Michael Svestka, MD, FACS, a general surgeon with Virginia Hernia & General Surgery in Fairfax, Virginia, has been named a 2026 Castle Connolly Top Doctor, marking the first time he has received this designation. According to Castle Connolly, only 7 percent of the nation's licensed physicians are chosen each year as Top Doctors for their specialties in their regions.
Dr. Svestka's practice focuses on advanced abdominal wall reconstruction and comprehensive hernia care, treating conditions ranging from routine groin and ventral hernias to complex recurrent and reconstructive cases. He also evaluates patients with mesh complications and those requiring revisional surgery.
“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. My philosophy of care is simple: patients deserve thoughtful, individualized treatment and direct access to the surgeon who is responsible for their care. Hernia surgery is not one-size-fits-all. Every patient’s anatomy, goals, lifestyle, and recovery needs are different, and I believe the best outcomes come from careful planning, clear communication, and continuity from the first consultation through recovery.”
Dr. Svestka earned his medical degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School in 2013, completed a five-year general surgery residency at Stony Brook University Hospital where he served as Administrative Chief Resident and received five teaching awards, and trained in abdominal wall reconstruction at the Cleveland Clinic Comprehensive Hernia Center. There, he trained directly with surgeons who helped develop and advance the transversus abdominis release (TAR) technique, an important innovation in complex abdominal wall reconstruction. His practice encompasses open, minimally invasive, and reconstructive hernia surgery, including the TAR technique for repairing complex incisional hernias and large defects.
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.
Castle Connolly Top Doctors are nominated by peer physicians and selected by the physician-led Castle Connolly research team. The company publishes its list at castleconnolly.com and in various print and online partner publications. Nominations are open to all board-certified MDs, DOs, and DPMs, and honorees are chosen based on criteria including medical education, training, hospital appointments, and disciplinary histories. Doctors do not and cannot pay to be selected.
