Meet Surgeon William Jarnagin

Meet Surgeon William Jarnagin

William Jarnagin – a surgeon who treats patients with disorders of the pancreas, liver, and bile ducts – discusses the specialized expertise of surgeons at Memorial Sloan Kettering, a high-volume center.
Video Details
 William R. Jarnagin, MD

William R. Jarnagin, MD, FACS

Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgeon

Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Liver cancer and conditions
  • Bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma)
  • Gallbladder cancer

My Specialties

  • Surgery
  • Laparoscopic surgery
  • Image-guided surgery
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Dr. Jarnagin's Office Information
Languages: English
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Get to Know Me

As Chief of Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Hepatopancreatobiliary Service, I oversee a team of seven board-certified surgeons that performs approximately 1,000 operations a year for HPB-related disease; of that number, roughly 350 are pancreas and related resections, 350-400 are liver resections, and the remainder are mix of palliative, non-therapeutic, diagnostic procedures. 

We work intimately with the broader healthcare group — meeting weekly to discuss each patient’s care. In these and other ways, we design the very best treatment plan possible, customized to each individual’s needs.

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It was during my research fellowship at The Liver Center at the University of California, San Francisco, that I became interested in focusing on liver, biliary, and pancreatic diseases. When I returned to clinical training, my interest in caring for patients with these disorders crystallized, so I pursued a surgical fellowship with Dr. Leslie Blumgart here at MSK — and I never left.

In addition to my time in the clinic and operating room, I have a keen interest in research, and have been actively involved in several clinical trials since joining the faculty at MSK in 1997.

My colleagues and I are actively investigating novel therapies for patients with bile duct cancer and primary liver cancer that cannot be treated surgically. Alongside colleagues from medical oncology and radiology, we are studying how these tumors respond to treatment. We are also learning more about the most basic, molecular genetic changes that take place in bile duct cancers to understand how these tumors develop in the first place.

For patients undergoing surgery, we are also trying, whenever possible, to use minimally invasive approaches (laparoscopy and robotics) and image-guidance systems to treat cancers of the liver and pancreas. Such approaches may allow for faster recovery.

Outside of MSK, I am a Past President of the AHPBA (Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association), the largest organization for liver and pancreas specialists in North and South America, and am currently Treasurer of the IHPBA (International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association). Also, I am an elected member of such national organizations as the American Surgical Association, the Society of University Surgeons, and the Southern Surgical Association.

Thus far in my career, I have been honored to speak around the world on a host of topics, and I have contributed to more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, and in collaboration with colleagues from MSK, have edited two medical textbooks: The American Cancer Society Clinical Oncology Atlas Series: Hepatobiliary Cancer and Blumgart’s Surgery of the Liver, Biliary Tract, and Pancreas.

On a personal note, I am especially proud of my six years of service as a member of the US Naval Reserve’s Medical Corps, a commitment that took me to naval bases around the country to train with physicians, nurses, and other naval personnel.

 

What I Do at MSK

I'm a hepatopancreatobiliary (heh-PA-toh-PAN-kree-A-to-BIH-lee-AYR-ee) surgeon at MSK. This is a doctor with special training in surgery on the liver, pancreas, gallbladder, and bile ducts. They’re also called an HPB surgeon.

  • Chief, Hepatobiliary Service
  • Leslie Blumgart Chair in Surgery
Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Liver cancer and conditions
  • Bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma)
  • Gallbladder cancer
  • Pancreatic cancer

My Specialties

  • Surgery
  • Laparoscopic surgery
  • Image-guided surgery
Education & Honors

Education

  • MD, Rush Medical College

Residencies

  • General Surgery - University of California San Francisco

Fellowships

  • Hepatobiliary Surgery - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Board Certifications

  • Surgery

Awards and Honors

  • Castle Connolly: America’s Top Doctor (2025)
  • Castle Connolly: America’s Top Doctor (2024)
  • Top Doctors New York Metro Area, Castle Connolly (2023)
  • Castle Connolly: America's Top Doctors (2023)
  • Castle Connolly: New York Magazine Top Doctors (2009, 2011-2020)
  • AHPBA Nonie Lowry Distinguished Service Award (2020)
  • Healthnetwork Service Excellence Award (2015)

Insurance Information

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If you don't have health insurance or are worried that your care may not be fully covered, our financial assistance programs may be able to help.

If you have questions about insurance, call us at 646-497-9176.

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Contact and Location

Dr. Jarnagin sees patients at one location.

Office Phone
Location
New York, NY
Rockefeller Outpatient Pavilion
160 East 53rd Street New York NY 10022
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Colleagues

Doctors at Memorial Sloan Kettering work as teams, with specialists from all different areas. This allows us to consider all your needs together, and to give you the best possible care.

See all Hepatopancreatobiliary Service doctors

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Clinical Trials

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Find a Clinical Trial for You

Memorial Sloan Kettering's doctors and scientists are constantly developing new treatments for cancer. MSK is typically running hundreds of clinical trials at a given time.

You may be able to participate in a clinical trial even if you are new to MSK. Search our online directory to find trial information and see more about who can participate.

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Research and Publications

Publications on PubMed

Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Jarnagin’s journal articles. Pubmed is an online index of research papers and other articles from the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.

See all on PubMed

Disclosures

Doctors and faculty members often work with pharmaceutical, device, biotechnology, and life sciences companies, and other organizations outside of MSK, to find safe and effective cancer treatments, to improve patient care, and to educate the health care community.

MSK requires doctors and faculty members to report (“disclose”) the relationships and financial interests they have with external entities. As a commitment to transparency with our community, we make that information available to the public.

William R. Jarnagin discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

No disclosures meeting criteria for time period


If you’re a patient at MSK and would like more information about your doctor’s external relationships, please talk with your doctor.

The information published here is a complement to other publicly reported data and is for a specific annual disclosure period. There may be differences between information on this and other public sites as a result of different reporting periods and/or the various ways relationships and financial interests are categorized by organizations that publish such data.

This page and data include information for a specific MSK annual disclosure period (January 1, 2023 through disclosure submission in spring 2024). This data reflects interests that may or may not still exist. This data is updated annually.

Learn more about MSK’s COI policies here. For questions regarding MSK’s COI-related policies and procedures, email MSK’s Compliance Office at [email protected].


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