Daniel Boffa, MD
Professor of Surgery (Thoracic)Cards
About
Titles
Professor of Surgery (Thoracic)
Division Chief, Thoracic Surgery; Clinical Director, Center for Thoracic Cancers
Biography
Daniel J. Boffa, MD, is a Professor of Thoracic Surgery at Yale School of Medicine. He earned his medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine with honors and his MBA from the Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis and is a Board Certified Thoracic Surgeon. He has received numerous awards and recognitions for clinical skills, research and education, including the Dr. Charles H. Bryan Clinical Excellence Award from the Cleveland Clinic, the Thoracic and Cardiovascular Research Award and the CALGB young investigator award, and the Edward H. Storer education award from Yale and the Hassan A. Naama Award education award from Cornell. His work has been published in top Journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, the JAMA Network and Nature, as well as mainstream media including the New York Times and the LA Times. He has been interviewed by numerous news outlets including Nature Medicine, Bloomberg News, NBC and National Geographic.
Dr. Boffa specializes in esophageal and lung cancer, achalasia, gastroesophageal reflux disease, hiatal hernia, esophageal diverticulum, and hyperhidrosis. As a highly skilled surgeon, Dr. Boffa performs the majority of his surgeries with minimally invasive procedures. Committed to increasing the survival rate of cancer patients. Dr. Boffa has focused his clinical research on identifying the most effective way of treating cancer patients, particularly those with stage IV cancer, as well as quality of care across different hospital networks. He is the chair of the Quality Assurance and Data committee for the Commission on Cancer, which is one of the largest cancer organizations in the world.
Appointments
Thoracic Surgery
Section ChiefDualThoracic Surgery
ProfessorPrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
- Center for Thoracic Cancers
- COPPER Center
- Hepatic Arterial Infusion (HAI) Program
- Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) Program
- Oligometastatic Cancer Program
- Radiobiology and Genome Integrity
- Surgery
- Thoracic Surgery
- Yale Cancer Center
- Yale Medicine
- Yale Ventures
Education & Training
- MBA
- Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis (2021)
- Fellow
- Cleveland Clinic (2007)
- Administrative Chief Resident
- Cleveland Clinic (2007)
- Resident
- New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center (2004)
- MD
- University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine (1997)
Research
Overview
Daniel J. Boffa, MD, is an Associate Professor of Thoracic Surgery at Yale School of Medicine. He earned his medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and is a Board Certified Surgeon and a Board Certified Thoracic Surgeon. His international work includes traveling to Leuven, Belgium, for a presentation for the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the ASN/ISN World Congress of Nephrology. He has written many papers and publications in his field and has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the Dr. Charles H. Bryan Clinical Excellence Award, Thoracic and Cardiovascular Research Award, and the American Association of Thoracic Surgery Resident Traveling Fellowship.
Medical Research Interests
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
Clinical Care
Overview
Daniel J. Boffa, MD, is director of clinical affairs for Yale Medicine’s thoracic surgery program. As a thoracic surgeon, he primarily treats people for esophageal and lung cancers, but he also sees patients who may have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), difficulty swallowing (achalasia) or stomach hernias.
Dr. Boffa places his patient’s needs first. When he discusses options with patients, he first listens carefully to understand their concerns—and makes treatment recommendations based on their quality-of-life preferences. “In an era of personalized medicine, the goals of your care are as important as your DNA,” Dr. Boffa says.
Then he talks to them very frankly about their prospects. “I tell every patient that I’m from the Midwest and we tell it like it is,” he says. “In my experience, when people hear the truth, it’s actually more comforting because they know what they are up against.”
Dr. Boffa says that the high rate of success in Yale Medicine’s thoracic surgery program can be attributed to team members’ deep expertise and desire to give patients the best coordinated care. Yale Medicine’s thoracic oncology program consistently ranks at the top of listings compiled by the Society for Thoracic Surgeons, Dr. Boffa says.
As an associate professor of surgery, Dr. Boffa conducts research into innovative approaches to care. “The more you understand about the patient and their disease,” he says, “the more likely you are to end up with the results the patient is happy with.”
Clinical Specialties
Fact Sheets
Lung Cancer in Nonsmokers
Learn More on Yale MedicineGastrointestinal Cancers
Learn More on Yale MedicineHyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC)
Learn More on Yale MedicineLung Cancer
Learn More on Yale Medicine
Board Certifications
Thoracic Surgery
- Certification Organization
- AB of Thoracic Surgery
- Latest Certification Date
- 2016
- Original Certification Date
- 2008
Yale Medicine News
News & Links
News
- May 12, 2025
YCC Publications 2025
- April 28, 2025
New surgical tools, methods, and treatments mean faster recovery from thoracic cancer surgeries
- April 09, 2025Source: NBC Connecticut (with Dr. Dan Boffa)
Raising awareness, what you can do to prevent esophageal cancer
- April 07, 2025
15% of U.S. Cancer Patients Are Active Smokers at Time of Diagnosis
Get In Touch
Contacts
Thoracic Surgery
330 Cedar Street, P.O. Box 208062
New Haven, CT 06520-8062
United States
Administrative Support
Locations
Patient Care Locations
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