Dr. Rodney Landreneau

Bio

Rodney Landreneau, M.D., is a tenured professor of surgery and director of the Lung Cancer Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He lists his specific clinical and research interests as the diagnosis and management of mesothelioma, esophageal cancer, lung cancer, myasthenia gravis and the benign esophageal disorders of gastroesophageal reflux disease and achalasia.

His surgical expertise includes both minimally-invasive and video-assisted surgery. He does laser and stent therapies and lung and esophageal cancer surgeries. He is the editor of two thoracic surgery textbooks, authored 50 book chapters on surgical topics and wrote more than 260 peer-reviewed publications.

His interest in surgery was not surprising. His father was a surgeon, as well. Two of his brothers are doctors. His sister is a registered nurse. He was born into the business, but he has worked to earn the respect of his peers.

More about Landreneau

Landreneau came to Pittsburgh in 1990, from a faculty position at the University of Missouri-Columbia, and his interest in the Pittsburgh sports and recreation world grew quickly, much like his position at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Conversations with patients often go beyond the medical diagnosis and treatment. He enjoys talking about the Steelers (football), Penguins (hockey) and Pirates (baseball), all staples in the Pittsburgh community. Family and politics also can be discussed during a visit to his office.

He still follows the successful sports teams of the schools he attended, getting his undergraduate and medical degree from Louisiana State University, and then going to the University of Michigan, where he received his cardio-thoracic surgical training.

As his interests vary, so do the number of hats he wears medically. In addition to serving as the director of the Lung Cancer Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, he is the head of thoracic surgery at the UPMC Passavant Medical Center, keying the growth of the thoracic surgical efforts. He also serves as the director of the division of cardiothoracic surgery at the UPMC St. Margaret Medical Center and the director of the Lung Center Program at Shady Side Hospital, an affiliate of the University's Hillman Cancer Center.