Mindaugas Rackauskas, MD, PhD

My name is Mindaugas Rackauskas, MD, PhD, and I am a thoracic and lung transplant surgeon in the University of Florida Department of Surgery. As a surgeon, I am continually inspired by my colleagues, who devote countless hours doing the seemingly impossible. Providing you or a loved one with the highest quality care remains our priority. It is an honor to be able to play a significant role in my patient’s journey to better health, and having the capacity to save lives is what initially is what drew me to surgery.

I earned my medical degree and master’s from Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. Following medical school, I trained in cardiac and thoracic surgery at the Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. Thereafter, I served as senior registrar of the cardiothoracic department at University Hospital Galway in Galway, Ireland, Blackrock Clinic and St. James’s Hospital, both in Dublin. There, I was appointed as a locum consultant in thoracic surgery and lung transplantation at Mater Misericordiae University Hospital in Dublin. Later, I served as a chief lung transplant fellow in Toronto General Hospital. My clinical interests include surgical management of patients with lung and mediastinal cancer, lung transplantation for end-stage lung disease, as well as a range of other general thoracic surgical conditions.

I am committed to continually improving patient outcomes by focusing on leading research initiatives where the primary goal is improving surgical outcomes and quality of care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I played a key role in the development of protocols and surgical approaches to optimize the management of COVID acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and lung transplantation of more than 40 COVID-19 transplants with 100% patient survival. This has led to transfers from around the country and internationally. Now, UF Health Shands Hospital is a leader in COVID-19 lung transplants.

When I am not working, I enjoy creating lifelong memories with my family and friends. You can also find me outdoors enjoying fishing, nature trails and progressing my passion for photography.