The surgeons of the Colorectal Surgery Division, along with their experienced and sensitive staff, evaluate and treat all benign and malignant intestinal, anal and rectal conditions. The division’s surgeons are expert in the surgical management of:

• Intestinal polyps and precancerous polyps
• Ulcerative colitis
• Crohn’s disease
• Diverticulitis
• Rectal bleeding and pain
• Hemorrhoids, fissures and peri-rectal infections
• Functional bowel disorders such as incontinence, obstructed defecations and prolapsed bowels, including placement of colonic stents to relieve obstruction
• Malignant diseases of the intestinal and anorectal regions, including colon cancer and complex rectal cancer

Minimally Invasive Colorectal Surgical Techniques
The division’s surgeons perform many therapeutic procedures using minimally invasive techniques, such as laparoscopy for colorectal cancer management. Specialized treatments are created that address individual patient’s needs and aim to offer the least invasive approach.

Because minimally invasive procedures allow treatment with smaller incisions or natural body orifices, patients benefit with less postoperative pain, limited scarring, faster recovery and diminished complications.

Multidisciplinary Approach, Interdisciplinary Support and Research
Whenever it benefits the patient, the division’s surgeons are dedicated to working closely with other specialists, such as gastroenterologists, imaging experts and endoscopic specialists.

Cancer patients, in particular, experience this multidisciplinary approach. Because of the nature of cancer and the collegial environment of Beth Israel Medical Center, the Colorectal Cancer Surgery Division works closely with the Surgical Oncology Division, as well as medical and radiation oncologists, imaging specialists, and the support team of the Continuum Cancer Centers of New York (nursing, social workers, mental health specialists, among others).

Additionally, the division has 30 years of data on cases of colorectal cancer from which to look back on and compare cases. With this experience and data, division surgeons have been widely published and present often at major medical societies and conferences. The division is dedicated to therapeutic approaches that allow for the best outcomes while preserving as much as possible important tissue and organs, along with sexual, urinary and sphincter function.

Division Surgeons

• Emily Chan, MD
• Warren E. Enker MD
• Nicole J. Kafka, MD
• Joseph E. Martz, MD (Chief)
• Vinod Bopaiah, MD (Kings Highway)
• Marian Fleischer, MD (Kings Highway)

To make an appointment with one of our surgeons, please complete the appointment scheduling form. A staff member will contact you within 48 hours to schedule an appointment.