Dr. Akuezunkpa O. Ude Welcome, a renowned bariatric and minimally invasive gastrointestinal surgeon has been named chief of the department of surgery at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn. Dr. Ude Welcome comes to Brooklyn after 11 years in the departments of surgery at NYU Langone Health and NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, most recently as associate program director for the hospitals’ joint general surgery residency. She continues to serve as an assistant professor of surgery at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
As the new chief of surgery, Dr. Ude Welcome will focus on several priorities, including expanding the bariatrics program and increasing access to and volume of critical surgical services.
Recent high-profile hires in trauma care, surgical critical care, (SCC) and acute care surgery (ACS) are expected to lead to increasing academic productivity and research output by expanding the educational footprint for medical student education and residency training. She also is preparing for more elective cases for the ACS team in 2022.
“Dr. Ude Welcome brings a breadth and depth of extensive surgical experience to Brooklyn,” says Robert A. Montgomery, MD, DPhil, the H. Leon Pachter, MD, Professor of Surgery and chair of the Department of Surgery at NYU Langone Health. “She is a consummate professional whose leadership qualities will elevate the work of the entire surgical department and provide expert and compassionate patient care.”
With extensive experience as a mentor of surgical residents, Dr. Ude Welcome is seeking to attract outstanding residents to the Brooklyn campus, particularly those who are interested in projects related to healthcare access, healthcare equity, and eliminating health disparities. These residents are expected to demonstrate resiliency and the desire to work with one of the most diverse patient populations in the city.
Dr. Ude Welcome is one of the few surgeons in Brooklyn performing a high volume of robotic bariatric procedures. She has performed thousands of bariatric procedures in her career and last year alone completed 500 such procedures with 20 percent of those surgeries done robotically. Robotic bariatric surgery is a fast-growing area and similarly to laparoscopic surgery provides great benefits to patients including reduced pain and scarring, shorter hospital stays, fewer wound complications, and lower infection rates. It allows surgeons the ability to perform bariatric revisional surgery with lower blood volumes and fewer complications. It also is ergonomically beneficial for surgeons who suffer much less muscle fatigue.
“Dr. Ude Welcome is an amazing addition to the NYU Langone-Brooklyn leadership team,” says Bret J. Rudy, MD, senior vice president and chief of hospital operations for NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn. “As chief of surgery, Dr. Ude Welcome brings her expertise as an accomplished surgeon, educator, and administrative leader to Brooklyn. The department will thrive and reach new heights under her leadership.”
Dr. Ude Welcome places a premium on patient care and acknowledges the Brooklyn staff for their hard work and sacrifice in a time of unprecedented stress.
“We have a singular vision to provide really good care to patients in the community,” Dr. Ude Welcome says. “It’s important to explain to patients what to expect. Most of the time they are coming to us in times of distress. My job is to guide them down the path they are most likely to follow, to warn them about contingencies and to reassure them if those contingencies arise.”
