HAGERSTOWN, Md. — Meritus Health is pleased to announce that Brian McKinnon, M.D., will be the new chair of the health system’s surgical department.

Prior to joining Meritus, Dr. McKinnon held positions as distinguished professor for ear, nose, and throat surgery at the University of Texas. He was also the medical director for surgical optimization at University of Texas Medical Branch Health System.

“I am proud to serve as the department chair at Meritus,” Dr. McKinnon said. “The organization’s mission of improving the health of the community really resonates with me.”

Throughout his career, Dr. McKinnon taught medical students and residents to use data to better understand what impacts patient health, as well as teaching them hands-on surgical techniques they can use to care for their patients. He is also a leading expert in running an efficient surgery department to improve the quality and timeliness of care.

As chair of the surgical department, Dr. McKinnon said he hopes to take advantage of the expertise provided through Meritus’ recently approved surgical residency program, as well as the Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine (MSOM).

“In medicine, you tend to have three silos: Clinical, research and education,” he said. “It is my goal to not have those remain silos, that what we learn in treating patients helps inform our providers’ research, which leads to better education for our residency program and students at our medical school, which leads to quality care for our patients.”

Dave Lehr, chief strategy officer at Meritus Health, noted Dr. McKinnon’s experience as a distinguished professor will be invaluable to the community.

“Dr. McKinnon is an excellent surgeon, and his skills go even beyond that,” Lehr said. “He is also a researcher and a teacher who uses that knowledge to improve the health of a community, and that is exactly Meritus’ mission. It’s these sorts of forward-thinking people that we want caring for our patients and teaching the next generation of doctors who are training here.”

Dr. McKinnon will also be part of Meritus Advanced ENT, which opened recently in Suite 250 of the Robinwood Professional Center. His focus there will be on hearing and balance health and related surgical and sub-surgical specialties.

“It is my heart’s desire to improve the hearing health of the community,” he said.

The Milton, Massachusetts native received his doctorate in medicine from Boston University School of Medicine in Massachusetts.

He did a surgical internship and otolaryngology residency at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, and spent five years as a U.S. Naval flight surgeon. He also once served as a staff ENT physician to the White House Medical Unit.

Dr. McKinnon also has master’s degrees in business administration from Johns Hopkins University and public health from the University of Memphis.

“I like to learn,” he said. “Gathering data, understanding the data, helps us to determine our clinical needs, and that can help us improve our access to care for our patients.” To learn more about Meritus Advanced ENT, please visit www.meritushealth.com/ent.

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Meritus Health, Western Maryland’s largest health care provider, is located at the crossroads of Western Maryland, Southern Pennsylvania and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The mission of Meritus Health is to improve the health of the region by providing the best healthcare, health services and medical education. As an anchor organization for the community, Meritus has 4,000 employees and serves more than 200,000 residents of the tristate region through Meritus Medical Center, Brook Lane Health Services, Meritus Medical Group, Meritus Home Health, Meritus Equipped for Life, and the Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine. More information can be found at www.MeritusHealth.com or visit our Facebook page or LinkedIn page.