RICOTTA IS OUR NEW CHAIRMAN AND SURGEON-IN-CHIEF

On June 1, 1997, John J. Ricotta, MD, joined the Department's faculty as professor and chairman of surgery and chief of surgery at University Hospital. Dr. Ricotta comes to Stony Brook from the State University of New York at Buffalo where he was professor of surgery, chief of the vascular surgery division and chief of surgery at the Millard Fillmore Hospital.

Also serving as chief of our vascular surgery division, Dr. Ricotta is a practicing vascular surgeon with active research interests in all aspects of vascular surgery, particularly in cerebrovascular disease.

He and his team of vascular surgeons provide specialized care for a wide variety of circulatory disorders. They perform reconstructive operations for occlusive and aneurysmal diseases. They have special expertise in thoraco-abdominal surgery; surgery for stroke prevention and surgery for the treatment of hypertension; lower extremity vascular reconstruction; and surgery for diabetic foot ulcers.

Dr. Ricotta has received a number of awards and honors. Recently, he was named among our region's best in the 1996-97 edition of the Best Doctors in America: Northeast Region, and was recognized by Good Housekeeping this year as one of the top vascular surgeons in the country for his expertise in cerebrovascular disease.

A graduate of Yale University, Dr. Ricotta received his MD from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He completed a surgical residency training at the Johns Hopkins Hospital during which time he had advanced training in vascular surgery at Walter Reed Army Hospital and in thoracic surgery at Frenchay Hospital in Bristol, England. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a Diplomate of the American Board of Surgery, and is board certified with special competency in vascular surgery.

Prior to his position in Buffalo, he was on the faculty of the University of Rochester where from 1980 to 1988 he was an assistant professor and later an associate professor. During his tenure at the University of Rochester, he was also the director of the kidney transplant program and the organ procurement organization.

Dr. Ricotta is a member of numerous professional societies and has served as the president of the Rochester Vascular Society, the Western New York Vascular Society and as the secretary and recorder of the Eastern Vascular Society. He is a member of both the Stroke Council and the Council of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Disease of the American Heart Association.

He has been an examiner for the American Board of Surgery, and is on the Executive Committee for the Association of Program Directors in General Vascular Surgery.

An active academic surgeon, Dr. Ricotta serves on the editorial board of four national and international journals in his specialty, is the author or co-author of more than 150 publications, and has received local, regional and national peer-reviewed funding for his work in cardiovascular disease.

For consultations/appointments with Dr. Ricotta, please call 631-444-2565.