Dr. Andrew Warshaw is a distinguished surgical leader and renowned expert in pancreatic cancer treatment with a career spanning over four decades at the forefront of academic surgery. He currently holds the position of Surgeon-in-Chief Emeritus at Massachusetts General Hospital and serves as the W. Gerald Austen Distinguished Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, where his academic journey began as a student. A graduate of both Harvard College and Harvard Medical School, Dr. Warshaw completed his surgical training at Massachusetts General Hospital before establishing himself as a pioneering figure in gastrointestinal surgery. His exceptional career trajectory led him to serve as Chief of Surgical Services and Surgeon-in-Chief at MGH for 14 years, during which he transformed the department into one of the nation's premier surgical centers. Dr. Warshaw's leadership extends beyond MGH, having held significant positions including President of the American College of Surgeons from 2014 to 2015.
Dr. Warshaw's groundbreaking research has fundamentally advanced the understanding and treatment of pancreatic cancer through innovative experimental models and clinical investigations. He developed a seminal rat model of pancreatic cancer using DMBA carcinogen implantation, which has enabled systematic characterization of genetic mutations including K-ras and P-53 along the carcinogenesis sequence. His laboratory established one of the most comprehensive pancreatic cancer databases used to rigorously analyze treatment outcomes and improve surgical standards through meticulous long-term patient follow-up. Dr. Warshaw pioneered approaches to cancer staging through laparoscopy, peritoneal cytology, and novel techniques for detecting circulating pancreatic cancer cells in the bloodstream, significantly enhancing diagnostic precision. His commitment to the end result idea has revolutionized surgical quality assessment by emphasizing long-term patient outcomes rather than short-term procedural success, establishing new benchmarks for evaluating surgical effectiveness across the medical community.
Beyond his research contributions, Dr. Warshaw has profoundly shaped surgical practice through his leadership in professional organizations and his dedication to establishing evidence-based standards that prioritize patient outcomes. As President of the American College of Surgeons, he championed initiatives that transformed how surgical quality is measured and improved, advocating for transparency and continuous improvement in surgical care. His mentorship has cultivated generations of surgical leaders, with former trainees now holding prominent positions at major medical institutions across the country. Dr. Warshaw continues to influence the field through his emeritus role at MGH, where he remains actively engaged in research, teaching and guiding the next generation of surgical oncologists. His enduring legacy lies in establishing surgical excellence as a continuous process of measurement, analysis and refinement that places patient outcomes at the center of all surgical innovation.
