Dr. Frank C. Detterbeck

Get to Know Dr. Frank C. Detterbeck

Dr. Frank Detterbeck puts years of evidence-based medical philosophy into practice at Yale Cancer Center. An evidence-based care method, which Detterbeck calls the center of his patient care practice, is carefully designed considering the unique factors and implications of each patient’s case. He strives to individualize treatment and reduce the potential for mistakes.

Detterbeck serves on a collaborative team that emphasizes minimally invasive procedures to address each patient.

“Everybody has sort of a different chunk of it and a different view. The key thing is to get that collective brain power and judgment working, so our policy is that all major decisions are made by the whole team,” Detterbeck said.

Joining the team at Yale in 2005 after a long tenure with the University of North Carolina, Detterbeck was no stranger to lectures. When he was hired at Yale, Detterbeck had delivered more than 130 international, national and regional presentations and courses on various surgical topics.

He has authored or contributed to more than 150 articles on a broad range of topics from surgical imaging requirements to the biology of classifying cancers.

Detterbeck earned his medical degree from Northwestern University and completed a residency at Virginia Mason Clinic and a fellowship at University of North Carolina. He serves on multiple committees, including the Thoracic Surgeons Subcommittee, the ACCP Lung Cancer Guidelines Steering Committee and the Clinical Cancer Protocol Review Committee.

Specialties of Dr. Frank C. Detterbeck

• Pleural mesothelioma
• Lung cancer
• Clinical research
• Minimally invasive surgery

Dr. Frank C. Detterbeck’s Experience and Medical Education

• Yale Cancer Center
• Northwestern University (M.D.)
• Virginia Mason Clinic (Residency)
• University of North Carolina (Fellowship)

Awards and Certifications

• Connecticut Magazine Top Docs (2015-2016)
• Connecticut Magazine Top Docs
• Who’s Who in Medicine Higher Education, Academic Keys (2009)
• Top Doctors for Cancer, Castle Connolly (2009)
• Elton Cahow Teaching Award, Yale Department of Surgery (2007)
• The Best Doctors in America, Best Doctors, Inc. (2003, 2009)
• Guide to America’s Top Physicians, Consumers’ Research Council of America (2003)
• Specialty Teaching Service Award, University of North Carolina (2001-2003)

Publications of Dr. Frank C. Detterbeck

• Jiang, R. et al. (2020, November). Thymus-Derived B Cell Clones Persist in The Circulation After Thymectomy in Myasthenia Gravis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
• Detterbeck, F.C. (2020, October). The Devil Is in the Details. Annals of Surgical Oncology.
• Mazzone, P.J. et al. (2020, July). Management of Lung Nodules and Lung Cancer Screening During the COVID-19 Pandemic: CHEST Expert Panel Report. Journal of the American College of Radiology.