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Fabrizio Michelassi, M.D., F.A.C.S., M.A.M.S.E., E.S.A. (Hon.), D.C.K. (Hon.), S.I.C. (Hon.), S.A.C.P.N.E. (Hon.) is the Lewis Atterbury Stimson Professor of Surgery and Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Â鶹¸ßÇå and Surgeon-in-Chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. An internationally renowned, board-certified gastrointestinal surgeon with a strong expertise in the surgical treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, gastrointestinal and pancreatic cancers, Dr. Michelassi has contributed new insight in the surgical treatment of pancreatic and colorectal cancers, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease through research and participation to multiple clinical trials. He has pioneered the development of important new techniques that ensure better outcomes and improved quality of life for patients with rectal cancer and ulcerative colitis. These techniques have resulted in a greater percentage of patients avoiding permanent stomas and maintaining urological and sexual function. His recognized expertise in the surgical treatment of pancreatic cancer has led many patients to seek his counsel; in turn, Dr. Michelassi has contributed new knowledge to this field through clinical trials. His experience and expertise in treating Crohn’s disease led him to develop a novel bowel-sparing procedure, now known as the Michelassi strictureplasty, designed to avoid sacrificing large amounts of bowel at the time of surgery and facilitating quiescence of the acute disease affecting the diseased intestinal loops.

A prolific author of more than 340 papers, book chapters and abstracts, Dr. Michelassi has edited a book on “Operative Strategies in Inflammatory Bowel Disease” and has produced eighteen instructional movies for surgeons on the surgical treatment of complications of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Internationally renowned as an outstanding clinician, researcher and teacher, Dr. Michelassi has been invited to be a visiting professor at more than 400 national and international institutions. He has delivered more than 60 named lectures and keynote addresses. A recognized leader in the gastrointestinal surgical field, Dr. Michelassi has been appointed to many national task forces and panels. A member of more than 60 professional societies and foundations, Dr. Michelassi was elected to leadership positions in many of them and has served as President in seven of them: the Society for the Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, the Society of Surgical Oncology, the Society of Surgical Chairs, the Western Surgical Society, the Central Surgical Association, the Illinois Surgical Society and the New York Surgical Society. Dr. Michelassi has served as Vice Chair of the Advisory Council for General Surgery and as Chair of the Executive Committee of the Board of Governors of the American College of Surgeons; he is currently a Regent and Chair of the Board of Regents of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Michelassi has served as Director (2006-2012) of the American Board of Surgery, Chair of the Surgical Oncology Advisory Council (2009-2011), first Surgical Oncology Board Chair (2011-2012) and Senior Director (2012-2017). Moreover, Dr. Michelassi was inducted as a member of the inaugural class of the American College of Surgeons Academy of Master Surgeon Educators in 2018. He was awarded honorary membership by the Sociedad Argentina de Coloproctologia (N.E.) in 2009, by the Società Italiana di Chirurgia (Italian Surgical Society) in 2018, the European Surgical Association in 2019 and the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Chirurgie (German Surgical Society) in 2024.

Dr. Michelassi has received over 25 NIH, Foundation and Industry grants. His research on Crohn’s disease has been funded by the International Organization of Inflammatory Bowel Disease and numerous other foundations; his research on the genetics of gastrointestinal cancer has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Cancer Society. He is the holder of 4 patents. He has served as Associate Editor of the Annuals of Surgical Oncology and serves or has served on the editorial boards of nine prestigious medical journals including: The Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Surgery, The British Journal of Surgery, Annals of Surgery, Digestive Surgery, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Nature Clinical Practice Gastroenterology and Hepatology and The World Journal of Surgery.

In 2009, in recognition of his many lifetime achievements, Dr. Michelassi was honored as an Official of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy with the rank of Commendatore, the most prestigious and important distinction awarded by the President of the Republic of Italy to Italian citizens of particular merit. He was also inducted as a member of the American Society of the Italian Legions of Merit (ASILM), the Italian-American Society comprised of those 600 individuals who have been so decorated by the Republic of Italy. Dr. Michelassi received the prestigious 2010 Golden Lion Award from the Order of the Sons of Italy in America and the “Campano d’Oro” medal from the University of Pisa, the highest honor that can be accorded to a University of Pisa alumnus. In 2012, he received the “Grand Award of Merit,” the most prestigious award of the American Society of the Italian Legions of Merit, in recognition of his accomplishments, dedication and leadership that have improved the lives of numerous Americans, Italians and Italian Americans. Previous recipients of the Grand Award of Merit include H.E. Giorgio Napolitano, President of the Republic of Italy, George W. Bush, former President of the United States, and U.S. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi.

In 2017, Dr. Michelassi was the recipient of the Society of Surgical Oncology Distinguished Service Award. This award is presented for outstanding contributions to surgical oncology through service to SSO, research, clinical care, or health policy. In the same year, in acknowledgment of Dr. Michelassi’s dedication to service at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Â鶹¸ßÇå, he was awarded the 37th Annual Maurice R. Greenberg Distinguished Service Award. In 2019, Dr. Michelassi was named an honorary fellow of the Society of Black Academic Surgeons. The society’s mission is to improve health, advance science, and foster careers of African American and other underrepresented minority surgeons. In 2022, Dr. Michelassi was honored with the SSAT Founders Medal, in recognition of his contributions to GI Surgery. In 2024, Dr. Michelassi received the Rosenthal Humanitarian Award from the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation-Greater New York Chapter.In collaboration with the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation, Dr. Fabrizio Michelassi provides his perspective on new surgical approaches to treat patients with Crohn's disease. .

In collaboration with the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation, Dr. Fabrizio Michelassi, discuses early surgery in ileal cd (localized) in an ECCO-Foundation Transatlanic talking heads video. .

Dr. Michelassi's interview on Tg2 Medicine 33, an Italian television program that highlights specialists in the field of medicine.

Dr. Michelassi was featured in a story about his pioneering crohn's surgery on the award-winning ABC-TV documentary series, "NY Med". To view the episode please .

For Dr. Michelassi's publications, .