Fox Chase Cancer Center Appoints Dr. Jeffrey M. Farma Chair of Surgery

Fox Chase Cancer Center has appointed Jeffrey M. Farma, MD, FACS, to Chair of Surgery following a succession of leadership roles at the center.

“Dr. Farma has been an incredible asset to Fox Chase Cancer Center for nearly 15 years. As both an esteemed colleague and caring physician, he is held in high regard by both patients and staff alike. We look forward to his continued leadership in the field,” said Robert Uzzo, MD, MBA, FACS, President and CEO of Fox Chase.

Farma joined Fox Chase Cancer Center in 2009 as an assistant professor. As a full professor of surgery since 2019, he has also served as Chief of the Division of General Surgery since 2018 and Surgical Director of the Melanoma and Skin Cancer Program since 2013. He served as the Director of the Complex General Surgical Oncology Program from 2013 to 2022. He had served as interim Chair of Surgery since 2022.

“It is an honor to work at an institution like Fox Chase Cancer Center. In this new role my goal is to continue to foster an environment of cutting-edge compassionate care on which our patients have come to rely and to enhance our reputation regionally, nationally and internationally,” said Farma.

As Chair of Surgery, Farma will be responsible for overseeing all departmental educational activities, including professional, student, residency, and fellowship programs, as well as mentoring and organizing the department’s clinical faculty. He will also expand peer-reviewed surgical oncology research and clinical trials. He aims to promote a strong culture of institutional stewardship, including a commitment to excellence, efficient and effective business operations.

Since joining Fox Chase in 2009, Farma has built an impressive career as a noted clinician, researcher, and educator. He specializes in treating patients with sarcoma, melanoma and other skin cancers, and gastrointestinal malignancies. He has expertise in performing traditional surgery, regional therapies, and minimally invasive techniques both laparoscopic and robotic.

Farma has published more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and more than 20 book chapters. He has produced nearly 200 scientific abstracts, posters, and plenary sessions, regularly representing Fox Chase at national academic meetings. A sought-after speaker, he has given more than 150 invited lectures and grand rounds, and often provides expert commentary for news stories featured in the media.

Farma has been honored with many accolades and distinctions, including admission into the prestigious American College of Surgeons Academy of Master Surgeon Educators and appointment as the State Chair of the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer (CoC). He has mentored numerous dedicated physicians throughout his career and has been recognized as a Top Doctor for the last seven consecutive years by Castle Connolly and Philadelphia magazine. 

He is a National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) panel member and is active in the Transatlantic Australasian Retroperitoneal Sarcoma Working Group. He was a Surgical Specialty Trustee of the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Medical Society, was chair of the Society of Surgical Oncology Program Director’s Committee and a member of many professional organizations, including the American College of Surgeons, Society of Surgical Oncology, and Society of University Surgeons, among others. In addition, he provides editorial review for journals such as the Annals of Surgical Oncology and the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Farma serves on a number of institutional committees at Fox Chase Cancer Center, including being the Chair and past President of the Medical Staff executive, and regularly volunteers within the community leading Fox Chase teams in the Colon Cancer Coalition’s Get Your Rear in Gear and the Melanoma Research Foundation’s Miles for Melanoma events.

A Philadelphia native, Farma completed his residency in general surgery at Temple University Hospital after earning his medical degree from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. He completed fellowships in surgical oncology at the Moffitt Cancer Center the National Cancer Institute.