Adam Yopp, M.D.

Adam Yopp, M.D.

  • The Occidental Chemical Chair in Cancer Research
  • Surgery - Surgical Oncology
  • Gallbladder/Bile Duct (Cholangiocarcinoma) Cancer
  • Liver Cancer

Biography

Adam Yopp, M.D., is a Professor in the Department of Surgery and Chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He specializes in surgeries for cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, pancreas, stomach, and bile duct. He is the Surgical Director of the Liver Tumor Program at UT Southwestern. In addition, he is the Director of the Tissue Specimen Resource at Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center.

A Wisconsin native, Dr. Yopp brings both extensive clinical and research training to UT Southwestern. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned his medical degree at St. George’s University. Following completion of a general surgery residency at Maimonides Medical Center in New York he received advanced training in hepatopancreatobiliary malignancies as a surgical oncology fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Board-certified in surgery by the American Board of Surgery, he joined UT Southwestern in 2009.

Dr. Yopp conducts outcomes based research studying factors associated with worse outcomes in cancer patients from racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disadvantaged populations. His goal is to implement strategies aimed at reducing these disparities and improve survival in all cancer patients. His research has led to the receipt of grant support from the National Institutes of Health and Department of Defense.

Dr. Yopp has been a guest lecturer at international, national, regional, and local medical conferences. His research has been published in over 125 journal articles including Cancer, Journal of Clinical Oncology, and Annals of Surgical Oncology. In addition, he is on the editorial board of Annals of Surgical Oncology.

He is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association, and the Society of Surgical Oncology.

Dr. Yopp was included in D Magazine’s Best Doctor list multiple times.

Personal Note

Outside of work, Dr. Yopp can be found cheering on his beloved Green Bay Packers and Wisconsin Badgers.

Meet Dr. Yopp

Oncologist and Liver Cancer Specialist

Adam Yopp, M.D., has high hopes of eradicating liver cancer and other gastrointestinal disorders as a surgical oncologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center’s Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center.

"I believe in laying all the cards on the table with my patients and having a joint decision about what to do. I let them know I am going to be there whether it's good news or bad news."

He is a Professor of Surgery in the Surgical Oncology Division at UT Southwestern and one of four surgical oncologists on the nationally recognized gastrointestinal cancer team at Simmons. He specializes in cancer surgeries in the gastrointestinal tract, liver, pancreas, stomach, and bile duct.

Dr. Yopp would love to see a cure for liver cancer during his lifetime. Until that happens, he will continue to battle that disease and other gastrointestinal disorders in the lab and in the operating room.

“At Simmons Cancer Center, I think we’re at the cutting edge of taking concepts that work in the lab and translating them to advanced patient care,” Dr. Yopp says. “After all, the goal of basic science lab work is to kill cancer in humans, not in mice, and I think we’re starting to do that.”

Dr. Yopp has done extensive research on liver cancer, its causes, and treatment. He directs clinical trials for drugs that fight the disease, and he is working with his colleagues at Simmons Cancer Center to diagnose and treat patients much earlier in the process, giving them the best chance for long-term survival.

He believes in an open approach with his patients when discussing their cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment options. He encourages lots of questions and says that patients are a crucial part of the decision-making team.

Personalized care is also one of Dr. Yopp’s passions, because no two patients are alike, he says. He believes in doing whatever it takes to get patients through the tough stuff, whether it’s surgery, chemotherapy, or other types of treatment.

Dr. Yopp found his calling with his first case as a medical student. 

“It was called the Whipple Procedure,” he says. “They removed the head of the pancreas, and I thought it was an incredible feat of concentration and skill. From that point on, I was interested in hepatobiliary surgery.”

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Education & Training
  • Residency - Maimonides Medical Center (2000-2007), Surgery
  • Fellowship - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Institute (2007-2009), Surgical Oncology
  • Medical School - St. George's University School of Medicine, Grenada (1996-2000)
Professional Associations & Affiliations
  • Society of Surgical Oncology
  • American Society of Clinical Oncology
  • American Hepatopancreatobiliary Association
  • American College of Surgeons
Honors & Awards
  • D Magazine Best Doctor, 2011 – 2012, 2016 – 2022
Books & Publications
Research
  • Developing novel biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with upper gastrointestinal malignancies especially hepatocellular carcinoma and pancreatic cancer.

Clinical Focus

  • Gallbladder/Bile Duct (Cholangiocarcinoma) Cancer
  • Liver Cancer
  • Pancreatic Cancer
  • Pancreatic Cancer Prevention
  • Stomach/EG Junction Cancer
  • Surgery for Gastrointestinal Cancer
  • Surgery for Pancreatic Cancer
  • Pancreatic Disease
  • Gastrointestinal Cancers
  • Gallbladder & Bile Duct Disease
  • Biliary Tract Disorders

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Q&A by Dr. Yopp

Adam Yopp, M.D.

Dr. Yopp talks about his approach to patient care.