Surgical Backlogs From COVID-19 Persist and Could Have Serious Healthcare Consequences Going Forward
A Mass General study suggests that a more thoughtful and strategic approach to deferring surgeries may be needed by hospitals in the future.
Dr. Keith D. Lillemoe received his undergraduate education at the University of South Dakota and his MD from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1978. He served his surgical training at Hopkins and joined the faculty there in 1985, rising to the rank of Professor of Surgery in 1996. He served as Associate Program Director for the Hopkins Surgical Residency from 1993 to 2003 and Vice-Chairman of the department from 1997 to 2003. He was recognized with the Hopkins Department of Surgery Faculty Teaching Award on five occasions. In 2003, he was appointed the Jay L. Grosfeld Professor and Chairman of the Department of Surgery at the Indiana University School of Medicine. In May 2011, Dr. Lillemoe was appointed to the position of Surgeon-in-Chief and Chief of the Department of Surgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital and the W. Gerald Austen Professor of Surgery at the Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Lillemoe has served as President and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract. He has served as President of the Society of Clinical Surgery, and of the Society of University Surgeons, and as the Recorder and President of the American Surgical Association. In 2018, he was elected to membership in the National Academy of Medicine and the American College of Surgeons Academy of Master Surgeon Educators. He is a Senior Director of the American Board of Surgery. He is also the recipient of the Harvard Joseph B. Martin Dean's Award for Mentorship of Women and selected as an Honorary Member of the Association of Women Surgeons.
Dr. Lillemoe’s clinical research interests are in pancreatic cancer, IPMNs and other benign pancreatic disorders and biliary tract injuries. His bibliography lists over 500 journal articles and 140 book chapters. He has served as a visiting professor over 120 times and has spoken nationally and internationally on over 500 occasions. He is the former Editor of one of the leading surgical texts Surgery: Scientific Principles and Practice and is Editor-in-Chief of Annals of Surgery.
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Dr. Lillemoe has clinical research interests in pancreatic cancer, IPMNs and other benign and malignant pancreatic disease and biliary injuries and strictures.
Lillemoe KD: Current management of bile duct injury. Br J Surg 95:403-405, 2008.
Bilimoria KY, Bentrem DJ, Lillemoe KD, et al. Assessment of pancreatic cancer care in the United States based on formally developed quality indicators. J Nat Can Inst 101:848-859, 2009.
Ziegler KM, Nakeeb A, Pitt HA, Schmidt CM, Bishop SA, Moreno J, Matos JM, Zyromski NJ, House MG, Madura JA, Howard TJ, and Lillemoe KD: Pancreatic Surgery: Evolution at a high volume center. Surgery 148:702-710, 2010. (Presented at the Central Surgical Association, 2010).
Ziegler KM, Pitt HA, Zyromski NJ, Chauhan A, Sherman S, Lehman GA, Lillemoe KD,
Rescorla FJ, West KW, and Grosfeld JL: Choledochoceles: Are they choledochal cysts? Ann Surg 252:683-690, 2010. (Presented at the American Surgical Association, 2010).
Lutz E, Yeo CJ, Lillemoe KD, et al. A lethally irradiated allogeneic granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor-secreting tumor vaccine for pancreatic adenocarcinoma: A phase II trial of safety, efficacy, and immune activation. Ann Surg 253: 328-335, 2011.
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View a map and directions for traveling to the Outpatient Surgical Center at Mass General Brigham Healthcare Center (Waltham).
Mass General is recognized as a top hospital on the U.S. News Best Hospitals Honor Roll for 2024-2025.
This Washington Post article discusses hospital-wide elective surgery cancellation at Mass General, and quotes Mass General Physician Keith Lillemoe.
A Mass General study suggests that a more thoughtful and strategic approach to deferring surgeries may be needed by hospitals in the future.
During Pride Month, we honor the past while recognizing that there is still much to be done to ensure a safer, more inclusive future — not just in society, but also in surgery.
The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) has recognized Massachusetts General Hospital as one of 89 ACS NSQIP participating hospitals across the country that have achieved meritorious outcomes for surgical patient care in 2019.
May 1, 2021 marked Keith Lillemoe, MD's 10th anniversary as chief of surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. A renowned surgical leader and extraordinary mentor, Dr. Lillemoe’s leadership has led to the department to grow in numerous areas.
Keith Lillemoe, MD, Chief of the Department of Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, was elected to join the National Academy of Medicine. This award is one of the highest honors in health and medicine.
The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) has recognized Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) as a national leader for surgical outcomes for three consecutive years.