Erin Gillaspie, M.D., M.P.H., has joined Baptist Health Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute and Baptist Health Cancer Care as chief of thoracic surgery.

Dr. Gillaspie is dual board-certified in general surgery and thoracic surgery and has held numerous leadership roles at academic medical institutions. She most recently served as chief of thoracic surgery and associate professor with tenure at Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska. Previously, she was an assistant professor of thoracic surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, where she led the thoracic surgery robotics program.

“We are pleased to welcome Dr. Gillaspie to Baptist Health Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute,” said Leonard Kalman, M.D., acting system chief executive, Baptist Health Cancer Care, and acting executive medical director, Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute. “Her expertise in thoracic oncology, robotic surgery, clinical research and physician education will further strengthen the multidisciplinary care and innovative treatment options available to our patients.”

An accomplished researcher and educator, Dr. Gillaspie is especially passionate about lung cancer. Her research focuses on delivering new treatments in combination with surgery and ensuring patients have access to leading-edge clinical trials. She has held leadership roles in clinical trials evaluating new approaches to lung cancer treatment and has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, book chapters and educational resources. She also serves as chair of the ECOG-ACRIN (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group–American College of Radiology Imaging Network) Thoracic Surgery Subcommittee and chair of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Task Force on Resident and Trainee Development.

Dr. Gillaspie earned her medical degree with research distinction from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and a Master of Public Health from Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Her postdoctoral training includes a general surgery residency at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown, New York, and a cardiothoracic surgery residency at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She served as chief resident during both residencies. She is certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery.

Dr. Gillaspie’s passion for lung cancer care is deeply personal. Her grandfather had lung cancer when she was a child and inspired her to become a thoracic surgeon. “There is no greater honor than the privilege of helping patients and families through a lung cancer journey,” she said. “My goal is to ensure each patient receives seamless, multidisciplinary and personalized care, with access to the latest treatment options and clinical trials whenever appropriate.”

Dr. Gillaspie is fluent in French and Spanish. Outside of medicine, she is an avid traveler who enjoys experiencing new cultures, languages and food. She is also an amateur photographer, animal lover and college football fan.