John A. Howington, MD

John A. Howington, MD, is Assistant Professor of Surgery and Chief, Division of Thoracic Surgery, in the Department of Surgery at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Dr. Howington is also Chief of Thoracic Surgery at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cincinnati. Dr. Howington has special expertise in lung and esophageal surgery, and minimally invasive approaches for thoracic surgical procedures.

Dr. Howington received his bachelor’s degree from Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, Tennessee, and his medical degree from the University Of Tennessee College Of Medicine in Memphis. He trained in general surgery at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, and completed cardiothoracic surgery residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Dr. Howington directs the ACOSOG lung cancer trials at the University Hospital and VA Medical Center, and also directs the spiral CT screening study for early lung cancer detection. He remains an active member of the Lung Cancer Research group and is co-director of the Barrett Cancer Center thoracic oncology program. Dr. Howington serves as Invited Reviewer for Chest and the Annals of Thoracic Surgery. He also assisted in writing the ACCP Lung Cancer Guidelines and served on the Expert Panel for Interventional Chest Guidelines.

Dr. Howington serves as a community spokesperson for lung cancer. He was named one of Cincinnati’s “Forty under 40” winners for 2002 by the Cincinnati Business Courier. Dr. Howington will also participate in the 2003-2004 Class of Leadership Cincinnati.

Dr. Howington is certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. He sees patients at University Hospital, The Barrett Center, Christ Hospital and the VA Medical Center.

Walter H. Merrill, MD, is the John B. Flege, Jr. Professor and Chief, Section of Cardiothoracic Surgery, in the Department of Surgery at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Dr. Merrill has special expertise in heart transplantation, heart failure, congenital heart disease and cardiac valve repair, as well as the treatment of lung and esophageal cancers. His active research is on heart and lung transplantation and myocardial and cerebral protection.

A native of Andalusia, Alabama, Dr. Merrill received his bachelor’s degree from the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee, and his medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He received post-graduate training in general and cardiothoracic surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, the National Institutes of Health, and the Hospital for Sick Children, London, England.

Dr. Merrill joined the Department of Surgery in July, 2002 to lead the newly-formed Section of Cardiothoracic Surgery. He was previously a member of the Department of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery at Vanderbilt University beginning in 1983, serving as professor of surgery and Chief of the Surgical Service as well as Chief of the Cardiothoracic Surgery Service at the Nashville Veterans Affairs Hospital.

Dr. Merrill has a long-standing interest in a wide range of clinical and educational activities involving cardiothoracic surgery and the broader issues facing medicine today. He was recently named Chair of the Work Force on Graduate Medical Education of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Dr. Merrill is the author of a number of scientific articles and is on the editorial board of several medical journals.

Dr. Merrill is certified in General Surgery by the American Board of Surgery, with a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Surgical Critical Care, and by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. He sees patients at The University Hospital’s Heart Failure Clinic.