Celebrated Cardiothoracic Surgeon Receives System’s Highest Honor
Dr. Lewis Britton III Recognized with 2025 Pillars Award
Leading cardiothoracic surgeon, respected mentor, and celebrated member of the Albany Med Health System, Lewis Britton III, MD, was awarded the System’s highest honor – the Pillars Award – for his dedication to his patients, his students, and the region.
“Dr. Britton is a dedicated physician who has helped shape cardiothoracic surgery in the System and region, training the next generation of surgeons and serving as a beloved mentor for so many,” said Dennis P. McKenna, MD, president and CEO of the Albany Med Health System. “Dr. Britton takes his role as a mentor very seriously, instilling the importance of both the work and the connection to patients, teaching surgeons the advanced technical skills in partnership with compassion and empathy. His goal was to be the surgeon his colleagues would choose for care—an objective he achieved time and again.”
Dr. Britton first joined Albany Medical Center in 1978 as a resident in general surgery. He completed a fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at Albany Medical College and a fellowship in congenital cardiac surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital. He joined the Albany Medical College faculty as an attending cardiac surgeon in 1986 and served as the Sheridan-Alley Chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery until 2021, and program director of the cardiothoracic residency program.
“It is an incredible honor—and quite humbling— to be recognized by the System that means so much to me, my career, and my family,” said Dr. Britton. “As a young man in Texas, heading to medical school in Washington, D.C., I did not anticipate a career at one storied institution in upstate New York. Now, decades later, I am honored to have been a part of so many patients’ lives here in my community.”
The Pillars Award, the System’s highest honor, was established in 1997 to recognize individuals who epitomize the mission of the institution, and whose work and contributions have made a significant impact in the community. This recognition is bestowed annually at the Arnold Cogswell Dinner, named after a former president of Albany Medical Center, public servant, philanthropist, and Hospital Board of Governors chair.