DALLAS, Sep 2, 2025 — Children’s Health, the leading pediatric health care system in North Texas, and UT Southwestern Medical Center, one of the nation’s premier academic medical centers, are proud to announce that Dai Chung, M.D., a nationally recognized leader in pediatric surgery, has been named the 2025 recipient of the Society of University Surgeons (SUS) Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is the highest honor bestowed by the SUS and recognizes Dr. Chung’s transformative contributions to academic surgery, research and surgical education.
Dr. Chung, who serves as the Chief Medical Officer for the Joint Pediatric Enterprise between Children’s Health and UT Southwestern, is the first UT Southwestern faculty member and Children’s Health leader to receive this prestigious award, which honors academic surgeons who embody the ideals of the Society of University Surgeons (SUS) and inspire the next generation of surgical leaders.
“Your peers have nominated and selected you for this recognition based on your embodiment of the ideals of the Society of University Surgeons—through groundbreaking research, transformative leadership and an unwavering commitment to mentorship,” wrote Danny Chu, M.D., President of the Society of University Surgeons, and O. Joe Hines, M.D., President of the SUS Foundation, in a joint letter to Dr. Chung.
“Your impressive body of work includes prolific and impactful research in pediatric surgical oncology. Your investigations into the neuroendocrine regulation of neuroblastoma have led to the development of novel targeted therapies for this formidable pediatric cancer,” they added.
As a globally recognized pediatric surgeon, academic investigator and educator, Dr. Chung’s clinical expertise spans pediatric solid tumors, minimally invasive surgery, neonatal surgery, ECMO and pediatric burns. His research into neuroblastoma—the most common extracranial solid tumor in children—has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health for more than 20 years.
“I am incredibly grateful for the support I’ve received throughout my career,” said Dr. Chung. “I was drawn to all aspects of surgery—pathophysiology, surgical sciences and the hands-on nature of surgical care. I was fortunate to have met great surgical mentors who inspired me to pursue an academic surgical career. They shaped and helped me throughout my journey.”
Dr. Chung has authored more than 160 publications, delivered presentations worldwide on pediatric surgical innovation and served SUS in multiple leadership roles, including Education Committee Chair, Councilor, President and Foundation President.
At Children’s Health and UT Southwestern, he has been instrumental in advancing clinical operations, academic alignment and integrated care delivery across North Texas, where the pediatric population continues to grow at a rapid rate. A native Texan, Dr. Chung earned his medical degree from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and completed his pediatric surgical training at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Before joining Children’s Health and UT Southwestern in 2018, he served as Professor and Chair of Pediatric Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He has received numerous honors throughout his career, including a special certificate of membership from The Surgical Research Society of South Africa.
Dr. Chung will be formally recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 21st Academic Surgical Congress in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, in Feb. 2026.
About Children’s Health
Children’s Health is the leading pediatric health care system in North Texas and has long been recognized as a leader in pediatric health. Children’s Health campuses include Children’s Medical Center Dallas, Children’s Medical Center Plano and multiple Children’s Health Specialty Centers. With its academic partner, UT Southwestern, Children’s Medical Center Dallas is consistently ranked the No. 1 children’s hospital in North Texas and among the nation’s best pediatric hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. Its commitment to excellence and providing outstanding care across all aspects of pediatrics has resulted in being ranked across all specialty programs for seven consecutive years, including Cancer, Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Behavioral Health, Diabetes & Endocrinology, Gastroenterology & GI Surgery, Neonatology, Nephrology, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology and Urology.
In addition, Children’s Health nurses have received the Magnet® designation for the past 14 years, the highest honor for nursing excellence, and the health care system has been named a 2025 top place to work by Forbes and USA Today and one of the 150 Best Places to Work in Healthcare by Becker’s Hospital Review for 13 consecutive years. In addition, Children’s Health was named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2024 for its pioneering model to train physicians to treat children’s mental health.
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About UT Southwestern Medical Center
UT Southwestern, one of the nation’s premier academic medical centers, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution’s faculty members have received six Nobel Prizes and include 24 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 23 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 13 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The full-time faculty of more than 3,200 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide care in more than 80 specialties to more than 140,000 hospitalized patients, more than 360,000 emergency room cases, and oversee nearly 5.1 million outpatient visits a year.