Fabrizio Michelassi, M.D, F.A.C.S. is the Lewis Atterbury Stimson Professor of Surgery and Chairman of Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine and Surgeon-in-Chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. A world-renowned gastrointestinal surgeon with a strong expertise in the surgical treatment of gastrointestinal and pancreatic cancers as well as inflammatory bowel disease, Dr. Michelassi has contributed new insight in the surgical treatment of pancreatic and colorectal cancers, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease though research and participation to multiple clinical trials. His experience and expertise in treating Crohn’s disease led him to develop a novel bowel-sparing procedure, now known as the Michelassi strictureplasty, designed to avoid sacrificing large amounts of bowel at the time of surgery and facilitating quiescence of the acute disease affecting the diseased intestinal loops. A prolific author of more than 330 papers, book chapters and abstracts, he has edited a book on “Operative strategies in inflammatory bowel disease” and has produced fifteen instructional movies for surgeons on the surgical treatment of complications of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Internationally renowned as an outstanding clinician, researcher and teacher, Dr. Michelassi has been invited to be a visiting professor, deliver keynote lectures and named lectures at more than 400 national and international institutions. He has received over 25 NIH, Foundation and Industry grants. Dr. Michelassi is Associate Editor of the Annuals of Surgical Oncology and serves on the editorial board of nine prestigious medical journals. A recognized leader in the gastrointestinal surgical field, Dr. Michelassi has been appointed to many international and national task forces and panels. A member of more than 50 professional societies, Dr. Michelassi was elected to leadership positions in many of them and has served as President in seven of them: the Society for the Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, the Society of Surgical Oncology, the Society of Surgical Chairs, the Western Surgical Society, the Central Surgical Association, the Illinois Surgical Society and the New York Surgical Society. Dr. Michelassi is currently Vice President of the US Chapter of the James IV Association of Surgeons, Inc. Dr. Michelassi has an abiding interest in educating and training the next cadre of academic surgeons. He has been nominated as the outstanding teacher of the year by residents on three separate occasions. Dr. Michelassi is the recipient of many awards, among which the National Physician of the Year for Clinical Excellence by Castle Connolly Med. Ltd. in 2015. In addition, he has received two distinguished service awards: The Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) Distinguished Service Award and the Maurice R. Greenberg Distinguished Service Award of Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian Hospital. These awards acknowledge Dr. Michelassi’s dedication to service to the field of Surgery and to the Institution where he works.
