Contact Dr. Shanda H. Blackmon
713-798-6376
Dr. Shanda H. Blackmon
Dr. Shanda Blackmon is an innovative thoracic surgeon who uses minimally invasive techniques to treat patients with lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma. She serves as the director of the Lung Institute at Baylor College of Medicine.
- Thoracic Surgeon and director of the Lung Institute at Baylor College of Medicine
- Pleural Specialist
- Expertise:
-
Pleural Mesothelioma
Lung Cancer
Esophageal Cancer
Minimally Invasive Surgery
Achalasia
Thymic Tumors - Speciality:
-
Thoracic Surgery
- Gender:
-
Female
- Language:
-
English
Primary Location
- Doctors At This Location
-
Dr. Lorraine D. CornwellAssociate Professor of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine
Dr. R. Taylor RipleyThoracic Surgeon
Dr. Eugene ChoiSurgical Oncologist
Dr. Anita Lyn SabichiMedical Oncologist
Free Mesothelioma Treatment Guide
- Expertise:
-
Pleural Mesothelioma
Lung Cancer
Esophageal Cancer
Minimally Invasive Surgery
Achalasia
Thymic Tumors - Speciality:
-
Thoracic Surgery
- Gender:
-
Female
- Language:
-
English
Primary Location
Lung Institute at Baylor College of Medicine6620 Main St Suite 1325 Houston, TX 77030
DirectionsAbout Dr. Shanda Blackmon
Dr. Shanda H. Blackmon is a professor of surgery and director of The Lung Institute at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. She serves in the David J. Sugarbaker Division of Thoracic Surgery and holds the Olga Keith Wiess Chair of Surgery. Dr. Blackmon specializes in minimally invasive techniques for patients with pleural mesothelioma and lung cancer.
Before joining Baylor, Dr. Blackmon served as a professor of surgery and medical director at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Prior to that, she built the thoracic surgery program at Houston Methodist Hospital, where she performed the first robotic lobectomy in Houston.
Specialties of Dr. Shanda H. Blackmon
- Pleural mesothelioma
- Lung cancer
- Esophageal cancer
- Pancoast tumors
- Thymic tumors
- Mediastinal tumors
- Achalasia
- Robotic surgery
- Minimally invasive surgery
- VATS
- Lung volume reduction surgery
Dr. Shanda H. Blackmon’s Experience and Medical Education
- Baylor College of Medicine
- Mayo Clinic Minnesota
- Methodist Hospital, St. Louis Park, Minnesota
- Baylor College of Medicine (Fellowship)
- Georgia Baptist Hospital/Atlanta Medical Center (Residency)
- Morehouse School of Medicine (M.D.)
Awards and Certifications
- Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, Baylor College of Medicine
- Board certified in thoracic and cardiac surgery
- Board certified in general surgery
- Distinguished Service Award, Society of Thoracic Surgeons
- Extraordinary Woman in Cardiothoracic Surgery Award, WTS and STS
- Innovation Accelerator Prototype Development Award
- Ventures Innovation Program Award
- Who’s Who in America
Why Choose Dr. Shanda H. Blackmon for Pleural Mesothelioma
Dr. Blackmon’s pleural mesothelioma patients benefit from her experience across more than 5,000 thoracic surgical cases. She specializes in minimally invasive techniques for people diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma and lung cancer. Her work spans robotic surgery, video-assisted thoracic surgery and image-guided techniques for small lung nodules. Her research focuses on multimodality mesothelioma care, meaning she looks at the full picture of treatment rather than a single approach.
She also holds multiple patents, including one for a novel esophageal anastomotic device, and has authored more than 200 publications. That depth of research experience directly shapes how she approaches patient care. Mesothelioma patients at Baylor benefit from a surgeon who isn’t just treating the disease but actively working to advance how it gets treated.
Before joining Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Blackmon served as a professor of surgery and medical director at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She also built the thoracic surgery program at Houston Methodist Hospital, where she performed the first robotic lobectomy in Houston. That track record of building and leading programs reflects a level of expertise that mesothelioma patients and their families can rely on.
Publications of Dr. Shanda H. Blackmon
- Blackmon, S.H. et al. (2025, November). The Society of Thoracic Surgeons 2024 Member Practice Survey. Retrieved from https://www.annalsthoracicsurgery.org/article/S0003-4975(25)00758-1/abstract
- Blackmon, S.H. et al. (2025, October). Comparing companion open access journals to their traditional journal counterparts. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08989621.2025.2575211
- Blackmon, S.H. et al. (2025, October). The state of educational research in cardiothoracic surgery: A review of the literature. Retrieved from https://www.jtcvsopen.org/article/S2666-2736(25)00375-4/fulltext
- Blackmon, S.H. et al. (2025, August). Clinical outcomes of digital versus traditional chest drains after thoracic surgery: a narrative review of randomised trials. Retrieved from https://jtd.amegroups.org/article/view/104465/html
- Blackmon, S.H. et al. (2025, June). Connecting Through Cancer: Overcoming Distress and Isolation Together. Retrieved from https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/EDBK-25-474562
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