Johannes Kratz, MD
Associate Professor
Surgery
School of Medicine

johannes.kratz@ucsf.edu 415-353-7502

Johannes R. Kratz, M.D. is Medical Director of Robotic Surgery at UCSF and the Director of Minimally Invasive and Robotic Thoracic Surgery. Kratz graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Medical School and holds a Masters in Philosophy from Stanford.

Show full bio (210 words) Hide full bio

Kratz worked as research fellow in the Thoracic Oncology Lab from 2008-2011 where he played a pivotal role in the development of a prognostic assay for early-stage lung cancer patients. The novel assay was validated in an international clinical trial led by thoracic surgeons David M. Jablons, M.D. and Michael Mann, M.D. The assay better predicted risk of death in early-stage lung cancer patients versus conventional staging guidelines and later successfully identified Stage 1A lung cancer patients who had a very high likelihood of mortality after surgery. Kratz finished his clinical training as a clinical fellow in Thoracic Surgery at UCSF from 2014 - 2017 and subsequently joined the faculty.

Kratz holds the Van Auken Endowed Chair in Thoracic Oncology. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors including the UCSF Health Exceptional Physician Award, Hellman Family Clinical-Translational Research Development Award, Michael DeBakey Research Scholarship, Cardiothoracic Surgery Faculty Teaching Award, Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators Excellence in Teaching Award, Partners Healthcare Teaching Award, Willard M. Daggett Award, Edward Churchill Surgical Research Fellowship, Wyeth Scholarship of the American College of Surgeons, John E. Thayer Scholarship Award, Howard Hughes Medical Fellows Program Continued Support Award, and designation as a Soma Weiss Scholar.

Awards

Show all (16) Hide

  • Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators Excellence in Teaching Award, University of California, San Francisco, 2023
  • Cardiothoracic Surgery Faculty Teaching Award, University of California, San Francisco, 2021
  • Michael DeBakey Research Scholarship, American Association for Thoracic Surgery, 2019
  • Hellman Family Clinical-Translational Research Development Award, Bakar ImmunoX Initiative, 2019
  • Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators Excellence in Teaching Award, University of California, San Francisco, 2019
  • Van Auken Endowed Chair in Thoracic Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, 2018
  • UCSF Health Exceptional Physician Award, University of California, San Francisco, 2017
  • First Place, Oral Presentation, Harvard Medical School Surgery Research Conference, Harvard Medical School, 2012
  • Partners HealthCare Resident/Fellow as Teacher Award, Partners HealthCare, 2012
  • President's Conference Selection, World Conference on Lung Cancer, International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, 2011
  • Willard M. Daggett Award, Massachusetts General Hospital, 2010
  • Wyeth Scholarship of the American College of Surgeons for the Study of Inflammation, Massachusetts General Hospital, 2008
  • Aesculapian Club, Harvard Medical School, 2006
  • John E. Thayer Scholarship Award, Harvard Medical School, 2006
  • Soma Weiss Scholar Award, Harvard Medical School, 2005
  • Howard Hughes Research Training Fellowship, Harvard Medical School, 2004

Education & Training

Show all (7) Hide

  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion Training University of California 2019
  • Fellowship Cardiothoracic Surgery University of California 2017
  • Residency General Surgery Massachusetts General Hospital 2014
  • M.D. (Magna Cum Laude) Harvard Medical School 2006
  • M.A. Philosophy Stanford University 2000
  • B.S. (with Honors with Distinction) Biological Sciences Stanford University 1999
  • B.A. (with Distinction) Philosophy Stanford University 1999

Interests

Show all (8) Hide

  • Esophageal Cancer
  • Prognostic Biomarkers
  • Predictive Biomarkers
  • Thoracic Surgery
  • Lung Cancer
  • Thoracic Oncology
  • Thymic Cancer
  • Tumor Immunology

Websites

Show all (1) Hide

Videos

Show all (1) Hide

Grants and Projects

Show all (4) Hide

  • Immune Phenotypes of High-Risk Early Stage Lung Adenocarcinoma, American Association of Thoracic Surgery, 2020-2022
  • CoProject Pilot in Early-Stage Lung Cancer, Bakar ImmunoX Foundation, 2019-2021
  • COVID-19 Related Rapid Research Pilot Initiative, University of California, San Francisco, 2020-2021
  • Lung Cancer Tumor Immune Microenvironments, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, 2019-2020

Publications (76)

Top publication keywords:
Lung NeoplasmsGenes, NeoplasmBiomarkers, TumorMolecular Diagnostic TechniquesPancoast SyndromeCarcinoma, Large CellPostoperative ComplicationsElective Surgical ProceduresPolymerase Chain ReactionPulmonary Surgical ProceduresCarcinoma, Non-Small-Cell LungNeoplasm StagingTime-to-TreatmentCoronary AneurysmSurgical Procedures, Operative

Show all (68 more) Hide