Fairfield Surgeon Named Griffin Hospital's Physician of the Year

Fairfield resident and PriMed General Surgeon Dr. Leland Soto III has been named 2013 “Physician of the Year” by Griffin Hospital of Derby, Conn, according to a release from PriMed.

The nursing staff presented Soto with the honor for his commitment to patients, compassion, and kindness at the Annual Nurse Day Award Ceremony held at Griffin Hospital earlier this month. The nurses vote annually for the physician of the year and must provide examples that demonstrate how the physician supports the Griffin Patient Focused Care Model, a model of care that is responsive to the needs of patients. 

The Physician of the Year award is the highest honor presented by the nursing division to a physician at Griffin Hospital. 

“Dr. Soto is a wonderful patient advocate, and truly dedicated to his profession. Whenever called upon by the nursing staff, he quickly responds and will always take the time needed to answer our questions and teach young nurses,” Barbara Stumpo, Vice President of Patient Care Services for Griffin Hospital, said. 

“He demonstrates confidence and competency and is extremely pleasant to work with. His patients always come first. All nurses and physicians alike rely on his compassion, knowledge, skill, and expertise.”

DSoto joined Griffin Hospital’s medical staff in August 2005. He has a practice, PriMed Surgical Specialists, along with General Surgeon Ihor Ponomarenko, MD, across from Griffin Hospital in Derby. His surgical interests include breast, laparoscopic hernia and gallbladder surgery. Additionally, he specializes in advanced laparoscopic surgery for gastroesophageal reflux disease, colon resection, adrenalectomy, and splenectomy. Ponomarenko specializes in cancer surgery of the breast, thyroid, upper digestive tract, colorectal malignancies, and melanoma.

Soto, board certified by the American Board of Surgery, is a graduate of Dartmouth Medical School and completed his internship and residency at the University of Minnesota. He serves as the Director of Surgical Physician Assistant Program at Griffin Hospital and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps.