Nathaniel R. Evans III, is a graduate of Princeton University receiving his BA in 1998 in Molecular Biology. He received his MD from Stanford University School of Medicine in 2002.

Dr. Evans began his Surgical training at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), in 2002.  After completing an Internship and Residency in General Surgery, he completed a Fellowship in Thoracic Surgery at MGH.   During that time, also served as a visiting fellow at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, focused on minimally invasive esophageal surgery, and at Memorial Sloan Kettering, focused on thoracic oncologic surgery.  He completed his thoracic surgical training in 2010.

Dr. Evans joined Jefferson as an Assistant Professor of Surgery in 2010 as a member of the Section of Thoracic and Foregut Surgery.  In 2013, he assumed leadership of the Section and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2014.  In 2017 he became the inaugural Division Director of the new Division of Thoracic and Esophageal Surgery, within the Department of Surgery at Sidney Kimmel Medical College.  In 2020 he was promoted to Professor of Surgery, and in 2022 was appointed Thoracic Surgery Lead for all of Jefferson Health System.

His clinical focus has been bringing the latest in surgical expertise and technique to Jefferson Health.   Under his leadership, Jefferson has become a regional and national leader in Minimally Invasive and Robotic Thoracic Surgery, along the way providing thousands of patients in the Philadelphia area and beyond with the best possible care for Lung Cancer, Esophageal Cancer, and other diseases of the chest.

Dr. Evans is an active member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the American Association of Thoracic Surgery, the Society of Black Academic Surgeons, and the Society of University Surgeons.  He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American College of Chest Physicians. He is the recipient of the Deans Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Outstanding Clinician Award. He is the 2022 recipient odf the Sidney Kimmel Medical College Deans Award for Faculty Mentoring and the Jefferson Health Award for Achievement in Medicine.

During his time at Jefferson, Dr. Evans has led and participated in many multidisciplinary efforts to improve the lives of Jefferson’s patients. Highlights include:

• Development of a comprehensive lung cancer screening program, and research efforts to understand and address disparities in lung cancer screening. 
• Research into disparities in care for both lung and esophageal cancer
• Jefferson’s Multidisciplinary, patient centered program for care and management of Esophageal Cancer.

Within the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Dr. Evans has served as a member of the Clinical Operations Committee and the Oncology Coordinating Council for several years and in 2020 was appointed as Chief of Cancer Services for the Center City Division.  He also serves at the co-lead for the SKCC Lung cancer program and multidisciplinary clinic.  Within Jefferson’s Jane and Leonard Korman Respiratory Institute, he serves as the Assistant Director for Surgical Services.  In doing so, he has led the development of a health system wide standard for excellence in Thoracic Surgical Care.