Sebastian Leon, MD

About Dr. Leon

Sebastian Leon completed three years of undergraduate studies between Dalhousie University in Canada and Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador. After that he entered medical school at Universidad Internacional del Ecuador in Quito, Ecuador. Dr. Leon obtained his MD in 2021 after completing one year of comprehensive clinical training in general surgery, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology and family medicine. His main interests are general surgery with a focus on surgical oncology and minimally invasive/microscopic surgery. He has completed several research projects including surgical outcomes in after bariatric procedures, virtual reality as an educational tool to enhance knowledge and technical skills, learning curves for laparoscopic appendectomy in low-resource settings and enteral access outcomes research. His future plans are to enter a categorical general surgery position in 2025.

Education

2015 - 2021
MD - Universidad Internacional del Ecuador
Quito, Ecuador

2012 - 2015
Universidad San Francisco de Quito (Business Administration Studies)
Quito, Ecuador

2011 - 2012
Dalhousie University (Liberal Arts Studies)
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Societies

• AMA membership

Awards

Received the Penn Undergraduate Research Mentorship (PURM) grant along with Dr. Kris Dumon and Dr. Noel Williams, mentoring two undergraduate students that are interested in medical careers on developing low-cost simulated organs to be used in resident training, low-cost laparoscopic trainers and virtual reality modules, including emergency airway management, allergic reaction management, central line placement, chest tube placement. 

One of the 5 Ali Naji, MD, PhD Research Day finalists, presenting research on the feasibility of virtual reality to enhance clinical knowledge acquisition regarding pneumothorax and chest tube insertion among surgical residents at Penn and Senegal. 

Research

Dr. Leon has completed several research projects including surgical outcomes in after bariatric procedures, virtual reality as an educational tool to enhance knowledge and technical skills in high and low resource settings (collaborating with surgeons from Senegal at Gaston Berger University), learning curves for laparoscopic appendectomy in low-resource settings and enteral access outcomes research. Additional research projects include the association of inferior vena cava filters with perioperative outcomes among bariatric surgery patients and comparison of gastrostomy techniques among patients with stroke-induced dysphagia. Along with our colleagues from Senegal we have also explored how the use of a head-mounted camera can be used as a debriefing tool to enhance surgical skills in hand-sewn intestinal anastomosis techniques.

Publications

Original Papers

1. Leon S, Ndong A, Rouhi A, Sarr N, Duffy C, Williams N, Dumon K Feasibility of Immersive Virtual Reality Simulation for Pneumothorax and Chest Tube Clinical Knowledge Acquisition in Low- and High-Resource Settings: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Study. Under review.
2. Leon S, Rouhi A, Perez JE, Alberstadt A, Tewksbury C, Gershuni V, Altieri M, Williams N, Dumon K. Bariatric Surgery in Patients with Preoperative Therapeutic Anticoagulation: A 2015-2021 MBSAQIP Database Study. Accepted, in press at SOARD.
3. Leon S, Rouhi A, Perez JE, Tewksbury C, Gershuni V, Altieri M, Williams N, Dumon K. Perioperative Outcomes of Staple Line Reinforcement During Laparoscopic and Robotic Sleeve Gastrectomy: An MBSAQIP Cohort Study of 284,641 Patients. Under review.
4. Leon S, Rouhi A, Roberson J, Shreve L, Nadolski G, Williams N, Dumon K. Safety of elective enteral access in elderly patients: a comparative analysis of perioperative risk. Accepted, in press at Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery.
5. Ndong A, Diallo A, Rouhi A, Dia D, Leon S, Diao M, Alberstadt A, Tendeng J, Williams N, Cisse M, Dumon K, Konate I. Head-mounted camera as a debriefing tool for surgical simulation-based training: a randomized controlled study in Senegal. Under review.
6. Ndong A, Diallo A, Rouhi A, Diao M, Leon S, Dia D, Alberstadt A, Tendeng J, Williams N, Cisse M, Dumon K, Konate I. Laparoscopic Appendectomy Learning Curve for a Single Surgical Team in Senegal: A Cumulative SUM (CUSUM) Analysis of Operative Time. Accepted, in press at Surgical Endoscopy.
7. Rouhi A, Leon S, Roberson J, Shreve L, Nadolski G, Williams N, Dumon K. Comparison of Gastrostomy Techniques in Stroke Patients with Dysphagia: An Entropy-Balanced Analysis. Under review.
8. Rouhi A, Leon S, Tortorello G, Perez J, Tewksbury C, Gershuni V, Altieri M, Williams N, Dumon K. Association of Inferior Vena Cava Filter Placement with Perioperative Outcomes after Bariatric Surgery: A Contemporary Analysis of 721,214 Patients. Under review. 

Poster and Oral Presentations

1. Ndong A, Diallo A, Rouhi A, Dia D, Leon S, Tendeng J, Williams N, Cisse M, Dumon K. Head Mounted Camera as a Debriefing Tool for Bowel Anastomosis Simulation-Based Training: A Pilot Study in Senegal. American College of Surgeons Surgical Simulation Summit, Chicago, IL, March 2024.
2. Ndong A, Diallo A, Rouhi A, Dia D, Leon S, Tendeng J, Williams N, Cisse M, Dumon K. Laparoscopic Appendectomy Learning Curve for a Single Surgical Team in Senegal: A Cumulative SUM (CUSUM) Analysis of Operative Time. SAGES, Cleveland, OH, April 2024.
3. Tewksbury C, Mahoney L, Leon S, Giovinazzo C, Collins J, Williams N, Dumon K, Prout E. Preoperative Physical Activity Status and Postoperative Outcomes in Adolescent Bariatric Surgery Patients. ASMBS, San Diego, CA, June 2024.
4. Lawal SG, Mbuthia W, Leon S, Weber D, Snow J. Design and manufacture of a cost-effective laparoscopic training box. Penn Bioengineering preceptorship. May 2024.
5. Leon S, Ndong A, Rouhi A, Sarr N, Duffy C, Williams N, Dumon K. Feasibility of Immersive Virtual Reality Simulation for Pneumothorax and Chest Tube Clinical Knowledge Acquisition in Low- and High-Resource Settings: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Study. Penn Surgery Ali Naji Research Day, May 2024.