Sarasota Memorial Health Care System has recruited Ralph P. Tufano, MD, MBA, FACS, a widely recognized leader in the management of thyroid/parathyroid disease, to oversee its first multi-specialty practice dedicated to the care and treatment of patients with thyroid nodules, cancers and other diseases and disorders of the thyroid and parathyroid glands. Respected across the world for his research and innovative treatment of thyroid nodules, thyroid cancer, benign thyroid diseases and parathyroid disease, Dr.Tufano joined Sarasota Memorial First Physicians Group in July. He comes to Sarasota from Baltimore, Maryland, where he spent the past 20 years as a professor, researcher, practicing surgeon and director of the Multi-Disciplinary Thyroid Tumor Center and division of Head and Neck Endocrine Surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Board certified in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and fellowship trained in Head and Neck Surgical Oncology, Dr. Tufano specializes in the management of hyperparathyroidism, thyroid cancer, associated neck lymph node metastases, and advanced and invasive thyroid cancers. His pioneering work in molecular markers, improving surgical outcomes, nerve monitoring and novel treatment techniques such as such as scarless surgery and radiofrequency ablation has helped shape and personalize treatment for patients with thyroid and parathyroid diseases, and adds a critical new specialty to support the SMH team of surgical oncologists, Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute, and people living on the Suncoast.