He spent the last six years as the Director of the Minimally Invasive Pediatric Surgery Program and lead surgeon for the center of Robotic & Minimally Invasive Pediatric Surgery at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, FL. During that time, he also served as Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery with the University of South Florida in Tampa, and he designed & developed numerous prospective outcomes studies related to Minimal Access Surgery in children.

Dr. Hebra received his M.D. degree in 1987 from the Medical University of South Carolina where he also completed his internship and residency in General Surgery. During his training in general surgery, Dr. Hebra was exposed to the early development of laparoscopic surgical techniques and developed a special interest in the field of Minimal Access Surgery.

He subsequently spent four years at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where he obtained additional training in Pediatric Surgery and Critical Care. He is board certified in General Surgery, Pediatric Surgery, and Surgical Critical Care. His first faculty appointment was in 1995 at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Dr. Hebra has received numerous awards and honors in his career, including the Medal of Honor from the U.S. Navy for Meritorious Civilian Service. He has had more than 80 publications of peer-reviewed scientific articles and book chapters. He has received awards for original research and excellence in teaching. He received the Gold Apple Award from the students of the College of Medicine at MUSC. He recently received an award for best scientific presentation from the Society of Laparoendsocopic Surgeons.

He is a member of numerous medical societies, including the American Pediatric Surgical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Surgeons, and Alpha Omega Alpha. He has been a guest speaker to numerous scientific organizations nationally and abroad. Dr. Hebra has devoted his professional career to the care of children with great emphasis on the use of advanced minimally invasive techniques, including robotic surgery. He has been a pioneer in the development and improvement of minimal access surgical techniques, particularly for the treatment of congenital chest anomalies such as pectus excavatum and carinatum. Dr. Hebra has always demonstrated a great commitment to excellence in patient care and dedication to teaching residents and medical students.