Susan C Pitt, MD, MPHS

Dr. Susan Pitt, MD, MPHS is an Associate Professor of Surgery and Director of the Endocrine Surgery Health Services Research Program in the Department of Surgery at Michigan Medicine. Dr. Pitt graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. in psychology from Boston College in Chestnut Hill, MA. She received her medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin and a Masters degree in Population Health Science from Washington University in St. Louis which was supported by a scholarship from the BJC Healthcare Institute for Public Health. Dr. Pitt completed her general surgery residency at Washington University in St. Louis with Alpha Omega Alpha honors and was both the resident representative and administrative chief resident. During a two-year post-doctoral research fellowship at the University of Wisconsin, she was awarded a Ruth L. Kirschstein T32 training grant from the National Institutes of Health and the American College of Surgeons Resident Research Scholarship to study signaling pathways in neuroendocrine cancers. Following residency, Dr. Pitt completed an Endocrine Surgery Fellowship at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA before serving as an Assistant Professor of Surgery for six years at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, WI. Dr. Pitt joined the faculty of the University of Michigan in 2021.

Dr. Pitt has received multiple awards for her clinical, research, and teaching efforts including the American Medical Women’s Association Exceptional Mentor Award in 2018 and an award from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Women in Science & Engineering Leadership Institute. She is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and active member of multiple organizations including the Association of Academic Surgery, Society of University Surgeons, American Association of Endocrine Surgeons, American Thyroid Association, Surgical Outcomes Club, Association of Women Surgeons, and Society for Medical Decision Making.

Dr. Pitt’s clinical interests include surgical diseases of the endocrine system including the thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal glands. She has a particular interest and experience in the diagnosis and treatment of papillary thyroid cancer, functional adrenal tumors, and complex parathyroid disease. Dr. Pitt works closely with her endocrine oncology partners to provide excellent patient care and outcomes.

The long-term goal of my research is to reduce over-utilization and unnecessary care in medicine, particularly for patients with low-risk cancer who are at high-risk for overtreatment. To date, my work has largely focused on the role of negative emotions, such as fear and anxiety, in decisions that lead to overtreatment of patients with low-risk thyroid cancer. This area of investigation also concentrates on identifying patient-, physician-, practice-, and societal-level barriers to less extensive management, such as active surveillance.