Dr. Tracey Weigel

Get to Know Dr. Tracey Weigel

Dr. Tracey Weigel is a board-certified thoracic surgeon with more than 30 years of experience treating people with pleural mesothelioma and other thoracic cancers. She is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Association for Thoracic Surgery and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

Before joining St. Peter’s Health Partners, Dr. Weigel served as chief of thoracic surgery at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, New York, where she built and led a robotic oncology program. Earlier in her career, she served as professor and chief of thoracic surgery at the University of Wisconsin. At the University of Pittsburgh, she worked with colleagues to help build one of the country’s busiest minimally invasive thoracic surgery programs.

Dr. Weigel earned her medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in 1986 and completed her surgical residency at Brown University in 1993. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa. Her postgraduate training included fellowships in surgical oncology and thoracic surgical oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, as well as a cardiothoracic surgery residency at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics.

Specialties of Dr. Tracey Weigel

• Esophageal cancer
• Extrapleural pneumonectomy
• Lung cancer
• Minimally invasive surgery
• Pleural mesothelioma
• Pleurectomy and decortication
• Robotic surgery
• Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery

Dr. Tracey Weigel’s Experience and Medical Education

• Albany Thoracic and Esophageal Surgery, St. Peter’s Health Partners (Thoracic Surgeon)
• Westchester Medical Center (Chief of Thoracic Surgery, 2016–2025)
• MaineHealth Maine Medical Center (Chief, Division of Thoracic Surgery; Medical Director, Thoracic Oncology Program, 2012–2016)
• University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics (Professor and Chief of Thoracic Surgery)
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (Assistant Professor of Surgery)
• University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (Assistant Professor of Surgery, Director of Early Lung Cancer Program)
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (Fellowship, Thoracic Surgical Oncology)
• University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics (Residency, Cardiothoracic Surgery)
• Brown University, Rhode Island Hospital (Residency, General Surgery)
• University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry (M.D.)
• University of Virginia (B.A., Biochemistry and Economics)

Awards and Certifications for Dr. Tracey Weigel

• American Board of Thoracic Surgery, Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery (1998)
• Women in Business Awards, Westchester Magazine (2017)
• America’s Top Doctors, Castle Connolly (2011–2017)
• America’s Top Doctors for Cancer, Castle Connolly (2011–2017)
• Top Doctors for New York Metro, Castle Connolly (2016–2017)
• Top Doctors for Cancer Edition, Newsweek (2015)
• Geriatric Patient Care Award, Society of Thoracic Surgeons (2010)

Why Choose Dr. Tracey Weigel for Pleural Mesothelioma

She believes in combining mesothelioma surgery with chemotherapy and radiation as part of a comprehensive treatment plan. Dr. Weigel works with medical oncologists, radiation oncologists and other specialists to develop individualized treatment plans for people with pleural mesothelioma.

“Mesothelioma truly represents a disease that needs to be addressed in a multidisciplinary fashion,” Dr. Weigel said. “I advise patients to talk with all three oncologists, a medical, radiation and surgical oncologist, all at once to ensure that all options are clearly explained up front, prior to treatment.”

She performs pleurectomy and decortication and extrapleural pneumonectomy surgeries and her surgical experience also includes robotic thoracic oncologic surgery and robotic complex foregut surgery. Her research has appeared in peer-reviewed journals, including Lung Cancer, The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Surgical Clinics of North America and The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.

Publications of Dr. Tracey Weigel

• Weigel, T.L. et al. (2025, December). Management of Congenital Morgagni Hernia With Gastric Outlet Obstruction Causing Perforated Esophagus in a Young Adult. Retrieved from https://www.annalsthoracicsurgeryshortrep.org/article/S2772-9931(25)00268-2/fulltext
• Weigel, T.L. et al. (2021, March). The Answer to the Silent “Super Spreader”: An Innovative Way to Manage Chest Drains on Coronavirus Patients With Active Air Leaks. Retrieved from https://www.ovid.com/jnls/aacr/fulltext/10.1213/xaa.0000000000001419~the-answer-to-the-silent-super-spreader-an-innovative-way-to
• Weigel, T.L. et al. (2021, February). Humeral Head Fracture Dislocation with Displacement into the Mediastinum: A Case Report. Retrieved from https://www.ovid.com/jnls/jbjscc/abstract/10.2106/jbjs.cc.20.00437~humeral-head-fracture-dislocation-with-displacement-into-the?redirectionsource=fulltextview
• Weigel, T.L. et al. (2020, May). An Innovative Way to Achieve Safe Lung Deflation During One-Lung Ventilation in a Potential Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patient: A Case Report. Retrieved from https://www.ovid.com/jnls/aacr/abstract/10.1213/xaa.0000000000001244~an-innovative-way-to-achieve-safe-lung-deflation-during?redirectionsource=fulltextview
• Weigel, T.L. et al. (2019, August 14). Management of air leaks post-surgical lung resection. Retrieved from https://atm.amegroups.org/article/view/25850/24908