Westchester Medical Center Appoints Rifat Latifi, MD, FACS, as Director of Department of Surgery, Chief of General Surgery
7/8/2016
Westchester Medical Center welcomes Rifat Latifi, MD, FACS, an internationally renowned surgeon, as Director of the Department of Surgery and Chief of General Surgery at Westchester Medical Center, Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, and MidHudson Regional Hospital, all members of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth).
In his new role, Dr. Latifi will oversee all surgical operations in nearly every specialty, including general, trauma, cardiac, vascular, thoracic, transplant, pediatric and minimally invasive surgery. Dr. Latifi's mission is to guide the department's continued growth using the most advanced technologies available and to encourage a research and evidence-based multidisciplinary approach across departments to provide the highest quality patient-centered care.
Dr. Latifi brings expertise in general surgery, particularly complex abdominal wall hernias, advanced laparoscopy, acute care surgery, trauma and surgical critical care, as well as telemedicine. He is the author/editor of 13 books in complex surgery, nutrition and telemedicine.
Most recently, Dr. Latifi served as a Professor of Surgery and Vice-Chairman for International Relations in the Department of Surgery at the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ.
Board certified in general surgery and surgical critical care surgery, Dr. Latifi has served in leadership roles internationally, including an appointment as Director of the Trauma Center at Hamad General Hospital, the only Level I trauma center in Doha, Qatar.
Dr. Latifi earned his medical degree from the University of Prishtina in Prishtina, Kosovo, completed a residency in General Surgery at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, and a surgical critical care fellowship at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx.
In his leisure time, Dr. Latifi enjoys spending time with his family, participating in outdoor sports, and traveling internationally. He has visited every continent except Antarctica, where he plans to visit later this year.