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Dr. Fabrizio Michelassi, the Lewis Atterbury Stimson Professor and Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College and Surgeon-in-Chief at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, is the newly elected president of the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO), the premier national and international professional organization for the field.

The announcement was made at the SSO's 62nd Annual Cancer Symposium in Phoenix, Ariz., on March 7.

Dr. Fabrizio Michelassi

Dr. Michelassi is an internationally recognized expert in the surgical treatment of pancreatic, gastric, colon and rectal cancers. He has pioneered the development of important new techniques that ensure better outcomes and improved quality of life for patients with rectal cancers, and has written extensively on surgical treatment and clinical outcomes for patients with colorectal and pancreatic cancers.

A prolific author of more than 200 papers, book chapters and abstracts, Dr. Michelassi serves on the editorial board of seven prestigious professional journals, including the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Nature Clinical Practice Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Surgery, The British Journal of Surgery, the World Journal of Gastroenterology, the Annals of Surgery, and, effective in April 2009, the Nature Reviews Gastroenterology and Hepatology. In addition to his role as president of the Society of Surgical Oncology, Dr. Michelassi has served as president of the Illinois Surgical Society, the Western Surgical Society and the Central Surgical Association. Dr. Michelassi is a member of more than 40 professional societies in the United States and abroad, and has served as vice president of the International Society of Digestive Surgery. He is currently the secretary of the Society of Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, the representative from the American Surgical Association to the Advisory Council for General Surgery of the American College of Surgeons, and a director of the American Board of Surgery.

He has earned numerous awards for his innovative contributions to advancing the treatment of digestive diseases, including the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Award, the American Cancer Society's Cancer Development Award, and the Distinguished Leadership Award from the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America.

The Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) is dedicated to promoting the highest-quality surgical oncology patient care outcomes, education, practice, research, ethical conduct and advocacy. The SSO has a monthly scientific journal (Annals of Surgical Oncology), fellowship training programs, research grant opportunities, and more than 2,000 physician members. Dr. Michelassi succeeds Dr. William G. Cance of the University of Florida.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, located in New York City, is one of the leading academic medical centers in the world, comprising the teaching hospital NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medical College, the medical school of Cornell University. NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell provides state-of-the-art inpatient, ambulatory and preventive care in all areas of medicine, and is committed to excellence in patient care, education, research and community service. Weill Cornell physician-scientists have been responsible for many medical advances — from the development of the Pap test for cervical cancer to the synthesis of penicillin, the first successful embryo-biopsy pregnancy and birth in the U.S., the first clinical trial for gene therapy for Parkinson's disease, the first indication of bone marrow's critical role in tumor growth, and, most recently, the world's first successful use of deep brain stimulation to treat a minimally conscious brain-injured patient. NewYork-Presbyterian, which is ranked sixth on the U.S.News & World Report list of top hospitals, also comprises NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/The Allen Pavilion. Weill Cornell Medical College is the first U.S. medical college to offer a medical degree overseas and maintains a strong global presence in Austria, Brazil, Haiti, Tanzania, Turkey and Qatar. For more information, visit www.med.cornell.edu.