Dr. Farid Gharagozloo
Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeon at UCF Lake Nona Medical Center
Dr. Farid Gharagozloo is a thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon who joined the UCF Lake Nona Medical Center staff in 2022. He is a mesothelioma specialist who previously worked at two Florida hospitals.
Pleural Mesothelioma
UCF Lake Nona Medical Center
6718 Lake Nona Boulevard, Orlando, FL, 32827
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More About Mesothelioma Specialist Dr. Farid Gharagozloo
Dr. Gharagozloo previously worked at AdventHealth Kissimmee and Florida Hospital Kissimmee. He joined the medical network in 2015 and became chief of thoracic surgery. He left the practice in 2021.
The doctor confirmed his move to Baylor Scott & White Health in an email to Mesothelioma Guide. The health system is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, but has locations in multiple cities across the state of Texas. Dr. Gharagozloo then emailed Mesothelioma Guide about his return to Central Florida in 2022, when he joined the staff at UCF Lake Nona Medical Center
His clinical focus includes pleural mesothelioma, with most of his practice involving extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) surgery.
He is the first mesothelioma surgeon ever to use robotics. He is a proponent of robotics for both minimally invasive diagnostic surgeries and aggressive resections. He believes robotics can help stage mesothelioma and prevent infections.
His medical career includes working at:
- University of Arizona Banner Medical Center, as chief of thoracic surgery, robotic thoracic surgery and esophageal surgery
- George Washington University Medical Center, as chief of clinical cardiothoracic surgery and clinical professor of surgery
- Professor at George Washington University
- Professor at the University of Central Florida
- Medical Degree from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland
- Residency in Surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota
- Fellowship in Cardiac Surgery at Harvard Medical School in Boston
- Board-certified for thoracic surgery
- Diplomat of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery
- Member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, American College of Surgeons, Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons, Priestly Society of Surgery and Society of Robotic Surgery
- Awarded “Top Doctor” for thoracic surgery by Washington Magazine in 2010
- Awarded the title of Surgeon of Excellence in Robotic Surgery by the Clinical Robotic Surgery Association in 2015
Get Connected to Dr. Farid Gharagozloo
Dr. Farid Gharagozloo is a highly experienced thoracic surgeon for pleural mesothelioma. He performs extrapleural pneumonectomy primarily when cases are eligible. He also specializes in using robotics for surgical assistance.
Why Choose Dr. Gharagozloo?
- Worked at numerous university-affiliated cancer centers
- Award-winning surgeon with more than one decade of experience
Preference for Extrapleural Pneumonectomy
Dr. Gharagozloo said most cases of mesothelioma aren’t surgical. The disease often spreads too quickly and is too tough to pinpoint for resection.
“The surgeons have been very frustrated with what to do with this disease,” he said. “So the issue with these types of problems is staging the disease appropriately before operating on the patient.
“The operations have very high risk. The big risk is infections. … When you do the surgery, you find there’s a lot more disease than you originally thought.”
One of the infection causes is the empty space in the lung cavity after the affected lung is removed in surgery. Dr. Gharagozloo proposes a solution he uses to avoid infection.
Most surgeons now prefer pleurectomy/decortication as surgery for pleural mesothelioma. This operation doesn’t remove the lung, which many feel is better for quality of life and avoiding complications.
When asked about pleurectomy/decortication versus extrapleural pneumonectomy, Dr. Gharagozloo prefers the latter. He’s one of the few who still do. A big reason is due to using robotics technology.
Interest in Robotics for Surgery
Dr. Gharagozloo said robots can help even for aggressive surgeries. While he removes the lung and focuses on that aspect of a pneumonectomy, the robot can handle removing the pleural lining. This is an innovative approach to surgery.
Robots can check if the disease has spread in this direction. They have an attached three-dimensional, high-resolution camera to maneuver the tight space. This helps tremendously with diagnosing patients and determining the validity of an aggressive surgery.
Dr. Gharagozloo founded the AdventHealth Center for Advanced Thoracic Surgery. He was also part of the hospital’s Global Robotics Institute. As of 2021, he had performed 3,700 robotics operations for a multitude of diseases. In 2013, he performed the first two robotics-assisted surgeries ever for mesothelioma.
“We were one of the first groups in thoracic surgery to use robotics,” he said of AdventHealth. “When you apply it, you open your eyes to new things.”
Connect With Dr. Gharagozloo for Treatment
Dr. Gharagozloo is open to seeing patients at UCF Lake Nona Medical Center. We can help you connect with him and the surgical team.
Karen Ritter, our nurse and patient advocate, is the best resource for mesothelioma patients. Email her at karen@mesotheliomaguide.com or fill out our free Doctor Match form to get your information directly to her. She’ll follow up by contacting you and helping find the perfect match for a specialist.
Sources & Author
- Farid Gharagozloo. UCF College of Medicine. Retrieved from: https://med.ucf.edu/person/farid-gharagozloo/. Accessed: 11/10/2022.
- Dr. Farid Gharagozloo, MD. AdventHealth. Retrieved from: https://cfl.adventhealthcardiovascularinstitute.com/team/farid-gharagozloo. Accessed: 01/19/2022.
