K. Eric Sommers, MD, FACS
Dr. K. Eric Sommers is a cardiothoracic and thoracic surgeon at Tampa General Hospital in Tampa, Florida, and is widely recognized as a leader in the surgical treatment of thoracic illnesses like lung cancer, malignant pleural mesothelioma, and esophageal cancer. His technique for daVinci robotic lobectomy for lung cancer has been widely taught.[1]
Dr. Sommers has performed over 6,300 cardiothoracic surgeries, including over 2,500 for lung cancer and over 350 daVinci-assisted robotic procedures.[1]
Dr. Sommers is nationally recognized for his expertise in minimally invasive lung and chest surgery techniques, including video-assisted thoracic surgery. His areas of particular expertise include chest wall tumors, malignant pleural effusions, Pancoast tumors, and mediastinal tumors. He also treats thymic disorders and benign esophageal disease.[1]
Education and Career
Dr. Sommers earned his undergraduate degree at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and then went on to earn his medical degree at Northwestern University in Chicago. He completed his internship at the University of Pittsburgh, then stayed on at Pittsburgh for ten years to complete residencies in General Surgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery, and research in the treatment of patients with cardiothoracic illnesses. He won an NIH National Research Service Award and the prestigious Sheridan-Alley Fellowship to study health policy at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.[1]
Dr. Sommers’ professional accomplishments, include serving on staff at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute for over 14 years and as the President of the medical staff at Moffitt. In addition to being on staff at Tampa General Hospital, St. Joseph’s, and University Community Hospital, he has served on the faculty of the University of South Florida College of Medicine for over a decade and holds the title of Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery. He was the founding surgical director of the Tampa General Hospital Lung Transplant Program and served as Director of the hospital’s Heart Transplant program.[1]
Research
Dr. Sommers is a recognized national researcher who led Tampa General’s participation in a multi-center study to examine the effectiveness of robotic lobectomies as compared to open procedures and VATS.[1] He has over 50 publications, presentations, and abstracts in his name, including:
- Initial multicenter community robotic lobectomy experience: comparisons to a national database. Ann Thorac Surg. 2014. Adams RD, Bolton WD, Stephenson JE, Henry G, Robbins ET, Sommers E. Jun;97(6):1893-8; discussion 1899-900. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2014.02.043. Epub 2014 Apr 14. PMID: 24726600.
- Robotic lobectomy: flattening the learning curve. Journal of Robotic Surgery. Hernandez, Jonathan & Humphries, Leigh & Keeling, W. & Golkar, Farhaad & Dimou, Francesca & Garrett, Joseph & Sommers, K.. (2012). 6. 10.1007/s11701-011-0275-6.
