Jeffrey Drebin, MD, PhD, Named President-Elect of the American Surgical Association

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) is proud to announce that Jeffrey A. Drebin, MD, PhD, has been named President-Elect of the American Surgical Association (ASA) for 2024. An internationally recognized surgeon-scientist and the Chair of MSK’s Department of Surgery, Dr. Drebin has decades of experience as a world-class surgical oncologist specializing in pancreaticobiliary, upper gastrointestinal, and liver surgery. As President-Elect, Dr. Drebin will help to lead the ASA as it supports the art and science of general and sub–specialty surgery and elevates the standards of the medical/surgical profession.

Founded in 1880, the ASA is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious surgical organization, comprised of surgeons from many of the country’s leading academic medical institutions. The ASA strives for excellence and leadership in science, education, and patient care while promoting diversity, integrity, and innovation. Dr. Drebin’s term was announced publicly at the American Surgical Association’s Annual Meeting on April 5, 2024.  He will serve as President-Elect during 2024 and will serve as ASA President in 2025.

“For over a century, surgeons have trusted the American Surgical Association to advance both surgical science and clinical practices that can open new doors for patients and improve the field of medicine,” said Dr. Drebin. “I am truly honored to be elected to guide the organization over the next two years and I am eager to work alongside the country’s most prominent surgeon scientists with improving patient care as our primary focus and motivation.” 

A pioneer in developing targeted therapies for cancer and cancer surgery, Dr. Drebin’s recent research and clinical activity focuses on the use of novel approaches to better understand pancreatic cancer cells and develop new, personalized treatments. He has previously served the American Surgical Association in a number of roles, including serving on the Scientific Program Committee and Chairing the Flance-Karl Award Committee; in 2016, he was elected to a six year term as ASA Recorder. Dr. Drebin has held numerous leadership positions with multiple other organizations throughout his distinguished career. He has served in the past as the President of the Society of Surgical Oncology, President of the Philadelphia Academy of Surgery, and President of the Society of Clinical Surgery. He has previously served as a member of the Board of Scientific Advisors of the U.S. National Cancer Institute, on the Executive Committee of the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group, and as Chair of the Pancreas Cancer Disease Site Sub-Committee of the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons. In 2013, he was elected to the Institutes of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, now known as the National Academy of Medicine.

“Being the President of the American Surgical Association is the highest honor within the surgical profession, and Dr. Drebin is the ideal choice to lead this world-renowned organization,” said Selwyn Vickers, MD, President and CEO of MSK and himself a Past-President of the ASA. “Jeff is both an exceptional surgeon-scientist and a talented and compassionate physician, combining his research skills together with a doctor’s passion for finding better treatment for his patients. As an accomplished leader, physician, researcher, and mentor, he will certainly propel the ASA’s mission to improve the surgical field, and we are excited for his tenure.”

Dr. Drebin has served as the Chair of the Department of Surgery since 2017, when he joined MSK. He came to MSK from the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) where he was most recently the John Rhea Barton Professor and Chair of the Department of Surgery, a position he held for eight years. Prior to UPenn, he was Professor of Surgery and of Molecular Biology and Pharmacology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Dr. Drebin received his MD and PhD degrees from Harvard and completed his surgical residency in General Surgery and a Fellowship in Surgical Oncology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Two other MSK surgeons, Selwyn Vickers and Sir Murray F. Brennan, GNZM, MD, FACS, both served as ASA Past-Presidents. President-Elect and Presidential terms for the American Surgical Association are held for one year, with subsequent councilor responsibilities for an additional three years.