

Craig Kent
Professional Leader in Health Care
Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
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Craig Kent, MD, has spent the last 30 years dedicated to health system leadership, with a clear emphasis on expanding patient access, delivering high-quality care, and supporting treatment for medically complex cases. His career reflects a consistent commitment to academic advancement, research development, and organizational leadership across some of the nation's most respected healthcare institutions.
Dr. Craig Kent’s leadership experience began as Division Chief in Vascular Surgery at Columbia and Cornell, where he also oversaw the Vascular Service line at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. He later served as Chair of the Department of Surgery at The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. His responsibilities expanded at Ohio State University, where he was appointed Dean of the College of Medicine, Vice President for Health Sciences, and Co-Leader of the Health System. Most recently, he served as Executive Vice President of Health Affairs and CEO at the University of Virginia Health System.
In recognition of his work, Dr. Kent was inducted into the National Academy of Medicine. His national influence includes serving as President of the Society for Vascular Surgery, President of the Society of Surgical Chairs, and Chair of the American Board of Surgery. These roles highlight his contributions to clinical leadership and the education of future physicians.
The National Institutes of Health has continuously funded Craig Kent for over 30 years. He has chaired the NIH’s Surgery and Bioengineering study section and contributed to multiple grant review panels. His research spans molecular science and health system outcomes, with 360 peer-reviewed publications and 65 books and book chapters. His studies have appeared in leading journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association.
His editorial work includes service as editor or associate editor for the Annals of Vascular Surgery, Contemporary Surgery, and Haimovici’s Vascular Surgery. He has also held positions on editorial boards for numerous peer-reviewed journals, contributing to scholarly discourse across a broad range of surgical topics.
Craig Kent, MD, has been invited to speak at over 120 academic medical centers as a Visiting Professor or Keynote Speaker. During his time as CEO of UVA Health, the organization experienced notable growth. Annual revenue increased from $2.5 billion to $4.7 billion, and patient care delivery nearly doubled. Quality performance reached its highest levels in a decade, and staff satisfaction increased by more than 15 percent despite the broader challenges facing the healthcare industry during the pandemic and staffing shortages.
Under his leadership, UVA Health expanded statewide, acquiring three hospitals and a physician group in Northern Virginia, purchasing a large multi-specialty practice, and becoming a minority owner in a five-hospital system in Eastern Virginia. The UVA School of Medicine saw a $60 million increase in research funding, and Dr. Kent led the launch of the Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology, scheduled to open in 2026.
He also played a critical role in philanthropy, helping UVA Health raise over $650 million toward a $1 billion campaign and tripling overall fundraising during his tenure. At Ohio State, he oversaw 2,100 faculty members and more than 1,200 physicians. His leadership resulted in the recruitment of over 400 faculty members, significant growth in NIH funding, the implementation of a faculty compensation plan, the development of new facilities, and annual fundraising efforts that collectively reached $200 million.
At the University of Wisconsin, Craig Kent led efforts that doubled the size and surgical volume of the Department of Surgery and improved its NIH ranking from 26th to 5th in the country. Following the merger of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospitals, he unified the vascular surgery programs at Columbia and Cornell, helping to establish one of the nation’s leading academic vascular surgery programs.
Numerous honors have marked Dr. Kent’s academic and clinical career. He served as an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and held professorships at Cornell, Columbia, the University of Wisconsin, Ohio State, and the University of Virginia. His recognitions include induction into Alpha Omega Alpha at the University of California, San Francisco; the Fred and Ester Nusz Annual Achievement Award; the Harold Bengloff Award for Teaching; and the E. J. Wylie Traveling Fellowship. He has also received multiple Top Doctor and Best Doctor awards for his clinical contributions.
He earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Nevada, Reno, and a Doctor of Medicine from the University of California, San Francisco. His postdoctoral training includes surgical residency at UCSF, a vascular research fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, an endovascular fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic, and leadership development at the Harvard School of Public Health. He has held medical licenses in Massachusetts, New York, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Virginia.
Dr. Kent is actively involved in numerous professional organizations, including the American College of Surgeons, the American Heart Association, the Society for Vascular Surgery, the American Surgical Association, the Society of Surgical Chairs, the International Surgical Group, the American Board of Surgery, the Blue Ridge Academic Health Group, and the Academy of Master Surgeon Educators.
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Craig Kent
Professional Leader in Health Care
Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
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