John L Tarpley, MD, FACS, FWACS

John L. Tarpley, MD, FACS, FWACS, is the program director of the Vanderbilt General surgery Residency Program in Nashville, TN. He trained at the Johns Hopkins Hospital where he completed his surgical residency. He received the ACS Surgical Volunteerism Award for his international work serving the medically underserved population of Nigeria. Dr. Tarpley has provided surgical services during volunteer medical expeditions to Nigeria over the course of 28 years in collaboration with his partner Donald Meier, MD, FACS, FWACS. In making these trips, he has provided surgical and medical training to numerous Nigerians and has been dedicated to improving the health care system in that country. Dr. Tarpley's efforts encourage many fellow faculty members, residents, and medical students to join him in his humanitarian efforts. His work in Nigeria is based on equalized health care and health care education in the country and has provided humanitarian opportunities for American physicians and nurses who have traveled there to provide health care to patients and training to Nigerian physicians and surgeons.