Columbia Global Center for Integrated Colorectal Surgery & IBD Interventional Endoscopy

Our Mission  |  Who We Treat  |  SuperSpecialties  |  Highlights  |  Team  |  Locations  |  Appointments

The Columbia Global Center for Integrated Colorectal Surgery & IBD Interventional Endoscopy offers innovative treatments for severe and difficult-to-treat colorectal conditions and surgery-related complications from some of the most influential and experienced leaders in the field.

By bringing together the best care across different subspecialties in one location, we offer the most comprehensive options for treating the most complex cases.

To make an appointment with the Global Center, please call (212) 342-1155 and choose option 1


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Dr. Kiran and Dr. Shen welcome Dr. Church to the Columbia team
Led by Drs. Kiran, Church, and Shen, the Global Center is the only colorectal surgery/IBD program in the world with three specialists  ranked in the top 10 worldwide in their research area of expertise.

Our Mission

Our Global Center is committed to providing personalized care that integrates medical, nutritional, interventional endoscopic, procedural, and surgical care for colorectal, IBD, and pouch conditions— all under one roof. 

The caregivers in our group share a common mission:

  • to provide ready access to expert care for those afflicted with diseases of the bowel
  • to be a place of last resort for those who have nowhere else to go
  • to provide comfort and support to our patients and their families
  • to create a legacy by teaching caregivers of the future
  • to advance care through relevant research

Who We Treat

The Global Center serves as a 'last stop' for patients with colorectal conditions that could not be treated effectively elsewhere. From complicated and complex colorectal conditions to corrective procedures to address problems resulting from previous surgeries, we provide options for people who have been told they have none.

Treatments We Offer

Through our Global Center, we offer unparalleled expertise in:

  • Interventional endoscopic procedures that might avoid surgery for benign and malignant colorectal conditions
  • Advanced colorectal surgical procedures that eliminate limited or advanced colorectal disease while preserving function and quality of life
  • Combined medical/interventional endoscopic/surgical management for
    • Inflammatory bowel disease
    • Correction of surgical complications
    • Ostomy avoidance and sphincter preservation
    • Pouch creation, salvage, reconstruction
    • Continent ileostomy creation and salvage
    • Hereditary polyposis and cancer syndromes
    • Anal fistula management
    • Function preservation for functional bowel syndromes, including constipation and incontinence
  • Surgery for challenging conditions including:
    • Locally advanced and recurrent colon and rectal cancer
    • Complicated diverticulitis
    • Complex Crohn's disease and IBD
    • Enterocutaneous fistula
    • Presacral tumors

Our expertise in reconstruction allows one-step surgery with avoidance of ostomy (permanent or temporary), even in many advanced situations .


Our "SuperSpecialty" Programs

The Global Center is designed to offer a wider range of options than other care centers for colorectal conditions. We call our robust programs "SuperSpecialties" because we ensure that all of the latest, most advanced procedures are available to those that need them. Our SuperSpecialties include:

Pouch Salvage & Continent Ileostomy

IBD surgeries are incredibly complex, and the disease and its symptoms may return aggressively. For many patients who have undergone reconstructive surgery, the reality is that they will require additional surgeries to correct complications. For some patients who have undergone pouch surgeries, that can mean a failing pouch that must be rebuilt to avoid the need for an external ostomy bag. These pouch-salvage surgeries are especially difficult because so much material has already been removed, requiring the surgeon to adapt and create a new solution. Our team has experience developing personalized solutions that consider each patient's unique needs.

Visit Pouch Salvage & Continent Ileostomy

Advanced and Recurrent Intestinal, Colon and Rectal Cancer

Our surgeons have the highest level of expertise in complex surgical procedures to preserve the sphincter and minimize the need for a permanent ostomy even in difficult situations. Our experience with complex and reoperative abdominal and pelvic surgery also facilitates the surgical management of recurrent and locally advanced cancer as well as salvage operations in challenging situations. We work closely with gastroenterologists, medical and radiation oncologists, pathologists, radiologists, genetic counselors, social workers, nursing staff and other specialists to bring the best care to each one of our patients.

More on Intestinal, Colon and Rectal Cancer

Colorectal Restorative Resection

In many cases, it is possible to treat many symptoms and complications related to IBD using minimally invasive techniques. Columbia is the established leader in endoscopic therapy for IBD. Using a special instrument called an endoscope—a flexible tube with a camera and light that is fed through the mouth into the digestive tract—our specialists can locate, diagnose, and even treat many IBD complications.

Colorectal Corrective Surgery & Ostomy Avoidance

When corrective surgery is necessary, the overwhelming priority of most patients is clear: to avoid the need for a permanent ostomy bag. Because colorectal surgery is a complex reconstruction of the digestive tract, it takes a highly skilled surgeon to safely and effectively address the symptoms while designing a solution that avoids the need for a permanent external ostomy bag. Our program offers the highest level of surgical excellence in the region.


