Stanley W. Ashley, MD, is the Frank Sawyer Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School and a general and gastrointestinal surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
A graduate of Oberlin College and Cornell University Medical College, he completed a residency in general surgery and did a research fellowship in gastrointestinal physiology at Washington University in St. Louis. He subsequently served on the faculties of Washington University, the University of California at Los Angeles, and, since 1996, Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School. At the Brigham, he has served as Program Director of the General Surgery Residency, Chief of Surgery at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates/Atrius Health, Vice Chairman of the Department of Surgery, and most recently Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs.
Dr. Ashley is a gastrointestinal surgeon whose primary interests are diseases of the pancreas and inflammatory bowel disease. His research, which has been funded by both the Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Institute of Health, has examined the pathophysiology of the pancreas and small bowel. His clinical research has examined both necrotizing pancreatitis and pancreatic neoplasia. His focus recently has been on practical aspects of quality and value and how these can be applied to improve outcomes. Closely related to this, he has an interest in physician education, both at the graduate and postgraduate (MOC) levels, and its integration into a certification/recertification process that ensures quality of care.
He is the author of more than 350 publications. He serves on numerous editorial boards, including the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery and the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. He is editor of Current Problems in Surgery and Scientific American Surgery. He is a former Chair of the American Board of Surgery and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and as Past President and Chair of the Board of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract.