Abbas El-Sayed Abbas, MD, Named Thoracic Surgeon-in-Chief, Surgical Director of Lung Cancer, Thoracic Malignancy and Foregut Disease Programs for Temple University Health System

Abbas El-Sayed Abbas, MD, has been appointed Thoracic Surgeon-in-Chief and Surgical Director of Lung Cancer, Thoracic Malignancy and Foregut Disease Programs for Temple University Health System (TUHS). He will continue as Vice Chair of Thoracic Medicine and Surgery at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine (LKSOM) at Temple University, Director of Foregut Surgery program, Section Chief of Thoracic Surgery and Associate Professor of Thoracic Medicine and Surgery.

“I am very pleased to announce Dr. Abbas’ new appointment. His outstanding skills as an academic surgeon, leader, researcher and educator make him a superb choice for this new role,” says Larry R. Kaiser, MD, FACS, President & CEO of TUHS, Dean and Professor of Surgery at LKSOM, and Senior Executive Vice President for Health Affairs at Temple University. “His many accomplishments and his vison for our Thoracic Surgery program have earned Abbas the respect of colleagues throughout the Health System.”

As Thoracic Surgeon-in-Chief, Dr. Abbas will oversee the ongoing, system-wide integration of thoracic surgery services. He will also lead the development of protocols and care processes for thoracic surgery throughout the Health System, oversee clinical research programs in thoracic surgery and coordinate the educational experiences for thoracic surgery residents and fellows.

As Surgical Director of the Thoracic Malignancy and Lung Cancer programs, Dr. Abbas will provide leadership of the lung cancer team throughout the Health System while enhancing service efficiencies with a focus on programmatic growth. For these duties, Dr. Abbas will be working closely both with Richard Fisher, MD, President and CEO of Fox Chase Cancer Center, and Walter J. Scott, MD, FACS, who continues to serve as Chief of Thoracic Surgery at Fox Chase.

“We are confident that Abbas will contribute significantly to enhancing quality while also expanding Thoracic Surgery at both Fox Chase and Temple University Hospital,” says Dr. Fisher. “We look forward to Dr. Abbas taking on these leadership roles as he continues to advance research and enrich the opportunities for faculty development and student and resident education.”

Certified by both the American Board of Surgery and Thoracic Surgery, Dr. Abbas earned his medical degree from Ain-Shams University School of Medicine in Cairo, Egypt. He completed his surgery residency at the University of Pennsylvania Health System at Pennsylvania Hospital, and cardiothoracic surgery at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.

Dr. Abbas’ clinical interests include robotic and minimally invasive as well as open approaches to esophageal and lung cancer, benign esophageal disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease and hiatal hernia, and mediastinal pathology. His world-class robotic skills have been called upon to mentor a number of other surgeons interested in learning these techniques.

"I am grateful for the opportunity to lead the Thoracic Surgical Services across the Health System,” says Dr. Abbas. “At Temple we have an outstanding multidisciplinary Thoracic team, a highly-ranked medical school, a major university hospital and a leading NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center. With our outstanding Temple Lung Center we have all the resources necessary to create a world-class center for thoracic surgical pathology aligned with our mission to provide exceptional health care, research and education."

Dr. Abbas has received recognition in addition to several awards for his clinical and teaching skills, including “Best Doctors in Louisiana” for four consecutive years, Castle Connolly Top Doctor, Best Doctors in America, Top 10 Doctors in the Delaware Valley Metro Area, and the W. Emory Burnett Award for Excellence in Teaching. He has also published numerous peer-reviewed articles and abstracts and is a member of a variety of professional societies, including the Society of Thoracic Surgery, the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation, the American College of Surgeons, the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons, and the Clinical Robotic Surgery Association.