Stories & Perspectives

State of the Union Conversation: The Columbia Global Center for Integrated Colorectal Surgery & IBD Interventional Endoscopy

Members of Columbia’s Global Center discuss colorectal surgery and care, improving surgical training, and how they approach treating conditions.


Center Highlights

A Focus on Quality of Life

The Global Center is focused on delivering treatment for colorectal conditions that emphasizes effective relief while minimizing the impact your treatment has on your lifestyle and self-image. Columbia offers treatment options not found at other centers, all designed around the idea that having IBD treatment should give you the best quality of life possible.

Care With Your Goals in Mind

We understand your priorities—including how important it is to avoid the need for an ostomy bag. We have developed and refined our surgical approaches to meet that goal. Our surgeons have a proven track record for successful corrective surgery that avoids ostomy, even in the most complex cases.

Thoughtful and Innovative Repair

Our team has successfully salvaged failing pouch surgeries using several innovative approaches. Our surgeons deliver personalized solutions for pouch-related complications, even for the most complex cases. We are the last resort for people with complex pouch disorders. 

Minimally Invasive Alternative to Reconstructive Surgery

Columbia is home to the leading endoscopic therapy program for IBD in the nation—and the world. We offer alternatives to traditional surgery that can improve your symptoms without needing a long recovery. Our team is at the forefront of this exciting new field, and many of the techniques and guidelines were created by Columbia experts.

Improving the Field of Colorectal Care

The Global Center leverages its combined expertise to help improve the standard of care nationally and globally through a focus on outcomes reporting, high-quality research, global symposia, and education of select fellows. The research and scholarship of our leadership team has been recognized as top 10 worldwide for the field in terms of impact and influence. Learn more about our Outcomes Research.


Our Team

Our multidisciplinary team includes leading experts and specialized support staff that provide comprehensive, personalized care.

Colorectal Surgeons

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Pokala Ravi Kiran, MD

 

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James M. Church, MD

James M. Church, MD

 

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Marco Zoccali, MD

Marco Bertucci Zoccali, MD

 

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Usama Ahmed Ali, MD

Usama Ahmed Ali, MD, PHD
 

 

Wound Ostomy Continence Nurse

Erin Testerman, RNErin Testerman, RN, BSN

 

Vanessa Marra, RN, BSNVanessa Marra, RN, BSN

 
 

Colorectal NPs

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Anna Varghese, NP

Anna Varghese, NP

 

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Louella Escoto-Ortaliz, MS, FNP-BC, NP-C, CNOR

Louella Escoto-Ortaliz, NP

 

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Venessa Smith-Wright, MS, FNP-BC, CNOR

Venessa Smith, NP

 

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Razia Khan, RN

Razia Khan, RN
 

 

IBD Gastroenterologists

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Bo Shen, MD

 

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Le-Chu Su, MD, PhD

Le-Chu Su, MD, PhD, AGAF
 

 

IBD NPs & RNs

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Princy Daniel, FNP-BC

Princy Daniel, FNP-BC

 

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Gerthy Michel, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC

Gerthy Michel, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC

 

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Abigail Oberc, RN

Abigail Oberc, RN
 

 

Physician Assistants (Colorectal/IBD)

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Christian Munoz Pineda, PA Inpatient Colorectal Surgery/IBD

 

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Danny Shlomo, PA Inpatient Colorectal Surgery/IBD

 

Nutrition

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Sabrina Toledano, MS, RD, CSO, CDN

Sabrina Oliver, MS, RD | (347) 712-0894

 


Our Locations

Washington Heights-NYP/Columbia University Irving Medical Center (Main Campus)

Herbert Irving Pavilion
161 Fort Washington Avenue, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10032-3784

Midtown West

51 West 51st Street, Suite #380
New York, NY 10019
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Upper East Side

12 East 86th Street, Suite #1
New York, NY 10028
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New Jersey

Practice Locations:
Columbia Surgery Outpatient Offices at Glenpointe
300 Frank W Burr Blvd, Suite 130
Teaneck, NJ 07666
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330 Grand St
Hoboken, NJ 07030
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Surgical Locations:
Bergen New Bridge Medical Center
230 East Ridgewood Avenue
Paramus, NJ 07652
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Holy Name Medical Center
718 Teaneck Road
Teaneck, NJ 07666
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Hoboken University Medical Center
308 Willow Avenue
Hoboken, NJ 07030
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Make an Appointment

If you would like to find out more about colorectal care at our Global Center, please contact us at (212) 342-1155 and choose option 1. We accept a number of insurance plans, and our team can help confirm your coverage. 


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