James Farrell, MBChB

Dr James Farrell MD, Professor of Medicine, Professor of Surgery, and Director, Yale Center for Pancreatic Disease, is an internationally recognized expert in pancreatic disease treatment and research. In addition to his clinical work on the endoscopic evaluation of autoimmune pancreatitis and pancreatic cysts, he is also known for his development of personalized therapy approaches for pancreatic cancer and early detection biomarkers for pancreatic cancer.

Dr Farrell received his medical degree from University College Dublin, Ireland, graduating first in his medical school class. He completed internal medicine training at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins University, in Baltimore and a Gastroenterology Fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston. He subsequently pursued additional Advanced Therapeutic Endoscopic fellowship training at the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. After fellowship, he was recruited to UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles where he developed the largest Endoscopic Ultrasound program in California and became a founding member of the UCLA Center for Pancreatic Diseases. In 2013 he was recruited to lead the Yale Center for Pancreatic Diseases at Yale School of Medicine and the Yale New Haven Hospital, while also joining the existing Yale Interventional Endoscopy Program. He also currently directs the Smilow Cancer Center High Risk Pancreas Cancer Early Detection Clinic and the Yale Digestive Health Pancreatic Cyst Program.

In addition to his clinical practice in pancreatic disease and interventional endoscopy, his clinical research has focused on early detection of pancreatic cancer including studying pancreatitis, high- risk individuals (e.g., inherited mutations, family history) and pancreatic cysts. His translational research includes the development of personalized therapy approaches for pancreatic cancer and the discovery and evaluation of biomarkers in pancreatic disease.

Dr Farrell is board certified in Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology and Clinical Pharmacology. He is the author of numerous publications, is invited to speak nationally and internationally, and maintains a vigorous clinical practice focused on all aspects of interventional endoscopy, gastrointestinal cancer, and pancreatic diseases.