Dr. Johannes Kratz is a thoracic surgeon who specializes in treating disorders of the trachea, chest wall, lung, esophagus and mediastinum (the space between the lungs containing the heart and other structures). He directs UCSF's program for advanced minimally invasive thoracic surgery.
Kratz's research interests include robotic surgery outcomes, lung and esophageal cancers, biomarkers to personalize lung cancer treatment and immunotherapies for thoracic tumors. His current research focuses on understanding the molecular and genetic profiles of high-risk tumors in early stages and developing targeted therapies to treat them.
While a surgical research fellow at the UCSF Thoracic Oncology Laboratory, Kratz developed a test that more accurately predicts outcomes for patients with early-stage lung cancer. Now available to patients, this test has improved outcomes for those with high-risk lung cancer detected early.
Kratz earned his medical degree at Harvard Medical School, graduating magna cum laude. He completed a general surgery residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, followed by a fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at UCSF. He also has a master's degree in philosophy from Stanford University.
Kratz is a member of the American College of Surgeons, Society of Thoracic Surgeons, Massachusetts Medical Society and American Society of Clinical Oncology. In 2017, he received a UCSF Health Exceptional Physician Award. He is the Van Auken Endowed Chair in Thoracic Oncology at UCSF.
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