NEW YORK, May 8, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Robert J. Cerfolio, MD – whose innovations in robotics have led to practice-changing advances in lung cancer surgery in the U.S. and countries around the world – will join NYU Langone on June 1 as chief of clinical thoracic surgery. He also will become the first director of the Lung Cancer Center at NYU Langone's Perlmutter Cancer Center.

Cerfolio currently serves at the University of Alabama (UAB) Hospital in Birmingham as the James H. Estes Family Lung Cancer Research Endowed Chair and chief of thoracic surgery. Having performed more than 17,000 operations, he is among the most prolific thoracic surgeons in the world. Equally important, he is known internationally for the highest standards of care and innovative leadership.

More than 1,200 national and international surgeons, anesthesiologists and their teams have come to UAB to learn his techniques and the way in which he engages his teams to provide efficient, high-quality and patient-centered care. During his tenure at UAB, he developed a four-arm robotic approach to treat patients needing lung cancer excisions, removal of cancerous esophageal tumors and tumor resections within the thoracic region. His robotic techniques have reduced complications, increased survival and shortened hospital stays.
In addition to his position at UAB, Cerfolio serves as the director of the American Association of Thoracic Surgery's Robotic Graham Fellowship, and has trained a large percentage of thoracic surgeons in the U.S. and abroad.

"We are excited to welcome Dr. Cerfolio to lead our Clinical Thoracic Surgery Division," said Aubrey C. Galloway, MD, the Seymour Cohn Professor and chair of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery. "He has a proven track record of exceptional patient outcomes, and will strengthen our robust thoracic surgery and lung cancer programs with his extraordinary expertise in robotic thoracic surgery."

A New Initiative Against a Deadly Cancer

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more Americans die from lung cancer than any other type of cancer – approximately 155,000 annually. In 2013, the most recent year for statistics, more than 212,500 individuals were diagnosed with lung cancer – almost equally divided between men and women.

At Perlmutter Cancer Center, Cerfolio will lead a new multidisciplinary lung cancer center, bolstered by nationally renowned surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, radiologists, pulmonologists and other specialists. Some have long tenure at NYU Langone and others are newly-recruited clinical and investigative leaders – all committed to developing a program that rivals the very best in the country.

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