Dr. Shanda Blackmon named director of The Lung Institute at Baylor Medicine

Dr. Shanda H. Blackmon, renowned in the field of thoracic surgery, specializing in minimally invasive lung segmentectomy and complex thoracic surgery, has been named director of the Lung Institute at Baylor Medicine. She joins the faculty of Baylor College of Medicine in the David J. Sugarbaker Division of Thoracic Surgery of the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery.

“We are thrilled to have Dr. Blackmon joining us and taking on a leadership role with the Lung Institute, knowing she will surely carry on the great legacy of Dr. David J. Sugarbaker, who founded the Lung Institute in 2014 as his vision for the integrative care of patients with thoracic disease," said Dr. Todd Rosengart, chair of the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery at Baylor. “She is esteemed in this field, having served on the Board of Directors of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and been principal or co-investigator at Mayo Clinic in numerous clinical trials. Her tireless work ethic and dedication to improving patient care through advancements in technology and process are obvious, and we are excited to have her join our team.”

Blackmon has performed more than 5,000 thoracic surgical cases over the course of her career. She is returning to Houston from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., where she was a professor of surgery, medical director of experience design and medical director of the Consumer Digital Platform in the Mayo Clinic Center for Digital Health, founding director of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the Mayo Clinic Esophageal Tumor Board and co-developer of the Enhanced Recovery Program. She created Mayo Clinic’s first digitally integrated video-based cancer survivorship program utilizing her team’s Upper Digestive Disease App, AskMayoExpert care pathway algorithms, and custom-made educational content through a decentralized clinical trial. Her ability to see future opportunity and patient need in healthcare prompted her recent book from Mayo Clinic Press entitled “The Support Group; Connection, Hope & Healing for Patients + Providers.”

“I completed a cardiothoracic residency here at Baylor and could not be more thrilled to be coming back home,” Blackmon said. “My passion is treating cancer patients and specifically patients with lung or esophageal disease, researching the latest technology and paving the way for future surgeons—and I know Baylor is the best place to accomplish all of these goals. I can see a tremendous future with Baylor as we expand and develop the Lung Institute. Rooted in the community, focusing on research, innovation, clinical practice and education, the interdisciplinary and multisite Lung Institute approach will seamlessly include all services with a personalized approach. My expertise in digital health technology, thoracic disease and process improvement will hopefully be a rising tide to lift all boats within our medical community.”

Prior to her tenure at Mayo, Blackmon was chief of thoracic surgery, director of the Thoracic Tumor Board and founder and director of the Lung Cancer Screening Program at Houston Methodist Hospital, where she performed the first robotic lobectomy in Houston.

Blackmon holds multiple patents, including for a novel esophageal anastomotic device, minimally invasive surgical instrumentation and concepts for 3D printing. She has authored more than 200 publications and has been the principal investigator for multiple thoracic surgery clinical trials. Blackmon also has an educational YouTube video-based platform for resident and patient education.

Among her national academic positions, Blackmon served as secretary/treasurer of the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association, council chair and a member of the board of directors of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and as president of Women in Thoracic Surgery. In January 2024, Blackmon received the Extraordinary Woman in Cardiothoracic Surgery Award from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and Women in Thoracic Surgery.
Blackmon received a bachelor’s degree at the University of Texas in Austin, a Master of Public Health from Emory University and a medical degree from Morehouse School of Medicine. She completed her general surgery residency in Atlanta and cardiothoracic surgery residency at Baylor College of Medicine and went on to serve as an instructor in thoracic surgical oncology at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center.