Dr. Jeffrey Sternberg: Professional Profile

Dr. Jeffrey Sternberg, MD, FACS, FASCRS

Founder of The Sternberg Clinic for Pilonidal Surgery

Email me: info@thesternbergclinic.com

Jeffrey Sternberg, MD, FACS, FASCRS, is a highly 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 1,500 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 40% of Dr. Sternberg’s pilonidal patients have had prior failed operation from other surgeons, and 40% of Dr. Sternberg’s pilonidal patients come from 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 served as the surgical director of the Center for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases at California Pacific Medical Center and is a clinical assistant professor of surgery at the University of California, San Francisco. Elected by his peers to leadership positions in the profession, he is a past president of the Northern California Chapter of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgery. The Northern California Chapter of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation has selected Dr. Sternberg for the 2018 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 and went on to complete a fellowship in colon and rectal surgery at the University of Minnesota. He is double board-certified in general and colon and rectal surgery.

After the University of Chicago, Dr. Sternberg moved to Boston for an 8-year residency 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’s completed his formal medical education with a fellowship in colon and rectal surgery at the esteemed University of Minnesota.

Dr. Sternberg has been practicing at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco since graduating fellowship in 2000. He has developed extensive expertise in the screening and treatment of benign and malignant colorectal disease and a broad range of gastrointestinal conditions. As an academically trained surgeon, he is highly skilled in laparoscopic surgery and other minimally invasive surgical techniques such as laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair, but 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 ‘Cleft Lift Procedure.’ Dr. Sternberg also writers articles dedicated to the surgical treatment of pilonidal disease.

Dr. Sternberg has been active in the leadership of California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) and was elected by his peers to CPMC’s Medical Executive Committee. He also has served as the Surgical Director of the CPMC Center for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases and is a past Medical Director of the San Francisco Endoscopy Center. 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. In his abiding professional commitment to patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Dr. Sternberg remains an advisor to the Northern California Chapter of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation and was honored by them in 2018 as a Champion of Hope.

Family and Non-Surgical Interests

Dr. Sternberg values family life with his wife Anne and their 2 young children.  He enjoys coaching his son’s soccer team, is an avid cook, and loves skiing, hiking, and the outdoors. 

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