Dr. Bruce Long

I’m sad to report that our dear friend and colleague Bruce A. Long, MD, FACS, passed away Sunday evening with his loving family at his side. Dr. Long was a renowned surgeon and a gifted teacher, and he devoted his entire career to our Roanoke community. In more than three decades as a surgeon, he demonstrated the highest levels of commitment to clinical excellence, compassionate patient care, education, and service at Carilion Clinic and the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine.

Dr. Long and his wife Dawn came to Roanoke for surgical residency in 1988 after receiving his MD at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. He was one of the early surgeons to join Carilion Clinic at its inception and developed a very active practice in general surgery, bariatric surgery, surgical oncology, minimally invasive surgery, and emergency general surgery while providing leadership in all aspects of clinical care, performance improvement, and resident education. His clinical skills allowed him to take on some of the most difficult and challenging surgical cases that presented to our medical center over the span of his career. He was also a member of the 2010 inaugural faculty of Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2018.

Dr. Long served as the Carilion Clinic Chief of the Surgical Service from 1999-2003 and the Department of Surgery from 2003-2009, Section Chief for General Surgery from 2005-2018, Interim Chair of the Department of Surgery from 2015-2017, and most recently was Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs for the Department, and Physician Advisor, Case Management for Carilion Clinic. Under his leadership over the years, he was instrumental in many clinical advancements and innovations.  A critical accomplishment was his facilitation of the implementation of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) at Carilion in 2008. 

In addition to his local work, Dr. Long was a regular participant in weeklong missions as a volunteer surgeon with “Solid Rock International” in the Dominican Republic since 2005; frequently bringing residents along with him to experience the joy of giving back to those living in austere environments. 

Bruce’s legacy lives on in the many friendships he developed over the years. His sense of humor was disarming. Hundreds, if not thousands, of students and faculty over the years looked up to him as a mentor. He always led by example being willing to take call, staff a service, or assume care of difficult patients on short notice. He was truly a master surgeon who was often called away from his own case or patients, even after hours, to scrub in and bring his expertise to especially difficult surgical cases.

During the last five years as he battled reoccurring cancer, he also developed a unique viewpoint as a cancer survivor, from early in his career as a cancer surgeon and ultimately as a patient with an incurable cancer. During these last years he lived with joy and appreciation. Despite having a known incurable cancer, he continued to serve patients and the Department until only a few weeks ago. His appreciation for the gift of his life, the joy of his family, and his ability to serve others was both poignant and humbling.

Simply put, he is irreplaceable.

For the many of us who benefited from his surgical tradition that he imparted and for all our patients, we are forever grateful for Dr. Bruce Long’s surgical skills, wisdom, dedication, leadership, and insights. May his memory be a blessing.

Patrice

Patrice M. Weiss, M.D.

Carilion Clinic

Executive Vice President, Chief Medical Officer

Professor Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine

1 Riverside Circle, St. 400

Roanoke, VA 24016

540-981-8672 (Office)

540-981-7670 (Fax)