Assistant Professor
Co-Director, Women in Surgery
Areas of Interest
colon, rectal, and anal cancer; surgical management of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis; diverticulitis; benign anorectal disorders; robotic and minimally invasive surgery
Biography
Dr. Lauren Theiss Gleason joined the UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery in November 2025. She completed her medical degree at the UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine and, afterwards, matriculated to the UAB General Surgery Residency. During her time in residency, she received numerous clinical awards. After residency, she completed her fellowship in colorectal surgery at the Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Gleason is a member of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society.
Her major research interests include health literacy, patient engagement technologies, and novel interventions for the improvement of health outcomes.
Selected Publications
Dos Santos Marques IC, Theiss LM, Wood LN, Gunnells DJ, Hollis RH, Hardiman KM, Cannon JA, Morris MS, Kennedy GD, Chu DI. Racial disparities exist in surgical outcomes for patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Am J Surg. 2021 Apr;221(4):668-674.
Theiss LM, Chu DI. An overview of the evidence for enhanced recovery. Seminars in Colon and Rectal Surgery, 2021 Sep;32(3):100826.
Theiss LM, Wood T, McLeod MC, Shao C, Dos Santos Marques I, Bajpai S, Lopez E, Duong AM, Hollis R, Morris M, Chu D. The Association of Health Literacy and Postoperative Complications after Colorectal Surgery: A Cohort Study. Am J Surg. 2022 Jun;223(6):1047-1052.
Theiss LM, Lucy AT, Bergstresser SL, Chu DI, Kennedy GD, Hollis R, Kenzik KM. Disparities in Surgical Timing and Guideline-Adherent Staging Work-Up for Colon Cancer. Ann Surg Oncol. 2022 Sep;29(9):5843-5851
Theiss LM, Prather JC, Porterfield JR, Corey B, Chen H, McGwin G, Johnson MD, Theiss SM. Prevalence, Bias, and Rank List Impact of Illegal Questions in Surgical Specialty Residency Interviews. J Surg Educ. 2022 Jan-Feb;79(1):69-76
Gleason LT, Xie R, Wood L, Shao C, Dos Santos Marques IC, Donahue JM, Wei B, Davies J, Kennedy GD, Chu DI. Cost-benefit analysis of a patient engagement technology (PET) in cardiac, thoracic, and colorectal surgery. Am J Surg. 2022 Apr 26:S0002-9610(22)00290-2.
Rainey R, Theiss L, Lopez E, Wood T, Wood L, Marques I, Cannon JA, Kennedy GD, Morris MS, Hollis R, Davis T, Chu DI. Characterizing the impact of verbal communication and health literacy in the patient-surgeon encounter. Am J Surg. 2022 Apr 30:S0002-9610(22)00296-3.
Theiss LM, Wood L, Shao C, Marques I, Kim DH, Hollis R, Gunnells D, Hardiman K, Cannon J, Morris M, Kennedy G, Chu D. Disparities in perioperative use of patient engagement technologies- not all use is equal. Annals of Surgery. 2023 Jan;277(1):e218-e225.
Honors & Awards
Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society (2017)
Mary T. Hawn Outstanding Woman Student in Surgery & Leadership (2017)
Resident Award in Excellent Medical Student Clinical Education (2023)
John and Cassie Porterfield Chief Resident of the Year (2024)
Education
Medical School
University of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine
Residency
University of Alabama at Birmingham
General Surgery Residency
Fellowship
Mayo Clinic
Colorectal Surgery
Contact
Campus Address
BDB D557
Phone
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