Daniel von Allmen, MD, is the surgeon-in-chief and senior vice president for surgical services at Cincinnati Children’s, a nonprofit, comprehensive pediatric health system. As a leader in research, education, patient care, advocacy and innovation, Cincinnati Children’s is ranked #1 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-2024 list of best children’s hospitals in the nation and is the #2 recipient of pediatric research grants from the National Institutes of Health. In this role, he oversees 100 surgeons across nine divisions with the Department of Surgery. He also plans, directs, implements and coordinates technical and clinical operations for surgical services, including perioperative services, and provides leadership in strategic planning for Cincinnati Children’s.

von Allmen has put together an extensive improvement team for the Department of Surgery, enabling the evolution and expansion of numerous highly specialized clinical programs, including fetal care, pediatric colorectal surgery, epilepsy surgery, and the hip preservation program. The surgical research enterprise includes world-class investigators across multiple divisions. In 2011, he developed the Esophageal Center at Cincinnati Children’s with team members from across a range of specialties, including otolaryngology, general surgery, pulmonology, gastroenterology and genetics.

von Allmen received his bachelor’s degree from Williams College and his medical degree from the University of Vermont. He completed his surgical internship and residency at the University of Cincinnati, followed by his pediatric surgery fellowship at Cincinnati Children’s before accepting a faculty position at the University of North Carolina Memorial Hospital in Chapel Hill. After two years, he transitioned to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia as a faculty member and physician. He was recruited back to North Carolina as division director and surgeon-in-chief at North Carolina’s Children’s Hospital. In 2009, he returned to Cincinnati Children’s as division director in Pediatric General and Thoracic Surgery. In 2015, he assumed the role of surgeon-in-chief, and in 2019 added business development and partnerships to his institutional responsibilities.

von Allmen has been a long-term participant in the surgical section of the Children’s Oncology Group, the Pediatric Surgery Program Directors Association, the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, and the International Pediatric Endosurgery Group. He has held leadership positions in several pediatric surgical societies and has authored 87 articles and 31 book chapters. He has been a strong supporter of innovation and holds patents on devices related to image-guided surgery.