James Valentine, M.D.,has joined the Section of Surgical Sciences, in the Division of Vascular Surgery, returning to Vanderbilt nearly 40 years after earning his undergraduate degree here.
Valentine graduated from Vanderbilt in 1976. He earned his medical degree from Emory University, completed his training at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, and returned to Texas after serving in the U.S. Navy for four years.
He comes to Vanderbilt from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, where he worked for the past 24 years, most recently as director of the Division of Vascular Surgery.
“I wanted to focus on the things I like to do, which is to take care of patients, teach and write papers. Fortunately, this job at [Vanderbilt] was open; I took a look at it, and said ‘this is it for me.’
“I’ve been working in surgical education for years. I enjoy watching trainees get excited about procedures that I do routinely,” he said.
Valentine’s clinical interests are in the treatment of arterial, venous and lymphatic disease, using both open and endovascular repair approaches, aortic aneurysms, carotid stenosis, visceral artery disorder and lower extremity occlusive disease.
“The area I am most experienced with is the complex open surgery, as opposed to the catheter-based surgery. I also perform endovascular procedures, but I have a lot of experience with the open operations.”
Valentine joins a team of four vascular surgeons at Vanderbilt: Thomas Naslund, M.D., chief of the division and professor of Surgery; Colleen Brophy, M.D., professor of Surgery; John Curci, M.D., associate professor of Surgery; and C. Louis Garrard III, M.D., assistant professor of Surgery.
“We are truly fortunate to have successfully recruited Dr. Valentine to join our faculty,” Naslund said. “He brings added experience in complex vascular surgery attained through an internationally acclaimed career in Dallas at UT Southwestern. His addition at Vanderbilt provides a rich and unique opportunity for patients, as well as physicians, in Nashville to have access to a world-class vascular surgeon establishing a new practice.”
Valentine is a senior director of the American Board of Surgery and has served as a site visitor for the ACGME-international. He serves on four journal editorial boards and is the editor-in-chief of Scientific American Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. He is a member of the American College of Surgeons, American Surgical Association, Society for Vascular Surgery, Southern Association for Vascular Surgery, Southern Surgical Association and Western Surgical Association.
His research focus is clinical outcomes in vascular infection, premature peripheral atherosclerosis, surgical education and surgical practice patterns in the United States.