May 8, 2018
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Following an extensive national search, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center has selected Dr. Benjamin Poulose as the director of the Division of General and Gastrointestinal Surgery, and Dr. Nahush Mokadam as the division director for Cardiac Surgery. Both will assume their roles in August.
Poulose, also appointed to the Robert M. Zollinger LeCrone-Baxter Memorial Endowed Chair, is a skilled surgeon who specializes in abdominal wall core reconstruction. He comes to Ohio State from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he’s an associate professor in the Division of General Surgery, director of the Vanderbilt Hernia Center and associate director of the Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Suite.
Mokadam is an international leader in heart failure who specializes in heart transplants and ventricular assist devices. He comes to Ohio State from the University of Washington Medical Center, where he is currently the LeRoss Endowed Professor in Cardiovascular Surgery, surgical director of Heart Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support, and program director for the Cardiothoracic Residency. Washington’s heart transplant program performed more than 70 transplants last year, making it one of the top three programs in the country.
As outlined in the university’s strategic plan, Ohio State aspires to be a top-20 academic medical center. In pursuit of that goal, major infrastructure planning is underway to enhance inpatient and ambulatory patient care, stimulate interdisciplinary biomedical research and promote an interprofessional approach to health-sciences education. Medical Center leaders also have prioritized recruitment of clinicians and scholars who will drive innovation and accelerate the pace of growth across the academic medical enterprise.
“Ohio State is committed to recruiting the best and brightest to develop a diverse and talented team of high-impact leaders,” said Dr. K. Craig Kent, dean of The Ohio State University College of Medicine. “Under Drs. Poulose and Mokadam’s leadership, Ohio State will advance to the forefront of general and cardiac surgery research and care delivery.”
As chief of general and minimally invasive surgery, Poulose will lead a division nationally recognized as the leader in minimally invasive approaches to complex surgical diseases. Ohio State has one of the busiest bariatric programs in the country, as well as a program that has defined the approach to minimally invasive esophageal surgery.
As an expert in complex abdominal wall reconstruction, Poulose will expand on the surgical services for patients with hernias and complex abdominal wall defects. His background in health service research will allow Ohio State to augment research across basic science, translational, health policy and health services research platforms. Poulose will also oversee educational training programs.
“A clinical leader in applying minimally invasive techniques to hernia repair, a national thought leader around quality and safety, and an expert researcher who routinely works with the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Poulose will bring incredible experience and energy to invigorate our general surgery programs,” said Dr. Timothy Pawlik, surgeon in chief at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center.
As chief of cardiac surgery, Mokadam will direct the strategic growth of a wide array of initiatives, including heart failure, heart and lung transplantation, structural and valvular heart disease, and complex coronary disease. Mokadam, a national leader in efforts to standardize education curricula and promote simulation, will direct the cardiac educational programs and help to expand cardiac clinical trials and research at Ross Heart Hospital.
“Dr. Mokadam’s clinical, technical and research expertise makes him a true triple threat in cardiac surgery,” Pawlik said. “His experience in the area of clinical trials will further expand the availability of novel and innovative cardiac treatment options offered at Ohio State.”
Poulose received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he also completed a research fellowship focusing on minimally invasive surgery and surgical robotics. He then received surgical training at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and earned a Master of Public Health degree with a focus on surgical health services research. His fellowship training, obtained at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, focused on minimally invasive surgery, surgical endoscopy and abdominal wall reconstruction.
Mokadam earned his medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and completed his residency in general surgery and a research fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis/Barnes-Jewish Hospital. He completed a cardiac surgery fellowship at the University of Washington.
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Media Contact: Serena Smith, Wexner Medical Center Media Relations, 614-293-3737 or serena.smith@osumc.edu