Early in his career, UTSW Chief of Thoracic Surgery Inderpal Sarkaria, M.D., focused on the development of advanced surgical robotic and imaging technologies for complex thoracic operations such as esophagectomy, which involves removal of part or all of the esophagus. Today Dr. Sarkaria is considered an international leader in thoracic surgery and surgical robotics, having performed more than 2,000 robotic operations, including procedures for several types of cancer, hernias, gastroesophageal reflux disease, thoracic outlet syndrome, and other diseases of the esophagus.

Dr. Sarkaria brings more than 15 years’ expertise in minimally invasive procedures to the new role he began in January as Professor of Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery and Chief of the Division of Thoracic Surgery.

A widely respected academic thoracic surgical oncologist, Dr. Sarkaria was drawn to UT Southwestern, in part, for its commitment to providing patients care as quickly as possible, an important metric in delivering better outcomes.

“Along with providing world-class care for our patients, it is just as important to improve the ease of access to our outstanding thoracic services throughout the local and regional area,” said Dr. Sarkaria. “As our program grows, it is vital that our involvement and footprint in the community grow.”

For patients, that means being able to get care closer to their homes. As part of the Thoracic Surgery Division’s expanded access initiatives, UT Southwestern thoracic surgery providers will see patients at clinics in Fort Worth, RedBird, Coppell, Richardson/Plano, and elsewhere in North Texas. It also means reducing wait times for scans, biopsies, and other tests leading up to treatment.

“We are also focused on finding innovative ways to get a diagnosis quicker,” said Dr. Sarkaria. “We can streamline the pathway for patients, especially those with cancer, so that the timeline isn’t a month, it’s a week.”

Dr. Sarkaria’s efforts as a surgeon-scientist have had an impact in areas such as lung cancer genomics, robotic thoracic surgery, and advanced imaging technologies for surgery.

He completed his general surgery residency at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University/New York Presbyterian Hospital and spent two years as a fellow in thoracic oncology research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). Dr. Sarkaria then completed cardiothoracic and thoracic oncology surgery fellowships at MSKCC/New York Presbyterian Hospital and an additional fellowship in minimally invasive esophageal and thoracic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) before joining the MSKCC thoracic surgery faculty. His early research significantly contributed to the initial identification of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) driver mutations in lung adenocarcinoma, a seminal finding leading to a paradigm shift in the understanding and treatment of these cancers.

In 2014, Dr. Sarkaria returned to UPMC, where he held the Endowed Chair of Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery and served in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery. His roles included Vice Chairman for Clinical Affairs, co-Division Chief of Thoracic and Foregut Surgery, Director of Robotic Thoracic Surgery and Thoracic Surgery Quality and Outcomes, and co-Director of the Esophageal and Lung Surgery Institute. At UPMC, he developed a comprehensive robotic training curriculum for residents and attending physicians in thoracic surgery.

Now at UT Southwestern, he aims to raise awareness of what differentiates UT Southwestern care, specifically its multidisciplinary approach with experts from several specialties – including gastroenterology, pulmonology, radiation oncology, and others – to take on complex cases.

“The key at UT Southwestern is that the caregivers in all these fields represent the best of the best in their professions, and that is the ‘magic sauce’ when it comes to providing not only the most advanced and up-to-date care, but the right care the first time. That is what matters, and that is the message we want to get out,” he said.