New Surgeon-in-Chief Appointed at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford

James Dunn, MD, PhD, pediatric surgeon, bioengineer and established researcher, will also assume a professorship of Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine

For Release: October 3, 2016

PALO ALTO, Calif.— Pediatric surgeon and bioengineer James Dunn, MD, PhD, joined Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford on October 1 as Surgeon-in-Chief and Chief of the Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Dunn, who was previously chief of pediatric surgery at Mattel Children’s Hospital at the University of California-Los Angeles, takes over from Gary Hartman, MD, clinical professor of surgery, who is transitioning to a new leadership role at Packard Children’s Hospital.

“We are very excited for Dr. Dunn to join Lucile Packard Children's Hospital as our Surgeon-in-Chief and Chief of Surgery” said Christopher G. Dawes, president and CEO of Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. “We have incredible expertise in pediatric surgery, and Dr. Dunn’s broad surgical experience, specialized intestinal practice and bioengineering expertise will add to the ongoing development of our world-class surgical programs.”

“James is a first-class surgeon and scientist,” said Mary Hawn, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Surgery. “His ability to apply engineering solutions to clinical challenges facing our pediatric patients has the promise to transform the way we treat children with complex intestinal disorders.”

Dunn has a well-established research program that develops both cell-based and engineering solutions for short gut syndrome — a crippling disorder that occurs primarily in preterm infants, but has lifelong consequences for those affected. He is internationally recognized for his work at the interface of pediatric surgery and bioengineering to develop novel therapies for children.

“I'm thrilled to join Stanford to continue building world-class surgical programs at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital,” Dunn said. “I look forward to working with all of the physicians and staff to develop destination centers that will improve the quality of surgical care for infants and children.”

Dunn graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1992 with a concomitant PhD in bioengineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After completing his surgical fellowship training at UCLA and a pediatric surgical fellowship at Indiana University, he joined UCLA as a faculty member in 2001.

Hartman, who has been the Chief of Surgery since 2012, will be transitioning to a new leadership role as Medical Director of Surgical Services in the Perioperative Area at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.  Thomas M. Krummel, MD who served as Packard Children’s Surgeon-in-Chief for nearly 15 years, will continue his role as Emile Holman Professor and Chair Emeritus in the Department of Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine and Co-Director of Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign.

Authors

Samantha Dorman
(650) 498-7056
sdorman@stanfordchildrens.org