He began work on the procedure for resection of the pancreas (pancreaticoduodenectomy) in 1935 and his original technique has since been modified greatly.
He supervised the surgical residency of Virginia Apgar, later advising her to pursue her medical career in the field of anaesthesiology because he knew that surgery depended on advancements in this field to progress, and he saw in Apgar the 'energy and ability' to make a significant contribution.
Whipple was instrumental in founding the American Board of Surgery.
He also was trustee of Princeton University and was a recipient of the 1958 Woodrow Wilson Award.
[1] The Science Building at Wooster School in Danbury, Connecticut, is named after Whipple, who served as President of Wooster's Board of Trustees when the school's founder, Rev.