Harris named chief of surgery for Kaleida Health

Released: Wednesday, April 1, 2026 1:34 PM

Harris named chief of surgery for Kaleida Health

Linda Harris, MD, FACS, DFSVS, has been named chief of adult surgery for Kaleida Health.

She assumes the role from the late Carroll "Mac" Harmon, MD, PhD, who sadly passed away this past February. A special thank you to Steven Schwaitzberg MD, FACS, who has supported this role on an interim basis since Dr. Harmon's passing.

As a vascular surgeon, Dr. Harris treats and manages conditions of the circulatory system, including diseases of the arteries, veins and lymph vessels and blood disorders that affect circulation using the most advanced treatment options available. In fact, Dr. Harris, along with Brittany Montross, MD, performed Kaleida Health and Western New York's first FDA-approved GORE® EXCLUDER® Thoracoabdominal Branch Endoprosthesis (TAMBE) procedure in October 2024 - a cutting-edge, minimally invasive treatment for complex aortic disease. She has decades of experience both treating and researching venous disease, cerebrovascular disease, aneurysms, peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and thoracic outlet syndrome.

A professor of surgery in the Division of Vascular Surgery at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at University at Buffalo, Dr. Harris has a national reputation for her work in the field of education. She has served on the ACGME Surgery Review Committee, the Vascular Surgery Milestone Project and is the past president for the Association of Program Directors in Vascular Surgery and Eastern Vascular Society. She is also a full member of the ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators, a select group of internationally recognized surgeon educators. As a long standing program director for both the vascular surgery residency and fellowship, Dr. Harris trains the next generation of vascular surgeons.

She has also co-directed and led symposia for the Gates Vascular Institute and Western New York Vascular Society conferences, enabling discussion about updates in cardiac, vascular and neuroendovascular care. She is an advisor for the Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Interest Group, which provides faculty mentoring and support to medical students considering surgical fields. In addition, Dr. Harris is a certified educator through the Royal College of Physicians. She is the founder and past president of the International Society for Women Vascular Surgeons, and she is president-elect of the Society for Vascular Surgery.

Dr. Harris received her Bachelor of Science from Kent State University and her Doctor of Medicine from Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine. She completed her internship/residency in general surgery at University of Michigan Medical Center, and her residency and vascular fellowship at the State University of New York at Buffalo. She is board certified in surgery and vascular surgery.