Dr. Jeffrey Sternberg: Professional Profile

Jeffrey Sternberg, MD, FACS, FASCRS, is a skilled, board-certified surgeon best known for his innovative treatment of pilonidal disease (often incorrectly called a pilonidal cyst), a painful skin and tissue infection near the tailbone. Since starting surgical practice in San Francisco in 2000, Dr. Sternberg has treated over 2,000 cases of pilonidal disease, and his surgical protocol cures nearly 100% of his patients, with few requiring second operations. Many of his patients have developed a recurrence after prior surgery elsewhere: approximately 50% of Dr. Sternberg’s pilonidal patients have had prior failed operations from other surgeons, and 80% of Dr. Sternberg’s pilonidal patients now travel from outside of San Francisco and elsewhere in the US, Canada, and other continents for surgery.

His specialties also include disease of the colon and gastrointestinal tract; treating colo-rectal conditions such as fistula, abscess, fissure, and hemorrhoids; and other same-day surgical or office-based conditions.

Professional History

Dr. Sternberg is the former medical director of The San Fransisco Endoscopy Center. He has also served as the surgical director of the Center for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases at California Pacific Medical Center. He is a clinical assistant professor of surgery at the University of California, San Francisco. Elected by his peers to leadership positions in the profession, Dr. Sternberg has held national leadership positions in the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and is a past President of the Northern California Chapter of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and was selected in 2018 for their Champion of Hope Award.

Dr. Sternberg completed an AB in biochemistry at Dartmouth College, where he graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He received his medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. Dr. Sternberg trained in general surgery at Harvard University’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. While there, he participated in molecular biology research and completed fellowship training in Surgical Nutrition. Dr. Sternberg went on to complete a fellowship in colon and rectal surgery at the esteemed University of Minnesota. He is double board-certified in general and colon and rectal surgery.

Dr. Sternberg has been practicing at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco since graduating from the fellowship in 2000. He has developed extensive expertise in the screening and treating benign and malignant colorectal disease and a broad range of gastrointestinal conditions. As an academically trained surgeon, he is skilled in laparoscopic surgery and other minimally invasive surgical techniques. However, since 2017, Dr. Sternberg has chosen to concentrate on office-based and outpatient practice and no longer performs major abdominal operations or laparoscopic surgery.

Dr. Sternberg has become internationally known for his expertise in treating pilonidal disease, a chronic infection of the skin and underlying tissue near the tailbone that typically affects teens and young adults (20s/30s), and has been instrumental in advancing a highly effective approach for treating pilonidal disease known as the ‘Pilonidal RAF (for rotation and advancement flap)/Cleft Lift Procedure.” Dr. Sternberg also authors articles dedicated to the surgical treatment of pilonidal disease.

Family and Non-Surgical Interests

Dr. Sternberg values family life with his wife Anne and their 2 children.  He enjoys participating in their children’s sports, is an avid cook, and loves skiing, hiking, and the outdoors.