Gillespie Tapped to Lead URMC Vascular Surgery Division

Renowned surgeon David L. Gillespie, M.D., F.AC.S., R.V.T., D.M.C.C., has been appointed chief of the Division of Vascular Surgery at the University of Rochester Medical Center. He has been with the center for the past two years, leading both clinical and education programs.

Since joining the Medical Center two years ago, Gillespie has served as Director for the Vascular Surgery Integrated Residency and Fellowship Program within the School of Medicine and Dentistry.

“Gillespie is a skilled clinician, an accomplished educator and a creative scientist who has rapidly earned the respect of his colleagues within the division and the overall Department of Surgery,” said Jeffrey Peters, M.D., Seymour I. Schwartz Professor and Chair of the Department of Surgery. “He is a natural choice to lead the division at this time.”

Previously Gillespie had an impressive 23-year career with the U.S. Army as chief of Vascular Surgery, overseeing vascular procedures in Iraq. He led the vascular surgery program at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C., and served as chief of Vascular Surgery at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences’ F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine in Bethesda, Md. He was also a vascular surgery consultant with the Office of the Surgeon General.

In addition to his clinical expertise, Gillespie is a well established senior clinical and basic science researcher. His research interests center on chronic venous disease, most notably cellular and molecular functioning within chronic ulceration.

Gillespie earned his medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences’ F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine. He completed an internship at Letterman Army Medical Center in San Francisco; a surgical residency at Boston University Medical Center; and a fellowship at Boston University Medical Center where he served as the Reginald Smithwick Fellow in Vascular Surgery. His undergraduate work was done at Washington State University.