- Fellowship - Northwestern University Medical School (1982-1983), Research
- Residency - Milton S. Hershey Medical Center (1978-1982), General Surgery
- Internship - Milton S. Hershey Medical Center (1975-1976), General Surgery
- Medical School - Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine (1971-1975)
Robert Rege, M.D.
- Surgery - Bariatric and Foregut Surgery
- Gastroesophageal Reflux & Heartburn Surgery
- Diaphragm Hernia Surgery
Biography
Robert Rege, M.D., is a Professor of Surgery and former Chair of the Division of Gastrointestinal and Endocrine Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He specializes in advanced laparoscopic surgery, including laparoscopic hernia repair, Nissen fundoplication, esophagomyotomy, colectomy, and splenectomy.
Dr. Rege earned his medical degree at Pennsylvania State University’s Milton S. Hershey Medical School, where he also completed a residency in general surgery. During his training, he served two years as a general medical officer in the U.S. Navy. He then completed an additional year of training in gastrointestinal research at Northwestern University Medical School.
Prior to joining the UT Southwestern faculty in 1998, Dr. Rege served as Chief of Surgical Services at the VA Chicago Medical Center. During his tenure there he developed a successful laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy program at Northwestern – the first of its kind in the Midwest.
Dr. Rege is a member of the American Surgical Association, the Western Surgical Association, the Texas Surgical Society, the Society of Surgical Chairs, the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons, and the American College of Surgeons.
Dr. Rege was the Chair of UT Southwestern’s Department of Surgery from 2001 to 2013. He returned to that position in an interim role from September 2016 to April 2018 and is currently UTSW’s Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education.
Personal Note
Dr. Rege and his wife are avid travelers, hitting the roads and airways regularly to visit their grown children or to embark on new opera odysseys to hear performances in the world’s great opera venues. The Reges were Co-Chairs of the Dallas Opera Guild and also enjoy attending the Dallas Symphony and cycling around White Rock Lake.
Meet Dr. Rege
Laparoscopic Surgeon
UT Southwestern surgeon Robert Rege, M.D., is a trailblazer in advanced laparoscopic surgery, laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy, and robotic surgery training. A highly experienced surgeon and educator, he specializes in gastrointestinal surgery.
Dr. Rege says that a key to successful surgery is being a successful decision-maker.
“Before you can be a good laparoscopic surgeon, you need to be a good surgeon. But before you can be a good technical surgeon, you have to make good decisions,” he says. “The care of patients and surgical decision-making includes how to recognize and diagnose disease, how to decide when to operate and when not to operate, and how to make the decisions that are critical for a great outcome.”
Dr. Rege adds that the multidisciplinary teams at UT Southwestern allow him to make those calls even when his patients are facing a difficult or complex illness. “We take on patients for complex surgeries that can’t be done in other hospitals,” he says.
“I think what patients get at UT Southwestern is the best care you can get, whatever your circumstances. As an academic medical center, we are a one-stop shop.”
Education & Training
Professional Associations & Affiliations
- Texas Surgical Society
- Society of Surgical Chairmen
- Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons
- Fellow of the American College of Surgeons
- Association of VA Surgeons, President 2003-2004
Books & Publications
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Publications
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Is a "Simple measurement" of intra-abdominal fat a simple tool for a surgeon?: Comment on "Simple measurement of intra-abdominal fat for abdominal surgery outcome prediction".
Rege RV Archives of surgery (Chicago, Ill. : 1960) 2010 Nov 145 11 1073-4 -
General surgery training at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center: a legacy of excellence.
Rege RV The American surgeon 2010 Mar 76 3 245-52 -
Training of surgeons in clinical research.
Livingston E, Rege RV Surgery 2009 Jun 145 6 644-50 -
Laparoscopic esophagomyotomy for achalasia: how I do it.
Rivas H, Rege RV Journal of gastrointestinal surgery : official journal of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract 2009 Mar 13 3 542-9 -
Ultrasound-guided breast biopsy curriculum for surgical residents.
Hoover SJ, Berry MP, Rossick L, Rege RV, Jones DB Surgical innovation 2008 Mar 15 1 52-8 -
Biliary pancreatitis.
