National Leaders in Pancreas Surgery

Pancreas surgery is technically difficult and specialists at Penn Medicine perform among the highest volume of pancreatic operations in the Unites States, including the Whipple procedure, with complication rates and long-term survival statistics that set the standard nationally. As part of Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center, patients also have facilitated access to the full range of treatment options for pancreatic cancer including radiation, chemotherapy and the latest clinical trials—all under one roof.

At high-volume centers with integrated, multidisciplinary care teams, long-term survival for patients who undergo surgery for pancreatic cancer continues to improve. Recently, in one of the largest studies of its kind published to date, short-term recovery and long-term survival rates at Penn were shown to be among the best in the nation, demonstrating that Penn Medicine is at the forefront of providing the best care available for patients with pancreatic cancer.

Nationally and internationally recognized for their depth of experience and innovative research on the latest surgical treatment options, meet Penn’s pancreatic surgeons:

Jeffrey A. Drebin, MD, PhD
Chairman, Department of Surgery

A graduate of Harvard Medical School, Dr. Drebin continued his surgical training at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine before joining the faculty at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. In 2004 he was recruited to Penn Medicine as chief of the division of Gastrointestinal Surgery and vice-chairman for research for the department of Surgery. Following his tenure as chief, Dr. Drebin was appointed chairman of the department of Surgery at Penn Medicine and the 14th John Rhea Barton Professor of Surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine.

In addition to pancreas surgery, Dr. Drebin specializes in acute and chronic pancreatitis, the use of new technologies to manage liver tumors, disorders of the bile ducts and the management of gallbladder disease.

Learn more about Jeffrey A. Drebin, MD, PhD.



Charles M. Vollmer, MD
Director, Pancreas Surgery Program

Dr. Vollmer received his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College and completed his internship and residency in general surgery at Barnes-Jewish Hospital at Washington University Medical Center in St. Louis. Dr. Vollmer’s training includes a clinical fellowship in hepatobiliary and GI transplantation surgery at Toronto General Hospital, as well as research fellowships in surgical oncology at UCLA School of Medicine and hepatobiliary oncology at the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute at the University of Toronto. He comes to Penn Medicine from Boston where he practiced at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School.

In addition to pancreas surgery, Dr. Vollmer specializes in treating all malignant and benign conditions of the pancreas and biliary system with a strong emphasis in care of pancreatitis. He also focuses on the management of pancreatic cysts and co-directs the Penn Pancreatic Cyst Program, a multidisciplinary team that evaluates and treats all types of pancreatic cysts.

Learn more about Charles M. Vollmer, MD.


Location:
Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine
West Pavilion, 4th Floor
3400 Civic Center Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19104


For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call 800.789.PENN (7366) or request an appointment online.