Dr. Douglas E. Wood

Doctor Overview

Dr. Douglas Wood is a board-certified surgeon based in Seattle, Washington. He sees patients at the University of Washington Medical Center Thoracic Surgery Clinic and at Fred Hutch at UW Medical Center – Montlake. He is also the University of Washington’s Henry N. Harkins Professor and Chair of Surgery, and a physician at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. As a 1983 graduate of Harvard Medical School, Dr. Wood completed his fellowship, internship and residency programs in General Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital.

After being board certified in 1990, Dr. Wood was recruited to Seattle to head a new general thoracic surgery section at UW Medicine. Since that time, he has become a national and international expert in the management of complex airway disease, end-stage lung disease and thoracic cancers and the chair of the UW Medicine Department of Surgery. The diseases he treats include esophageal cancer, sarcoma, mesothelioma and pulmonary and respiratory diseases

Dr. Wood has been a visiting professor at more than 50 institutions worldwide. He has played a major role in surgical and oncologic organizations including as president of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and director of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery.

In addition to Dr. Wood’s clinical work, he is a scientist with more than 20 research grants and 200 publications. Some of the medical journals he has been published in include The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, The European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery and The Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Malignant pleural mesothelioma is explored in several of his publications.

Doctor Fast Facts

Main Specialty: Thoracic Surgery

Other Interests & Specialties: Mesothelioma, lung cancer, esophageal cancer care, airway and esophageal endoscopy, lung, esophageal and other chest cancer treatments and chest wall tumors.

Certifications, Awards & Accolades: Dr. Wood was board certified in surgery in 1990 and thoracic surgery and surgical critical care in 1993. He received the Distinguished Service Award in 2019 from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons in honor of his outstanding work and significant contributions, Seattle Magazine’s Top Doctor award for several years in a row including 2019 and Seattle Met’s Top Doctors award for many years including 2020.

Education & Experience:

• Medical Degree from Harvard Medical School
• Fellowship, Internship and Residency at Massachusetts General Hospital

Publications

NCCN Guidelines Insights: Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma, Version 3.2016. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. July 2016;14;7;825-836. doi: 10.6004/jnccn.2016.0087

Choosing wisely: cardiothoracic surgeons partnering with patients to make good health care decisions. The Annals of Thoracic Surgery. March 2013;95;3;1130-5. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2013.01.008

The future of cardiothoracic surgery: a view from North America. European Journal of Cardio-thoracic Surgery. January 2013; 43;1;241-3. doi: 10.1093/ejcts/ezs423

Lung cancer screening. Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network: JNCCN. February 2012;10;2;240-65. doi: 10.6004/jnccn.2018.0020

Malignant pleural mesothelioma.J Natl Compr Canc Netw. January 2012;10;1;26-41. doi: 10.6004/jnccn.2012.0006

Surgical and endoscopic palliation of advanced lung cancer. Surgical Oncology Clinics of North America. October 2011;20;4; 779-90. doi: 10.1016/j.soc.2011.07.008

Reduction in airway complications after lung transplantation with novel anastomotic technique. The Annals of Thoracic Surgery. July 2011;92;1;309-15. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2011.01.077

A survey of opinions and beliefs concerning surgery for malignant pleural mesothelioma amongst 802 members of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS), the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS) and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS). Interactive Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery. March 2011;12;3;341–346. doi: 10.1510/icvts.2010.251488

Bronchoscopic management of prolonged air leak. Clinics in Chest Medicine. March 2010;31;1;127-33. doi: 10.1016/j.ccm.2009.10.002