Michael Svestka, MD, FACS, a general surgeon with Virginia Hernia & General Surgery, has been named a 2026 Castle Connolly Top Doctor, marking the first time he has received this prestigious designation. Only 7 percent of the nation's licensed physicians are chosen each year as Castle Connolly Top Doctors for their specialties in their regions.
Dr. Svestka's practice, based in Fairfax, Virginia, specializes in advanced abdominal wall reconstruction and comprehensive hernia care, managing conditions from routine groin and ventral hernias to complex recurrent and reconstructive cases. "Being recognized as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor is a tremendous honor, particularly because the selection process is driven by peer recognition," Dr. Svestka said. "To me, it reflects not only surgical expertise, but also the trust of colleagues, patients, and the broader medical community."
Dr. Svestka evaluates and treats a wide range of abdominal wall conditions, including primary groin (inguinal) hernias, umbilical hernias, ventral hernias, large abdominal wall defects, and complex recurrent hernias that have failed prior repair attempts. He also treats patients suffering from mesh complications and those requiring revisional surgery. He performs a variety of surgical procedures, utilizing open, minimally invasive, and reconstructive techniques, and is highly trained in advanced abdominal wall reconstruction, including the Transversus Abdominis Release (TAR) technique.
After earning his medical degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School in 2013, Dr. Svestka completed a five-year general surgery residency at Stony Brook University Hospital, where he served as Administrative Chief Resident and received five teaching awards. Following residency, he trained in abdominal wall reconstruction at the Cleveland Clinic Comprehensive Hernia Center, one of the nation's leading hernia programs, where he trained directly with surgeons who helped develop and advance the TAR technique.
He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and maintains active memberships in the American Hernia Society and the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons. He also contributes to the surgical literature as a peer reviewer for Surgical Endoscopy. Top Doctors are nominated by peer physicians and selected by the physician-led Castle Connolly research team. Castle Connolly publishes its Top Doctors list at castleconnolly.com and in a variety of print and online partner publications. Doctors do not and cannot pay to be selected as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor.
