John I. Lew, M.D., F.A.C.S. is Professor of Surgery and Vice Chair of Surgery for Faculty Affairs and Diversity of the DeWitt Daughtry Family Department of Surgery at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. He currently serves as Chief of the Division of Endocrine Surgery, Fellowship Director in Endocrine Surgery at University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospitals, and Physician Leader of the Thyroid and Other Endocrine Cancer Site Disease Group at University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.
After receiving his undergraduate degree with honors from Cornell University, Dr. Lew earned his M.D. with research distinction from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1996. Dr. Lew completed his internship and residency in General Surgery at the University of Chicago Medical Center, and was a Chief Resident in General Surgery from 2002-2003. During residency, Dr. Lew completed a 2-year post-doctoral translational basic science research fellowship at the University of Chicago studying liposomal gene transfer in knock out mice. For his research, he was awarded the SSAT Resident Research and Chicago Surgical Society Awards in 2000. Dr. Lew completed a fellowship in Minimal Access Surgery at Columbia University Medical Center in 2004. He then went on to complete fellowship training in Endocrine Surgery under George L. Irvin III, M.D., pioneer of intraoperative PTH monitoring and minimally invasive parathyroid surgery at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital. Dr. Lew then joined the faculty at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor of Surgery, rising to Associate Professor and then Professor of Surgery in 2018.
Dr. Lew has a passion and commitment to teaching and mentoring the future generation of physicians and surgeons. His efforts with medical students have culminated in several research awards, and over 150 of his medical student mentees matching in categorical General Surgery residencies across the nation. His mentorship of surgical residents has culminated in research awards for their work, and has resulted in his surgical residents matching in the most competitive Fellowships in Endocrine Surgery, Breast Surgery, Laparoscopic Surgery, Pediatric Surgery and Surgical Oncology. Finally, as Fellowship Director for Comprehensive Endocrine Surgery, Dr. Lew has personally trained and mentored 19 Endocrine Surgery fellows who have obtained junior faculty positions at academic medical centers or community based practices throughout the United States.
Dr. Lew has authored and co-authored over 100 original papers and chapters including manuscripts in all major surgery journals. He has co-authored several chapters in major textbooks in the field of Endocrine and General Surgery including Textbook of Endocrine Surgery, Mastery of Surgery, and The SAGES Manual. He performs editorial services for major surgery journals including Annals of Surgery, Surgery, Annals of Surgical Oncology, Journal of the American College of Surgeons, World Journal of Surgery and Journal of Surgical Research.
Dr. Lew currently serves as Governor of the South Florida Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, and has other leadership roles on national professional committees including the AAES Leadership Council, AAES Career and Leadership Committee, AAES Fellowship Directors Committee, ACS Board of Governors Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Education and Advocacy Committee, ACS Florida Committee of Applicants. Among other important academic and professional societies, Dr. Lew is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, American Association of Endocrine Surgeons (AAES), Society of Surgical Oncology, Society of University Surgeons, Southern Surgical Association, International Association of Endocrine Surgeons, Association of Surgical Education, and member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society among others. Dr. Lew has been recognized annually as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor for more than decade.
