Cedars-Sinai Surgeon-in-Chief Selected for Expanded Academic Leadership Post
Bruce L. Gewertz, MD, Adds Vice Dean, Clinical System Development and Faculty Affairs to Portfolio of Responsibilities
Cedars-Sinai has selected Bruce L. Gewertz, MD, the medical center’s surgeon-in-chief, to be the vice dean of Clinical System Development and Faculty Affairs.
Gewertz, a highly respected vascular surgeon, is the former chair of the Cedars-Sinai Department of Surgery. He is succeeded in that role by Cristina Ferrone, MD. In his new, expanded leadership post, Gewertz will work with department chairs and institute directors to strategically accelerate program growth for Cedars-Sinai Health System—which includes four hospitals and affiliated physician networks and medical offices across the Los Angeles region.
“Thanks to rapid growth, we have many new opportunities to pursue thoughtful expansion of our clinical and educational programs, as well as groundbreaking clinical trials in partnership with our affiliated hospitals and healthcare providers across the region,” said Shlomo Melmed, MB, ChB, executive vice president of Academic Affairs and dean of the Medical Faculty at Cedars-Sinai.
“We are proud of and grateful for the strong foundation Dr. Gewertz has built with surgical leaders across our enterprise, allowing our clinical and academic surgical services to flourish. We are confident that Dr. Gewertz will continue to consistently apply both his skill and wisdom in this expanded leadership role.”
Gewertz, also vice president for Interventional Services at Cedars-Sinai and the H & S Nichols Distinguished Chair in Surgery, previously served on the faculty at the University of Chicago for 25 years. He was the Dallas B. Phemister Professor and chair of the Department of Surgery from 1992 until 2006, when he joined Cedars-Sinai.
Gewertz has authored more than 250 original articles, book chapters and books, including co-authoring the bestseller The Best Medicine: A Physician’s Guide to Effective Leadership. He has received numerous awards for his basic investigations and teaching. He also has lectured on a broad range of topics in vascular disease and human factors research, as well as the challenges facing academic medicine.
His principal clinical and research interests include mesenteric ischemia, cerebrovascular disease and aortic aneurysmal disease. Recently, Gewertz led a $4 million multi-institutional research project integrating human performance and surgical technology, funded by the U.S. Department of Defense.
During his tenure at Cedars-Sinai, clinical and academic surgical services have grown significantly, and in 2022 every Cedars-Sinai surgical specialty assessed by U.S. News & World Report was ranked in the top 10 nationally.
“Our entire team has always worked tirelessly to sustain a commitment to excellence,” Gewertz said. “Guided by visionary leadership, Cedars-Sinai has formed a geographically distributed health system across the Los Angeles region, which gives patients additional access to integrated specialty care and clinical trials. I look forward to accomplishing even more together with our new partner hospitals.”
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