Specializing In:
- Complex General Surgical Oncology
Research Interests:
- Clinical Outcomes in Surgical Oncology
- Health disparities and equitable access to surgical oncology care
- Access to complex cancer surgery and surgical systems strengthening
- Surgical education and workforce development in domestic and global settings
Biography
I am a board-certified general surgeon and a Fellow in Complex General Surgical Oncology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Biochemistry from Wheaton College in 2015, and received my medical degree with honors from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in 2019.
I completed a seven-year integrated Global Surgery residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, with clinical and research experience in Kenya, Malawi, and Nigeria.
My clinical and academic interests include upper and lower gastrointestinal cancers, hepatobiliary malignancies, reducing disparities in surgical oncology care for underserved populations, and building sustainable surgical oncology capacity in low-resource settings.
Positions
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Surgical Oncology Fellow
- Department of Surgical Oncology
Background
Education and Training
- 2015-2019 - MD - University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago, IL
- 2015 - BS - Chemistry and Biochemistry, Wheaton College, IL
Residency
- 2019-2026 - Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Board Certification
- American Board of Surgery
- Texas Medical Board
Professional Memberships
- Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society
- American College of Surgeons
- Society of Surgical Oncology
- Association of Academic Global Surgery
Honors & Awards
- Doximity Foundation Travel Grant Award (January 2026)
- PEAR Teaching Awards (December 2023, July 2024, September 2024)
- American College of Surgeons Poster of Exceptional Merit (October 2022)
- Samaritan’s Purse Travel Grant Award (May 2022, November 2025)
- Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society (2018)
- University of Illinois College of Medicine Silver Scalpel Award (January 2018)
- Wheaton College Scholastic Honor Society (2015)
- Wheaton College Bernard A. Nelson Prize (2013)
- CRC Freshman Chemistry Award (2012)
Publications
- Holmes, DM, Reyes JEM, Hsu C, Silberfein EJ, The Role of Routine Staging Laparoscopy for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma in Underserved Populations: A 14-year Experience at a Safety-Net Hospital. Accepted for publication in Journal of Surgical Oncology. May 26, 2026.
- Barakat, O. Creden SP, Holmes DM, Ageedi, W. Rethinking Biliary Reconstruction: Alternatives to Standard Roux-en-Y Hepaticojejunostomy. Journal of Surgical Case Reports. 2025; Volume 2025, Issue 7, July 2025
- Holmes DM, Matatiyo A, Mpasa A, Huibers MHW, Manda G, Tomoka T, Mulenga M, Namazzi R, Mehta P, Zobeck M, Mzikamanda R, Chintagumpala M, Allen C, Nuchtern JG, Borgstein E, Aronson DC, Ozuah N, Nandi B, McAtee CL. Outcomes of Wilms Tumor Therapy in Lilongwe, Malawi, 2016–2021: Successes and Ongoing Research Priorities. Pediatric Blood & Cancer, 2023; 70(5):
- Bansal S, Sheri YA, Davis RW, Barnett M, Parikh UM, Bechtold H, Holmes H, Yang Y, Holmes DM, Vu M, Nuchtern JG, and Wilson CT. Decreases in Elective and Non-Elective Surgical Case Volumes During the COVID-19 Pandemic. J Curr Surg. 2021;11(4):73-81
- Holmes DM, Polites SF, Roskos PL, Moir CR. Opioid Use and Length of Stay Following Minimally Invasive Pectus Excavatum Repair in 436 Patients — Benefits of an Enhanced Recovery Pathway. J Pediatr Surg. 2019;54(10):1976-1983.