Dominic Sanford, MD, MBA, MPHS, FACS, has been named chief of the Section of HPB-GI Surgery within the Department of Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He begins in this role effective immediately.
As chief, Sanford oversees the section’s efforts to expand HPB-GI surgical services across the region, conduct research, and educate the next generation of hepatobiliary surgeons.
“Dr. Sanford is an exemplary surgeon and an outstanding educator,” said John A. Olson Jr., MD, PhD, the William K. Bixby Professor and chair of the Department of Surgery. “His commitment to his patients is evident in every interaction. As chief of this section, Dr. Sanford will make minimally invasive surgical care available to more people in need of advanced hepatobiliary, pancreatic and gastrointestinal care, while also furthering our academic and research missions.”
Sanford specializes in surgery of the pancreas, bile ducts, and liver. He has expertise in minimally invasive surgeries for pancreatic cancer, one of the most lethal forms of cancer. Minimally invasive approaches, including laparoscopic and robotic surgery, have been shown to result in less pain, shorter hospital stays and quicker recovery times when compared to traditional open surgery.
Over the past two years, Sanford has led the section’s expansion of HPB-GI surgery services to Missouri Baptist Medical Center, helping more patients receive the highest quality of care from WashU Medicine physicians. He is director of hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery at Missouri Baptist.
Sanford also serves as director of the surgical prehabilitation and readiness (SPAR) program at WashU Medicine. SPAR is designed to help patients prepare before surgery to improve their recovery. The program focuses on physical activity, lung health, nutrition and mindset during the preoperative period. In 2022, SPAR received a Quality, Excellence and Safety Team Award from Barnes-Jewish Hospital for its success with preparing patients for surgery. Sanford has published several studies demonstrating the effectiveness of prehabilitation in improving outcomes after major operations, including a study published this August in the journal Surgery.
He is also director of the HPB-GI surgery fellowship at WashU Medicine—a two-year fellowship that provides high operative experience to trainees, with an emphasis on minimally invasive surgery.
“It’s an incredible honor to lead the hepatobiliary, pancreatic, and gastrointestinal surgery section at Washington University,” said Sanford. “I’m deeply committed to advancing minimally invasive techniques and accelerating translational research to improve outcomes for patients with complex surgical and cancer challenges. This new role provides a powerful opportunity to shape the future of hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery, drive transformative innovation, and build upon the legacy of excellence that defines the Washington University Department of Surgery.”
Sanford earned his medical degree from the University of Missouri School of Medicine in Columbia, MO. He completed general surgery residency at WashU Medicine, where he also earned a master’s degree in population health sciences. Also at WashU Medicine, Sanford completed fellowships in surgical oncology research and hepatobiliary, pancreatic and liver transplant surgery. Sanford also completed a minimally invasive hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL. Most recently, he earned a master’s degree in business administration from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.