Chair’s Message

Dr. James D. Daughtry, son of the late Dr. DeWitt Daughtry, and Dr. Omaida C. Velazquez, Chair of the DeWitt Daughtry Family Department of Surgery

DEAR COLLEAGUES,

Since becoming Chair of the DeWitt Daughtry Family Department of Surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, I have thought often of our namesake. A pioneer in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, Dr. DeWitt Daughtry opposed Big Tobacco and advocated for female participation in surgery— two positions that were not popular in 1950s South Florida, to say the least.

I think Dr. Daughtry would be proud that the department named in his family’s honor is led by one of the two dozen female heads of surgery in the country, as well as the only Hispanic woman to lead a surgical department. My own journey is a testament to how far we have come, and as a department we reflect the new face of academic surgical medicine in the United States.

We are 700 physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, researchers, residents, fellows and staff who serve patients and advance our academic mission wholeheartedly. We are committed to uncompromising excellence in clinical care, innovative research, training the next generation of surgical leaders, and promoting community and global health.

We are the DeWitt Daughtry Family Department of Surgery, and we are creating something special in this young, diverse, growing city. Join us as we share in these pages the moments that made us proud, and the big plans we have for the future.

Sincerely,

Omaida C. Velazquez, MD

Chair, DeWitt Daughtry Family Department of Surgery David Kimmelman Endowed Chair in Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Professor of Surgery, Radiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Surgeon-in-Chief for Jackson Health System and University of Miami Health System