John Kunstman, MD, MHS, FACS, has been named co-leader of the Pancreas Program at Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center (YCC) and director of pancreas surgery for the Yale School of Medicine (YSM) Department of Surgery’s Division of Surgical Oncology.
The Pancreas Program is a newly established subsection of the Center for Gastrointestinal Cancers, designed to bring together multidisciplinary expertise to advance the care of patients with pancreatic disease. Kunstman will co-lead the program alongside medical oncologists Mandar Muzumdar, MD, and Jill Lacy, MD. The program offers patients comprehensive, coordinated care, integrating multispecialty expertise with advanced technology for the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of pancreatic cancer.
Kunstman’s appointment as director of pancreas surgery recognizes his leadership and contributions to pancreatic surgical care at Yale. An associate professor at YSM, he has a clinical focus on the treatment of patients with cystic diseases of the pancreas. He was recently honored with the 2025 YCC Clinical Excellence Award, recognizing his outstanding contributions to patient care.
He maintains an active research program examining the development of pancreatic cystic lesions and the genetics of associated pancreatic cancers. In addition, his clinical research is focused on improving outcomes for patients undergoing pancreatic surgery.
Kunstman also played an integral role in establishing Yale’s Oncovascular Program, which provides a highly specialized approach to cancer care by integrating advanced oncologic treatment with vascular surgery expertise.