Susan Clare Pitt, MD

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.

Clinical Specialization:

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.

University of Michigan Health participates with most health insurance plans.

Dr. Pitt’s NIH-funded research lab focuses on improving outcomes for patients with thyroid disease through the development and testing of behavioral and communication-based interventions. Her team’s work seeks to minimize over-utilization of heath care by identifying and addressing patient-, physician-, practice-, and societal-level barriers to guideline-concordant care, particularly for those with thyroid disease. Their efforts include strategies to de-implement outdated practices and implement newer, less invasive management. Dr. Pitt started the CHOiCE Collaborative to compare health outcomes in cancer experience and care encounters, which includes over 10 institutions.