Christopher Prevel MD, FACS, FAAPS, FACHE

Christopher D Prevel, MD, FACS, FAAPS, FACHE was appointed as Chief of Staff of the St. Louis VA Health Care System, in St. Louis, Missouri on November 6, 2023. In this role, Dr. Prevel is responsible for the supervision of the Medical Staff at two hospitals within a 1B complexity level system: the John Cochran Hospital in St. Louis and the Jefferson Barracks Hospital in South St. Louis County.

Prior to his arrival at the St. Louis VA Health Care System, Dr. Prevel served as the Deputy Chief of Staff at the Birmingham VA Health Care System in Birmingham, Alabama (complexity level 1A) from January 2020 through October 2023. In that role, he supervised several clinical and administrative services under the Chief of Staff Team. Prior to Birmingham, Dr. Prevel served as the Associate Chief of Staff for Surgical Services with the Orlando VA Health Care System. In this role, Dr. Prevel was responsible for the supervision of Surgical Services within a level 1B complexity system consisting of ten surgical sections.

Dr. Prevel is a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon and Hand Surgeon. His academic appointments have included Assistant Professor of Surgery (Plastic/Hand) at the Indiana University School of Medicine, Associate Professor of Surgery (Plastic/Hand) at the University of Kentucky School of Medicine, Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery (Plastic/Hand) at the University of South Florida School of Medicine, Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery (Plastic/Hand) at the University of Central Florida School of Medicine and Clinical Professor of Surgery (Plastic/Hand) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine. He is also the author/co-author of 28 journal articles in peer review journals, several book chapters, and the recipient of several grants for basic science research in the fields of biomaterials, skin substitutes and resorbable fixation systems for hand fractures.

Dr. Prevel earned his AB Degree from Colgate University and his MD Degree from the Emory University School of Medicine. He completed his General Surgery residency training at both the Emory University Hospitals and the University of Arizona Hospitals program. He completed his Plastic Surgery Training at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor Hospitals program and his Hand/Microsurgery Fellowship at the Medical College of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the American Association of Plastic Surgeons, and the American College of Health Care Executives.