Skip to Main Content

James Frederic Passarelli, MD

Associate Professor of Surgery (Bariatric, Minimally Invasive)
DownloadHi-Res Photo

About

Titles

Associate Professor of Surgery (Bariatric, Minimally Invasive)

Biography

Dr. James Passarelli was born in New Haven CT and attended the Hopkins School and Tufts University. He graduated from New York Medical College in 1989 and did his surgical training at UPSTATE in Syracuse NY. His specific interests include laparoscopic surgery, hernia repairs and colon and rectal surgery.

Appointments

Education & Training

Resident
SUNY UPSTATE (1994)
MD
New York Medical College (1989)

Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

  • honor

    Connecticut Magazine Top Docs 2007-2016

  • honor

    Connecticut Magazine Top Docs 2016

  • honor

    Connecticut Magazine Top Docs 2015

Clinical Care

Overview

James Passarelli, MD, is a general surgeon who specializes in gall bladder, hernia, and colon and rectal surgeries. He cares for adults of all ages, and is skilled in the latest minimally invasive and robotic approaches.

Being a doctor runs in his family. “It was something I always wanted to do, too,” Dr. Passarelli says. His father, Nicholas Passarelli, MD, worked as a general surgeon at Yale, and his wife, Marianne Passarelli, MD, MBA, is a Yale Medicine urologist.

After practicing surgery for about 25 years, he says it’s exciting to be part of a field that is always changing. “We have gone from open to laparoscopic to robotic surgery,” Dr. Passarelli says. “People who would have stayed in the hospital for a week after surgery are now in the hospital for a day, literally, and the outcomes are better.”

Despite the changes in surgery, he still sees many patients who are fearful when they come to see him. “Some are afraid they have cancer, which they usually don’t, and surgery can seem like a formidable thing,” he says. “My primary role as a surgeon is to do a good job, surgically. But my secondary role is to educate patients about what is going to happen. I like to sit down and spend time with people. Often, we talk not only about the surgery, but also about other things. The more you know about patients and the more they know about you, the more comfortable they will be.”

Clinical Specialties

Colorectal Surgery; Minimally Invasive Surgery; Gastrointestinal Surgery

Fact Sheets

Board Certifications

  • Surgery General

    Certification Organization
    AB of Surgery
    Latest Certification Date
    2014
    Original Certification Date
    1995

Yale Medicine News

Get In Touch

Contacts

Academic Office Number
Appointment Number
Clinical Inquiry Number
Office Fax Number
Clinic Fax Number
Mailing Address

Bariatric & Minimally Invasive Surgery

333 Cedar Street, PO Box 208062

New Haven, CT 06510

United States

Locations

  • Patient Care Locations

    Are You a Patient? View this doctor's clinical profile on the Yale Medicine website for information about the services we offer and making an appointment.