Chair, Department of Surgery

We are pleased to announce that Yale School of Medicine has named Benjamin L. Judson, MD, MBA, as chair of the Department of Surgery; surgeon-in-chief, Yale New Haven Health System (YNHHS); and chief of surgery, Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH), effective October 15, 2025, pending approval by the Yale Corporation and the YNHH Board of Trustees. Dr. Judson has served in these roles on an interim basis for the past six months.

Dr. Judson has made important contributions to the Yale community for nearly 16 years through his educational, clinical, and scientific leadership. Appointed chief of Otolaryngology in 2019, he led the division to more than double its clinical revenue, quadruple its NIH funding through targeted faculty recruitment, and expand residency training and medical student engagement in otolaryngology.

As vice chair for Faculty Affairs, Dr. Judson created a highly regarded development program for new surgical faculty and chaired the department’s Compensation Committee. He also served as chief ambulatory officer for Smilow Cancer Hospital, where he was the inaugural medical director of the Smilow Extended Care Clinic, led the Breast Center’s expansion, and established physician leadership roles across the ambulatory enterprise.

Dr. Judson’s research focuses on improving quality and outcomes in head and neck cancer care. He has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed publications cited nearly 4,000 times, established a biorepository enrolling over 1,000 patients, and advanced studies on bile acid as a potential carcinogen and salivary biomarkers for oral premalignant lesions. He serves as associate editor of Head & Neck and has been a member of its editorial board since 2016.

Dr. Judson earned his bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College, a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College. He completed residency training at Georgetown University Hospital in Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery and a fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Head and Neck Surgical Oncology. He received his MBA from the Yale School of Management in 2022.

Read the full announcement about Dr. Judson’s appointment here.