MetroHealth Appoints Dyad Leadership for Trauma Program

CLEVELAND – The MetroHealth System has appointed two accomplished surgeons – Nimitt Patel, MD, FACS, and Laura Kreiner, MD, FACS – to lead its nationally recognized Level I Trauma Center.

Drs. Patel and Kreiner will serve as the new dyad leadership team for MetroHealth’s Division of Trauma, Critical Care, Burns and Acute Care Surgery. Dr. Patel has been appointed Medical Administrative Director and Dr. Kreiner as Medical Clinical Director.

“Individually, Dr. Patel and Dr. Kreiner are exceptional leaders who care deeply about their team, their patients and this community,” said David Stepnick, MD, Executive Vice President, Chief Physician Executive and Clinical Officer. “Together, they’re a force that brings energy, clarity and direction to everything we do. Their partnership will help carry our clinical, academic and educational missions forward with momentum and purpose.”

Dr. Patel joined MetroHealth in 2012 and has held several leadership roles in addition to his work as a trauma surgeon, including Associate Program Director for the General Surgery Residency and Director of the Surgical Critical Care Fellowship. He has also served as Trauma Medical Director for Fisher‑Titus Medical Center in Norwalk where MetroHealth has partnered to provide trauma care since 2019. For the past 18 months, Dr. Patel has led the Division of Trauma, Burns, Critical Care and Acute Care Surgery as Interim Director.

Dr. Patel completed his undergraduate education at the University of Houston Honors College, followed by medical school at St. George’s University School of Medicine. After completing his General Surgery residency at St. Francis Medical Center in New Jersey, he pursued fellowship training in Trauma and Critical Care at the University of Pittsburgh Presbyterian Hospital.

Dr. Kreiner, also a nationally recognized trauma surgeon, joined the MetroHealth faculty in 2014 and has made significant contributions to the Department of Surgery and MetroHealth’s trauma program. Her leadership roles have included Surgery Clerkship Director, ICU Clerkship Director and Trauma Medical Director.

Dr. Kreiner completed her undergraduate studies at Marquette University, followed by medical school and General Surgery residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. She then completed her fellowship in Surgical Critical Care at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Ore.

Each year, more than 7,000 individuals receive care in MetroHealth’s Level I Adult Trauma Center at its Main Campus in Cleveland. First verified by the American College of Surgeons in 1992, it remains the most experienced trauma center in Northeast Ohio.