USA Health welcomes trauma and critical care surgeon
Daniel P. Suarez, M.D., brings extensive experience in trauma surgery, acute care surgery and surgical critical care to University Hospital and Providence Hospital.
By Carol McPhail
[email protected]
USA Health is expanding its surgical services with the addition of Daniel P. Suarez, M.D., a trauma and critical care surgeon within the Division of Trauma & Acute Care Surgery.
Suarez brings extensive experience in trauma surgery, acute care surgery and surgical critical care to University Hospital and Providence Hospital. His expertise includes advanced life-support techniques in the intensive care unit (ICU), including extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).
As a trauma and critical care surgeon, Suarez will oversee the initial evaluation of trauma patients, perform emergency operations and care for critically ill trauma and surgical patients. University Hospital is home to the Fanny Meisler Trauma Center, the only verified level I trauma center in south Alabama.
“I enjoy the complexity and acuity of trauma and critical care,” Suarez said. “I am motivated to see patients improve on a day-to-day basis. It’s fulfilling to know I played a small part in returning people to normal life.”
Before joining USA Health, Suarez served at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Illinois, as an acute care general surgeon, trauma surgeon and critical care physician. During his time at Carle, he received the Faculty of the Year award for his contributions to the general surgery residency program. He also received the Excellence in Professionalism award, which recognized him as a model of professionalism by general surgery residents.
Suarez is board-certified in general surgery and surgical critical care by the American Board of Surgery. He earned his medical degree from SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York, where he also completed his residency in general surgery. During his training, he received the Chief Resident Teaching Award, Highest Senior ABSITE Score, Excellence in Hernia Repair Award and recognition for Excellence in Trauma Care.
He completed his fellowship in surgical critical care at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
His interest in academic medicine grew from his appreciation for the complex cases treated at academic medical centers and his passion for teaching. “I enjoy the complex pathology that is drawn to academic centers, and I also enjoy teaching medical students, residents and fellows,” he said. “Teaching is a way to give back to everyone who contributed to my education.”
The Fanny Meisler Trauma Center at University Hospital provides comprehensive care for patients with the most serious and complex injuries. The trauma and acute care surgery team works across multiple specialties to provide care from the initial emergency evaluation and surgical intervention through intensive care and recovery.
Providence Hospital was the first to bring lifesaving ECMO care to Mobile, fulfilling an urgent need to provide local access to advanced cardiopulmonary care.
Suarez said the opportunity to care for patients throughout the continuum of care is one of the aspects of trauma and critical care that he finds most rewarding.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of a team that cares for patients during some of the most critical moments of their lives,” he said. “Being able to see patients improve throughout their hospital course and ultimately return to their normal lives is what makes this work so meaningful.”
