Skip to main content
APSA 2025 Annual Meeting Main banner

Gail E. Besner, MD (she/her/hers)

Chief, Department of Pediatric Surgery
Nationwide Children's Hospital
Columbus, Ohio, United States

Dr. Gail Besner, Co-Founder of Monarch Health Systems, is a surgeon-scientist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and The Ohio State University, holds the H. William Clatworthy, Jr. Chair in Surgery, and has been the Chief of Pediatric Surgery at Nationwide Children’s Hospital (NCH) for the past thirteen years. Dr. Besner incorporated a Quality Improvement (QI)-directed process into NCH’s pediatric surgery Morbidity & Mortality (M&M) Conference in 2013, further increasing the robust nature of the Conference, and converting this process into a searchable electronic format in 2009 further enhanced the process. These changes were the backbone for creating Monarch Health Systems.

Dr. Besner is a member of the Center for Perinatal Research at the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. She was the Program Director of the Pediatric Surgery Residency Training Program for many years. Dr. Besner established a basic science research laboratory in pediatric surgery at Nationwide Children’s Hospital upon her arrival in 1991, and her research has received continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health for the past 30 years. Her research focuses on identifying novel therapeutic strategies to protect the intestines from intestinal injury including necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). She is a scientific Co-Founder of Scioto Biosciences, Inc., whose goal is to initiate clinical trials of Limosilactobacillus reuteri delivered in a protective biofilm state for the prevention of NEC. She was the 2024 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Allen Distinguished Scholar in Pediatric Research, awarded for scientific innovation and achievement in advancing the understanding, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of childhood disease. In addition, she has been awarded the 2024 Drake Medal from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, the highest recognition the college can bestow on its former students, faculty and residents or current faculty, awarded for outstanding scholarly achievements with major significant contributions to medical research and/or a distinguished career as a clinician-teacher. She served as the Chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Surgery in 2020, and is currently the President-Elect of the American Pediatric Surgical Association. She was recently chosen to receive the 2025 Medallion for Scientific Achievement from the American Surgical Association, the highest honor bestowed by this prestigious Association, in recognition of her transformative research on NEC.

Dr. Besner received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University and her medical degree from the University of Cincinnati. She did her General Surgery Residency at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital and her Pediatric Surgery training at Buffalo Children’s Hospital. She completed her research training in the laboratory of Dr. Judah Folkman, during which time she discovered a new growth factor known as heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF). She participates actively on many national surgical and research committees. She previously served a four-year term as a member of the Surgery, Anesthesia and Trauma Study Section of the NIH, and a four-year term as a member of the National Advisory General Medical Council of the NIH. Dr. Besner has made important contributions in both the clinical and basic science arenas. She is the author of over 220 peer-reviewed publications and has delivered over 500 local, national and international presentations.

Dr. Besner resides in Dublin, Ohio with her husband David. They have two children, Matthew age 30, a Triathlete living in Austin, Texas, and Nicole age 27, a law student at University of Michigan. She spends her spare time as a marine aquarist, and also enjoys needlepointing and antique collecting.

Presentation(s):