Sarosi G, Rege RV Journal of gastrointestinal surgery : official journal of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract 2006 Sep-Oct 10 8 1170-9 -
Laparoscopic Splenectomy
Rege RV The SAGES Manual, Fundamentals of Laparoscopy, Thoracoscopy, and GI Endoscopy 2006 2nd Edition, Springer Ed Carol E.H. Scott-Conner, 411-420 -
Multicenter construct validity for southwestern laparoscopic videotrainer stations.
Korndorffer JR, Clayton JL, Tesfay ST, Brunner WC, Sierra R, Dunne JB, Jones DB, Rege RV, Touchard CL, Scott DJ The Journal of surgical research 2005 Sep 128 1 114-9 -
Do resident duty hour restrictions reduce technical complications of emergency laparoscopic cholecystectomy?
Naylor RA, Rege RV and Valentine RJ J Am Coll Surg 2005 201 724-731 -
Integrating technical competency into the surgical curriculum: doing more with less.
Valentine RJ, Rege RV The Surgical clinics of North America 2004 Dec 84 6 1647-67, xi-xii -
Rebleeding and survival after acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding.
Anthony T, Penta P, Todd RD, Sarosi GA, Nwariaku F, Rege RV American journal of surgery 2004 Nov 188 5 485-90 -
Why should the VA continue academic affiliations?
Rege RV American journal of surgery 2004 Nov 188 5 453-8 -
Health care access and poverty do not explain the higher esophageal cancer mortality in African Americans.
Miller JA, Rege RV, Ko CY, Livingston EH American journal of surgery 2004 Jul 188 1 22-6 -
Laparoscopy alone is superior to peritoneal cytology in staging gastric and esophageal carcinoma.
Wilkiemeyer MB, Bieligk SC, Ashfaq R, Jones DB, Rege RV, Fleming JB Surgical endoscopy 2004 May 18 5 852-6 -
Why Should the VA continue academic affiliations?
Rege RV Am J Surg 2004 188 453-458 -
Cholecystitis and Cholelithiasis
Rege RV Rakel and Bope: Conn’s Current Therapy 2004 Elsevier Science (USA) 510-513 -
Minimally Invasive Surgery
Chang CD, Rege RV Sabiston Textbook of Surgery 17th Edition, RD Beauchamp, Ed, WB Saunders 2004 445-470 -
Effect of sleep deprivation on the performance of simulated laparoscopic surgical skill.
Eastridge BJ, Hamilton EC, O'Keefe GE, Rege RV, Valentine RJ, Jones DJ, Tesfay S, Thal ER American journal of surgery 2003 Aug 186 2 169-74 -
The role of biliary calcium in gallstone pathogenesis.
Rege RV Frontiers in bioscience : a journal and virtual library 2002 Jul 7 e315-25 -
Comparison of video trainer and virtual reality training systems on acquisition of laparoscopic skills.
Hamilton EC, Scott DJ, Fleming JB, Rege RV, Laycock R, Bergen PC, Tesfay ST, Jones DB Surgical endoscopy 2002 Mar 16 3 406-11 -
Improving operative performance using a laparoscopic hernia simulator.
Hamilton EC, Scott DJ, Kapoor A, Nwariaku F, Bergen PC, Rege RV, Tesfay ST, Jones DB American journal of surgery 2001 Dec 182 6 725-8 -
Laparoscopic skills training.
Scott DJ, Young WN, Tesfay ST, Frawley WH, Rege RV, Jones DB American journal of surgery 2001 Aug 182 2 137-42 -
Accuracy and effectiveness of laparoscopic vs open hepatic radiofrequency ablation.
Scott DJ, Young WN, Watumull LM, Lindberg G, Fleming JB, Huth JF, Rege RV, Jeyarajah DR, Jones DB Surgical endoscopy 2001 Feb 15 2 135-40 -
Development of an in vivo tumor-mimic model for learning radiofrequency ablation.
Scott DJ MD, Young WN, Watumull LM, Lindberg G, Fleming JB, Rege RV, Brown RJ, Jones DB Journal of gastrointestinal surgery : official journal of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract 2000 Nov-Dec 4 6 620-5 -
Evaluating surgical competency with the American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination, skill testing, and intraoperative assessment.
Scott DJ, Valentine RJ, Bergen PC, Rege RV, Laycock R, Tesfay ST, Jones DB Surgery 2000 Oct 128 4 613-22 -
Laparoscopic training on bench models: better and more cost effective than operating room experience?
