial conflicts of interest identified.