Physician - General

Cleveland Clinic, a distinguished academic healthcare system, announces its search for the Department Chair of General Surgery, a flagship Department with Divisions in Ohio, Florida, London and Abu Dhabi.

The Department of General Surgery is one of three Departments within the Digestive Disease Institute (DDI).  The Department collaborates daily with the other two DDI Departments, Colorectal Surgery and Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition in multidisciplinary care. The DDI mission is to be the international leader in medical and surgical treatment of digestive and surgical disease by providing the highest quality clinical care, patient experience, innovation, research and education.

In Ohio, the General Surgery Division includes 110 staff physicians, 55 advanced practice providers, and ~200 total FTEs. The Division is comprised of 10 Sections including hepta-pancreato-biliary surgery and surgical oncology; abdominal wall reconstruction; bariatric surgery; acute care surgery; surgical endoscopy and foregut; liver transplant; center for gut rehabilitation and transplantation; and west, east, and south regions. The Ohio Division offers 5 fellowships in HPB, Hernia, Advanced Laparoscopic and Bariatric Surgery, Intestinal and Multivisceral Transplant Surgery, and Abdominal Multi-Organ Transplant Surgery with 9 fellows per year. The Division also includes the surgery residency program, with 70 total residents that includes 12 dedicated to research. The Division has a strong academic record with faculty leaders in their respective fields and many annual extramural grants and publications. Within the Division a multidisciplinary care model is the cornerstone of care in HPB and Surgical Oncology, Liver Transplant,  Bariatric Surgery, Trauma and Gut Rehabilitation. Across Ohio, the Division provides care at 14 Cleveland Clinic hospitals and 28 outpatient locations.  The Divisions surgeries are performed at 21 locations across Ohio including Main Campus, Regional Hospitals, and Ambulatory Surgery Centers.  Annual volume data for the Division consists of approximately 85,000 outpatient clinic visits, 21,000 surgeries and 9,000 endoscopies.

In Florida, the General Surgery Division includes 16 staff, 10 advanced practice providers, 24 residents, 3 advanced GI surgery fellows, and 2 research fellows. The Division is internationally renowned for expertise in foregut surgery, bariatric surgery, liver transplantation and HPB surgery, and high quality general surgery care across Floridas Southeast and Central East Coasts. Division staff have held leadership positions in numerous regional, national and international organizations. Services are provided at 5 hospitals and several outpatient locations. The Division has trained numerous General Surgery leaders in the United States and around the world. The Florida Division performs approximately 13,000 outpatient clinic visits, 9,000 surgeries and 900 endoscopies each year.

In London, there are 35 General Surgery staff physicians and 3 advanced practice providers. The Division has a strong academic record with many physicians involved in active research projects in their base universities across London.  In the last year, CCL General Surgery saw approximately 10,000 new outpatient visits, 1,000 inpatient cases and performed 3,000 endoscopies.

In Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi (CCAD), there are 11 General Surgery staff physicians and 8 clinical associates in Advanced GI and Hernia Surgery, hepta-pancreato-biliary surgery and surgical oncology, and transplant subspecialties, with a plan to grow further. The Department is the first magnetic anastomosis center in the region, participating in an international multicenter trial. It offers the only Comprehensive core health program in the region and is home to the busiest robotic program in the region.

The Department has a storied history since the founding of the Cleveland Clinic under the leadership of Dr. George Crile. Based on the team approach to trauma care during World War I, Dr. Crile championed those principles in the fledgling Clinic. A surgeon with broad surgical expertise, he was a notable Endocrine surgeon. Subspecialty surgery was championed by his son, Dr. Barney Crile who pioneered breast conservation surgery.  The Department grew over the 25-year tenure of Dr. Robert Hermann and expanded expertise as a leader in liver transplantation under successive leaders Drs. Michael Henderson and John Fung.  There has always been a strong commitment to surgical education starting with Dr. Hermann being the founding president of the APDS.     

The Department Chair will be a General Surgery physician leader with impressive credentials who reports to the Chief of the Digestive Disease Institute and can implement the strategic mission of the Cleveland Clinic Health System.  The ideal candidate must have a record of excellence in clinical care, education and scholarship as well as significant experience in leadership, administration and program development.  The Department Chair will be a demonstrated leader with strengths in communication and collaboration both within and outside of the Department. Duties and responsibilities of the new Department Chair will be to provide leadership for the Department, which will include oversight of general operations, quality and safety, recruitment, retention and mentoring of medical staff, administrators, educators and researchers across the Cleveland Clinic Enterprise.

Interested candidates are to apply online at:  Cleveland Clinic Jobs

Please include a cover letter, CV and names of three references with your application to:

Peter Liu, MD

Chair, Search Committee for Department Chair of General Surgery

Chair, Enterprise Imaging

Email:  [email protected]

&

Michelle Abbott, MBA

Physician Recruiter, Cleveland Clinic

Email:  [email protected]

Application deadline:  August 17, 2025