Cancer Services Director named for CAMC/Vandalia South Region

GREENBRIER COUNTY (WVDN) – Ghulam Abbas, MD, MHCM, FACS, a thoracic surgeon, joined CAMC in March and has been named Cancer Services Director For CAMC/Vandalia South Region.

Abbas is an internationally recognized expert in robotic thoracic surgery, specializing in high-risk patients with locally advanced lung and esophageal cancers. He has held prestigious positions such as chief of thoracic and esophageal surgery at the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute, where he established a successful thoracic program, and chairman of the department of surgery at UPMC Passavant. 

He is board-certified in surgery by the American Board of Surgery and in thoracic and cardiac surgery by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery.

Abbas performs robotic lung sparing surgery for lung cancer and robotic esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. His clinical interests include endoscopic and robotic esophageal surgery for achalasia (POEM), Zenker’s diverticulum (Z-POEM), Barrett’s esophagus, hiatal hernia and GERD. He is also an expert in robotic surgery for complex lung cancer resection, first rib resection for thoracic outlet syndrome, thymectomy for thymoma and myasthenia gravis, neurogenic tumors, and chest wall tumor resection and reconstruction.

In affiliation with several professional and scientific societies, Abbas is a member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the Society of Robotic Surgery, the International Society of Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery, the General Thoracic Surgical Club, and the American College of Healthcare Executives. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS).

Thoracic surgery is the field of medicine involved in the surgical treatment of organs inside the thorax. Cardiothoracic surgeons are medical doctors who specialize in surgical procedures inside the thorax, which may involve the heart, lungs, esophagus, and other organs in the chest. Alongside performing surgery, they also diagnose and treat diseases of these organs.

Throughout his work, Abbas has been an invited speaker at many international conferences on lung and esophageal cancer. He is the author of numerous peer-reviewed scientific articles and book chapters.