Northwestern Surgical Associates (NSA) was formed in 1985 with the merging of the practices of Drs. Stuart Poticha and Gerald Ujiki and the recruitment of Dr. Steve Stryker. This was the first surgical partnership in the Department of Surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. In 1995 NSA recruited Dr. Kevin Bethke and he remained a partner until 2015. Dr. Wilson Hartz joined the group in 1998 after having been in solo private practice for many years. NSA recruited Dr. Mark Toyama (2000) and Dr. Kyle Mueller (2005) Dr. Mueller remained a partner at NSA until 2017.
It was with the recruitment of Dr. Jeffrey Fronza (2012), however, that NSA expanded its offerings significantly. He brought expertise in minimally invasive surgery, stomach and esophageal surgery, complex abdominal wall reconstruction, bariatric surgery, LINX procedure, and nonmesh hernia repair. Under the leadership of Drs. Stryker and Fronza, NSA maintained its position as the premier surgical practice in Chicago.
NSA subsequently recruited Dr. Daniel Davila (2019) and Dr. Kathryn Weber (2021). These surgeons exited the practice to take positions in community hospitals. With the retirement of Drs. Hartz, Stryker, and Toyama, Dr. Fronza alone carries on this important tradition.
