A true innovator in the field of fetal medicine since its inception, Dr. Adzick has dedicated his career to the pursuit of groundbreaking prenatal treatment for debilitating birth defects. He has made pioneering contributions to the practice of fetal surgery, and today continues to explore cutting edge surgical treatment options for life-threatening fetal anatomic malformations such as urethral obstruction, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation of the lung, and sacrococcygeal teratoma.

Dr. Adzick was the principal investigator for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) “Management of Myelomeningocele Study” (MOMS) at CHOP. This breakthrough study demonstrated that performing fetal surgery for spina bifida results in significantly improved outcomes versus conventional postnatal repair. The study represents the fruition of decades of research, much of it led by Dr. Adzick and his team, and is an example of how a once-radical idea can, through meticulous investigation, be transformed into a viable treatment for patients.

Dr. Adzick is also an active pediatric general and thoracic surgeon, and performs more than 400 operations a year. Much of his work is devoted to surgery in newborns, including repairs for congenital diaphragmatic hernia, abdominal wall defects, lung lesions and other complex conditions affecting neonates.

In addition, Dr. Adzick has a special interest and expertise in surgery for hyperinsulinism (HI) and pediatric thyroid disorders. Working closely with CHOP’s Congenital Hyperinsulinism Center, he has been instrumental in using 18 F-DOPA PET scanning technology to identify focal HI lesions in the pancreas, offering the chance of a complete surgical cure by performing partial pancreatectomy for affected patients. Dr. Adzick is also one of the nation’s most experienced surgeons in pediatric surgery to treat thyroid cancer and Graves disease, working in collaboration with CHOP’s Pediatric Thyroid Center.

AB, Harvard College (History and Science), 1975

MD, Harvard Medical School, 1979

MMM, Carnegie Mellon University (Medical Management), 2003

Surgeon-in-Chief, Department of Surgery

Chief, General, Thoracic and Fetal Surgery

Director, Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment

C. Everett Koop Endowed Chair in Pediatric Surgery

Professor of Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology

British Association of Paediatric Surgery

Canadian Association of Pediatric Surgery (honorary member)

Chilean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (honorary member)

International Fetal Medicine and Surgery Society

Pacific Association of Pediatric Surgeons

American Academy of Pediatrics

American College of Surgeons, Fellow

American Pediatric Surgical Association

American Surgical Association

Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences

Marshall K. Bartlett Fellowship, Massachusetts General Hospital, 1983

First Place, Young Investigators Award, Surgical Section, AAP, 1984

Schering Scholarship, American College of Surgeons, 1986

American Lung Association Research Award, 1989

National Kidney Foundation Fellowship, 1990

Focused Giving Award, Johnson and Johnson, 1990

Honorary Award, American Association of Plastic Surgeons, 1992

UCSF Surgical Residents' Teaching Award, 1993, 1995

Honorary Masters of Arts Degree, University of Penn, 1995

University of Penn Med Student Teaching Award, 1996

Australia and New Zealand Chapter of the American College of Surgeons Traveling Fellowship, 1998

Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, 1998

Presidential Cross for Contributions to the Republic of Poland, 1999

President, International Fetal Medicine and Surgery Society, 2000

Elected into the “International Order of the Smile,” 2002

Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2003

President-at-Large, International Fetal Medicine and Surgery Society, 2011

Audrey Evans Award of Excellence, Ronald McDonald House, 2011

Community Service Award, Chai Lifeline, 2011

Charles Hunter Prize, American Gynecological and Obstetrical Society, 2012

Clinical Trial of the Year, Society for Clinical Trials (Management of Myelomeningocele Study), 2012

John Scott Legacy Medal and Premium, 2013

Samuel D. Gross Prize, 2015

Pennsylvania Bio Patient Impact Award, 2016

Congenital Hyperinsulinism Center

Lilly and Dr. Adzick | Twice Born (YouTube/PBS)

To Believe: The Story of Fetal Therapy (Video/Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia)

Spina Bifida Breakthrough (Video/Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia)