Captain Timothy A. Platz, DO
Surgical Oncologist
Department Head, Cancer Care Coordination Department
Education: Loras College, BS; Des Moines University, DO
Residency: General Surgery, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth
Fellowship: Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Board Certification and affiliation: Fellow of the American College of Surgeons
CAPT Timothy A. Platz is originally from Dyersville, Iowa. He has served as team surgeon, Fleet Surgical Team Seven in Okinawa, Japan from 2008-2010. He participated in multiple exercises and missions to include Cobra Gold, Balikatan, Talisman Saber, Phiblex, RP HADR, ARG Ex, Annualex, KITP, Indonesian POUTS support and Thailand humanitarian responses. He extended his stay in Japan when he took 1-year orders to Naval Hospital Okinawa where he was selected General Surgery department head.
Following fellowship, CAPT Platz reported back to NMC Portsmouth as a staff Surgical Oncologist and General Surgeon. In December of 2013, he reported to Camp Pendleton and deployed to Camp Leatherneck / Camp Dwyer, Afghanistan, from January through August 2014, where he served as the Officer in Charge of the Dwyer component of the Forward Resuscitative Surgical System, Alpha Surgical Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 7, Marine Expeditionary Brigade Afghanistan. His efforts were crucial in providing Role 2 surgical capability in support of missions in remote Southwestern Afghanistan.
CAPT Platz subsequently returned to NMC Portsmouth where he was selected Associate Program Director (APD) for the General Surgery training program, Chair of the Medical Records Review Committee (MRRC) and surgical team leader. As APD, he worked closely with program director to assist in training 25 surgical trainees meeting all ACGME requirements. He revamped the academic curriculum including mock oral board examinations which significantly improved overall performance. As MRRC chair he successfully maintained the command’s overall delinquency rate to under 5% while maintaining over 90% compliance in 27 different measures. As surgical team leader he led 8 surgical colleagues constructing the call, clinic, and OR schedules. CAPT Platz was selected Associate Master Clinician and selected for promotion to CDR in 2015 as well as being awarded the John S. Jordan award for General Surgery teacher of the Year in 2016.
Lastly, CAPT Platz was selected as the General Surgery Program Director in 2017. During his tenure, he was significantly increased the overall quality of the program in a variety of ways including increasing volume and complexity of cases for his trainees and faculty by the creation of partnerships specifically with EVMS and Riverside Regional Medical Center, improved weekly academics with the implementation of simulation and cadaveric bioskills, and restructured the surgical teams allowing for creation of expanded academic conferences. He was selected as the Department Head for the Cancer Coordination Center in 2022. He was selected for Master Clinician in 2017 and awarded the Norman M. Rich Award for excellence in surgical teaching in 2019. Most recently, he was awarded the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Annual Deans Teaching Award for Junior National Faculty in 2020.
CAPT Platz’s awards include the Meritorious Service Medal (two awards) and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (four awards). He is a Surface Warfare Medical Department Officer and Fleet Marine Force qualified.