Dr. Allan Tsung is an academic surgical oncologist known for leadership in surgery, cancer research and mentoring future physician-scientists.
For Allan Tsung, MD, medicine has always been personal. As a child, he lost his father to metastatic colorectal cancer — an experience that quietly shaped his future long before he ever entered an operating room. That loss sparked a lifelong question that continues to guide his career: how can care be better, more effective and more humane for patients and families facing serious illness? Today, that question informs Dr. Allan Tsung’s work as a surgeon, scientist, educator and academic leader.
Academic & Departmental Leadership
Dr. Allan Tsung currently serves as Chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, where he also holds the S. Hurt Watts Professorship. In this role, he leads a comprehensive academic surgery program that integrates clinical excellence, research advancement and medical education across both academic and community-based settings throughout Virginia. His leadership priorities include fostering innovation, strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration and supporting the professional development of faculty, trainees and staff.
At the national level, Allan Tsung, MD has played an active role in shaping the future of academic surgery. He is a Past President of the Society of University Surgeons and the Society of Asian Academic Surgeons and currently serves as President-Elect of the Society of Clinical Surgery. Through these roles, he has contributed to national conversations around surgical education, research and leadership development.
Education & Research Training
Dr. Allan Tsung’s research foundation was established early in his medical career. During medical school, he was selected as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Scholar at the National Institutes of Health, where he conducted cancer immunotherapy research at the National Cancer Institute. He later completed three years of dedicated research training at the University of Pittsburgh, focusing on inflammation biology and innate immune responses in cancer and organ injury. These experiences continue to inform his translational and outcomes-focused research today.
Leave a Reply