Ory Wiesel, MD, is Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery at the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, and the Director of Thoracic and Esophageal Surgery at Tzafon Medical Center in northern Israel. His career has spanned Europe, Israel, and the United States, reflecting a consistent dedication to advancing thoracic and foregut surgery while expanding equity and access to care for minorities and underserved populations.

Dr. Wiesel graduated summa cum laude from Semmelweis University of Medicine in Budapest, where he also completed a thesis in neuroendocrine research. He returned to Israel for his general surgery residency at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, where his early interest in thoracic and esophageal surgery took shape. Motivated to pursue advanced training, he relocated with his family to Boston to complete fellowships in General Thoracic, Foregut, Robotic, and Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School.

Following fellowships, he joined the thoracic surgery division at Maimonides Medical Center in New York. There, he cared for Brooklyn’s diverse population, advancing minimally invasive, robotic, and endoscopic approaches to thoracic and esophageal diseases. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he was appointed Director of a dedicated COVID-19 ICU, where he not only managed critically ill patients but also studied the impact of barotrauma and investigated hyperbaric oxygen therapy in COVID-19 pneumonia.

After the pandemic, Dr. Wiesel returned to Israel, where he served as a foregut surgeon and Deputy Director of Thoracic Surgery at Rabin Medical Center. Since 2022, he has led the thoracic and esophageal surgery program at Tzafon Medical Center, which serves the largest underserved region of the country. There, he spearheaded the creation of the region’s first rapid lung cancer diagnostic and treatment program, significantly improving access for minority and underserved populations in northern Israel.

Internationally, Dr. Wiesel is an active member of the SSAT, serving as a trustee on the foundation board and having served on the Esophageal and Bariatric & Metabolic Surgery subcommittees, as well as a scientific discussant and moderator at multiple Digestive Disease Week meetings. He also serves as Chairman of the Israeli Foregut Society, a board member of the Israeli Surgical Association and the Israeli Lung Cancer Coalition, and contributes to multiple committees through IASLC, ISDE, and ISFGS.

His academic interests include minimally invasive foregut and thoracic surgery, fluorescence-guided surgery, and he is currently working on a novel biosensor platform for early lung cancer detection, which he hopes will reshape early lung cancer diagnosis in underserved areas. He is a board member and the section editor for foregut and thoracic surgery in Surgery, a board member at JOGS, serves on multiple editorial boards, and has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications.

Equally committed to education, Dr. Wiesel mentors medical students, residents, and fellows in Israel and abroad, with a focus on training in minimally invasive techniques.

Besides his clinical and academic roles, Dr. Wiesel is a professional Diving Instructor and a diving Physician. He has a wonderful supporting wife and 3 children with whom he travels and enjoys outdoor activities.