Welcome to the Department of Surgery
The Department of Surgery stands as a vital pillar within USF Health and Tampa General Hospital, Florida’s leading academic health system. Together, we form a fully integrated, high-performing clinical and academic partnership, dedicated to providing cutting-edge care while shaping the future of surgical science.
With over 120 faculty across nine surgical divisions, our department has experienced more than a 20% increase in patient volume over the past year alone. We now contribute 25% of all surgical cases at Tampa General Hospital—demonstrating both our scope and the trust placed in us by the communities we serve. Our achievements are not just measured in numbers, but in the lives we touch and the outcomes we improve.
Purpose
To deliver world-class surgical care through the practice and science of surgery.
Mission
Care for our community through exceptional surgical care, transformational research, and education of the next generation of academic surgical leaders & scientists.
Message from the Chair - Dr. Murray L. Shames
Over the course of my 22 years here, I have been continually inspired by the spirit of camaraderie, collaboration, and compassion that defines our team.
As the chair of the department I oversee administrative leadership, education, research, and clinical care of the MCOM Department of Surgery, provide leadership for the Tampa General Hospital (TGH) Operating Room Governance Committee, and serve as a member of the TGH Clinical Service Lines for the Heart-Vascular Institute, Oncology, Transplant, and Gastroenterology.
Our department is more than a collection of divisions and specialties—it is a dynamic, inclusive community united by a shared mission: to make life better for our patients, our learners, and the communities we serve.
Research & Innovation
With over $2.4 million in NIH funding and a growing portfolio of active clinical trials, our Department ranks #50 in the Blue Ridge Institute rankings for surgery. Our Division of Surgical Research leads multidisciplinary investigations in inflammation, injury, vascular biology, and cancer therapeutics. We are especially proud of our NIH T32 training program, which supports the next generation of surgeon-scientists in critical care and trauma research.
Cultivating Surgery Leaders
Education is at the heart of our mission. We train more than 60 residents and fellows annually across multiple residency and fellowship programs. Our curriculum, grounded in mentorship, simulation, and real-world clinical volume, prepares graduates not only for board certification, but for impactful leadership in both academic and community settings. Our faculty consistently earn top teaching honors, and our students continue to match into competitive surgical programs nationwide.
Tampa General Hospital (TGH) is our primary teaching hospital, and our other affiliate hospitals are Moffitt Cancer Center, Bay Pines VA Healthcare System, James A. Haley VA, Florida Orthopedic Institute, and many others.
Surgery Divisions
Patients with severe obesity increasingly underrepresented in surgical care, USF Health study finds
New research led by Dr. Michael Kachmar shows that patients with the highest levels of obesity underwent the fewest surgical operations each year. The findings are significant as patients with higher BMI have increasing medical and surgical needs, and the U.S. population with extreme obesity has grown disproportionately over the past two decades.
Patients with severe obesity increasingly underrepresented in surgical care, USF Health study finds
USF Health opens one-of-a-kind clinic for patients with complex allergic, skin and GI disorders
The new Center for Allergic Diseases is designed for patients with overlapping allergic, skin and gastrointestinal disorders who would benefit from a coordinated care plan developed by multiple specialists at the same time.
USF Health opens one-of-a-kind clinic for patients with complex allergic, skin and GI disorders
Shyam Kottilil brings a career of discovery and translational science to USF Health
Dr. Shyam Kottilil joins USF Health as vice dean for Clinical Research, bringing a career focused on translational science, chronic viral diseases, liver disease and virus-associated cancers. He will help expand USF Health’s clinical research enterprise while continuing work to move discoveries into better care for patients.