Dr. Atif Iqbal appointed Surgical Quality Director at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center
Dr. Atif Iqbal, chief of the Section of Colorectal Surgery in the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery (MEDDoS) Division of General Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, has been named Director of Surgical Quality for the department of surgery at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center.
Dr. Iqbal’s responsibilities include providing expert consultation to divisions regarding methods to prevent medical errors, identification and resolution of quality and safety concerns, the creation of surgical quality reports, and the design and maintenance of a culture of safety for our MEDDoS clinical services at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center. He will collaborate with other department leadership in promoting clinical quality improvement opportunities more broadly.
Dr. Iqbal specializes in surgical procedures for benign and malignant pathology of the colon, rectum, and anus. He has a particular interest in advanced laparoscopic and robotic surgical procedures for colon and rectal cancer, including sphincter-saving procedures for low rectal cancer. Besides being nationally recognized for his expertise in colon cancer treatment, Dr. Iqbal currently serves as the surgical expert on the NCI Rectal-Anal Task Force and the Colon task force of the GI steering committee. He is actively involved with the American College of Surgeons, the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, and NRG Oncology.
With over 130 research publications, presentations and posters to his name, Dr. Iqbal earned honors for his presentations at the ACS, SAGES and the Commission on Cancer, as well as a medal of achievement in physiology by the Pakistan Physiological Research Organization. He has also won numerous ‘patient nominations’ and awards for the quality of care provided.
Dr. Iqbal has held various leadership positions in the past including Medical Director for the University of Florida outpatient surgical clinics, Program Director for the University of Florida PA residency program, Cancer Liaison Physician for the UF Health cancer network, and the lead robotic surgeon for his division. He earned his medical degree from King Edward Medical University in Lahore, Pakistan, completed his general surgery residency at the University of Missouri, and did a fellowship at Washington University/Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Dr. Iqbal joined us as Chief of Colorectal Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine earlier this year.