Our Board

Ai-Xuan Holterman, M.D., FACS

Board Position:  President


Credentials

     Founder of IPSAC,  Pediatric Surgeon

Current Place of Employment

     University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria

        Professor of Surgery

     Childrens Hospital of Illinois

        Pediatric Surgery

Biography

Dr. Ai-Xuan Holterman is the founder and president of IPSAC. She was born in Vietnam and left her homeland for the US in 1975. She completed her undergraduate, medical and surgical training in the US at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Dallas, the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, and the University of Montreal with board certifications in General Surgery and Pediatric Surgery by the American Board of Surgery. She is a pediatric surgeon in clinical practice and a surgeon scientist with research interests in pediatric liver diseases, multi-institutional interventional trials with grant support by numerous foundations, including the National Institute of Health. She has widely published and has lectured in national and international meetings, particularly on the molecular biology of cholestatic liver, obesity-related liver disease, and pediatric morbid obesity. She is editorial board member and manuscript reviewer of many academic journals. She holds membership with the American Surgical Association, American Pediatric Surgical Association and the Society of University Surgeons, the American College of Surgeons. She has three sons, 26, 25 and 23 years old. Outside work, she enjoys time with her family, mentoring students and junior faculty, traveling and using her skills to advance Global Surgical education, training and healthcare.

 


Ai-Thanh Le

   Board Position: Vice President of Operations

 

Credentials

     Business Management 

Current Place of Employment

     Redbox - Regional Manager

Biography

Ai-Thanh graduated from The University of Dallas with a BA in Politics. She has a strong background in Operations Management. Since 2010, she has been a Regional Manager of the Deep South Region at Redbox. As a Regional Manager, Ai-Thanh has not only met but exceeded company metrics. She coaches and tutors supervisors while training and mentoring fellow Regional Managers. She has been awarded the top performing region of the 3rd and 4th Quarter of 2011 as well as one of the top 3 Performing Regions of 2011. Ai-Thanh has recently been promoted to Director of Operations, Machine Support. She currently resides in the greater Chicago area. 

 


Mike Chen, M.D.

   Board Position: Vice President of Clinical Affairs 

 

Credentials

     Pediatric Surgery 

Current Place of Employment

     University of Alabama at Birmingham

        Department of Surgery

           Professor

        Division of Pediatric Surgery

           Director

     Children's of Alabama

        Surgeon-in-Chief

 


Biography

Dr. Chen received his medical degree from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center. He completed his residency in General Surgery and Transplantation at the University of Florida and completed his pediatric surgery fellowship at LeBonheur Children's Hospital at the University of Tennessee. He is board certified by the American Board of Surgery in General Surgery and Pediatric Surgery. He was active in the US Army Reserve Medical Corps and completed two active duty deployments. Dr. Chen is currently the Program Director of the Pediatric Surgery and Endosugery Fellowships, at the Children's Hospital of Alabama. He has held other leadership roles during his time at the University of Florida. He is a member of numerous associations including a Fellow at the American College of Surgeons and the American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA). He has been elected to the Board of Governors of APSA.  He has held many leadership roles in associations, locally, nationally and internationally. Among his surgical career, Dr. Chen has also been a peer reviewer for several medical journals, an advisor to students, published manuscripts, book chapters, abstracts and edited surgical textbooks. Also, he has given many local, national and international presentations and lectures, currently focusing on tumors, anorectal malformations and minimal invasive surgery. Dr. Chen has been on IPSAC Board of Directors since 2008 and has provided inpatient pediatric and neonatal surgical care, presented workshops, taught rounds and conferences. 


Allen Browne, MD, FACS, FAAP, ABOM

Diplomate American Board of Obesity Medicine

   Credentials

     Pediatric Surgery

    Obesity Medicine

 

 

  

 

 

