Department of Surgery News | Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University

<BIG>DR. TODD K. ROSENGART LEAVING TO ASSUME LEADERSHIP ROLE AT BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE</BIG>
 Dr. Alexander B. Dagum Appointed Interim Chairman of Surgery
<DIV class=photobox2><A href="/sdmpubfiles/cckimages/page/drs_rosengart_and_dagum-lg.jpg" rel="lightbox[group1][Todd K. Rosengart, MD, and Alexander B. Dagum, MD]"><IMG class=imagecache-220 title="Todd K. Rosengart, MD, and Alexander B. Dagum, MD" alt="Todd K. Rosengart, MD, and Alexander B. Dagum, MD" src="/sdmpubfiles/cckimages/page/drs_rosengart_and_dagum-sm.jpg"></A> 
<DIV class=caption>Dr. Todd K. Rosengart (left) and Dr. Alexander B. Dagum who will be our interim chairman. </DIV></DIV>
<A href="/surgery/people/faculty/dr-todd-k-rosengart" target=_blank>Todd K. Rosengart, MD</A>, professor and chairman of surgery, this fall will leave Stony Brook to assume a new leadership position as chairman of the <A href="http://www.bcm.edu/surgery/index.cfm?PMID=12309" target=_blank>Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery</A> at Baylor College of Medicine, in Houston, TX. He will assume the DeBakey-Bard Chair in Surgery in this role. His appointment is effective November 1.
The Department of Surgery at Baylor includes 92 full-time faculty and 154 voluntary faculty members organized into eight surgical divisions, including transplant and congenital heart, and services five primary hospitals, including the Ben Taub Hospital, Texas Children's Hospital, St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, the Texas Heart Institute, and the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center.
The department's education program encompasses over 100 residents and fellows in nearly a dozen different training programs.
Dr. Rosengart says, "I view this as an opportunity that I could not refuse, but I also view it largely as a reflection on the great standing and reputation of our department here at Stony Brook."
<DIV class=callout>
"It will be with the warmest feelings and greatest fondness that I will always look back on these past four years that I have enjoyed the privilege of serving as the chairman of our Department of Surgery, and the seven years that I have served as chief of cardiothoracic surgery." — Dr. Rosengart</DIV>
Dr. Rosengart joined our faculty in 2006 as chief of cardiothoracic surgery. In 2009, he was appointed chairman of surgery, after serving as interim chairman for a year. During his tenure as chairman, he continued to serve as chief of cardiothoracic surgery and co-director of the Stony Brook Heart Institute.
Under the leadership of Dr. Rosengart, our Department of Surgery has grown and prospered. When he became the interim chairman of surgery in 2008, we had 27 full-time faculty members; upon his departure the Department has nearly 50 clinicians, educators, and research faculty members.
The number of hospital surgical procedures performed by the Department of Surgery has grown over 30% during the fours years of Dr. Rosengart's leadership, topping 8,000 for the first time in our history, and the revenues of the Department have grown from $25 million in 2008-09 to $36 million in 2011-12.
Our research and education programs, likewise, have prospered under Dr. Rosengart's leadership, as seen in the launch of the new Surgical Skills Center, our highly successful annual Resident Research Days and a department research seed grant program, and in the recent full accreditation with commendation of the General Surgery Residency program, as well as its three fellowship programs.
"During his tenure here as chairman of surgery, Todd has served Stony Brook Medicine with distinction. I hope you will join me in wishing nothing but the very best for him as he takes over the reins of, like its <A href="https://www.bcm.edu/pa/debakey/index.cfm" target=_blank>namesake</A>, a storied department of surgery," said Kenneth Kaushansky, MD, senior vice president of Health Sciences and dean of the School of Medicine, in announcing Dr. Rosengart's departure.
