Overview
Current projects include investigating methods of refining specific treatments for inflammatory bowel disease patients; defining any barriers to implementing Enhanced Recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols throughout the Department of Surgery; evaluating novel imaging techniques to improve the accuracy of clinical staging for rectal cancer; and examining novel medications to determine their ability to improve response rates, local recurrence, and survival of rectal cancer patients.
Robotic Research Fellowship
Investigators
Glen Balch, MD
With a strong foundation in surgical oncology, Dr. Balch has a particular interest in developing personalized treatment plans for colorectal patients, integrating the latest advancements in surgical techniques, targeted therapies, robotic surgical techniques, and minimally invasive procedures. As a respected leader in the field, Dr. Balch actively participates in clinical research, contributing to advancements in surgical techniques, treatment protocols, and postoperative care. He is the founder of the United States Rectal Cancer Consortium (USRCC), a collaborative research group of physicians from six academic institutions, which has contributed significantly to the treatment of rectal cancer patients. His research has been published in reputable medical journals, and he frequently presents his findings at national and international conferences. He is an active member of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Groups-ACRIN (ECOG-ACRIN) Cancer Research Group GI Cancer Committee, and is principal investigator on developing clinical trials.
Terrah Paul Olson, MD
Terrah J. Paul Olson, MD, is an assistant professor of surgery in the Division of Colorectal Surgery of the Department of Surgery at Emory University School of Medicine. She is a board certified general surgeon, having completed her general surgery training at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, WI. She is a board-certified colorectal surgeon and finished her colorectal surgery fellowship at the University of Chicago Medical Center in Chicago. Her research interests include inflammatory bowel disease, quality improvement, robotics education and objective performance metrics, and enhanced recovery after surgery in the IBD population.
Seth Rosen, MD
As a passionate advocate of innovation, Dr. Rosen has regularly introduced and established new procedures and technologies in his practice, and is actively engaged in clinical research evaluating robotic surgery for colon and rectal diseases. He is also a member of the Cancer Prevention and Control Research Program of Winship Cancer Institute, which is dedicated to reducing cancer risk, incidence, morbidity, and mortality, and is striving to improve the quality of life of cancer patients and survivors in Georgia and beyond.
Virginia Shaffer, MD
Dr. Shaffer's health services and quality improvement research has included her successful effort to improve communication between home health nurses and Emory clinical personnel to lower the 30-day readmission rate for ileostomy patients, and her work to reduce surgical site infections (SSIs) for patients after colorectal resection by identifying risk factors for SSIs.
She is also interested in refining treatment for inflammatory bowel disease patients, and has been evaluating the efficacy of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in offering relief from pouchitis, an inflammation of the pouch created during surgery for ulcerative colitis that stores and eliminates solid waste. FMT is the delivery of healthy bacteria via placement of donor stool in the recipient's digestive tract.
Patrick Sullivan, MD
As the founding member and medical director of Emory's Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) group, Dr. Sullivan works to detect any institutional, operational, or cultural barriers to ERAS-endorsed best practices for decreasing complications and improving patient value. When such obstacles are encountered, he forms teams to address them.
He is also working to improve the outcomes and survival of colorectal cancer patients, investigating novel imaging techniques to improve the accuracy of clinical staging for rectal cancer, participating in trials that are evaluating the selective use of radiation in rectal cancer, and researching novel medications to determine if they improve response rates, local recurrence, and overall survival of rectal cancer patients.