When Dr. Mary Killackey joined Tulane Surgery in 2006, New Orleans was still rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina. Twenty years later, the nationally recognized abdominal transplant surgeon and first woman to chair the Department of Surgery at Tulane University School of Medicine has helped transform the department into a growing force for surgical care, education, and innovation.
Now celebrating her 10th year as chair, Dr. Killackey has led with a focus on collaboration, mentorship, access, and bringing advanced care closer to home. Under her leadership, Tulane Surgery has expanded its clinical expertise, strengthened training opportunities, and helped build programs that address some of Louisiana’s most urgent health needs.
Among them are the diseases of obesity, end-stage organ failure, and advanced heart failure. With Louisiana ranking among the highest in the nation for heart failure mortality, Tulane Medicine, in partnership with LCMC Health, is working to ensure patients no longer have to leave the state for lifesaving treatment. For Dr. Killackey, that progress reflects the department’s larger mission: to ensure patients across Louisiana and the Gulf South can access world-class care closer to home.
