Courtesy: Swampscott Reporter

Swampscott - Thoracic surgeon and Swampscott native Christopher Morse, M.D. recently joined the medical staff of North Shore Medical Center.He joins Dean Donahue, M.D., and James Allan, M.D., in the Massachusetts General Hospital Thoracic Surgery at NSMC practice, located in the NSMC medical office building at 79 Highland Ave., adjacent to NSMC Salem Hospital.

Morse is a specialist in minimally invasive thoracic surgery and will be seeing and treating patients at both NSMC Salem Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. He is among a small number of surgeons nationwide with expertise in minimally invasive esophageal surgery. These procedures are particularly difficult as the esophagus and its surrounding structures are deep in the abdomen and chest and difficult to access.

Furthermore, the surgeon performs the procedures through tiny incisions, viewing his progress with the assistance of a small camera inserted at the surgical site that projects images to a TV monitor at his side. Because the procedures only require small incisions, recovery is faster and hospital stays are shorter than with traditional open procedures.

Morse is following in his family’s tradition of medical practice at NSMC Salem Hospital.

As a child growing up in Swampscott, he often visited Salem Hospital with his father, urologist Frank P. Morse, III, M.D., who retired as chief of surgery in 2005 after a long and distinguished career.

His grandfather, Frank P. Morse, Jr., M.D., was also a highly regarded urologist at Salem Hospital who held a number of prominent positions during his nearly three-decade career. Both his mother and grandmother were registered nurses, the latter at Salem Hospital.

“I remember making rounds with my father when I was a kid, hanging out in his office with my sister,” says Chris, who joined the Massachusetts General Thoracic Surgery at NSMC practice this past August and now sees patients at NSMC several days per week. “There are still a lot of people at NSMC who are very familiar with my father and the Morse name; some who even remember me growing up.”

Yet, any awkwardness that might come from following so closely in the well-established footsteps of his father — who, in addition to being chief of surgery, also served as chief of urology during his tenure — are far outweighed by the advantages, says Chris. “I’m very fortunate that my father was a well-liked and respected doctor. I only hope I can live up to my father and grandfather’s legacy.”

A similar sentiment is shared by Dr. Frank Morse III, who actually overlapped careers at Salem Hospital with his own father for a year in the early 1970s. When he started, his father was president of the medical staff.

“It was a good experience,” recalls the senior Morse. “The only hard thing for me when I started was living up to his reputation.”

Chris graduated from Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons and then completed his general surgery training and a cardiothoracic fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.

As a second-year resident in general surgery at MGH, Chris did a rotation through NSMC, crossing paths with his father before he retired. The two had the unusual experience of performing surgery together on several occasions, once on the elder Morse’s 60th birthday.

“That was a thrill for me, a great present,” says Frank.

His son agrees: “That was pretty special. It was also very gratifying to walk the halls with him and talk about cases. Not many people get that opportunity.”

Chris went on to complete an advanced fellowship in minimally invasive thoracic surgery with an emphasis on benign and malignant esophageal disease at the University of Pittsburgh.

At NSMC, he will continue to focus on treating complex lung disease, and join a select number of surgeons specializing in minimally invasive treatment. He joins MGH thoracic surgeons Dean Donahue, M.D., and Jim Allan, M.D., who also see patients and perform surgery at NSMC.

“I’m proud of my family’s legacy at NSMC,” says Chris. “I look forward to having as much of a positive impact on the community as my parents and grandparents.”

Morse is accepting new patients and immediate appointments are available by calling 978-745-1581.

NSMC (North Shore Medical Center) is a multi-site health system headquartered in Salem, which includes NSMC Salem Hospital, NSMC Union Hospital in Lynn, NSMC North Shore Children’s Hospital, NSMC Cancer Center, NSMC Heart Center, NSMC Women’s Center and the physician network known as Charter Professional Services Corporation.

NSMC is a member of Partners HealthCare, which was founded by Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. For more information, visit nsmc.partners.org.