Welcome Letter from Keith D. Lillemoe, MD, Surgeon-in-Chief and Chief of Surgery

The Department of Surgery has played a central role in the more than 200-year history of Massachusetts General Hospital. Our hospital’s surgeons were the first to perform operations using ether as a general anesthetic, and they continue to develop and introduce surgical innovations that improve patient care. We take great pride in our training programs, which attract the world’s finest applicants and have established the careers of many past and present leaders in American surgery.

Our department’s commitment to shaping the future of surgery is reflected in our over $57 million portfolio dedicated to basic, clinical and outcomes research. Comprised of 150 principal investigators, our research team is the largest of any surgical department in the United States. Our research programs continue to break new ground in the areas of burns, trauma and critical care, cancer treatment, minimally invasive surgery, organ transplantation and organ regeneration.

We are committed to offering the safest, compassionate and most effective clinical care to optimize patient outcomes. Our surgeons are trained to treat a wide range of surgical conditions, and many have focused their training and expertise in a particular surgical specialty. Treating a high volume of patients has given them extensive surgical experience to complement their thoughtful and technically outstanding services.

Based on the principles established over a century ago by Mass General surgeon, Dr. Ernest A. Codman, our Codman Center for Clinical Effectiveness in Surgery is among the most innovative and robust quality assessment and management programs in the United States. This quality improvement and research center is supported by faculty, residents and fellows trained formally in public health, clinical research and clinical effectiveness. The program crosses all specialties and focuses not only on traditional quality and safety metrics, but also patient satisfaction, value and surgical appropriateness.

Another hallmark of our department is collaboration. To provide the very best care, our surgeons regularly collaborate with outstanding specialists throughout the Mass General network. We offer timely, convenient access to expert Mass General surgeons and appointments in multiple locations, including:

• Mass General main campus
• Mass General/North Shore Center for Outpatient Care in Danvers
• Salem Hospital in Salem
• Newton-Wellesley Hospital
• Shriners Hospitals for Children — Boston
• Mass General Waltham in Waltham

It is an honor and pleasure to lead this great department. I invite you to explore this website to learn more about our programs, our accomplishments and, most importantly, our people. After all, people, not bricks and mortar, are what make an institution great. We hope you share our enthusiasm and excitement as the Department of Surgery leads the way for Mass General into its third century.