About Stanford's
Department of Surgery
At a Glance
6 Divisions
Five clinical (Abdominal Transplantation, General Surgery, Pediatric Surgery, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Vascular Surgery) and one scholarly (Clinical Anatomy)
7th in NIH Funding
Stanford Surgery had almost $90M in active research funding in FY23.
100+ Residents
We educate more than 100 residents each year in our three residency programs (General Surgery, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and Vascular Surgery)
Milestones
1926 — Dr. Emile Holman joins Stanford as Chair of Surgery.
1953 — General Surgery Residency Program is accredited.
1959 – Clinical portion of Stanford University School of Medicine moves from San Francisco to Palo Alto, CA.
1963 — Affiliations solidified with the Palo Alto Veterans Administration Hospital, the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, and the Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Santa Clara.
1965 — The Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is founded by Dr. Robert Chase.
1968 — Dr. Norm Shumway completes the first successful heart transplant.
1974 — Division of Cardiovascular Surgery applies for departmental status and request is granted
1977 — Division of Pediatric Surgery is started.
1988 — Divisions of Urology and Neurosurgery become separate departments and Division of Thoracic Surgery joins Department of Cardiovascular Surgery to become Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery.
1996 — Asian Liver Center is established.
2000 — Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign is founded.
2007 — Goodman Simulation Center (now the Goodman Surgical Education Center) opens
2011 — Dr. Ralph Greco founds the Balance in Life Program for resident wellness.
2015 — Division of Emergency Medicine becomes an independent department.
2016 — Stanford-Surgery Policy Improvement and Education Center (S-SPIRE Center) opens.
2018 — Technology Enabled Clinical Improvement (TECI) Center opens. Dr. Charles Chan et al discover the skeletal stem cell.
2019 — JEDI Council is formed
2021 — Dr. Tom Weiser is named inaugural Director of Stanford Surgery's Global Engagement Program.
Past Chairs
Thomas M. Krummel, MD
1998-2015
Bruce A. Reitz, MD acting
1997-1998
Christopher K. Zarins, MD acting
1995-1997
John E. Niederhuber, MD
1991-1995
Lars Vistnes, MD acting
1988-1991
John A. Collins, MD
1977-1988
James B.D. Mark, MD acting
1974-1977
Robert A. Chase, MD
1963-1974
Harry A. Oberhelman, Jr., MD acting
1962-1963
Roy B. Cohn, MD acting
1961-1962
J. Garrett Allen, MD
1959-1961
Victor Richards, MD
1955-1959
Emile F. Holman, MD
1926-1955
Stanley Stillman, MD
1912-1926
