Department of Surgery

Message from the Chair

Timothy R. Billiar, MD
George Vance FosterĀ Professor andĀ Chair, Department of Surgery
Distinguished Professor of Surgery

Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer for UPMC
Associate Medical Director, UPMC International and Commercial Services Division


It is my pleasure to welcome you to the website of the Department of Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. We take pride in the excellence of the clinical care we provide and the strength of our research and educational programs. Our core mission is to provide the best and highest value care to our patients. Care that is not only on the leading edge of surgical advances, but also care that is delivered with compassion for our patients and their families. To that foundation, we add innovative educational programs for students, residents, fellows, and advanced practice providers, and cutting edge clinical and translational research programs. Department of Surgery faculty perform research within each of our 13 divisions and our two affiliated research institutes, The Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute and the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

For nearly 50 years, we have been a leader in groundbreaking translational research. Our faculty include two Lasker Award recipients, a recipient of the National Medal of Science, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and four members of the National Academy of Medicine. In addition, our department has served as home to six Presidents of the Society of University Surgeons and two Presidents of the American Surgical Association. The Department of Surgery has primary residencies in general surgery (programs based at UPMC Presbyterian and UPMC Mercy) and vascular surgery, as well as fellowships in a number of surgical sub-specialties. We invite you to view our web pages to learn more about our highly accomplished faculty, residents, and research fellows, and innovative clinical, educational, and research programs.