Biography

Dr. Browne received his medical degree from the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington D.C. He completed his internship at the Maine Medical Center in Portland, ME, and then spent three years in the U.S. Army as General Medical Officer and then Commander of the 547th General Dispensary at the 7th Army Training Center in Grafenwohr, West Germany. Dr. Browne returned to the Maine Medical Center to complete his general surgery residency and then did fellowships in pediatric surgery at Cincinnati Children's Hospital and at Columbus Children's Hospital. He is board certified in General and Pediatric Surgery by the American Board of Surgery. He practiced pediatric surgery and taught medical students and residents at the University of Vermont from 1982-1990, at the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital from 1990-2004, at University of Illinois at Chicago and Rush Medical Center from 2004-2008, and Nationwide Children's Hospital from 2008-2009. Dr. Browne was a Locum Tenens Pediatric Surgeon for numerous hospitals around the country in 2009 and 2010. He practiced at the Carle Clinic & OSF Medical Center 2001-2016. He is a member of the American Pediatric Surgical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Surgeons, the American Association of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, The Obesity Society, The Obesity Medicine Association, and the New England Surgical Society. He is currently on the pediatric committee of the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, on the childhood obesity committee of the American Pediatric Surgical Association, and in the Surgical Section and the Provisional Section on Obesity of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Browne is also a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. His current research interest is in pediatric & adolescent obesity and he has contributed to numerous manuscripts, book chapters, published abstracts, poster exhibits, oral presentations and lectures on the subject. He has also contributed several programs promoting public awareness of adolescent obesity. Dr. Browne has been a part of IPSAC since 2009 providing pediatric surgical care and presenting workshops and lectures.

 


Mark Holterman, M.D. Ph.D.

Credentials

     Pediatric Surgeon

 

 Current Place of Employment

    Children's Hospital of Illinois - St Francis Medical Center

    University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria

        Division of Pediatric Surgery

        Professor of Surgery

Biography

Dr. Holterman received his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees and completed his general surgery residency at the University of Virginia. He went on to complete a fellowship in Pediatric Surgery at University of Washington, Seattle and spent two years as a research associate at the Clinical Research Institute of Montreal. Dr. Holterman is board certified in General Surgery and Pediatric Surgery by the American Board of Surgery. His main area of interest is in diabetes research and has received an Innovative Research Award from the American Diabetes Association recognizing his excellence. Dr. Holterman is currently a member of several associations including a fellow at the American College of Surgeons and a fellow in the surgical section of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He has published numerous peer and non-peer reviewed articles, abstracts, many of which focus on diabetes, and given international, national and regional presentations. Also, he has contributed book chapters on immunology and gastroenterology. Dr. Holterman is a reviewer for medical journals and contributes to several educational websites on embryology education. Dr. Holterman has worked with IPSAC since 2009 providing pediatric surgical care and presenting workshops and lectures. 

 


Elizabeth Beierle Chen, M.D.

Credentials

     Pediatric Surgeon

 

     Focus: Oncology and neonatal surgery

 

 Current Place of Employment

 

   UAB School of Medicine

 

Children's of Alabama Medical Center

 

    Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics

Biography

Dr. Beierle received her medical degree from the University of North Dakota. She completed her residency in General Surgery at the University of Florida, Gainesville. She went on to complete a research fellowship at the University of Florida and a pediatric surgery fellowship at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Beierle is board certified in general surgery and pediatric surgery by the American Board of Surgery (ABS). She is an associate examiner for the ABS.  She has been a member of various professional societies and is currently a Fellow with the American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Beierle's current research interest is in the study of pediatric solid tumors, specifically the signal transduction pathways involved in neuroblastomas. She has contributed to numerous manuscripts, book chapters, published abstracts, poster exhibits, oral presentations and lectures. Dr. Beierle has been a part of IPSAC since 2008 and has worked at Children's Hospital No. 1 and 2 providing inpatient pediatric surgery care and presenting a workshop for the pediatric surgical staff. 

 


Rev. Joseph Dao Nguyen Vu, S.J.
   Board Position: Treasurer
 
   Credentials
     Jesuit
     Co-Founder of IPSAC Vietnam
     Country Director
 
   Current Place of Employment
     Executive Secretary, Vietnam Episcopal Committee of Pastoral Care for Migrants and Itinerant People
     CEO, Exodus [Not-for-profit] Co. Ltd.

 

    Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics

Biography
Rev. Dao studied law at the Open University in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. He continued in private business until he began studying Theology and Philosophy at Loyola University in Chicago, IL. After graduating in 2007, Rev. Dao became the Chief Representative of Loyola University Chicago in Vietnam. In May 2014, he completed a Master degree of Divinity from Santa Clara University under the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley. Currently, Rev. Dao is Executive Secretary, Vietnam Episcopal Committee of Pastoral Care for Migrants and Itinerant People. In 2016, he established Exodus Co. Ltd. as a Not-for-profit project to train and supply jobs for unemployment.
Since 2005, Rev. Dao has begun his work as an advocate and consultant for various medical and charitable programs for Vietnam, such as Medical Aid for Vietnam, IPSAC, Autism, and Regina Foundations.