The UC Davis Department of Surgery is among the highly respected surgical programs in the nation, with a strong legacy of clinical, scientific, and academic accomplishments. Our internationally recognized surgeons are at the forefront of pioneering innovative ways to advance surgical treatments and improve patient outcomes. Our efforts are echoed through our nationally ranked surgical research and clinical programs.  We are committed to delivering world-class patient care and are passionate about training and educating the next generation of surgeon scientists and leaders. 

The department is comprised 11 divisions, which encompass a wide variety of surgical specialties, centers and programs. Our surgical specialties include bariatric and metabolic surgery, burn surgery, colorectal surgery, cardiac surgery, endocrine surgery, gastrointestinal surgery, general thoracic surgery, hepatobiliary surgery, oncologic surgery, pediatric surgery, plastic surgery, transplant surgery, trauma, acute care and surgical critical care surgery, vascular surgery, and oncologic surgery.

Over the past year, the UC Davis Department of Surgery has continued to build on our proud history of clinical and academic achievement. Our 2020 Annual Report highlights some of the many examples of our ongoing commitment to excellence in clinical care, innovative research, and surgical education.  Click the link below to view our 2020 Annual Report.

2020 Annual Report 

The UC Davis Department of Surgery is strongly committed to cultivating and preserving a culture that maintains a working and learning environment that is welcoming and supportive of people from all backgrounds. Our mission is to promote an environment that upholds dignity and respect for the many differences that make our department exceptional including race, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, and age. We have an unwavering dedication to fostering an environment of equity, inclusion, and diversity for the members of our faculty, our trainees, our team members, and most importantly, our patients.

We are dedicated to continuing the legacy once established by Dr. Claude H. Organ, former UC Davis East Bay Surgery Department Chair and Dr. Bill Blaisdell, former UC Davis Chair of Surgery. They believed that their greatest professional achievement was being able to pass down knowledge to many younger generations of surgeons. They encouraged diversity and inclusion in the field of surgery and were instrumental in promoting the advancement of women and underrepresented minorities. Decades later, progress has been made but much more needs to be done.

Sacramento is one of the most racially and ethnically diverse cities within the United States. As a department, we denounce sexism, racism, homophobia and discrimination in any form, and mitigate implicit biases, as these factors propagate health disparities and undermine public health. We will continue to invest in our students, trainees, faculty and staff in a commitment to eliminate inequities and structural racism and sexism in healthcare and academia.

The shootings last week in the Atlanta area, which left eight people dead, are appalling. Six of those murdered were of Asian descent and seven were women. While details are still forthcoming, some reports indicate that the victims were targeted based on their perceived race and gender.

This tragedy highlights an escalating pattern of anti-Asian abuse and hate crimes that have been reported in our region and country over the past year and during this pandemic. We are deeply troubled by these attacks and by any aggression and violence based on one’s race, ethnicity, religion or gender.  These reprehensible acts, and the abhorrent sentiment behind them, go against our Department’s mission of supporting a diverse and inclusive community, and they must not and will not be tolerated.  We as a Department are dedicated to equity and inclusion, and we will continue to proudly support our Asian American Pacific Islander patients, faculty, trainees, staff and other colleagues.

If you have been the victim of discrimination or witness to such acts, please feel free to file a report using THIS (PDF) resource. This is a list of Health and Psychological resources that are available to students, staff, residents, and faculty.