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William Wrightson, MD, Thoracic Surgery, Blairsville, GA, UofL Health - UofL Hospital

WilliamRichardWrightsonMD

Thoracic Surgery • Blairsville, GA

Adult General Thoracic Surgery, Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery, Thoracic Surgical Oncology

General and Thoracic Surgery General and Minimally Invasive Surgery

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Summary

  • Board certified American Board of Thoracic Surgery and American Board of Surgery18 years of practice focused on the field of general thoracic and foregut surgery. My primary interests are in Thoracic Surgery, General Surgery and Acute Care Surgery:

    1.    Robotic and video assisted thoracic surgery lobectomy, segmentectomy and pneumonectomy
    2.    Robotic esophagectomy and open esophagectomy
    3.    Foregut procedures (Laparoscopic Fundoplication, Hiatal Hernia Repair, myotomy)
    4.    Esophageal stenting
    5.    Navigational bronchoscopy for marking
    6. Laparoscopic Hernia Repair (TAPP/TEP)
    7. Laparoscopic Colon and GI Surgery


    I provide training of general surgery residents and medical students thru the thoracic and vascular programs in both the operative and clinical setting for 19 years as a Professor of Surgery for the University of Louisville. This also extends to the medical students rotating thru the program.
                                                    
    I have developed the Lung Nodule Evaluation Team (LNET) program in 2008 that serves as a multidisciplinary team to identify and manage all lung nodules presenting to the VA system. This has evolved to includes the Lung Cancer Screening Initiative introduced in the VA in 2015. We have documented drastic reduction in wait times for specialist evaluation with rapid identification of lung cancer and improved processes for diagnosis of both benign and malignant nodules. I also developed the current Lung Cancer Screening program.

    In 2018 we introduced a robotic program including Thoracic, General and Urologic surgery. This program has evolved and is a leading robotic program in the VA medical system. We have shown significant improvements in patient outcomes and quality including decreased length of stay, and near zero utilization of postoperative opioids.

Education & Training

  • University of Louisville School of Medicine
    University of Louisville School of MedicineFellowship, Thoracic Surgery, 2003 - 2005
  • University of Louisville School of Medicine
    University of Louisville School of MedicineResidency, Surgery, 1998 - 2003
  • University of Louisville School of Medicine
    University of Louisville School of MedicineClass of 1998

Certifications & Licensure

  • KY State Medical License
    KY State Medical License 1999 - 2025
  • GA State Medical License
    GA State Medical License 2023 - 2024
  • American Board of Surgery Surgery
  • American Board of Thoracic Surgery Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery

Awards, Honors, & Recognition

  • Fellow (FACS) American College of Surgeons

Publications & Presentations

PubMed

Journal Articles

  • Robotic Thoracic Surgery: A Support Team to Replace the Bedside Surgeon  
    William Wrightson, MD, Journal of Robotic Surgery

Professional Memberships

Hospital Affiliations

Dr. William Wrightson, Dr. William Wrightson, MD, Dr. W Wrightson, Dr. William Richard Wrightson