The UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery delivers comprehensive surgical care in gastrointestinal diseases, advances surgical knowledge through innovative research, and trains future surgeons in an inclusive environment. The division is composed of three sections: Colorectal Surgery, Community and Rural Surgery, and Minimally Invasive Surgery (which includes advanced endoscopy, bariatric, complex hernia, and foregut surgery). From advanced hernia repairs to colorectal cancer operations, the division’s faculty are focused on providing the highest-quality care for patients with gastrointestinal surgical conditions and are nationally recognized experts.
In recognition of the division’s expertise, the program maintains one of the highest-volume academic robotics programs in the country. The bariatric surgery program is one of only 10 programs in Alabama accredited as a Comprehensive Center under the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP), a joint program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). In addition, the division is one of only two programs in Alabama accredited by the ACS National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC) and provides cancer care at the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC), one of the original eight National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the nation and the only one in Alabama.
Learn more about each surgical section:
- Section of Colorectal Surgery: Surgeons in this section treat diseases of the colon, rectum, and anus, including colon cancer, rectal cancer, anal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis, rectal prolapse, benign anorectal disorders, enterocutaneous fistulas, and hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes such as Lynch syndrome and familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Treatment options include open, laparoscopic, and robotic procedures, along with other advanced minimally invasive colorectal procedures.
- Section of Community and Rural Surgery: Surgeons in this section treat a broad range of common surgical conditions involving the gastrointestinal tract and abdominal organs, including gallbladder disease and gallstones, hernias, appendicitis, and other benign abdominal and gastrointestinal conditions. Our surgeons performed both elective and urgent general surgical care using open, laparoscopic, and robotic approaches.
- Section of Minimally Invasive Surgery: Surgeons in this section treat complex gastrointestinal and abdominal conditions using laparoscopic, robotic, and advanced endoscopic techniques. Areas of focus include severe obesity and obesity-related disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), hiatal and paraesophageal hernias, achalasia and other esophageal motility disorders, gastroparesis, complex abdominal wall, ventral, and inguinal hernias, and chronic groin pain. Our surgeons also perform advanced endoscopic procedures for selected gastrointestinal disorders.