Scott DJ, Bergen PC, Rege RV, Laycock R, Tesfay ST, Valentine RJ, Euhus DM, Jeyarajah DR, Thompson WM, Jones DB Journal of the American College of Surgeons 2000 Sep 191 3 272-83 -
Measuring operative performance after laparoscopic skills training: edited videotape versus direct observation.
Scott DJ, Rege RV, Bergen PC, Guo WA, Laycock R, Tesfay ST, Valentine RJ, Jones DB Journal of laparoendoscopic & advanced surgical techniques. Part A 2000 Aug 10 4 183-90 -
Identification of high-risk residents.
Bergen PC, Littlefield JH, O'Keefe GE, Rege RV, Anthony TA, Kim LT, Turnage RH The Journal of surgical research 2000 Aug 92 2 239-44 -
Inflammatory cytokines alter human gallbladder epithelial cell absorption/secretion.
Rege RV Journal of gastrointestinal surgery : official journal of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract 2000 Mar-Apr 4 2 185-92 -
A learning curve for laparoscopic splenectomy at an academic institution.
Rege RV, Joehl RJ The Journal of surgical research 1999 Jan 81 1 27-32 -
Bilateral adrenal cortical adenomas in primary hyperaldosteronism.
Engel JD, Angelos P, Rege RV, Joehl RJ Urology 1998 Oct 52 4 711-4 -
The inflammatory effects of crystalline cholesterol monohydrate in the guinea pig gallbladder in vivo.
Prystowsky JB, Rege RV Surgery 1998 Mar 123 3 258-63 -
Inflammation and a thickened mucus layer in mice with cholesterol gallstones.
Rege RV, Prystowsky JB The Journal of surgical research 1998 Jan 74 1 81-5 -
Interleukin-1 mediates guinea pig gallbladder inflammation in vivo.
Prystowsky JB, Rege RV The Journal of surgical research 1997 Aug 71 2 123-6 -
Neurogenic inflammation in cholecystitis.
Prystowsky JB, Rege RV Digestive diseases and sciences 1997 Jul 42 7 1489-94 -
Laparoscopic splenectomy.
Rege RV, Merriam LT, Joehl RJ The Surgical clinics of North America 1996 Jun 76 3 459-68 -
Hypercholeresis with cholate infusion in dogs with pigment gallstones.
Matsumura J, Neri K, Rege RV Digestive diseases and sciences 1996 Feb 41 2 272-81 -
Methionine, but not taurine, protects against formation of canine pigment gallstones.
Christian JS, Rege RV The Journal of surgical research 1996 Feb 61 1 275-81 -
Inflammatory properties of bile from dogs with pigment gallstones.
Rege RV, Prystowsky JB American journal of surgery 1996 Jan 171 1 197-201 -
Adverse effects of biliary obstruction: implications for treatment of patients with obstructive jaundice.
Rege RV AJR. American journal of roentgenology 1995 Feb 164 2 287-93 -
Human polymorphonuclear leukocyte phagocytosis of crystalline cholesterol, bilirubin, and calcium hydroxyapatite in vitro.
Prystowsky JB, Huprikar JS, Rademaker AW, Rege RV Digestive diseases and sciences 1995 Feb 40 2 412-8 -
Animal models of pigment gallstones.
Rege RV, Dawes LG, Ostrow JD Advances in veterinary science and comparative medicine 1993 37 257-87 -
Secretion of biliary calcium is increased in dogs with pigment gallstones.
Dawes LG, Rege RV Digestive diseases and sciences 1992 Oct 37 10 1523-30 -
Convective movement of Ca2+ across guinea pig gallbladder epithelium.
Rege RV, Moore EW The American journal of physiology 1992 Jun 262 6 Pt 1 G990-5 -
Canine bile contains anticrystallization factors that inhibit precipitation of calcium carbonate.
Dawes LG, Moore EW, Rege RV, Shimizu S, Ostrow JD Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.) 1991 Oct 14 4 Pt 1 701-6 -
Calcium and calcium binding in human gallstone disease.
Dawes LG, Rege RV Archives of surgery (Chicago, Ill. : 1960) 1990 Dec 125 12 1606-9 -
Biliary calcium secretion in the dog occurs primarily by passive convection and diffusion and is linked to bile flow.
