SARASOTA – As Sarasota Memorial Health Care System prepares to open its new oncology tower next month – the second phase of the expanding Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute – the health system has appointed a leading GI oncologist to serve as its chief of surgical oncology.
Kenneth Meredith, MD, a world leader in robotic surgery and the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers, was promoted to the Jellison Cancer Institute executive team Oct. 1. In this new, critical role, Dr. Meredith will lead Sarasota Memorial’s team of oncology surgeons and help provide strategic direction as the health system moves forward with future phases of the Jellison Cancer Institute.
“Dr. Meredith is a superb surgeon and researcher who has helped us build a nationally recognized GI surgical oncology program,” said Richard Brown, MD, medical director of the Jellison Cancer Institute. “As chief of surgical oncology, he will work closely with all of our surgical subspecialists to bring the latest treatments and technologies to our community and ensure the best patient outcomes through collaborative, multi-disciplinary cancer care.”
Board certified in surgery and fellowship trained in surgical oncology at the Moffitt Cancer Center, Dr. Meredith was recruited by SMH in 2014 to expand its robotic surgery capabilities and develop a specialty program for people with gastrointestinal malignancies including: pancreatic, esophageal, colorectal, gastric, liver and other hepatobiliary cancers and conditions.
In his expanded role, Dr. Meredith will oversee the Cancer Institute’s surgical oncology team, which includes subspecialty care for breast, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, thoracic, ENT, endocrine, gynecologic and neurologic cancers. While maintaining his surgical oncology practice with Sarasota Memorial’s First Physicians Group, Dr. Meredith also continues to serve as medical director of Gastrointestinal Surgical Oncology at Sarasota Memorial and professor of clinical medicine at the Florida State University College of Medicine.
“I am truly honored to work in such an amazing institution,” Dr. Meredith said. “I look forward to my new role and working with the Cancer Institute’s excellent surgeons to bring advanced treatments and innovative cancer care to all patients.”
About Dr. Kenneth Meredith
Kenneth Meredith, MD, is a board-certified gastrointestinal surgeon, fellowship trained in surgical oncology from the Moffitt Cancer Center. His clinical subspecialties include minimally invasive removal of malignancies of the pancreas, liver, biliary tract, and esophagus. In addition to his expanded role as Chief of Surgical Oncology for Sarasota Memorial’s Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute, he continues to serve as Medical Director of Gastrointestinal Surgical Oncology at Sarasota Memorial. Previously, he served as Director of Esophageal and Gastric Cancer Research and section head of Esophagogastric Oncology at Moffitt Cancer Center. Dr. Meredith completed his medical degree at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Ky., and his residency at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Madison, Wis.
About the Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute
Sarasota Memorial’s Jellison Cancer Institute is expanding, with premier facilities providing comprehensive, coordinated and collaborative cancer care for the Suncoast community. The first phases of the Cancer Institute included the Radiation Oncology Center at University Parkway that opened in August 2020, and the new 8-story inpatient and surgical oncology tower that is scheduled to open in November on the Sarasota campus. Initial planning has begun for the next 2 phases, which will include an outpatient cancer pavilion at the SMH-Sarasota campus and outpatient center at the SMH-Venice campus. Click here for more information about the institute.
About Sarasota Memorial Health Care System
Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is a regional referral center offering Southwest Florida’s greatest breadth and depth of inpatient, outpatient and extended care services, with more than 1,000 physicians, 7,600 employees and 1 million patient visits each year. Sarasota Memorial’s 839-bed acute-care hospital has been recognized consistently as one of the nation’s best, with superior patient outcomes and a complete continuum of outpatient services– from urgent care centers and physician groups, to laboratory and imaging centers, home health, rehabilitation and long-term care.