MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- A professor of surgery at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis has been honored by Georgetown University.

Dr. Guy R. Voeller is the 2012 recipient of a lifetime achievement award in abdominal wall reconstruction. He is considered a pioneering expert in minimally invasive general surgery.

Voeller, also a writer and speaker, has been named for many years to several "best doctors" and "best surgeons" lists. He practices at the Mid-South Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery in Memphis.