Department of Surgery

The Department of Surgery's specialties are consistently ranked among the top clinical units in the region and country by U.S. News and World Report and the University Hospitals Consortium (UHC) rankings.

Cedars-Sinai is a worldwide leader in developing new surgical solutions and has pioneered many advances in minimally invasive procedures and robotic surgery, including procedures involved in bariatric and foregut surgery and donor nephrectomies. Among the many research breakthroughs generated at Cedars-Sinai was transforming complex emphysema surgery into a minimally invasive procedure.

Cedars-Sinai's solid organ transplantation efforts have reported exemplary outcomes in heart, lung and liver transplants, living related renal grafts and renal transplants in pre-sensitized recipients.

Surgical specialties at Cedars-Sinai include:

  • Bariatric surgery
  • Breast surgery
  • Cardiothoracic surgery
  • Endocrine surgery
  • Orthopaedic surgery
  • Pediatric surgery
  • Plastic surgery
  • Surgical intensive care and trauma
  • Thoracic surgery
  • Transplant surgery
  • Urological surgery
  • Vascular surgery

Research

Research in the Department of Surgery supports the department's clinical efforts by focusing on interdisciplinary and translational work. The department's surgical research laboratories and programs include:

  • Minimally Invasive Surgical Technology Institute, concentrating on the development and testing of noninvasive technologies and their introduction into everyday surgical practice.
  • Cardiothoracic Surgery Laboratory, which houses the basic research program of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery.
  • Pediatric Surgery Laboratory, focusing primarily on Hirschsprung's Disease (HD), a genetic disorder causing severe constipation in newborns, affecting one in 5,000 live births.
  • Diabetic Eye Disease Laboratory, providing resources for the study of corneal and retinal abnormalities in diabetes mellitus.
  • The Center for Viral Immunology and Vaccine Development, focusing on ocular and systemic immune responses to Herpes virus.
  • The Transplant Immunobiology Research Laboratory, supporting innovative research in the field of transplant biology and immunology.

In addition to surgical laboratories, researchers also have access to the Core Support Facilities of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Education

Educational programs in the Department of Surgery include strong residency training programs in general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery. In addition, fellowships are available in transplantation, advanced thoracic surgery, oncology, colon and rectal surgery, spine surgery, orthopaedic trauma and critical care.

Our medical student programs include both junior and senior year clerkships through UCLA, as well as an extremely popular visiting student program for senior students interested in surgical careers.

All programs are organized to promote the evidence-based, patient-centered culture of Cedars-Sinai and incorporate a broad exposure to our faculty and excellent voluntary physicians on-site.

Medical students and residents can hone their skills at Cedars-Sinai's Surgical Simulation and Training Laboratory. The laboratory, part of the Division of Surgical Research, is among the first in the western United States providing hands-on training at several work stations with equipment ranging from a "box trainer" for the development of basic skills to sophisticated, computerized simulators that allow surgeons to practice laparoscopic operations and endoscopic procedures. For example, a Simbionix™ LAP Mentor™ enables surgeons to perform all the steps of removing a gall bladder or repairing a hernia laparoscopically. Another simulator, the GI Mentor™, "sequences" endoscopic procedures of either the esophagus or colon to provide specialized training in the diagnosis of colon diseases and the techniques of colonoscopic procedures.

Leadership

Bruce L. Gewertz, MD
Surgeon-in-Chief
Chair, Department of Surgery
Vice-President, Interventional Services