Laurence McCahill, MD, has been named the new division chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology at WMU Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (WMed).
Dr. McCahill, who began his new role on March 17, is a professor in the Department of Surgical Sciences and provides care to patients as a surgical oncologist at WMed Health, the clinical practice of the medical school, and the West Michigan Cancer Center (WMCC).
Dr. McCahill specializes in melanoma and other advanced skin cancers including locally advanced squamous cell and basal cell cancers, merkel cell melanoma, and other skin cancers requiring a more extensive surgical approach.
Dr. McCahill joined WMed in March 2021 as a professor in the Department of Surgery. Prior to joining the medical school, Dr. McCahill served as medical director of both the Breast Cancer program and the Skin Cancer Center at Metro Health-University of Michigan Health Hospital.
Dr. McCahill earned his medical degree from Duke University School of Medicine in 1990 and completed his general surgery residency at the University of Washington in 1996. Dr. McCahill also has medical experience in the military, having served four years as a general surgeon in the United States Navy from 1996 to 2000. He then went on to complete a two-year fellowship in surgical oncology at City of Hope National Medical Center before serving as an assistant and associate professor at The University of Vermont from 2002 to 2009.
Dr. McCahill's clinical interests also include both thyroid and parathyroid surgery. His research at WMed has focused on clinical outcomes for both melanoma and emergent colectomy. His research groups have presented at numerous national meetings, and recently presented two melanoma studies at the 2026 Society of Surgical Oncology meeting. Dr. McCahill has also mentored numerous WMed medical students and surgical residents in research.
Outside of work, Dr. McCahill is married to Julie, a clinical pharmacist, and they have four adult children: Colin, Madelynn, Aidan, and Logan. Dr. McCahill enjoys traveling with his family, outdoor activities, and Detroit professional sports teams.