Herbert J. Zeh III

Herbert J. Zeh III, M.D., internationally recognized for his work in advancing care for patients with pancreatic cancer, became Chair of the Department of Surgery in April 2018. Dr. Zeh is one of the leading practitioners of advanced robotic surgical oncology techniques, including the robotic Whipple procedure for pancreatic cancer treatment. He also is noted for his excellence as an educator and researcher, pioneering novel methodologies for assessing surgeon proficiency in robotic surgery and conducting NIH-funded innovative clinical trials examining autophagy inhibition for patients with pancreatic cancer. He joined UT Southwestern from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where he was a Professor of Surgery and Chief of the Gastrointestinal Surgical Oncology Division. After completing his undergraduate work at the University of Notre Dame, he earned his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He performed his surgical residency and advanced training in surgical oncology and pancreatic-hepatobiliary surgery at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. In addition, Dr. Zeh served two years as a Medical Staff Fellow in Surgical Oncology at the National Cancer Institute. Among his many professional distinctions, he is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.