Source: Courtesy of Albany Med / Albany Medical Center
According to Albany Medical Center, Dr. KMarie King is its new Chief of Surgery. Dr. King will also serve as the new chair of its Department of Surgery, making her the first Black woman to hold the position “at an academic health science center in the United States.”
Dr. King earned her master’s degree in biomedical science and completed her fellowship training at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Her residency training in general surgery and a research fellowship in surgery took place at the University of Pittsburgh, and along with her medical degree from Washington University in St. Louis, she holds a Master of Business Management from Brandeis University and is a United States Army veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm.
Currently, she is a professor of surgery at Morehouse School of Medicine and is the chief of surgery and medical director of surgical quality at Grady Memorial Hospital (GMH) in Atlanta, Georgia. Coinciding with her work as an educator and medical professional, her award-winning work as a researcher with a focus in the areas of the liver and pancreatic cancers “has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters.”
She currently holds memberships in the American College of Surgeons and the board of trustees of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, and serves as the program chair of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons and Society of Black Academic Surgeons respectively.
Dr. King will be taking over for Dr. Steve Stain at Albany Medical College after he served as the chair of the Department of Surgery for 15 years. She will begin her position on September 1.
“Throughout her distinguished career, Dr. King has positioned herself as a proven leader in all areas of academic medicine, including patient care, medical education, and clinical research,” said Vincent P. Verdile, the Dean of Albany Medical College. “Her breadth of experience, strong clinical skills, and business acumen, along with her commitment to quality, will serve her well as she leads and advances Albany Med’s surgical services.”
According to the press release, the Department of Surgery that King is set to oversee is comprised of “more than 100 full-time, board-certified surgeons representing a full spectrum of surgical specialties.”
“The department has a long history of surgical achievements and firsts in the region, including the first open-heart procedure,” the statement highlighted, “and [it] boasts one of the busiest structural heart programs and New York State’s busiest trauma center.”
