When I reflect on my time as director of the Johns Hopkins Department of Surgery, I am proud of what we have accomplished. Our great achievements demonstrate the support we have received during my last six years at Johns Hopkins. 

In partnership with our administrative and senior school of medicine leadership, we have hired more than 60 extraordinary faculty and staff members — many in cardiovascular, acute care and transplantation surgery. As a result, we have a more diverse and inclusive group of medical professionals. 

We expanded our network of Johns Hopkins locations across Maryland and Washington, D.C., so more community members can receive medical care closer to home. We increased support for early-career researchers — leading to more funded research programs — and even wrote the history of the Johns Hopkins Department of Surgery (available soon online).  

Throughout my leadership journey, I have taken an informal, yet deliberate, approach to creating a more diverse and multicultural environment in my workplaces. In 2021, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine created a position to enhance these efforts as I took on the role of senior associate dean for diversity and inclusion. 

As I prepare for my next trailblazing adventure as president of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and executive vice president of Mass General Brigham in Boston, I am proud to pass the baton to Andrew Cameron, chief of the Division of Transplantation and vice chair for academic affairs for the Department of Surgery, to step in as interim director. I know he will continue to build on a great foundation in the Johns Hopkins Department of Surgery.