Sean J. Mulvihill

Dr. Sean Mulvihill is the Chief Executive Officer of the University of Utah Medical Group and Associate Vice President for Clinical Affairs in the University of Utah. He is a tenured professor and holds the Ross R. Anderson Presidential Endowed Chair in Surgery. He is part of the leadership team overseeing strategic direction, budgeting, and clinical operations for University of Utah Health Care. He serves, in this role, as a link and connection point for the clinical enterprise with School of Medicine departments.

Prior to assuming his leadership role in University of Utah Health Care, Dr. Mulvihill served as Chair of the Department of Surgery for 12 years and Senior Director for Clinical Affairs in the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah for 10 years. He was recruited to the University of Utah from the University of California, San Francisco where he served as Chief of their Division of General Surgery.

Dr. Mulvihill is an editor of a major surgical textbook, Surgery: Basic Science and Clinical Evidence, and has authored over 150 scientific papers, editorials, and book chapters. He is past-president of the American Hepatopancreatobiliary Association and currently serves as an officer or board member of numerous other professional societies.

Dr. Mulvihill's clinical expertise relates to diseases of the liver, pancreas, and bile ducts. He has worked to improve surgical outcomes and to develop novel treatment strategies for patients with pancreatic cancer and islet cell tumors. As head of the Pancreatic Cancer Research Group at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, he was responsible for the successful development of a clinical research database containing detailed information on patients with pancreatic tumors, linked to a robust biospecimen bank of patient samples. This material is used to develop and validate biomarkers useful in early diagnosis, prediction of response to therapy, and in studies of the cell biology of pancreatic cancer. His research is funded by the National Cancer Institute.

Dr. Mulvihill is particularly interested in navigating the challenges of health care reform by embracing the triple aim of improving individual's experience of care, improving the health of the population we serve, and reducing the cost of care in University of Utah Health Care.