Gilbert R Upchurch, MD

Gilbert R. Upchurch Jr., MD, is the Edward M. Copeland III and Ann & Ira Horowitz Department Chair of the University of Florida Department of Surgery. He joined UF in 2017 with an international reputation as an acclaimed clinician, researcher and educator in the study and treatment of aortic and vascular disease. He is an exemplary teacher, having received many teaching awards over the course of his career.

Prior to joining UF, Dr. Upchurch served as the chief of vascular and endovascular surgery in the department of surgery and the medical director of the Heart and Vascular Center at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, Virginia. He was also the William H. Muller Jr. professor of surgery as well as a professor in the department of molecular physiology and biological physics.

Earning his medical degree at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and training at Harvard University, Boston University and the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Upchurch maintains active roles on numerous peer-reviewed journals and professional organizations. He serves on the editorial boards of many prestigious publications, including the Annals of Surgery, Surgery, the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, JAMA Surgery, and the Journal of Vascular Surgery. He has also served as editor or associate editor on 13 books, including “Greenfield’s Surgery: Scientific Principles & Practice,” “Fischer’s Mastery of Surgery” and “Rutherford’s Vascular Surgery.”

Dr. Upchurch is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Heart Association, and the Society of Vascular Surgery. He is a member of numerous medical associations, including the American Surgical Society, the Southern Surgical Association, the Society for Vascular Surgery and the Southern Association of Vascular Surgery. He is past president of the Society for Clinical Vascular Surgery and president-elect of the Southern Association for Vascular Surgery. He also served as the Chair of the Vascular Surgery Board and is a member of the American Board of Surgery. He also serves on the Shands Hospital Board and is the 1st Vice President of the Faculty Group Practice at the University of Florida. In 2021, Dr. Upchurch was inducted into the National Academy of Medicine.