Mayo Clinic names new chair of surgery

Thursday, December 07, 2006

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — C. Daniel Smith, M.D., an internationally recognized specialist in gastrointestinal and minimally invasive surgery, joins Mayo Clinic as chair of the Department of Surgery.

Smith comes to Mayo from the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, where, as chief of the Division of General and Gastrointestinal Surgery, he developed innovative surgery programs.

He expects to do the same at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, which he calls "the leading health care center destination in the Southeast, a place where patients are assured to receive the most innovative and comprehensive care for their conditions."

"Dr. Smith is not only one of the finest surgeons in his field, but is skilled at building surgical services that are unique to a region," says George B. Bartley, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville.

Bartley says that the appointment of Smith mirrors the growth and direction that Mayo Clinic is undergoing in Jacksonville, reflected by the ongoing construction of a new 214-bed, $255 million hospital.

"We are creating an advanced and fully integrated medical campus here to meet the needs of our patients, and that will include expansion of our surgical programs," Bartley said. "But we would not be where we are today without the excellent contributions of Dr. Ronald Hinder, who, as chair of surgery the past 10 years, has brought new surgical techniques to Mayo and additionally instituted the general surgery residency program."

Smith says he looks forward to working again in the Mayo Clinic model of health care, which is patient focused but grounded in research and education. After receiving his M.D. degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School in 1986, Smith trained as a surgical resident and research fellow at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

He spent 10 years at Emory and became recognized as one of the premier esophageal surgeons in the country, experienced at using noninvasive techniques such as endoluminal treatment for severe gastrointestinal reflux disease. Smith also developed a bariatrics (weight loss) surgery program at Emory as well as a hepatobilliary program for liver, pancreas and bile duct surgery. In addition, he instituted a surgical simulation program to enhance surgical education.

Smith will assume his duties as chair of surgery in January 2007, and expects to be seeing patients shortly thereafter.

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To obtain the latest news releases from Mayo Clinic, go to www.mayoclinic.org/news. MayoClinic.com is available as a resource for your health stories.