FirstHealth of the Carolinas is pleased to announce that William “Cliff” Kitchens, M.D., cardiothoracic surgeon, has been named surgical director of the Chest Center of the Carolinas. In this role, Dr. Kitchens will co-direct the center alongside medical director Michael Pritchett, D.O., MPH, further strengthening FirstHealth’s multidisciplinary approach to lung cancer care.

As surgical director, Dr. Kitchens will work closely with an expert team of health care providers including pulmonologists, medical oncologists and radiation oncologists to coordinate timely, comprehensive care for patients.  A primary focus of his leadership will be expediting the time from diagnosis to treatment—specifically at the earliest stage when lung cancer is most treatable.  

Additionally, Dr. Kitchens will collaborate with thoracic surgery colleagues at UNC and across the region to continue to provide leading-edge lung cancer care with a patient-centered approach.  

“This role allows us to build on the exceptional lung cancer care we already provide at FirstHealth while enhancing efficiency and coordination across specialties,” Dr. Kitchens said in a press release. “By formalizing pathways that support early diagnosis and treatment, we can continue to offer the highest level of care to our patients.”

Dr. Kitchens brings extensive experience in cardiothoracic surgery and a deep commitment to advancing cancer care and improving outcomes.

He joined FirstHealth in 2017 after serving at the University Medical Group – Cardiothoracic Surgery in Augusta, Georgia. A magna cum laude graduate of Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va., he earned his medical degree from Emory University in Atlanta. He completed his residency in general surgery at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, where he also engaged in postdoctoral fellowship research in intimal hyperplasia and trauma, sepsis and inflammation.

For more information about the FirstHealth Cancer Center, visit www.firsthealth.org/cancer.