Staff report

Archbold Memorial Hospital officials announce the recruitment of Stavros Stavropoulos, MD, a pioneer of Endoscopic Surgery, who will lead the Program in Advanced Gastrointestinal Endoscopy & Endoscopic Surgery at Archbold, the only such program in the region.

Dr. Stavropoulos, who previously offered his expertise based out of New York to patients from all over the globe and across the US, will spearhead the development of a top referral program at Archbold Memorial Hospital. The Program in Advanced Gastrointestinal Endoscopy/Endoscopic Surgery (P.A.G.E.S) at Archbold will focus on cutting-edge advanced endoscopy and minimally invasive surgery.

“Before now, for the type of advanced care that this program will provide, patients would have had to travel hundreds of miles,” said Darcy Craven Archbold’s President and CEO. “Now patients can travel only a short distance to Thomasville to receive world-class care from a renowned physician.”

Dr. Stavropoulos earned a Bachelor’s from Yale summa cum laude and a medical degree with AOA distinction from Columbia University, where he also completed an internship, residency, fellowship, and advanced endoscopy fellowship.

He stayed at Columbia as Director of EUS until 2007, when he was recruited to Winthrop University Hospital in Long Island as Director of Endoscopy and Director of the Program in Advanced Endoscopy.

He has also held academic appointments at Columbia University (Adjunct Professor of Clinical Medicine 2009-2019), Temple University (Adjunct Clinical Professor of Medicine 2015-2016) and NYU (Associate Professor of Medicine).

Dr. Stavropoulos is an expert in cutting-edge techniques in endoscopic surgery. He performs procedures such as the removal of early cancers, pre-cancerous polyps and other GI tumors endoscopically without the need for surgical incisions.

This technique results in minimal to no pain for the patient and a faster recovery time.

In addition to his role as a physician and educator, Dr. Stavropoulos is active in clinical research and has over 100 peer-reviewed publications. As a leading global expert in these Endoscopic Surgery procedures, Dr. Stavropoulos is invited widely in the US and abroad to lecture, provide instruction and perform live demonstrations with close to 200 national and international faculty and lecture invitations.

“I look forward to the opportunity to bring my expertise and these cutting-edge procedures to Thomasville and the Southeast United States but also continue to serve my patients from all over the US and the globe that can now seek my expertise at Archbold,” said Dr. Stavropoulos.

“The development of this program and the recruitment of a physician like Dr. Stavropoulos is just another example of Archbold’s commitment to bringing cutting-edge technology and treatment to the patients in our area,” added Craven.

“The knowledge and expertise he brings is unmatched and will be a valuable resource for referring physicians and patients from not only our region but across the United States.”

Dr. Stavropoulos will join the physicians at Archbold Gastroenterology Group and will begin seeing patients at Archbold Memorial Hospital in the Fall of 2022.

For more information about the program, call Archbold Gastroenterology Group at (229) 584-5590.