R. Bruce Shack, MD, professor and dean of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine in Chattanooga, has named new vice chairs for two departments in the college.
Mark Brzezienski, MD, FACS, has been appointed vice chair of the Department of Plastic Surgery. Benjamin Dart, MD, FACS, has been appointed vice chair of the Department of Surgery. Drs. Brzezienski and Dart will be responsible for daily operations of the departments and their residency programs.
“Both Dr. Dart and Dr. Brzezienski are highly respected physicians locally, regionally and nationally,” Dr. Shack said. “They are a tremendous asset to this community and to the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. They are dedicated to the educational efforts on the campus in Chattanooga, and will remain a positive influence for many years to come.”
Dr. Brzezienski previously served as professor, program director, and director of research for the Department of Plastic Surgery, as well as associate professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. He specializes in plastic and reconstructive surgery, in particular breast reconstruction after mastectomies. In addition, he has a special interest in facial and body aesthetical procedures. Since 1995, he has maintained a private practice with The Plastic Surgery Group, a division of Erlanger Health System.
A graduate of Jefferson Medical College in Pennsylvania, Dr. Brzezienski received his general surgery training at the University of Connecticut followed by his plastic and reconstructive surgery training at the Albany Medical Center in New York. He completed a fellowship in orthopaedic hand surgery at the Philadelphia Hand Center of Thomas Jefferson University.
Established in 1973, the Department of Plastic Surgery at the UTHSC College of Medicine in Chattanooga is one of the oldest plastic surgery departments in the country. It offers a three-year plastic and reconstructive surgery residency training program fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Distinct to the Department of Plastic Surgery, faculty also have private practices at The Plastic Surgery Group in their specialties.
Dr. Dart previously served as associate professor for the Department of Surgery. His specialty includes trauma and general surgery, as well as surgical critical care. He has practiced at University Surgical Associates, a division of Erlanger Health System, since 2005.
A graduate of the Louisiana State University School of Medicine, Dr. Dart completed his general surgery internship and residency with the UTHSC College of Medicine in Chattanooga, followed by a fellowship in surgical critical care.
The largest department at the UTHSC College of Medicine Chattanooga, the Department of Surgery performs an estimated 18,000 operative procedures every year for the regions only Level I Trauma Center. Its residency program is fully accredited by the ACGME, where it offers 32 positions in surgery residency and fellowships in surgical critical care, vascular surgery, neuro-interventional surgery (a non-ACGME accredited program), and transitional to practice in general surgery (approved by the American College of Surgeons).