Robert J. Cerfolio, MD, MBA
Dr. Robert J. Cerfolio is the chief of clinical thoracic surgery at NYU Langone Health in New York City. He treats patients who have lung cancer, esophageal cancer, pleural mesothelioma, and many other malignancies and diseases of the chest. Dr. Cerfolio is an international expert and pioneer in the use of robotic surgical techniques for the treatment of chest cancers and has performed more than 17,000 thoracic surgeries throughout his career.[1]
Dr. Cerfolio’s robotic surgical techniques are credited with having improved survival rates and reduced complications. He has taught his techniques around the world and continues finding new ways to care for people and improve their treatment outcomes and recovery times. Dr. Cerfolio works as part of a multidisciplinary team that includes chemotherapy specialists, radiation oncologists, surgical oncologists, medical oncologists, nutritionists, psychosocial and spiritual care teams, nurses, and social workers.[1]
Education and Career
Dr. Cerfolio earned a bachelor of arts in interdepartmental studies from the University of Rochester, where he was also a first-team Academic All-American baseball player. He earned a medical degree from the School of Medicine and Dentistry in the Rochester Early Selection Plan and was later selected to join the AOA Honor Medical Society. He completed his postdoctoral training at the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center.[2]
Dr. Cerfolio practiced and taught thoracic surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, for which he received the Best Surgical Teacher Award from UAB; the award was later renamed the Robert J. Cerfolio Teaching Award in recognition of his 20 years of teaching. He was also the first recipient of the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association Inspiration Award in recognition of his contributions and mentorship to medical students, residents, and fellows in cardiothoracic surgery. He also received the Argus Teaching Award, given by medical students and residents to the best surgical attending at UAB.[2]
Today, Dr. Cerfolio is executive vice president, vice dean, and chief operating officer at New York University Langone Health, as well as chief of the thoracic clinical division and professor of cardiothoracic surgery at the NYU School of Medicine and director of the NYU Lung Cancer Center.
Dr. Cerfolio has been invited to serve as a lecturer and visiting professor over 550 times around the world.
Professional Memberships
Dr. Cerfolio is a member in good standing of several professional medical organizations, including:[2]
• American Association for Thoracic Surgery
• American College of Chest Physicians
• American College of Surgeons
• American Medical Association
• American Thoracic Society
• Esophageal Club
• European Society of Thoracic Surgeons
• General Thoracic Surgical Club
• International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer
• National Strength and Conditioning Association
• Radiosurgery Society
• Society of Thoracic Surgeons
• Society of Thoracic Surgical Education
• Southern Thoracic Surgical Association
Research
Dr. Cerfolio performs research aimed at improving experience and outcomes for patients undergoing thoracic surgeries. He has published 100s of peer-reviewed articles in medical journals and over 82 book chapters.[1]
He is currently a sub-investigator on a clinical trial studying the feasibility of treating lung cancer with a permanently implantable LDR CivaSheet.[1]
His recent publications include:[1]
Journal of surgical research. 2024:296:674-680.DOI: 10.1016/j.jss.2024.01.028 Comparing Robotic, Thoracoscopic, and Open Segmentectomy: A National Cancer Database Analysis. Caso, Raul; Watson, Thomas J; Tefera, Eshetu; Cerfolio, Robert; Abbas, Abbas E; Lazar, John F; Margolis, Marc; Hwalek, Ann E; Khaitan, Puja Gaur. PMID: 38359682. ISSN: 1095-8673. CID: 5635902
Thoracic surgery clinics. 2024:34(1):57-61.DOI: 10.1016/j.thorsurg.2023.09.002. Outside the Operating Room: Alternative Pathways for Doctors and Surgeons to Lead. Cerfolio, Robert James. PMID: 37953053. ISSN: 1558-5069. CID: 5610042
Journal of thoracic & cardiovascular surgery. 2024:167(1):396-402.e3.DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2023.04.008. Assessment of the well-being of significant others of cardiothoracic surgeons. Ungerleider, Jamie D; Ungerleider, Ross M; James, Les; Wolf, Andrea; Kovacs, Melissa; Cerfolio, Robert; Litle, Virginia; Cooke, David T; Jones-Ungerleider, K Candis; Maddaus, Michael; Luc, Jessica G Y; DeAnda, Abe; Erkmen, Cherie P; Bremner, Kathy; Bremner, Ross M. PMID: 37160214. ISSN: 1097-685x. CID: 5507952
Video-assisted thoracic surgery. 2023:8.DOI: 10.21037/vats-23-18. Driving change and quality care in healthcare the Efficiency Quality Index. Cerfolio, Robert J.. SCOPUS:85179933493. ISSN: 2519-0792. CID: 5620842
Journal of thoracic & cardiovascular surgery. 2023:166(3):699-700.DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2023.02.010. Commentary: Scrubs united with suits to provide quality care and profits [Comment]. Cerfolio, Robert J. PMID: 36931998. ISSN: 1097-685x. CID: 5595012
Annals of surgery. 2023:277(6):1002-1009.DOI: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000005820. Pulmonary Open, Robotic and Thoracoscopic Lobectomy (PORTaL) Study: Survival Analysis of 6,646 Cases. Kent, Michael S; Hartwig, Matthew G; Vallières, Eric; Abbas, Abbas E; Cerfolio, Robert J; Dylewski, Mark R; Fabian, Thomas; Herrera, Luis J; Jett, Kimble G; Lazzaro, Richard S; Meyers, Bryan; Reddy, Rishindra M; Reed, Michael F; Rice, David C; Ross, Patrick; Sarkaria, Inderpal S; Schumacher, Lana Y; Spier, Lawrence N; Tisol, William B; Wigle, Dennis A; Zervos, Michael. PMID: 36762564. ISSN: 1528-1140. CID: 5420972
