Dr. Ellen Hagopian is a Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary (HPB) Surgeon and holds the academic post of Associate Professor of Surgery and Medical Education at University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences.  Prior to arriving at University of Toledo, Dr. Hagopian was part of the foundational team to establish and build a new medical school, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, where she served as the inaugural Surgery Clerkship Director and the Phase 2 Curriculum (clinical) Subcommittee Chair.

Dr. Hagopian was trained in General Surgery at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center and subsequently in minimally invasive surgery at New York Medical College in New York, USA and in Hepatobiliary Surgery at Centre Hépatobiliare, Hôpital Paul Brousse, Villejuif, France. Dr. Hagopian’s surgical practice at the University of Toledo spans benign and malignant diseases of the liver pancreas and biliary tract, with a particular focus in minimally invasive and robotic surgery. Honing her academic and teaching skills, she achieved a Masters in Health Professions Education at University of Illinois-Chicago gaining significant skills in medical and surgical education, curriculum development, assessment and leadership.

Dr. Hagopian has served on multiple educational committees for Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (AHPBA), Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT) and American College of Surgeons (ACoS). She has held multiple surgical education leadership positions, including Chair of the AHPBA Education and Training Committee, Chair of the ACoS previous National Ultrasound Faculty, and Chair of the AHPBA Ultrasound Subcommittee. She furthermore serves as Associate Editor for HPB.

Driven by educational change, service, and innovation, Dr. Hagopian is an accomplished educator and has been a leader in surgical training, including HPB ultrasound training and technical skills training courses for HPB Surgeons and Fellows in North America since 2012. As the Assistant Dean for Clinical Education at University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, she transformed the M4 transition to residency courses, incorporating innovative pedagogies using standardized patients and simulation. She created new assessments and helped to create new standards in the M4 assessments and courses. Her commitment to education has been recognized by honors and awards, including the Outstanding Contributor to Resident Education (2023, award by the University of Toledo Department of Surgery), Shout-out for Innovative Instructor and Staff (Spring 2023, Office of the Provost), and the Nonie Lowry Distinguished Service Award (2024, AHPBA).

Dr. Hagopian’s research interests focus in surgical education, in particular in surgical ultrasound and surgical skills assessment. She has published multiple works in surgical education and her current work examines the scope of ultrasound in  surgical practice and assessment of intraoperative ultrasound skill of surgical trainees and surgeons.

While Dr. Hagopian is an accomplished leader in medical and surgical education, she is a passionate surgeon and advocate of patient care. Recognized for her accomplishments in Hepatobiliary Surgery, in 2012, Dr. Hagopian was induced as the first female American Surgeon into les Compagnons Hépatobiliaires, the International Hepatobiliary Fellowship Society of Professor Henri Bismuth, a recognized pioneer in Hepatobiliary Surgery. Dr. Hagopian’s philosophy is that of an individualized approach to each patient, and she values the patient as an active participant in his/her medical care. Reflecting this, she is a recipient of the Patients’ Choice Award in 2013 and the Patients’ Choice Compassionate Doctor Award in 2014.