Rege RV, Dawes LG, Moore EW The Journal of laboratory and clinical medicine 1990 May 115 5 593-602 -
Isolation of an acidic protein from cholesterol gallstones, which inhibits the precipitation of calcium carbonate in vitro.
Shimizu S, Sabsay B, Veis A, Ostrow JD, Rege RV, Dawes LG The Journal of clinical investigation 1989 Dec 84 6 1990-6 -
Canine common duct and gallbladder bile contain antinucleating factors that inhibit CaCO3 precipitation.
Rege RV, Dawes LG, Moore EW The Journal of laboratory and clinical medicine 1989 May 113 5 642-50 -
Reversal of pigment gallstone disease in a canine model.
Dawes LG, Nahrwold DL, Roth SI, Rege RV Archives of surgery (Chicago, Ill. : 1960) 1989 Apr 124 4 463-6 -
A foregut carcinoid tumor causing Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.
Werbel GB, Nelson SP, Robinson PG, Anastasi J, Joehl RJ, Rege RV Archives of surgery (Chicago, Ill. : 1960) 1989 Mar 124 3 381-4 -
Supersaturation of canine gallbladder bile with calcium bilirubinate during formation of pigment gallstones.
Dawes LG, Nahrwold DL, Rege RV American journal of surgery 1989 Jan 157 1 82-8 -
Interactions of unconjugated bilirubin with bile salts.
Rege RV, Webster CC, Ostrow JD Journal of lipid research 1988 Oct 29 10 1289-96 -
Increased total and free ionized calcium in a canine model of pigment gallstones.
Dawes LG, Nahrwold DL, Rege RV Surgery 1988 Jul 104 1 86-90 -
Absorption of biliary calcium from the canine gallbladder: protection against the formation of calcium-containing gallstones.
Rege RV, Nahrwold DL, Moore EW The Journal of laboratory and clinical medicine 1987 Oct 110 4 381-6 -
Animal models of pigment gallstone disease.
Rege RV, Nahrwold DL The Journal of surgical research 1987 Aug 43 2 196-203 -
Enzymatic oxidation of unconjugated bilirubin to assess its interactions with taurocholate.
Rege RV, Webster CC, Ostrow JD Journal of lipid research 1987 Jun 28 6 673-83 -
Evidence for H+ secretion by the in vivo canine gallbladder.
Rege RV, Moore EW Gastroenterology 1987 Feb 92 2 281-9 -
External duodenal fistula. Causes, complications, and treatment.
Rossi JA, Sollenberger LL, Rege RV, Glenn J, Joehl RJ Archives of surgery (Chicago, Ill. : 1960) 1986 Aug 121 8 908-12 -
Pathogenesis of calcium-containing gallstones. Canine ductular bile, but not gallbladder bile, is supersaturated with calcium carbonate.
Rege RV, Moore EW The Journal of clinical investigation 1986 Jan 77 1 21-6 -
Validation of infrared spectroscopy for assessment of vinyl polymers of bile-pigment gallstones.
Rege RV, Webster CC, Ostrow JD, Carr SH, Ohkubo H The Biochemical journal 1984 Dec 224 3 871-6 -
Polymer networks in pigment and cholesterol gallstones assessed by equilibrium swelling and infrared spectroscopy.
Ohkubo H, Ostrow JD, Carr SH, Rege RV Gastroenterology 1984 Oct 87 4 805-14
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Is a "Simple measurement" of intra-abdominal fat a simple tool for a surgeon?: Comment on "Simple measurement of intra-abdominal fat for abdominal surgery outcome prediction".
Research
- Pathogenesis of Gallbladder Diseases
Clinical Focus
- Gastroesophageal Reflux & Heartburn Surgery
- Diaphragm Hernia Surgery
- Gastrointestinal Surgery
- Hernia & Abdominal Wall Repair Surgery
- General Surgical Procedures
Q&A by Dr. Rege
Results: 1 Locations
Multidisciplinary Surgery Clinic
at Outpatient Building 1801 Inwood Road, 7th Floor, Suite 100Dallas, Texas 75390 214-645-2900 Directions to Multidisciplinary Surgery Clinic Parking Info for Multidisciplinary Surgery Clinic