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Dr. Andrew Watson is a fourth-generation surgeon and the eighth surgeon in his family. He earned his master’s degree at the University of Oxford and attended medical school at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He did his surgical training and fellowship at UPMC. He is an actively practicing colorectal surgeon specializing in minimally invasive inflammatory bowel diseases and complex re-operative abdominal surgery. He is a professor of surgery and works within the division of colorectal surgery. He is widely published and recognized as a telemedicine expert and uses digital health extensively in his clinical practice.
He is the senior medical director for digital health at the UPMC Health Plan, focusing on digital health and strategy for Health Plan members. This includes leading the Plan’s virtual behavioral health initiative. He is a senior medical advisor for UPMC Enterprises focusing on digital health innovation and investment opportunities. In this role he engages early-stage companies and provides digital clinical advice on investment opportunities. He started and leads the Total-Telemedicine Pathway, an inter-departmental collaborative approach to engage and risk-stratify new pre-surgical patients without unnecessary travel, thus expanding access to safe and high quality surgical care.
He actively uses and helps to develop telemedicine at UPMC and has personally conducted over 1200 telemedicine visits for pre- and post-surgical patients. He past-President of the American Telemedicine Association. He is an advisor to the American Board of Telehealth. He is past chair of the American College of Surgeons Healthcare IT committee. He serves on multiple boards, reviews articles for multiple journals, and speaks globally on digital health and telemedicine.