Dr. Alexander B. Dagum Appointed Interim Chairman

<DIV class=alignleft><A href="/sdmpubfiles/cckimages/page/dr-dagum-in-news-conference-lg.jpg" rel="lightbox[group1][Dr. Alexander B. Dagum in News Conference]"><IMG class=imagecache-240 title="Dr. Alexander B. Dagum in News Conference" alt="Dr. Alexander B. Dagum in News Conference" src="/sdmpubfiles/cckimages/page/dr-dagum-in-news-conference-sm.jpg"></A> 
<DIV class=caption>Dr. Dagum (left) in 2005 news conference about historic surgery he directed to achieve New York State's first simultaneous reattachment of hands. <A href="/system/files/POST-OP_Special-1.pdf" target=_blank>MORE ></A> </DIV></DIV>
With the departure of Dr. Rosengart, to help us maintain our momentum during the search to identify our new chairman, <A href="http://www.stonybrooksurgery.org/people/faculty/dr-alexander-b-dagum&qu…; target=_blank>Alexander B. Dagum, MD</A>, professor of surgery and chief of our <A href="/surgery/divisions/plastic-reconstructive-surgery" target=_blank>Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Division</A>, has been asked to assume the role of interim chairman of surgery. He will begin to transition in October. "Since my arrival at Stony Brook two years ago, I have learned that Alex epitomizes the term academic surgeon," says Dr. Kaushansky, MD, who appointed Dr. Dagum to serve as our interim chairman. Dr. Dagum graduated from the University of Ottawa where he was the gold medalist and completed his plastic surgery residency at the University of Toronto in 1993. He subsequently performed a microsurgery fellowship from 1993 to 1994 at the University of Toronto and a hand surgery fellowship from 1994 to 1995 at Stony Brook. 
<DIV class=callout>
"I am honored to be appointed interim chairman of surgery. During this transition period, I will continue to build and expand on the strong foundation that Dr. Rosengart has established, and I will work on furthering our clinical, educational, and research missions in our department at a national level." — Dr. Dagum </DIV>
Dr. Dagum then returned to the University of Toronto and rose through the ranks of the Ontario Medical Association to become section chair of plastic surgery and president of the Ontario Society of Plastic Surgeons. In 2000, he returned to Stony Brook as associate professor of clinical surgery and orthopedics and chief of plastic and reconstructive surgery. 
Promoted to full professor in 2009, Dr. Dagum is an active physician-scientist and scholar, with over 50 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters.
Throughout his career, Dr. Dagum has consistently been motivated by important problems in plastic surgery, concentrating on reconstruction for congenital anomalies, major trauma and cancer, cleft lip and palate, and reconstructive hand surgery.
He has been active in surgical volunteer work overseas with many organizations in caring for the less fortunate (<A href="/surgery/blog/toddler-born-with-facial-deformity-gets-life-changing-surgery-at-stony-brook-medicine" target=_blank>read more</A>). 
In conjunction with his colleagues, Dr. Dagum has tirelessly helped restore form and function to many, many patients. He has been a strong advocate for his division, and for growing the educational mission at Stony Brook Medicine.
"Based on his scholarship, devotion to our educational mission and his outstanding clinical standards, I am convinced that Alex is a perfect person to lead the Department of Surgery in this time of transition to new leadership," said Dr. Kaushansky in announcing Dr. Dagum’s appointment.
Farewell from Dr. Rosengart to the Department
"It will be with the warmest feelings and greatest fondness that I will always look back on these past four years that I have enjoyed the privilege of serving as the chairman of our Department of Surgery, and the seven years that I have served as chief of cardiothoracic surgery.
"They have been without question among the most rewarding years of my professional career — ones filled with great memories of the accomplishments we have realized and the challenges we have overcome together.
"Most important, these seven years have allowed me the great opportunity to work closely with the many wonderful members of our faculty and staff, and to interact with the outstanding residents and students who have worked and learned together with us during this time.
"The comradery that we have shared has been the highlight of my tenure, and our striving together to make our department better was the greatest of rewards. I know our department will continue to grow and succeed, under the stewardship of Dr. Alexander Dagum and that of our other leadership, as the department looks forward to the vision of a new chair.
"I sincerely hope that whatever contributions I have been able to make will serve the department well as it continues our journey of progress in helping our patients, teaching our students, and gaining new knowledge.
"Thank you again for the privilege of having allowed me the honor of serving as your chair."