Dr. Michael I. D'Angelica

Dr. Michael I. D’Angelica serves as Enid A. Haupt Chair in Surgery and Chief of the Hepatopancreatobiliary Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where he oversees an integrated program for cancers of the liver, bile duct, gallbladder, and pancreas. Every morning, hepatopancreatobiliary surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, interventional radiologists, gastroenterologists, hepatologists, pathologists, genetic counselors, nutritionists, pharmacists, social-work coordinators, and rehabilitation specialists convene to review imaging, molecular reports, and symptom diaries before patients arrive. This unified conference produces a single plan that synchronizes clinic visits, operating-room schedules, systemic-therapy timing, and supportive-care resources, eliminating gaps that once forced families to navigate separate appointments. Same-day cytology, rapid sequence MRI, and succinct anesthesia assessments reduce the interval between suspicion and definitive therapy, while bilingual nurse navigators bundle scans, tele-visits, and insurance clearances into one streamlined call. A secure patient portal lists procedure dates, laboratory trends, and direct-message links so questions find answers quickly, building trust through transparent communication. By turning a historically fragmented pathway into a carefully choreographed team effort, Dr. D’Angelica ensures that every individual receives coordinated, respectful guidance from first evaluation through long-term survivorship. 

 

Dr. D’Angelica’s translational research bridges operating-room insights with laboratory discovery, concentrating on regional liver-directed therapies such as hepatic artery infusion pump chemotherapy. His flagship protocol examines pump-delivered floxuridine for colorectal liver metastases previously considered inoperable, integrating pharmacokinetic modeling, real-time perfusion mapping, and circulating-tumor-DNA surveillance to refine dose intensity while safeguarding healthy parenchyma. Parallel bench work cultures patient-derived organoids exposed to arterial chemotherapy gradients, revealing gene-expression shifts that predict response and guide adjuvant-therapy sequencing. Blood, tissue, and imaging captured at each visit feed a living biobank that aligns genomic, transcriptomic, and spatial-proteomic profiles with clinical outcome, allowing data scientists to build algorithms that flag resistance patterns before radiographic progression. Findings are posted on open dashboards shared with collaborating centers so community surgeons and oncologists can adapt techniques without delay. By looping biological insight straight back to bedside practice, Dr. D’Angelica offers participants therapies that evolve alongside tumor biology while advancing knowledge for future patients.

 

Innovation for Dr. D’Angelica extends into education, mentorship, and nationwide outreach. As Director of the Hepatopancreatobiliary Fellowship and Vice Chair of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network panel for hepatobiliary cancers, he shapes curricula that emphasize technical precision, cost transparency, and compassionate dialogue. Fellows master robotic parenchymal-sparing hepatectomy using stepwise simulation modules before entering the operating suite, while livestream workshops allow rural hospitals to observe complex pump placements in high definition and ask real-time questions, democratizing advanced skills without geographic barriers. Collaborative toolkits produced with advocacy groups explain liver-metastasis warning signs, hepatic-diet guidelines, and financial-assistance pathways in multiple languages, empowering earlier diagnosis and more equitable access to care. Data-science interns embed in his program to apply machine-learning methods to perioperative metrics, generating insights that feed back into quality-improvement dashboards across the institution. This culture of open exchange assures families that the team not only operates skillfully but also listens, teaches, and learns in step with an ever-expanding evidence base.