Anthony T. Petrick, MD, FACS, FASMBS, has been appointed Chair of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) Committee for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. He succeeds Stacy Brethauer, MD, FACS, of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, who has led the committee since 2018.
As Chair, Dr. Petrick will serve as a national spokesperson for bariatric surgical quality, establish program priorities, and focus on expanding MBSAQIP accreditation to centers in underserved regions. He plans to work closely with medical obesity societies and experts to better define multi-disciplinary approaches to obesity care.
“Bariatric surgery remains the most durable and effective treatment for obesity and related diseases. As more treatment options become available, MBSAQIP’s role ensuring patient safety is paramount. We must continue to advance both the safety and efficacy of obesity care for patients, hospitals, and payors,” said Dr. Petrick.
Dr. Petrick is a professor of surgery at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine and the Advanced GI and Bariatric Fellowship Emeritus Director after leading the fellowship program for 24 years. At Geisinger, Dr. Petrick serves as division chief for bariatric and foregut surgery as well as the chief quality officer for the health system and the Geisinger Surgical Institute. He has led initiatives to improve perioperative outcomes, reduce complications, and expand access to comprehensive weight-loss care.
Dr. Petrick has been a longstanding leader within MBSAQIP, serving as Chair of the Data and Quality Committee. He helped lead each of the four MBSAQIP national quality improvement projects, including as principal investigator for the Bariatric Surgery Targeting Opioid Prescribing (BSTOP) project, which reduced opioid use following bariatric surgery.
Board-certified in general surgery, Dr. Petrick earned his medical degree and completed his general surgery residency at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. He then completed fellowships in surgical oncology at Harvard’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and minimally invasive foregut and thoracic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He serves on the editorial board of Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases. He is a leader in research, education, and quality improvement, having authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications.
MBSAQIP, a joint quality initiative of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, is dedicated to ensuring safe, high-quality care for patients undergoing weight-loss surgery. Through accreditation standards, data collection, and quality improvement programs, MBSAQIP helps facilities provide consistently high-quality, evidence-based care. Today, more than 900 centers in the US and Canada are accredited by MBSAQIP.
