Biography 

Daniel I. Chu, M.D., MSPH, is Professor of Surgery, Director of the Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery, and the Selwyn M. Vickers Endowed Chair in the Department of Surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). He trained at Yale (college), Johns Hopkins (medical school), Boston University (general surgery), and the Mayo Clinic (colorectal fellowship). Dr. Chu is a double board-certified academic colorectal surgeon. His clinical practice covers the full spectrum of colorectal diseases, including complex inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer.

In addition, Dr. Chu leads a research team focused on identifying, understanding, and eliminating surgical disparities. A past-recipient of an AHRQ K12 and NIH K23, Dr. Chu’s lab has been continuously funded since 2014 with over $21.8-million in external funding including as PI/mPI on two R01s, one U01, and one T35. His research addresses disparities through a novel intersection of health literacy, enhanced recovery programs, and patient engagement technologies. Dr. Chu has published >120 peer-reviewed papers and 12 book chapters. His work has been presented at >150 international/national meetings with over 18 research awards. He has been further recognized with international travel awards, including the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Japan Traveling Fellowship and the James IV Association of Surgeons Traveling Fellowship.

Dr. Chu is also a dedicated mentor and teacher. He has mentored over 60 trainees since joining UAB and been recognized with honors, including the 2016 Marshall M. Urist Junior Faculty Teacher and the 2023 Mark H. Deierhoi Faculty Mentor awards. Dr. Chu also serves in national leadership roles, including as current President-Elect and Past-Secretary of the Society of Asian Academic Surgeons (SAAS), Director of International Courses for the Association of Academic Surgeons (AAS), and Chair of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation (CCF) Alabama/NW Florida Chapter. He is an active member of 18 major academic societies, including the American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI), Society of Clinical Surgery (SCS), Surgical Biology Club II (SBCII), and Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA). He is an editorial board member of the Journal of Surgical Research and the American Journal of Surgery.

Selected Publications

Jones BA, Richman J, Rubyan M, Wood L, Harsono AAH, Oslock W, English N, Smith BP, Hollis R, Hearld LR, Scarinci I, Chu DI. Preoperative Education is Associated with Adherence to Downstream Components and Outcomes in a Colorectal Surgery Enhanced Recovery Program. Ann Surg Open. 2024 May 16. PMID: 38911622.

Smith B, Smith BP, Hollis RH, Jones BA, Shao C, Katta M, Wood L, Bateman LB, Oates GR, Chu DI. Development of a comprehensive survey to assess key socioecological determinants of health. Surgery. 2023 Dec 28:S0039-6060(23)00866-8. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38158309.

Smith BP, Girling I, Hollis RH, Rubyan M, Shao C, Jones B, Abbas A, Herbey I, Oates GR, Pisu M, Chu DI. A socioecological qualitative analysis of barriers to care in colorectal surgery. Surgery. 2023 Apr 21:S0039-6060(23)00131-9. PMID: 37088570.

Theiss LM, Wood L, Shao C, Marques I, Kim DH, Hollis R, Gunnells D, Hardiman K, Cannon J, Morris M, Kennedy G, Chu DI. Disparities in Perioperative Use of Patient Engagement Technologies - Not All Use is Equal. Ann Surg. 2023 Jan 1;277(1):e218-e225. Epub 2021 Jun 9. PMID: 36827493.

Theiss LM, Wood T, McLeod MC, Shao C, Santos Marques ID, Bajpai S, Lopez E, Duong AM, Hollis R, Morris MS, Chu DI. The association of health literacy and postoperative complications after colorectal surgery: A cohort study. Am J Surg. 2021 Oct 16. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34728069.

Dos Santos Marques IC, Theiss LM, Johnson CY, McLin E, Ruf BA, Vickers SM, Fouad MN, Scarinci IC, Chu DI. Implementation of virtual focus groups for qualitative data collection in a global pandemic. Am J Surg. 2020 Oct 12. PMID: 33070983.

Dos Santos Marques IC, Herbey II, Theiss LM, Hollis RH, Knight SJ, Davis TC, Fouad M, Chu DI. Understanding the Surgical Experience for African-Americans and Caucasians With Enhanced Recovery. J Surg Res. 2020 Jan 31;250:12-22. PubMed PMID: 32014697.

Chang ME, Baker SJ, Dos Santos Marques IC, Liwo AN, Chung SK, Richman JS, Knight SJ, Fouad MN, Gakumo CA, Davis TC, Chu DI. Health Literacy in Surgery. Health Lit Res Pract. 2020 Feb 11;4(1): e46-e65. PubMed PMID: 32053207.

Education

Medical School
Johns Hopkins University

Residency
Boston University
General Surgery

Fellowship
Mayo Clinic
Colon and Rectal Surgery

Contact

Campus Address
KB 427

Phone
Patient Appointments and Questions: 205-975-3000
Academic Office: 205-934-8047

Email
dchu@uabmc.edu