Kartik Prabhakaran, M.D., M.H.S., FACS, has been named The Felicien M. Steichen, M.D., chair of surgery at New York Medical College (NYMC) and chair of the Department of Surgery at Westchester Medical Center (WMC), a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth). A nationally recognized trauma surgeon and academic leader, Prabhakaran will assume his new roles in July. He succeeds Steven Lansman, M.D., Ph.D., who has served as chair since 2021.
“Throughout Dr. Prabhakaran’s long tenure with New York Medical College, he has demonstrated a deep and enduring commitment to the School of Medicine and to the success of our students,” said Neil W. Schluger, M.D., dean of the School of Medicine. “He is a dedicated mentor who invests in the growth of future physicians while advancing a culture of academic excellence. His leadership and steadfast support of our academic mission make him exceptionally well-suited to guide the department of surgery into its next chapter.”
“Patients benefit most when academic medicine and clinical care move forward together,” said David Lubarsky, M.D., MBA, president and CEO of WMCHealth. “This appointment reflects the strength of the partnership between New York Medical College and WMCHealth and advances an integrated approach to exceptional surgical care, innovation and education across our health system.”
Board-certified in surgery and surgical critical care, Prabhakaran currently serves as the WMCHealth Network Medical Director for Trauma, section chief of trauma and acute care surgery, and interim chief medical officer for WMC. He joined the faculty of NYMC in 2014 and is professor of surgery and vice chair of research in the department of surgery. His national and international contributions span clinical care, education, research and academic leadership.
Prabhakaran has made extraordinary contributions to WMC and the field of trauma care. In addition to leading the only adult Level I Trauma Center between New York City and Albany, he has led the development of an institutional Network Trauma Consortium that has grown into an integrated system consistently achieving the highest standards of clinical excellence, academic rigor and patient-centered innovation. Prabhakaran serves as chair of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma for the Greater New York region and is a national reviewer for the American College of Surgeons’ Verification Review Committee.
In addition to his clinical leadership, Prabhakaran has served as program director for the largest Surgical Critical Care Fellowship in New York State at WMCHealth, and has been a dedicated mentor to residents and medical students. He is the author of more than 90 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters and has presented his work nationally and internationally, with research interests that include traumatic brain injury, geriatric trauma and trauma outcomes.
In his role as chair of the Department of Surgery at NYMC and WMC, Prabhakaran will lead the clinical, operational and academic programs of pediatric and adult cardiothoracic surgery, breast surgery, burn surgery, trauma and acute care surgery, thoracic surgery, surgical oncology, integrated wound services, intraabdominal transplant surgery, vascular surgery, minimally invasive/bariatric surgery, and pediatric surgery – across the WMCHealth Network.
A graduate of Johns Hopkins University, Prabhakaran earned both his undergraduate and Master of Health Sciences degrees there before completing his Doctor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He completed his residency in general surgery at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center and a fellowship in Surgical Critical Care at Weill Cornell Medicine/Lincoln Medical Center.
