Dr. Sara Hennessy grew up in Virginia. She attended the University of Virginia where she earned her degree in Biology and Psychology. She continued on at the University of Virginia to earn her medical degree and for her post-graduate training in General Surgery. During her residency she also completed a two-year postgraduate research fellowship. She subsequently continued on at the University of Virginia for her fellowship training in Surgery Critical Care and Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery.

In 2014 Dr. Hennessy was a Clinical Instructor of Surgery at the University of Virginia. She subsequently joined the faculty at UT Southwestern as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery.  At UTSW her clinical focuses include minimally invasive general surgery, foregut surgery and bariatric surgery and surgery critical care. She has been the Surgical ICU Medical Director at Clements University Hospital since 2017.  

Dr. Hennessy’s research interests include cost effectiveness and clinical outcomes research in surgery critical care and clinical outcomes in bariatric and minimally invasive surgery. She has a special interest in the prevention and treatment of surgical infections.