Residency > Specialties > Colorectal Surgery
Jefferson's division of colorectal surgery is well known for providing excellent tertiary care for the most challenging cases. It maintains an active office practice for diagnosing and managing the full spectrum of anorectal and colonic disorders. Each year, the program performs approximately 400 anorectal operations and 450 abdominal-colorectal procedures, in addition to screening patients and performing minor surgery on an outpatient basis. Residents gain experience in tertiary-type, ano-perineal-rectal procedures, from sphincter reconstruction to partial proctectomy. The staff performs more than 1,000 colonoscopies annually.
The Comprehensive Rectal Cancer Center, a one-of-a-kind facility, is the major focus of the division. Making up the center's staff are multidisciplinary experts from Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and a network of distinguished scientific institutions, most notably the Kimmel Cancer Center. The center is a major force in the development of high-dose, preoperative radiation followed by sphincter-preservation surgery for selected rectal cancers and has treated more patients with this approach than any other center.
During their rotation in the colorectal service, general-surgery residents gain increasing levels of responsibility for inpatients and outpatients. The colorectal surgical resident, a one-year fellow with full-time duties at Jefferson, supervises and teaches general-surgery residents.
The academic program includes structured conferences, twice weekly, that address selected topics, literature reviews and multidisciplinary approaches to managing patients. The colorectal resident participates in at least one short-term and one long-term research project that results in regional and national scientific presentation or publication.
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