Timur Sarac, MD, an acclaimed surgeon from the Cleveland Clinic and a leader in vascular surgery, joined the Yale School of Medicine on April 1 as professor and chief of the Section of Vascular Surgery in the Department of Surgery. He also will serve as director of the residency program and co-surgical director of the Heart and Vascular Center at Yale New Haven Hospital.
Sarac succeeds Dr. Bauer Sumpio, professor of surgery and diagnostic radiology, a renowned vascular surgeon who led Yale's vascular section since 1995 and who will continue at Yale as a professor. Sumpio, who helped usher vascular surgery into the endovascular era, will remain as a senior member of the vascular faculty, performing surgery, training residents, and continuing his cutting-edge research.
Dr. Robert Udelsman, chair of the Department of Surgery, noted, "Dr. Sarac is not only a spectacular surgeon, but also an international leader in vascular surgery."
Sarac spent 15 years with the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. His areas of specialization include endovascular surgery for aortic aneurysms, lower extremity occlusive disease, carotid stenting, and mesenteric ischemia. He is also experienced in open re-operative vascular surgery. In addition, Sarac has more than 20 national and international patents for the development of novel stent technology. He was awarded a U.S. Army commendation medal for his innovative approach with military endovascular disease. As a researcher, Sarac has been a principal investigator in multiple trials, including studies on thoracic and abdominal stent grafts, as well as minimally invasive surgery for arterial occlusive disease.
A native of Buffalo, N.Y., Dr. Sarac did his undergraduate work at the University of Rochester and Canisius College in Buffalo, from which he graduated cum laude with degrees in biology and history. He received his medical degree, graduating summa cum laude, from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine. He continued there to pursue additional training in surgical oncology and tumor immunology, receiving the Buffalo Surgical Society Award for Highest Academic Achievements. Dr. Sarac took his surgical residency at the University of Rochester, becoming Chief Resident in Surgery. He then spent two years there as a Research Fellow. He received a fellowship in vascular surgery from the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville and a fellowship in endovascular surgery from the Texas Tech University in Lubbock.
Sarac is a member of many professional societies and serves on numerous editorial boards. He is also secretary for the International Society of Vascular Surgery and is a member of the American Association for Vascular Surgery and the International Society for Vascular Surgery.
At Yale, Sarac will oversee a multidisciplinary team of caregivers who provide comprehensive care for patients with vascular disease. The YNHH Heart and Vascular Center is one of the nation's leading providers of heart and vascular health services and consistently ranks in the top 100 hospitals for cardiovascular care in the United States.
Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH), part of Yale New Haven Health, is a nationally recognized, 1,541-bed, not-for-profit hospital serving as the primary teaching hospital for the Yale School of Medicine (YSM). Founded as the fourth voluntary hospital in the U.S. in 1826, today, YNHH has two New Haven-based campuses, and also includes Yale New Haven Children's Hospital, Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital and Smilow Cancer Hospital. YNHH has received Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the nation’s highest honor of nursing excellence. YNHH has a combined medical staff of about 4,500 university and community physicians practicing in more than 100 specialties. www.ynhh.org
