Joseph Friedberg, MD, FACS, has been named Thoracic Surgeon-in-Chief of Temple University Health System, Vice Chair of Surgical Services for the Department of Thoracic Medicine and Surgery, Professor of Thoracic Medicine and Surgery at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, and Co-Director of the Temple Health Mesothelioma and Pleural Disease Program. Dr. Friedberg will see patients at Temple University Hospital-Main Campus and Fox Chase Cancer Center.

Dr. Friedberg comes to Temple Health from the University of Maryland Medical System, where he was the Charles Reid Edwards Professor of Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Thoracic Surgeon-in-Chief for the University of Maryland Medical System, and Director of the University of Maryland School of Medicine Mesothelioma and Thoracic Oncology Treatment and Research Center.

“Dr. Friedberg is an exceptional physician-leader and we are thrilled to bring his expertise to Temple, further strengthening an already highly accomplished clinical team,” said Michael A. Young, MHA, FACHE, President and CEO of Temple University Health System.

Dr. Friedberg graduated with honors from both the University of Pennsylvania College of Engineering and Applied Science and Harvard Medical School.  He then completed his general surgical training at the Massachusetts General Hospital, and his cardiothoracic training at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Prior to Temple, he has held academic and hospital appointments at The University of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson University, and the University of Maryland.

“An accomplished thoracic surgeon, researcher, and educator, Dr. Friedberg is an excellent addition to Temple,” said Amy J. Goldberg, MD, FACS, Interim Dean, Lewis Katz School of Medicine. “Our medical school students, residents and fellows will benefit from his extensive knowledge and experience.”

His clinical interests include mesothelioma and other disorders of the pleura, as well as the treatment of advanced lung cancer and other complex thoracic malignancies.  His academic interests span basic science, translational, and clinical topics, and he is funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) for his mesothelioma and “artificial lung” research. 

Dr. Friedberg has published more than 100 peer reviewed articles, more than 30 book chapters, and is the inventor on multiple U.S. patents.  He has over 100 national and international research presentations and has been an invited speaker and visiting professor, both nationally and internationally.  He has also performed demonstration operations across the globe.  He serves on the Scientific Advisory Board for the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, the Board of the International Mesothelioma Interest Group, and the Mesothelioma Committee for the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer.  He has served in multiple editorial positions, including the original Thoracic Surgery Section Editor for UpToDate.

He has been named as Castle Connolly’s: Top Doctors in America, Top Doctors in Thoracic Surgery, and Top Doctors in Cancer.  He has been both a Baltimore and Philadelphia Magazine Top Doctor, and has been named Marquis Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare, Who’s Who in Science and Engineering, Who’s Who in America, and Who’s Who in the World.