Elisabeth U. Dexter, MD, FACS

Specialty: Thoracic Surgery
Attending Surgeon
Quality Assurance Officer, Department of Thoracic Surgery

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Cancers Treated:

Esophageal Lung Mediastinal Mesothelioma Thymus

Specializing In:

  • Benign lung disease such as emphysema
  • Benign esophageal disease such as achalasia, hiatal hernia, gastroesophageal reflux, Zenkers diverticulum
  • Mediastinal and chest wall tumors and cysts
  • Navigational bronchoscopy
  • Intrabronchial valves

Research Interests:

  • Lung cancer staging and outcomes
  • Esophageal cancer staging and outcomes
  • Hospital and clinic process improvement
  • Perioperative value analysis
  • Perioperative quality improvement
  • Robotic navigational bronchoscopy
  • Bronchoscopic lung volume reduction
  • Robotic surgery for lung, esophagus and mediastinal masses

Positions

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

  • Associate Professor of Oncology
  • Attending Surgeon
  • Quality Assurance Officer – Department of Thoracic Surgery

Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo

  • Assistant Professor of Surgery

Background

Education and Training

  • MD - Case Western Reserve University Medical School, Cleveland, OH

Residency

  • Cardiothoracic Surgery - University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA
  • General Surgery - University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA

Fellowship

  • General Thoracic Surgery - Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
  • Cardiac Surgery - Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

Board Certification

  • Diplomate, American Board of Thoracic Surgery
  • Surgery, American Board of Surgery

Professional Memberships

  • Society of Thoracic Surgeons
  • Women in Thoracic Surgery
  • General Thoracic Surgery Club
  • American College of Surgeons - Surgical Outcomes Club
  • American College of Chest Physicians
  • Medical Society of the State of New York
  • Buffalo Surgical Society

Honors & Awards

  • Gold Humanism Award, 2022

Research Overview

My main focus of clinical research is that of improving the quality of perioperative thoracic surgery patient care. Specific projects include studying risk factors and methods to decrease perioperative morbidity and mortality including patient selection, preoperative optimization (e.g., smoking cessation) and postoperative care pathways (e.g., pain control). I also study improvement in hospital and clinic processes such as optimizing operating room case scheduling.

5 questions to ask your lung cancer surgeon Early stage lung cancer: Jim’s story A Double Diagnosis: Frances’s Story Valve therapy helps people with emphysema breathe better

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Lung cancer surgeon Elisabeth Dexter, MD
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Patient Jim and his wife Barb Abbatoy pose together a beach
A Double Diagnosis: Frances’s Story
Frances Lisiewski and Suchitra Sundaram, MD

