NEW YORK (October 5) — One of the nation’s leading colorectal surgeons, Dr. Alessio Pigazzi, has been named chief of colorectal surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medicine, effective Sept. 28. He will also serve on Weill Cornell Medicine’s faculty.
In his new role, Dr. Pigazzi leads a world-class team of colorectal surgeons that uses state-of-the-art technologies and innovative surgical techniques to provide patients with the very best in comprehensive colorectal care.
Dr. Pigazzi was previously chief of the Divisions of Colorectal Surgery and Surgical Oncology at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), where he also served as professor in the Department of Surgery and vice chair for research. His new appointment marks a return to NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine, where he completed his residency nearly 20 years ago.
“Dr. Pigazzi is an exceptionally talented leader and surgeon whose excellence has driven advances in the field and helped countless patients,” said Dr. Fabrizio Michelassi, surgeon-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, and chair of the Department of Surgery and the Lewis Atterbury Stimson Professor of Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine. “We are thrilled to welcome him back to NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine to lead our colorectal surgery enterprise, where he will provide exceptional care to our patients and further advance our tradition of excellence in patient care, clinical research and teaching.”
“Returning to NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine to lead the distinguished colorectal surgery program is extremely fulfilling,” Dr. Pigazzi said. “The outstanding team shares my commitment to excellence in clinical activities, research and education, and I look forward to building on this solid foundation to provide the best possible care to all patients.”
Dr. Pigazzi’s clinical expertise focuses on the treatment of complex colon, rectal and anal conditions and cancers, including laparoscopic, robot-assisted and open surgical techniques. He performed the world’s first robot-assisted tumor removal for rectal cancer in 2004, a procedure that has revolutionized the treatment of this condition. He is also leading clinical research programs combining surgery with immediate postoperative chemotherapy to improve cancer survival.
Dr. Pigazzi is among a small cadre of surgeons skilled in the use of an innovative procedure called cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), which involves heated chemotherapy applied directly within the abdominal cavity following removal of cancerous tumors. He is also skilled in robot-assisted surgery for pelvic injuries caused by medical complications, specifically abnormal connections between body parts, or fistulas.
His research is focused on minimally invasive techniques to improve recovery after cancer surgery, postoperative chemotherapy, and the relationship between diet and colorectal cancer development.
Dr. Pigazzi is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons; a member of the Society of Surgical Oncology; and a founding member of the Clinical Robotic Surgery Association.
He earned his joint medical degree and doctorate at Boston University School of Medicine, and completed his internship and residency in general surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. He completed a fellowship in minimally invasive surgery at Hackensack Medical Center in Hackensack, N.J., and a fellowship in colorectal surgery at UCI Medical Center.
NewYork-Presbyterian
NewYork-Presbyterian is one of the nation’s most comprehensive, integrated academic healthcare systems, encompassing 10 hospital campuses across the Greater New York area, more than 200 primary and specialty care clinics and medical groups, and an array of telemedicine services.
A leader in medical education, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is the only academic medical center in the nation affiliated with two world-class medical schools, Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. This collaboration means patients have access to the country’s leading physicians, the full range of medical specialties, latest innovations in care, and research that is developing cures and saving lives.
Ranked the #4 hospital in the nation and #1 in New York in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals rankings, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is also recognized as among the best in the nation in the U.S. News Best Children’s Hospitals rankings. Founded nearly 250 years ago, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital has a long legacy of medical breakthroughs and innovation, from the invention of the Pap test to pioneering the groundbreaking heart valve replacement procedure called TAVR.
NewYork-Presbyterian’s 47,000 employees and affiliated physicians are dedicated to providing the highest quality, most compassionate care to New Yorkers and patients from across the country and around the world.
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Weill Cornell Medicine
Weill Cornell Medicine is committed to excellence in patient care, scientific discovery and the education of future physicians in New York City and around the world. The doctors and scientists of Weill Cornell Medicine — faculty from Weill Cornell Medical College, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, and Weill Cornell Physician Organization—are engaged in world-class clinical care and cutting-edge research that connect patients to the latest treatment innovations and prevention strategies. Located in the heart of the Upper East Side's scientific corridor, Weill Cornell Medicine's powerful network of collaborators extends to its parent university Cornell University; to Qatar, where Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar offers a Cornell University medical degree; and to programs in Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Austria and Turkey. Weill Cornell Medicine faculty provide comprehensive patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian Queens and NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. Weill Cornell Medicine is also affiliated with Houston Methodist. For more information, visit weill.cornell.edu.