Barry Gibney, D.O. Named Thoracic Surgery Section Head

Prabhakar Baliga, M.D., Chair of the MUSC Department of Surgery, is pleased to announce that Barry Gibney, D.O., has been named the new Section Head of Thoracic Surgery in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery. In this role, Dr. Gibney will lead the team of thoracic surgeons, including Ian Bostock, M.D., MS, and Kate Engelhardt, M.D., MS, to develop a robust thoracic surgery program dedicated to advancing care through clinical expertise, research and education.

“With the addition of our two fellowship-trained thoracic surgeons, it is an excellent time in the program’s growth to name Dr. Gibney to this new role,” said Baliga. “I’m excited to see the new heights it will reach under his leadership.”

In 2021, Dr. Gibney was the sole thoracic surgeon in the division and, in a herculean effort, provided care to South Carolinians suffering from thoracic malignancies and end-stage lung disease. That same year, he led the development of one of the highest volume robotic thoracic surgery programs in the region, in addition to the most lung transplants completed at MUSC Health in a year.

“The thoracic surgery program has grown considerably since Dr. Gibney joined MUSC, in large part due to his surgical expertise,” said Marc R. Katz, M.D., MPH. “And, in the past two years, with the addition of Drs. Bostock and Engelhardt, we have seen double-digit growth in thoracic surgery volumes.”

MUSC Health’s robotic thoracic surgery program started in 2020 and is now among the highest volume per capita thoracic surgery robotic programs in the Southeast.

The team works closely with the Hollings Cancer Center multidisciplinary thoracic cancer team, delivering expert surgical care for patients with lung and esophageal cancer, and end-stage lung disease.

“From a lung cancer perspective, working with our multidisciplinary team of oncologists, pulmonologists and nurse navigators, we create an individualized treatment plan to help maximize the chances of survival,” said Gibney. “Whenever possible, we offer minimally invasive approaches – usually through robotic assistance, with quicker recovery time and better surgical outcomes. This allows patients to move forward with their treatment plan more quickly.”

“Under Dr. Katz's mentorship, we will be able to develop a more comprehensive thoracic surgery program,” said Gibney. “I’m extremely grateful to have this opportunity to lead our team into the next era of thoracic surgery at MUSC.”