About Eric Sommers
Dr. Eric Sommers is a highly experienced cardiothoracic surgeon with a national reputation for his expertise in minimally invasive lung and chest surgery techniques, including daVinci robotic-assisted and video-assisted (VATS) thoracic surgery. He specializes in the surgical treatment of thoracic illnesses, with a particular focus on surgery for lung cancer, sarcoma, esophageal and other cancers in the chest.
Dr. Sommers obtained his undergraduate degree at Dartmouth College and his medical degree at Northwestern University. He completed his residency training at the University of Pittsburgh, where he also focused on research in the treatment of patients with cardiothoracic illnesses. He has won numerous awards, including an NIH National Research Service Award, and the Sheridan-Alley Fellowship to study health policy at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He has over 50 publications, presentations and abstracts in his name.
Dr. Sommers is on staff at Tampa General Hospital, St. Joseph’s, and University Community Hospital. He served on the staff at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute for over 14 years and served as the President of the Medical Staff at Moffitt. He has served on the faculty of the University of South Florida College of Medicine for over 10 years and currently holds the title of Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery.
He was the founding surgical director of the Tampa General Hospital Lung Transplant program, and served as the Director of the Heart Transplant program for three years. He has performed over 6,300 cardiothoracic surgeries, including over 2,500 for lung cancer, and over 350 daVinci-assisted robotic procedures, making him the most experienced surgeon in the region.
Dr. Sommers is known for his expertise in complicated lung cancer cases, sarcoma, Pancoast tumors, chest wall tumors, mediastinal tumors, esophageal cancer, and malignant pleural effusions. He also has extensive experience in venous access device insertion and has supervised the placement of over 2,000 ports for chemotherapy and other treatments.