Cedric J. Priebe Jr., MD, joined our faculty in 1982 as professor of surgery and chief of pediatric surgery. In 2007, after 25 years of distinguished service here at Stony Brook, he retired from our full-time faculty. Now emeritus, he continues to serve on a part-time basis, contributing to our quality assurance intiatives and also to our educational programs.
Dr. Priebe began his distinguished career as an academic pediatric surgeon during the period when the specialty of pediatric surgery was originally developed, in the decades following the Second World War.
He received his MD in 1955 from Cornell Medical College, and went on to complete his general surgical residency at Roosevelt Hospital in New York City. He then served in the United States Air Force as a general surgeon for five years.
After caring for a number of complicated pediatric surgical patients, he was stimulated to enter a two-year fellowship in pediatric surgery at Ohio State University's Columbus Children's Hospital under the direction of H. William Clatworthy Jr., MD, that ended in 1967.
Following this training in pediatric surgery, Dr. Priebe returned to practice at Roosevelt Hospital and serve on the faculty at Columbia University. There he developed an academic career and rose to be an associate professor of surgery.
After 12 years he then became a full professor and chief of pediatric surgery at Louisiana State Medical Center and Charity Hospital and director of surgical education at Children's Hospital in New Orleans.
In 1982, when Stony Brook University Hospital was new, and the Department of Surgery was transforming from a group of "generalists" into groups with more specialized skills, Dr. Priebe became the founding chief of the Division of Pediatric Surgery (see description of current clinical service).
At Stony Brook Dr. Priebe developed a strong patient care service, and was recognized as a meticulous surgeon, tireless teacher, and a mentor of surgical faculty, residents, and medical students.
Now, with more than 3,000 outpatient visits and more than 1,000 surgeries annually, we have the largest pediatric surgery program in Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
During his academic career he has been active in research involving the causes of intestinal ischemia that may occur in premature newborn infants. His pediatric surgical interests have focused on newborn congenital anomalies, pediatric tumors, and childhood trauma.
Dr. Priebe has served on multiple national committees of pediatric surgical societies, and has published articles on numerous pediatric surgical topics. He continues to serve as an editorial consultant for the Journal of Pediatric Surgery, the leading journal in the field.
His commitment to excellence in patient care has been recognized by his selection for inclusion in Castle Connolly's How to Find the Best Doctors — New York Metro Area, the Consumer's Research Council of America's Guide to America's Top Surgeons, and Marquis' Who's Who in Medicine and Health Care and Who's Who in America.
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