Dr. Herbert E. Cohn

Herbert E. Cohn, MD, FACS, the Anthony E. Narducci Professor of Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University, is an accomplished surgeon, teacher and administrative leader. He has been a distinguished member of Jefferson’s Department of Surgery for 47 years.

Among Cohn’s greatest joys is being involved in training young people for careers in medicine and surgery. He has trained 200 residents and enjoys watching them progress from neophytes to accomplished surgeons.

Cohn set his sights on a medical career during his teens. He was inspired by the care he received from his own family doctor who treated Cohn for meningitis at 14. The lengthy illness made it difficult for Cohn to finish high school with grades good enough to gain entry to college. With the help of a family friend, Cohn was admitted to Rutgers University and was determined to succeed. He did. He graduated in 1951 at the top of his class and headed to Jefferson Medical College where he would receive the freshman Anatomy Prize and numerous other accolades for academic excellence before graduating first in the Class of 1955. From 1957- 59 he served in the U.S. Air Force and received an Air Force Commendation Medal.

Today he is vice chair for quality for the Department of Surgery at Jefferson and surgeon champion for the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. Throughout his career he has been driven by a deep desire to help people and improve patient care. Knowing he has impacted someone’s life – either student, resident, patient or colleague – in a positive way is his ultimate reward.

Cohn and his wife, Natalie, reside in Philadelphia and spend summers at the Jersey shore. They have three sons and seven grandchildren. Sons Jeffrey and David followed their father’s path and are Jefferson alumni and practicing physicians, and son Richard is an attorney.