Dr. Ronald Salem's Last Case

The Department of Surgery honored Dr. Ronald Salem with a “Clap Out” and appreciation ceremony after his final surgical case on Tuesday, August 15, 2023.

Ronald Salem, MD, Lampman Professor of Surgery, performed his final surgery in August after 23 years of service. A renowned pancreatic surgeon, Dr. Salem specialized in minimally invasive surgery for patients with malignant and pre-malignant conditions and the management of pancreatic cysts.

Under his leadership, Yale’s Division Surgical Oncology became a destination medical center for complex pancreatic surgical procedures including the Whipple procedure. Surgical oncology was formally recognized as an NIH-designated comprehensive cancer center with the establishment of the state-of-the-art Smilow Cancer Hospital in 2009 to provide cutting-edge research and cancer treatment.

Dr. Salem’s research interests include combined modality therapy for esophageal cancer and the management of benign and malignant liver tumors. He is the recipient of multiple General Surgery Resident Teaching Awards at Hammersmith Hospital, the 2005 Alvan Feinstein Clinical Teaching Award, and the 2011 David J. Lefell Prize for Clinical Excellence.

Dr. Salem earned his medical degree at the University of Rhodesia and completed a general surgery residency at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School at Hammersmith Hospital in London. He was chief resident and a research fellow at the New England Deaconess Hospital and the Dana Farber Cancer Center in Boston.