On November 22, The Christian Hospital Foundation presented Nabil Munfakh, MD, with the Paul Deitrich Lifetime Achievement Award at the Four Seasons St. Louis for 25 years of excellent service to the community at Christian Hospital.
Munfakh is a professor of surgery and cardiothoracic surgeon with expertise in treatments for lung cancer, heart failure, and other complex heart and lung conditions. He has provided life-saving care at Christian Hospital since 2001, where he has served as director of cardiothoracic surgery as part of a multidisciplinary team of dedicated specialists.
“Dr. Munfakh has been the cornerstone of our program,” said Tsuyoshi Kaneko, MD, the John M. Schoenberg Chair of Cardiovascular Disease and director of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery. “He is an excellent surgeon, an outstanding educator, and most importantly, a brilliant person. I’m happy to have him as a colleague.”
As a consummate cardiothoracic surgeon, in 2001 Munfakh joined the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery and was named director of cardiothoracic surgery at Christian Hospital.
Medical staff from the cardiothoracic program at Christian Hospital express the satisfaction from his patients and the pleasure they have experienced working alongside him.
“I have worked beside Dr. Munfakh for over 12 years,” says Lisa Campbell, MSN, ANP-C, nurse practitioner. “There is no physician more dedicated to the craft, to the patient and to our team than him. Dr. Munfakh provides the highest level of care to our patients and expects the same from his team. Working with him and seeing all of the lives he has positively impacted over the years has been something I am truly grateful for.”
Throughout his lengthy surgical career, Munfakh has been a stalwart champion of academic surgery and excellent patient care. During his tenure at WashU Medicine, he has aided in the bold advancement of robotic assisted procedures for heart and lung surgery, and under his watch, Christian Hospital surpassed the 500 robotic procedures milestone in 2022.
Munfakh’s team performed the St. Louis region’s first robotic lobectomy to treat lung cancer in 2011. Since then, the use of robotic assisted procedures at Christian Hospital has expanded and continues to gain prevalence, providing highly advanced options for cases of the highest complexity.
“Dr. Munfakh exemplifies the quintessential academic clinician educator,” said Varun Puri, MD, MSCI, chief of the Section of Thoracic Surgery. “He combines deep clinical expertise with a thoughtful, methodical approach to teaching that consistently elevates learners at every stage. His commitment to mentorship, scholarly rigor, and compassionate patient care positions him as a model for the modern academic physician.”
Attesting to his record of exceptional patient care, the Castle Connolly Top Doctors list has included Munfakh’s name since 2016. His excellence in service had previously been recognized by the American Board of Cardiology with the Award of Excellence in 2013. He is also recognized as a patients’ top choice by U.S. News & World Report. With Munfakh’s leadership, Christian Hospital earned a three star ranking for outcomes in lung surgery by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), which is only given to the top 10 percent of programs across the nation.
“Thank you to everyone who nominated me,” Munfakh said upon being presented with the award at the ceremony. “I am proud to have contributed to Christian Hospital’s success. I thank everyone who has been instrumental to my success and the success of the hospital all these years. I’m also extremely grateful for my office staff to whom I owe this award. Our nurse practitioners and office staff are superb and have made my life easier. I truly owe all my success to them.”
Before joining WashU Medicine, Munfakh earned his medical degree at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI in 1985. He then entered general surgery residency at University of Kentucky Hospital in Lexington, KY in 1985, finishing residency training in 1991. During residency, he completed a research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA. After completing general surgery residency training, Munfakh completed a cardiothoracic surgery residency at Medical College of Virginia Hospital in Richmond, VA in 1993.
Munfakh joined the faculty at Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans, LA as an assistant professor of surgery from 1993 and was promoted to associate professor in 1999, continuing to work at LSU in academic surgery until 2001.
The Department of Surgery congratulates Munfakh on this recognition of his dedication and service at Christian Hospital over a 25-year career.