Mohammad Ali Abbass, MD, MPH

Scott R. Steele, MD, MBA, FACS, FASCRS, FPSCRS (Hon.)

Dr. Mohammad Abbass is a staff Colon and Rectal Surgeon and Assistant Professor of Surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, IL. Mohammad was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon, and received his undergraduate and medical training in Damascus University in Syria. He ultimately came to us at the Cleveland Clinic, completing his training in both general surgery and colorectal surgery. Within the Cleveland Clinic Sanford R. Weiss, MD Center for Hereditary Colorectal Neoplasia and the Department of Colorectal Surgery, he also spent an additional year of advanced fellowship training focusing on all aspects of hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes as the first ever James Church, MD, and Sheetz Family Endowed Clinical Fellowship in Hereditary Colorectal Cancer Syndromes.

Dr. Abbas is a very busy clinician and academic surgeon. He has also been very involved in medical student and resident education. After joining Northwestern University, he completed his Master of Public Health and developed a prospective registry that standardizes care for patients with gastrointestinal inherited cancer syndromes. His research interests focus on standardizing care for patients with inherited colorectal cancer syndromes, understanding genotype-phenotype correlations in high-risk colorectal cancer patients, and access to high-risk cancer care and genetic counseling. He remains a productive researcher, with over 30 articles and book chapters to his credit and has been an invited lecturer to many national conferences.

Mohammad and his wife Vanessa have two toddlers (Fatima and Ali), and when not chasing after them, he notes they “teach me every day to stay curious, inspired, and to enjoy the little things in life.”

Outside of work, Mohammad is also a fitness enthusiast and an avid reader. A selection from his most recent readings include: The Gene, Steve Jobs, The Code Breaker, Think like a Rocket Scientist, The Eye Test, The Genome Defense, The Secret of Life, Drive, and The Power of Regret.

On a personal note, Mo was one of our best trainees, both clinically and as a leader and motivator of those around him. His constant smile and ability to prop up those around him is legendary. He cares for his patients tremendously, and it is not a surprise to anyone who knows him to see this energy has carried over as a staff surgeon. On behalf of the readers and staff of Clinics of Colon and Rectal Surgery, I sincerely thank Dr. Abbass for serving as a Guest Editor and for providing us with a superb issue on Hereditary Colorectal Cancer Syndromes.

Publication History

Article published online:
22 July 2023