Washington, DC – The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The GW Medical Faculty Associates, and The GW Hospital announced today the appointment of Anton N. Sidawy, M.D., M.P.H., as the new Chairman of the Department of Surgery. The appointment comes after a national search for a new chair for this key department at one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers. He will assume this position on December 1, 2010.
Dr. Sidawy comes to GW from the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Washington, DC, where, since 1996, he has served as the Chief of Surgical Services. He also has held academic appointments in the Department of Surgery at GW’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
“I am extremely pleased to have a surgeon of Dr. Sidawy’s stature and skill, join our team at the GW Medical Center and lead our Department of Surgery,” said John Williams, M.D., Ed.D., M.P.H., Senior Vice Provost and Vice President for Health Affairs at The George Washington University Medical Center. “I have great confidence in his ability to ensure that our surgical department remains among the finest in the nation’s capital.”
“I have been associated academically with GW for 25 years and I have always been impressed with the high quality of surgical work being performed at this institution. I am very fortunate to be given the opportunity to lead this department to the next level, by developing programs of excellence that will further enhance the care of the surgical patient.” Said Dr. Sidawy of his new appointment, “In working together, the MFA, hospital, and medical school are a formidable organization that positions GW in the forefront of academic medicine in the area.”
Dr. Sidawy brings to GW a distinguished career as a vascular surgeon. After completing his fellowship in Vascular Surgery at Boston University Hospital, he returned to Washington where he later assumed the position of Chief of Surgical Services at the VA Medical Center, and ascended in the academic ranks at GW Medical School to the position of Professor of Surgery.
He is a member of numerous professional societies, and holds or has held leadership positions in local, regional and national organizations to include:
- Washington Academy of Surgery (President 1999)
- Metropolitan Chapter of the American College of Surgeons (President 2000)
- Eastern Vascular Society (President 2003)
- Society for Clinical Vascular Surgery (President 2006)
- Society for Vascular Surgery (President 2010)
- Vascular Disease Foundation (President 2009-2011)
He was also a member of the Vascular Surgery Board of the American Board of Surgery and served as the Chair of the Distinguished Fellows Council of the Society for Vascular Surgery (2005). Dr. Sidawy also served on the Board of Governors of the American College of Surgeons (2001-2007). He has been published in more than 100 peer-reviewed articles, authored or co-authored over 40 chapters and abstracts, and made several national and international presentations. Dr. Sidawy was the Editor of two books and the Associate Editor of three others. In addition, Dr. Sidawy currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Vascular Surgery, the premier journal in the specialty ranking on top of its peers in the United States and across the world. He is also on the editorial boards of the Annals of Vascular Surgery, Vascular, and Perspectives in Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy.
James Scott, M.D., Dean of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences at GW, said of Dr. Sidawy, “We are very fortunate to have recruited such an outstanding leader. Dr. Sidawy is an accomplished surgeon who understands academic medicine and will take an already outstanding department of surgery to the next level of excellence. I wish to thank Dr. Bob Zeman, chair of the search committee, and the other members of the committee for their hard work in making this appointment possible.”
Alan Wasserman, M.D., President of The GW Medical Faculty Associates and Chairman of the Department of Medicine at GW was active in Dr. Sidawy’s recruitment. Wasserman said, “We are delighted to have Dr. Sidawy join our team of outstanding surgeons to bring new leadership to the department and to our board of directors. We look forward to having him as a senior member of The GW Medical Faculty Associates.”
“With the construction of additional operating rooms and growing surgical volume, it’s an exciting time in surgery at GW Hospital,” says Trent Crable, Chief Executive Officer of The George Washington University Hospital. “We’re looking forward to having Dr. Sidawy lead us into the future and build on our established surgical reputation.”
