Surgery welcomes new specialist in minimally invasive surgery, and Chicago blues

By Josh Shepherd
Department of Surgery Publications Office

Dr. Alberto de Hoyos, the third new physician to join the UK Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery in 2015, brings to the University of Kentucky a passion for teaching as well as extensive experience and research into robotics and minimally invasive Thoracic surgery. During his term as a faculty member with the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago, de Hoyos also exercised a keen interest in the development of future interventional technologies. The UK Department of Surgery officially welcomed Dr. Alberto de Hoyos into its faculty on December 1.

In addition to his considerable knowledge and skills in CT Surgery, Dr. Jay Zwischenberger, chair of the UK Department of Surgery and resident blues harp jam master, added that de Hoyos is also “the real deal” on guitar and electric bass.

Originally from the city of Monterrey, Mexico, de Hoyos is the youngest of seven siblings, consisting of three older brothers and three older sisters, all of whom were quite happy to lend a hand in his upbringing, he said. It was an advantage having older siblings. He was always accompanying one or more of them to the local swimming pool or, later on, to the clubs.

As he grew older, though, he and his brother Ricardo, the second youngest of the family, both developed an interest in medicine. It’s a profession that runs through his family. His father, Enrique de Hoyos, was a practicing general surgeon in Monterrey and his uncle, Guillermo, was a plastic surgeon. His brother went into surgery as well and is currently in practice as a Pediatric Otolaryngologist at a University Hospital in Monterrey.

“There were always textbooks and medical journals lying around the house, which was how I first got interested in medicine. When I was older, I spent time with my father at his office or at the hospital. It was a natural development for me to go into medicine from there,” de Hoyos said.

He did not, however, follow his father’s path into surgery. At least not right away.

After earning his medical degree from the University of Nuevo Leon in his home city, de Hoyos was accepted into a residency in internal medicine at University Hospital, then continued to specialize in pulmonary and critical care medicine. His interests in the field led to two years in research at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School followed by a residency in Respirology at the University of Toronto.

After working as Respirologist with the Toronto Lung Transplant Group, and observing world class Thoracic surgeons perform lung transplants and general thoracic surgery, de Hoyos made a decision that could not have been easy. In 1993, instead of continuing his path in pulmonary medicine, he embarked on a journey into surgery. That choice extended his medical training another 10 years and led him to residency programs in General Surgery and Cardiothoracic Surgery in three different states. After completion of a fellowship in Robotic and Minimally Invasive Foregut and Thoracic Surgery in 2004 at the University of Pittsburgh, he accepted a position at Northwestern University in Chicago, where, he served as director of Robotic and Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery and became Associate Professor of Surgery.

The environment for academic medicine in Chicago offers many rewards, he commented, but the city also allowed him to engage in another of his life’s passion. Music.

Being an accomplished bassist with a love for the blues, de Hoyos has enjoyed the privilege of playing alongside some of the finest professional blues musicians in the country or with his own band, The Rib Lickers. Chances were good if he was not in a surgical suite, he was on stage somewhere – Buddy Guy’s Legends, Rosa’s Lounge or other venue.

It was his connection with music and his friendship with Zwischenberger that has led him to UK. In addition, his passion for riding horses and motorcycles also attracted him to Kentucky,

“I’ve known Dr. Zwisch for a number of years because of our shared interests in music and his prominent role in surgery. UK is academically very strong, so it is an honor to accept an offer to come to UK. In addition to mentoring and training future generations of surgeons, UK will enable me to continue to working at the leading edge of minimally invasive surgery, both in thoracoscopic applications and robotics,” de Hoyos said.

Nor is it likely to be too long before music fans will get a chance to enjoy his skills as a musician. Look for an impromptu date with the blues in the lobby of UK Chandler Hospital before long.  Alberto lives in Nicholasville with his girlfriend Terri and their miniature Schnauzer Sophie.