Carlos A. Pellegrini, MD, FACS, FRCS (I) (Hon)

Carlos A. Pellegrini, M.D., FACS, FRCS(I)(Hon) was born to two physicians, and spent his childhood years in rural Amenábar, in Santa Fe Province, Argentina. He attended medical school at the University of Rosario Medical School, graduating in 1971 and remaining there for surgical training until 1975. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1975, in part due to dissatisfaction with the prevailing political climate in Argentina.[1] He completed his surgical residency at the University of Chicago and began working at the University of California, San Francisco in 1979, moving to the University of Washington in 1993 to assume the chairmanship of its Department of Surgery. Dr. Pellegrini is a former president of the American Surgical Association and the American College of Surgeons. Between 1993 and 2015 he was the Henry N. Harkins Professor and Chair of Surgery at the University of Washington. He has been president of the Society of Surgical Chairs, a Regent of the American College of Surgeons, and a director of the American Board of Surgery. Between 2015 and 2018 he was Chief Medical Officer of UW Medicine and Vice President for Medical Affairs at the University of Washington. Dr. Pellegrini’s clinical focus has been on minimally invasive surgery of the foregut. He lead the Swallowing Center and the Center for Videoendoscopic Surgery at the University of Washington and as a researcher, Dr. Pellegrini has investigated a wide variety of disorders and surgical procedures. He has been involved in surgical education research as well and has been involved in the University of Washington’s Mini-Medical School,[2] an annual series of lectures and seminars on medical topics open to the public. Since January 2019 he has become an Executive Coach for Healthcare Leaders.

Here you can watch the acceptance speech of Dr Pellegrini.