Sarasota Memorial Health Care System has appointed GI oncologist Dr. Kenneth Meredith to serve as its Chief of Surgical Oncology. Meredith, a leader in robotic surgery and the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers, was promoted to the Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute executive team on Oct. 1. In this new role, he will lead Sarasota Memorial’s team of oncology surgeons and help provide strategic direction as the health system moves forward with future phases of the Jellison Cancer Institute.

Meredith was recruited by SMH in 2014 to expand its robotic surgery capabilities and develop a specialty program for people with gastrointestinal malignancies including: pancreatic, esophageal, colorectal, gastric, liver and other hepatobiliary cancers and conditions. In his expanded role, Meredith will oversee the Cancer Institute’s surgical oncology team, which includes subspecialty care for breast, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, thoracic, ENT, endocrine, gynecologic and neurologic cancers. While maintaining his surgical oncology practice with Sarasota Memorial’s First Physicians Group, Meredith will continue to serve as medical director of Gastrointestinal Surgical Oncology at Sarasota Memorial and professor of clinical medicine at the Florida State University College of Medicine.