Atrium Health’s Department of Surgery has named Addison May, MD, as chief of the Acute Care Surgery division. May brings more than three decades of expertise in trauma and acute care surgery, previously serving as the Ingram chair of Surgical Services, director of Surgical Critical Care, and program director of the Surgical Critical Care and Acute Care Surgery Fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

“Addison is an innovative leader with a vision for growth and standardization of care across our acute care surgical locations,” said Brent Matthews, MD, chair of Atrium Health’s Department of Surgery. “We are honored to have him lead our team as we continue providing the highest level of comprehensive care for critically injured patients in the region.”

May will oversee all aspects of trauma care, emergency general surgical care and surgical critical care. With the area’s only Level I trauma center at Carolinas Medical Center, Atrium Health’s care teams respond 24/7 by air or by ground transport to the most complex forms of traumatic injury. Whether at Carolinas Medical Center’s F.H. “Sammy” Ross, Jr. Trauma Center or across other locations, including the Level III trauma centers located at Carolinas HealthCare System NorthEast and Carolinas HealthCare System Cleveland, Atrium Health’s trauma teams are equipped to provide complex trauma care close to home.

“I am thrilled to join a team that’s dedicated to advancing and integrating virtual and surgical care across a large footprint,” May said. “I look forward to continuing to expand our innovations by increasing access to care with a commitment to technology and research. Because Atrium Health offers both virtual critical care and in-person care, we have the unique ability to connect our patients to the best care possible, regardless of where they live.”

During his tenure at Vanderbilt, May expanded the Acute Care Surgery Fellowship program and directed the Surgical Critical Care Research program, securing National Institute of Health research funding and academic opportunities. Throughout his career, May has been an active leader in a number of academic societies and currently serves as president of the Surgical Infection Society and as associate editor for the journal Surgical Infections. He is a fellow of both the American College of Surgery and the American College of Critical Care Medicine. With more than 200 publications, May focuses his research and academic attention on critical illness, surgical infections and trauma.

May earned his bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of Virginia, completing medical school at the Medical University of South Carolina in 1988. May completed his general surgery residency and a research fellowship at the University of Virginia Health Science Center in 1995. From there, he completed a two-year fellowship in surgical critical care and traumatology in 1997 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He also holds a Master of Business Administration from Auburn University.