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Publications

  • Dexter F, Epstein RH, Sun EC, Lubarsky DA, Dexter EU. Readmissions to Different Hospitals After Common Surgical Procedures and Consequences for Implementation of Perioperative Surgical Home Programs. Anesth Analg. 2017 Sep;125(3):943-951. doi: 10.1213/ANE.
  • Dexter F. Epstein RH, Dexter EU, Lubarsky DA, Sun EC. Hospitals with Briefer than average lengths of stays for common surgical procedures do not have greater odds of either re-admission for use of short-term care facilities. Anaesth Intensive Care. 2017 Mar;45(2):210-219.
  • Dexter EU, Perioperative care of the thoracic surgical patient. Sabiston and Spencer’s Surgery of the Chest. Ninth Ed.
  • Demmy TL and Dexter EU: Overview of Video Assisted Thoracoscopy Up-To-Date: http://www.uptodate.com/contents/overview-of-video-assisted-thoracoscop….
  • Kapadia NS, Valle LF, George JA, Jagsi R, D'Amico TA, Dexter EU, Vigneau FD, Kong FM. Patterns of Treatment and Outcomes for Definitive Therapy of Early Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Ann Thorac Surg. 2017 Dec;104(6):1881-1888. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2017.06.065. Epub 2017 Oct 26.
  • Dexter E. Commentary on JCTVS 15-610R2 Small Incisions in Small Patients: Continued Advancement in Pediatric Thoracoscopy. JTCVS 2015 Oct; 150(4) e61-2.
  • Hennon MW, Dexter EU, Huang M, Kane J, Nwogu C, Picone A, Yendamuri S, Demmy TL. Does Thoracoscopic Surgery Decrease the Morbidity of Combined Lung and Chest Wall Resection? Ann Thorac Surg. 2015 Jun;99(6):1929-34.
  • Battoo A, Jahan A, Yang Z, Nwogu C, Yendamuri S, Dexter E, Hennon M, Picone A, Demmy T: Thoracoscopic Pneumonectomy An 11-Year Experience. Chest 2014 146(5):1300-1309.
  • Warren GW, Marshall JR, Cummings KM, Zevon MA, Reed R, Hysert P, Mahoney MC, Hyland AJ, Nwogu C, Demmy T, Dexter E, Kelly M, O’Connor RJ, Houstin T, Jenkins D, Germain P, Singh AK, Epstein J, Dobson Amato KA, Reid ME. Automated Tobacco Assessment and Cessation Support for Cancer Patients. Cancer; 2014 Feb; 120(4): 562-9
  • Kapadia NS, Bobiak S, Zornosa C, D'Amico T, Pisters K, Dexter E, Niland J, Hayman J. SBRT and Surgery for Stage I NSCLC Are Associated With Comparably Low Rates of Acute Toxicity. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2013; 87(2 Suppl.): S495-S496.
  • Halasz LM, Uno H, Zornosa C, D'Amico TA, Dexter E, Hayman JA, Otterson GA, Pisters KM, Weeks JC, Punglia RS. Comparative Effectiveness of Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) Versus Whole Brain Radiation Therapy (WBRT) for Patients With Brain Metastases From Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2013; 87(2 Suppl.): S41.
  • Yendamuri SS, Sharma R, Demmy M, Groman A, Hennon MW, Dexter EU, Nwogu CE, Miller A, Demmy TL. Temporal trends in outcomes following sublobar and lobar resections for small (≤ 2 cm) non-small cell lung cancers--a Surveillance Epidemiology End Results database analysis. J Surg Res. 2013 Jul; 183(1):27-32. PMC 23260233
  • Bhamidipati C, Smeds M, Dexter EU, Kowalski M, Bazaz S. Laparoscopic excision of gastric mass yields intra-abdominal esophageal duplication cyst. Thorac cardiovasc Surg 2013; 61(06): 502-504. PMC23171952
  • Alosi J, Wilson JP, Yendamuri S, Dexter E. Planned Esophagectomy after Neoadjuvant Treatment versus Salvage/Delayed Esophagectomy. Ann Surg Oncol 2013; 20(Suppl. 1): S105.
  • Nwogu C, Yendamuri S, Tan W, Kannisto E, Bogner P, Morrison C, Cheney R, Dexter E, Picone A, Hennon M, Hutson A, Reid M, Adjei A, Demmy T. Lung Cancer Lymph Node Micrometastasis Detection Using RT-PCR-Correlation with Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) Expression. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2013; 145(3): 702-708. PMC3584695
  • Levy MH, Adolph MD, Back A, Block S, Codada SN, Dalal S, Deshields TL, Dexter E, Dy SM, Knight SJ, Misra S, Ritchie CS, Sauer TM, Smith T, Spiegel D, Sutton L, Taylor RM, Temel J, Thomas J, Tickoo R, Urba SG, Von Roenn JH, Weems JL, Weinstein SM, Freedman-Cass DA, Bergman MA. Palliative care. J Natl Compr Canc Netw 2012; 10(10): 1284-1309.
  • Dhillon SS, Dexter EU. Advances in Bronchoscopy for Lung Cancer. J Carcinogenesis 2012; 11: 19-27. PMC3548337
  • Demmy T, Yendamuri S, Hennon M, Dexter EU, Picone A, Nwogu C. Thoracoscopic maneuvers for chest wall resection and reconstruction. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2012; 144(3): S52-S57.
  • Nwogu CE, Groman A, Fahey D, Yendamuri S, Dexter E, Demmy TL, Miller A, Reid M. Number of lymph nodes and metastatic lymph node ratio are associated with survival in lung cancer. Annals of thoracic surgery 2012; 935:1614-1619; discussion 1619-1620
  • Demmy TL, Yendamuri S, Hennon MW, Dexter EU, Picone AL, Nwogu C. Thoracoscopic maneuvers for chest wall resection and reconstruction. Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery 2012;1443:S52-S57
  • D'Amico TA, Niland J, Mamet R, Zornosa C, Dexter EU, Onaitis MW. Efficacy of mediastinal lymph node dissection during lobectomy for lung cancer by thoracoscopy and thoracotomy. Annals of thoracic surgery 2011; 921:226-231; discussion 231-232
  • Yendamuri S, Gold D, Jayaprakash V, Dexter E, Nwogu C, Demmy T. Is sublobar resection sufficient for carcinoid tumors? . Annals of thoracic surgery 2011; 925:1774-1778; discussion 1778-9
  • Kachare S, Dexter EU, Nwogu C, Demmy TL, Yendamuri S. Perioperative outcomes of thoracoscopic anatomic resections in patients with limited pulmonary reserve. Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery 2011; 1412:459-462
  • Jayaprakash V, Cheng C, Reid M, Dexter EU, Nwogu CE, Hicks W, Sullivan M, Demmy TL, Yendamuri S.Previous head and neck cancers portend poor prognoses in lung cancer patients. Annals of thoracic surgery 2011; 923:1056-1061
  • Dexter F, Dexter EU, Ledolter J. Statistical grand rounds: Importance of appropriately modeling procedure and duration in logistic regression studies of perioperative morbidity and mortality.Anesthesia and analgesia 2011; 1135:1197-1201
  • Katzenstein A-LA, Mukhopadhyay S, Zanardi C, Dexter E. Clinically occult interstitial fibrosis in smokers: classification and significance of a surprisingly common finding in lobectomy specimens. Human pathology 2010; 413:316-325
  • Dexter F, Dexter EU, Ledolter J. Influence of procedure classification on process variability and parameter uncertainty of surgical case durations. Anesthesia and analgesia 2010; 1104:1155-1163
  • Dexter EU, Dexter F, Masursky D, Kasprowicz KA. Prospective trial of thoracic and spine surgeons' updating of their estimated case durations at the start of cases. Anesthesia and analgesia 2010;1104:1164-1168
  • Dexter EU, Dexter F, Masursky D, Garver MP, Nussmeier NA. Both bias and lack of knowledge influence organizational focus on first case of the day starts. Anesthesia and analgesia 2009; 1084:1257-1261
  • Bhamidipati CM, Mukhopadhyay S, Feliu C, Patton B, Dexter E. Cystic metastases of papillary thyroid carcinoma mimicking a primary mediastinal cyst. Journal of thoracic oncology 2009; 41:105-106
  • Hsie M, Morbidini-Gaffney S, Kohman LJ, Dexter E, Scalzetti EM, Bogart JA. Definitive treatment of poor-risk patients with stage I lung cancer: a single institution experience. Journal of thoracic oncology 2009;41:69-73
  • Powell JW, Dexter E, Scalzetti EM, Bogart JA. Treatment advances for medically inoperable non-small-cell lung cancer: emphasis on prospective trials. Lancet oncology 2009; 109:885-894