Melina Kibbe, MD

Melina Kibbe, MD became president of UTHealth Houston and assumed the Alkek-Williams Distinguished Chair in September 2025. Before this appointment, she served as a medical school dean and chief health affairs officer at a large academic institution. She is nationally recognized for her work in vascular surgery and previously served as chair of the Department of Surgery at a public university. Earlier in her career, she served in senior research leadership positions within a surgery department and a multidisciplinary institute focused on biomedical innovation. She earned her medical degree from the University of Chicago and completed her internship, residency, and research fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She later completed a vascular surgery fellowship at Northwestern University. Her clinical experience includes both open and endovascular procedures, and she is board-certified in general and vascular surgery, with RVT and RPVI certifications.

Her research focuses on the development of drug-eluting therapies for vascular disease and on understanding how these therapies affect the vasculature. She has served as principal investigator on projects funded by several federal and national organizations and has also contributed as a co-investigator, consultant, or mentor on many additional studies. She has held leadership roles in gene- and cell-based clinical trials for patients with critical limb ischemia and has advised on peripheral artery disease clinical trials. Her work has resulted in more than ten patents or provisional patents. In 2009, her research contributions were recognized with a national early-career award for scientists and engineers.

Melina Kibbe, MD has held numerous leadership roles at the national level within academic surgery. She serves as editor-in-chief of a leading surgical journal and has previously been president of several professional surgical societies. She has also taken on officer and committee leadership roles within major national organizations and remains an active member of many professional groups. Her accomplishments led to election into respected medical honor societies, including one of the nation’s highest advisory bodies in medicine.

She has also been a consistent advocate for sex inclusion in biomedical research. Her publications addressing sex bias in surgical research gained national and international attention and led to interviews with major media outlets. This work contributed to policy discussions and actions involving federal agencies and lawmakers, including the introduction of legislation focused on inclusive research practices.

Her academic record includes more than 300 peer-reviewed publications and over 240 abstracts presented at national and international meetings. She has received numerous awards for leadership, service, equity, and education, including more than twenty honors for teaching excellence. She also co-founded a biomedical company focused on vascular device development and served as its chief medical officer. Born and raised in Southern California, she later completed executive leadership and management training to support her work in academic medicine. Melina Kibbe, MD continues to contribute to research, education, and leadership through her ongoing professional efforts.

2025 UChicago Alumni Awards | Flickr Photo Album: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCdX7F