The UTMB Pediatric Surgery Service was founded by Dr.
Kenneth R. Tyson in 1967 as a Section within the Division of General Surgery at UTMB. After completing his fellowship as one of Dr. Robert Gross’ final trainees at Boston Children’s Hospital, Dr. Tyson performed many firsts at UTMB, including
the first successful congenital heart surgery, trachea-esophageal fistula repair, duodenal atresia repair, and kidney transplant in a child. Over the years, the Pediatric Surgery Service has continued to grow, establishing the first civilian Extracorporeal
Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) program in the state of Texas and becoming a separate Division within the Department of Surgery in 2015. In August 2020, UTMB Pediatric Surgery, in partnership with Driscoll Children’s Hospital, established the 58th
ACGME accredited Pediatric Surgery fellowship training program in North America.
Notable achievements from UTMB Division of Pediatric Surgery:
- 13 surgeons in 53 years (since 1967)
- Published over 320 peer-reviewed publications since 1967
- Multiple extramural grants (NIH, DoD, Shriner’s Hospitals for Children)
- 5 former surgeons have become Surgeon in Chief/Chief of Pediatric Surgery at 7 major Children’s Hospitals with training programs across the country
- 3 former surgeons have become American Pediatric Surgical Association President
- 1 former surgeon has become Society of University Surgeons President
- Mentored 7 general surgery residents who completed pediatric surgery fellowship training and practiced pediatric surgery
- First successful Meso-Rex bypass performed for extrahepatic portal vein thrombosis in southern United States