New clinical chair for College of Medicine
From left: Jeffrey Junko, M.D. (’00), Matthew L. Moorman, M.D., M.B.A., FACS, FAWM, FCCM, and Mehool Patel, M.D. (’98)
The College of Medicine is pleased to announce the appointment of three permanent chair positions in the Orthopaedic Surgery, Surgery and Internal Medicine departments.
Jeffrey Junko, M.D. (’00), clinical assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery, has been named chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. Dr. Junko replaces Thomas Boniface, M.D. (’83), who stepped down from the role last year.
Dr. Junko is the program director for the Orthopaedic Surgery Residency program at Summa Health System, where he specializes in foot and ankle and reconstructive rearfoot and ankle surgery. He is a member of the American Orthopaedic Association and American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, and past president of the Cleveland Orthopaedic Society.
Dr. Junko earned his medical degree from NEOMED and completed his residency in orthopaedic surgery at Summa Health System, followed by foot and ankle fellowships at the University of Iowa and the University of Utah.
Matthew L. Moorman, M.D., M.B.A., FACS, FAWM, FCCM, professor of surgery, has been named chair of the Department of Surgery.
Dr. Moorman is chief of the Division of Trauma, Critical Care and Acute Care Surgery at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. He is an adjunct instructor of biomedical engineering at Case Western Reserve University Case School of Engineering. In addition, he is the founding program director of the University Hospitals Fellowship in Surgical Critical Care, the director of the UH Acute Care System of Care, and the director of the UH System Critical Care Quality Network. In 2022, he was honored as a University Hospitals Distinguished Surgeon.
Prior to entering health care, Dr. Moorman served as a United States Air Force F-16C pilot. He was deployed multiple times, participating in combat flying operations in the Middle East and during the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. A veteran of over 33 years of military service, he is currently the Commander of the 178th Medical Group at the rank of Colonel.
Dr. Moorman received his medical degree from The Ohio State University and completed his residency training at Mount Carmel Health in Columbus, Ohio, followed by fellowships in surgical critical care and medical education at the University of Cincinnati and Cleveland Clinic, respectively. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Cincinnati and a master’s degree in business administration from Auburn University.
The College of Medicine thanks Drazen Petrinec, M.D., associate professor of surgery, who has been the interim chair since spring 2022. He will continue in his role as clinical experiential director for the M3 Surgery Clerkship and will direct several M4 electives.
After serving as interim chair of the Department of Internal Medicine since March 2022, Mehool Patel, M.D. (’98), has been appointed to the role permanently.
Dr. Patel is a clinical professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and has served as hematology/oncology section chair, co-director for the Foundations of Disease and Treatment course, and course director for Informatics in the College of Graduate Studies. He has long been actively involved in NEOMED and the curriculum.
In addition to being the chair of NEOMED's Institutional Review Board (IRB), he serves on the pre-clinical subcommittee for the College of Medicine’s curriculum committee, as a section chair for Hematology and Oncology, and as a reflective practice leader for Human Values in Medicine.
Dr. Patel is currently in practice at Western Reserve Hospital as a hematologist/medical oncologist. He previously served as an associate chief health officer at Watson Health for Provider Analytics and was in practice at Summa Health. He has served on NEOMED’s Foundation Board, Alumni Board and currently serves on the College of Medicine Admissions Committee.
Welcome, and congratulations to our new department chairs!