NEW YORK (Aug. 6, 2021) — Dr. Brian DeRubertis, a leading vascular surgeon and researcher who develops innovative approaches and surgical techniques for treating conditions affecting the circulatory system, has been named chief of the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, effective July 12.
The Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, housed within the Department of Surgery, is dedicated to providing comprehensive, quality care to patients with vascular disease and disorders including peripheral arterial disease, aortic aneurysms, carotid stenosis and stroke prevention, and venous disease.
Dr. DeRubertis will lead a team of skilled vascular surgeons using state-of-the-art technologies, cutting-edge surgical practices and diagnostic tools, including the use of robotics and 3-D imaging, to provide the best treatment for patients, with a focus on minimally invasive procedures. He will seek to bolster the division’s research enterprise by increasing patient enrollment in clinical trials for new devices, work to enhance clinical collaborations across the academic medical center, and support the next generation of vascular surgeons through clinical training programs and post-graduate education. As division chief, Dr. DeRubertis will prioritize consistency of care, ensuring that the most up-to-date, modern endovascular treatments are available to all patients throughout the hospital system, including NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian Queens.
Dr. DeRubertis comes to Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center from the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he served as a clinical professor of medicine in the Division of Vascular Surgery and an attending vascular surgeon at UCLA Medical Center. He is a Weill Cornell Medicine alumnus, graduating in 1997.
“We are thrilled to welcome back Dr. DeRubertis to Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center as the new chief of vascular and endovascular surgery,” said Dr. Fabrizio Michelassi, chairman of the Department of Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine and surgeon-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. “Dr. DeRubertis is an exceptional surgeon, scientist and educator who has driven critical advances in the field of vascular surgery, particularly working with cutting-edge technology, and has greatly improved the lives of countless patients. We look forward to seeing the continued breakthroughs he will make this area of medicine.”
Dr. DeRubertis’ clinical interests include open repair and endovascular treatment of complex aortic aneurysms, and treatment of a range of blood flow complications and blockages in arteries and veins, including lower extremity arterial occlusive disease, carotid artery disease and deep venous disease. In an effort to minimize the physical impact and need for prolonged recovery times for patients, who are often older in this area of medical care, he takes a multidisciplinary approach using both standard open surgical operations as well as innovative minimally invasive techniques to correct vascular issues.
“Longer hospital stays and recovery times from procedures can have a major impact in terms of daily functioning and the ability to live independently,” Dr. DeRubertis said. “My goal is to use technology to help patients have a more rapid return to normal life, so that we ultimately preserve that quality of life in the long term.”
His primary research focus is in clinical trial research and design, participating in numerous trials involving new endovascular techniques and experimental devices. He has served as site or national principal investigator in more than 15 clinical research studies, including a current trial for a bioresorbable vascular scaffold, or stent, for blocked arteries below the knee—the first of its kind.
As division chief, Dr. DeRubertis will emphasize inter-division and multi-departmental collaboration, noting that vascular and cardiovascular disease is increasingly being treated in a multidisciplinary fashion, with intersections between cardiology, interventional radiology, and vascular and cardiac surgery.
“The opportunity for collaboration was a large part of the appeal of joining Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian,” he said. “Not only does this division have an incredible group of accomplished vascular surgeons, you have colleagues at the top of their field in each of these other specialties. And together, through our shared modern approach to medicine, we are able to provide the best, most comprehensive care to our patients.”
About Dr. Brian DeRubertis
Dr. DeRubertis received a bachelor’s degree in psychobiology from UCLA and a medical degree from Weill Cornell Medicine. After a general surgery internship at Oregon Health Sciences University, he completed a surgical research fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He completed his general surgery residency and chief residency at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, followed by a vascular surgery fellowship at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell and NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Dr. DeRubertis then joined the faculty of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA as an assistant professor-in-residence in the Division of Vascular Surgery, rising to the position of clinical professor of surgery and most recently serving as medical director of the Ambulatory Procedure Unit at the UCLA Gonda Vascular Center.
He has published more than 70 articles in peer-reviewed journals and contributed more than 15 book chapters. A fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Dr. DeRubertis is also a member of numerous medical organizations including the Society for Vascular Surgery, the Vascular & Endovascular Surgery Society, and the Pacific Coast Surgical Association. As a frequent guest speaker, he has presented original research at over 35 regional and national academic conferences and delivered over 200 presentations at national and international symposia. An expert in his field, he is a member of multiple advisory boards and has served as a physician-educator in many industry and societal training programs.
NewYork-Presbyterian
NewYork-Presbyterian is one of the nation’s most comprehensive, integrated academic healthcare systems, encompassing 10 hospitals across the Greater New York area, more than 200 primary and specialty care clinics and medical groups, and an array of telemedicine services.
A leader in medical education, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is the only academic medical center in the nation affiliated with two world-class medical schools, Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. This collaboration means patients have access to the country’s leading physicians, the full range of medical specialties, latest innovations in care, and research that is developing cures and saving lives.
Ranked the #1 hospital in New York and the #7 hospital in the nation in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals rankings, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is also recognized as among the best in the nation in the U.S. News Best Children’s Hospitals rankings. Founded 250 years ago, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital has a long legacy of medical breakthroughs and innovation, from the invention of the Pap test to pioneering the groundbreaking heart valve replacement procedure called TAVR.
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Weill Cornell Medicine
Weill Cornell Medicine Weill Cornell Medicine is committed to excellence in patient care, scientific discovery and the education of future physicians in New York City and around the world. The doctors and scientists of Weill Cornell Medicine — faculty from Weill Cornell Medical College, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, and Weill Cornell Physician Organization — are engaged in world-class clinical care and cutting-edge research that connect patients to the latest treatment innovations and prevention strategies. Located in the heart of the Upper East Side’s scientific corridor, Weill Cornell Medicine’s powerful network of collaborators extends to its parent university Cornell University; to Qatar, where Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar offers a Cornell University medical degree; and to programs in Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Austria and Turkey. Weill Cornell Medicine faculty provide exemplary patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Westchester Behavioral Health Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian Queens and NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. Weill Cornell Medicine is also affiliated with Houston Methodist. For more information, visit weill.cornell.edu.