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Newswise — Mehul V. Raval, MD, MS, FACS, FAAP, has been named the Head of the Division of Pediatric Surgery at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. After an extensive national search and reviewing several highly accomplished applicants, Dr. Raval’s expertise, translational research, leadership experience and dedication to Lurie Children’s set him apart. He will hold the Orvar Swenson Founders’ Board Chair in Pediatric Surgery.
“Dr. Raval is an outstanding physician-scientist who has spent a large part of his career focusing on improving the surgery experience for children,” said Dr. Thomas Inge, Surgeon-in-Chief and Chair, Lurie Children’s Department of Surgery. “His research on patient safety and improving recovery post-surgery has already set a new standard in our field. He is the best choice for the next leader of our premier group of general pediatric surgeons.”
“I am honored by the opportunity to lead our storied division,” Dr. Raval said. “We are fortunate to have a dedicated team of faculty, advanced care providers, staff and trainees committed to the excellent care of patients and families. I look forward to working closely within our team and alongside our colleagues and leadership at Lurie Children’s to grow our clinical focus areas, conduct cutting-edge medical innovation and research and train the next generation of surgeons. Our division has tremendous potential, and this is an exciting time for us all.”
Dr. Raval specializes in general and thoracic pediatric surgery. He has been at Lurie Children’s since 2018 and is part of its leadership team, serving as the Vice Chair of Quality and Safety for the Department of Surgery. Key in training the next generation of surgeons, Dr. Raval is a professor of surgery and pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and the director of the Pediatric Surgery Research Fellowship Program.
In his clinical practice, he has extensive experience in neonatal surgery, minimally invasive surgery and the surgical correction of congenital anomalies. His clinical interests include thyroid surgery and care for patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
As a physician-scientist, Dr. Raval’s research focuses on improving the outcomes in children’s surgical care. A large portion of his work has revolved around quality and patient safety. His research has been funded by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He currently serves as the Principal Investigator on a $3.5 million NIH-funded, 18-center clinical trial to evaluate implementation of an enhanced recovery protocol for children undergoing gastrointestinal surgery including patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. He also has a keen interest in improving healthcare finance with an AHRQ-funded study evaluating observational stay care in terms of quality and economic outcomes.
Dr. Raval serves on national committees and has held leadership roles for the Association of Academic Surgery, American Pediatric Surgery Association, American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Pediatrics. He has more than 230 peer-reviewed publications and over a dozen book chapters.
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago is a nonprofit organization committed to providing access to exceptional care for every child. It is ranked as one of the nation’s top children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. Lurie Children’s is the pediatric training ground for Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
The surgeons within the Division of General Pediatric Surgery, many with subspeciality expertise in areas such as colorectal conditions, surgical oncology and chest wall deformities, perform more pediatric operations than any other pediatric hospital in the Chicago metropolitan area.
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