Craig Kent

Craig Kent, MD, has dedicated his 30-year professional career to advancing health system leadership. In each role he has undertaken, Dr. Kent has prioritized expanding patient access, ensuring the delivery of high-quality care, and providing critical treatments to individuals facing the most complex medical challenges. His leadership has consistently focused on strengthening research, mentoring the next generation of healthcare professionals, and fostering improvements across both clinical and academic systems.

Leadership Across Prestigious Institutions

Dr. Craig Kent has served in influential leadership roles at several major medical institutions. As Division Chief in Vascular Surgery at Columbia and Cornell, he also oversaw the Vascular Service line at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. His leadership during this time brought structure and continuity to a growing and complex academic medical network.

He went on to serve as Chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Later, he assumed broader responsibilities, including Dean of the College of Medicine, Vice President of Health Sciences, and Co-Leader of the Health System at Ohio State University. Most recently, he served as Executive Vice President of Health Affairs and CEO of the University of Virginia Health, helping guide the organization through an important period of growth and transformation.

Dr. Kent’s professional recognition includes election to the National Academy of Medicine. He has held prominent national roles, including President of the Society for Vascular Surgery, President of the Society of Surgical Chairs, and Chair of the American Board of Surgery.

A Strong Research Foundation

Dr. Kent has maintained continuous research support from the National Institutes of Health for over 30 years. His work spans areas including the molecular basis of vascular disease, healthcare quality, and outcomes assessment. He has also chaired NIH study sections, including the Surgery and Bioengineering group.

Throughout his career, he has published 360 peer-reviewed journal articles and contributed to 65 books and book chapters. His work has addressed a broad spectrum of topics from surgical education to healthcare leadership. His articles have been published in journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Dr. Kent has also been involved in editorial leadership, serving as editor or associate editor for Annals of Vascular Surgery, Contemporary Surgery, and Haimovici’s Vascular Surgery. He has contributed to the editorial boards of various peer-reviewed journals, helping to shape academic conversations within his field.

A Widely Respected Speaker

Dr. Kent’s expertise has been recognized internationally. He has served as a Visiting Professor or keynote speaker at over 120 academic medical centers globally. These invitations reflect his depth of experience in healthcare leadership, surgical practice, and medical education.

Executive Leadership at UVA Health

In his most recent position as CEO of the University of Virginia Health System, Dr. Kent led a comprehensive academic health system comprising six hospitals, a school of medicine, a school of nursing, and two physician groups. Throughout his tenure, which spanned more than five years, the organization experienced significant growth. Annual revenue increased from $2.5 billion to $4.7 billion. During the same period, both patient access and the volume of clinical care increased by a factor of two. UVA Health’s quality scores reached their highest point in ten years.

Despite the COVID pandemic and widespread workforce shortages, staff satisfaction among UVA Health’s more than 18,000 employees increased by over 15 percent. Under Dr. Kent’s leadership, the system successfully recruited more than 500 physicians and faculty members. He also oversaw the recruitment of many new executive and departmental leaders.

Dr. Kent prioritized expansion throughout the state of Virginia. The health system acquired three hospitals and a physician group in Northern Virginia, became a minority stakeholder in a five-hospital system in Eastern Virginia, and purchased a multi-specialty group practice. Even with national challenges like inflation and staffing difficulties, UVA Health remained financially stable. Research funding at the School of Medicine increased by $60 million. Dr. Kent also led development efforts for the Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology, a major initiative scheduled to open in 2026.

Philanthropy also experienced significant growth under his leadership. Craig Kent helped UVA Health triple its philanthropic support and raise more than $650 million during a billion-dollar capital campaign.

At Ohio State, Dr. Kent led the College of Medicine, which had 2,100 faculty members, and managed the physician faculty group, comprising over 1,200 physicians. He reported directly to the university president and contributed to the overall oversight of the health system. During his tenure, the college experienced a significant increase in NIH funding, welcomed over 400 new faculty members, introduced a new compensation model, and raised $200 million annually in philanthropic contributions. The clinical enterprise and facilities also expanded considerably under his direction.

While at the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Kent led the Department of Surgery through a period of accelerated growth. The department doubled in both size and surgical volume. NIH research rankings improved from 26th to 5th nationally. During his earlier leadership at Columbia and Cornell, following the merger of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospitals, he coordinated the vascular surgery divisions across both campuses, building one of the largest and most well-funded academic vascular surgery programs in the country.

Academic Roles and Recognitions

Throughout his academic career, Craig Kent, MD, has earned widespread recognition. He became an Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School and later served as Professor of Surgery at institutions including Cornell, Columbia, the University of Wisconsin, The Ohio State University, and the University of Virginia.

His honors include induction into Alpha Omega Alpha at the UCSF School of Medicine, the Fred and Ester Nusz Annual Achievement Award for outstanding chief resident, and the Harold Bengloff Award at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital for teaching excellence. He also received the E. J. Wylie Traveling Fellowship from the Society of Vascular Surgery for excellence in research and clinical work. He has been consistently recognized with Top Doctor and Best Doctor awards for his contributions to patient care.

Education and Postgraduate Training

Craig Kent earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Nevada, Reno, followed by a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of California, San Francisco. His postgraduate training includes a surgical internship and residency at UCSF, a research fellowship in vascular surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, where he received a National Research Service Award, and an endovascular fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic. He also completed leadership training at the Harvard School of Public Health in the Leadership Development for Physicians in Academic Centers program.

He holds medical licenses in Massachusetts, New York, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Virginia.

Affiliations and Memberships

Dr. Kent is a member of multiple professional organizations. These include the American College of Surgeons, American Heart Association, Society for Vascular Surgery, American Surgical Association, Society of Surgical Chairs, International Surgical Group, American Board of Surgery, Blue Ridge Academic Health Group (BRAHG), and the Academy of Master Surgeon Educators.

Articles from Craig Kent's Websites

UVa Health Leadership Explained
Understanding why Riverside Health continues to support established healthcare leadership.
Read the full article here:
https://drcraigkent.com/why-riverside-health-remains-committed-to-uva-health-leadership/ 

Governance & Leadership Statement
An essential statement discussing healthcare governance and leadership principles.
Read the full article here:
https://craig-kent.com/2026/01/15/thomas-a-scully-statement-to-the-board-of-visitors/ 

Institutional Leadership Worth Recognizing
An analysis of UVa Health leadership emphasizing governance quality, accountability, and organizational outcomes.
Read the full article here:
https://drcraigkent.com/uva-healths-leadership-should-be-commended/ 

Best Leadership in 40 Years
Dr. Neal Kassell explains why current leadership stands apart historically in terms of performance and vision.
Read the full article here:
https://drcraigkent.com/kent-and-kibbe-are-leaders-uva-health-has-had-in-40-years/ 

Former Rectors Affirm Support
A formal defense of UVA Health from respected former university leaders.
Read the full article here:
https://craig-kent.com/2026/01/17/uva-rectors-defend-health-system/