James Church, M.D.

James M. Church, MD, is a Staff member in the Department of Colorectal Surgery at Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. He has been Director of the David G. Jagelman Inherited Colon Cancer Registries and Head of the Section of Endoscopy at Cleveland Clinic since 1989. Dr. Church’s specialty interests include all aspects of colorectal cancer and polyps, molecular genetics of colorectal diseases, functional colorectal and anal problems including constipation and incontinence, perianal and perineal infections and inflammatory bowel disease.

He currently is Co-Investigator of the Collaborative Colorectal Cancer Family Registry, funded by a research grant from the National Cancer Institute. He also is Co-Investigator of a study examining the usefulness of CT colonoscopy in detecting colorectal polyps.

Dr. Church has been named to the Good Housekeeping magazine Top Cancer Doctors for Women list (1999), Top Doctors in America (1999-2008) and Who's Who in America (2000-2008).

He is actively involved in many scientific and medical societies. He is Past Chairman of the Leeds Castle Polyposis Group and the International Collaborative Group on Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colorectal Cancer and current President of the Collaborative Group of the Americas on Inherited Colorectal Cancer. These international societies are dedicated to the care of patients with inherited colorectal cancer and research into their disease.

Dr. Church is Fellow of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, American College of Surgeons, Costa Rican Society of Surgery, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, American College of Gastroenterology, American Surgical Association and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Glasgow.

A frequent national and international lecturer at scientific meetings, Dr. Church has authored more than 180 articles in peer-reviewed journals and 22 book chapters on hereditary cancers, endoscopy and molecular genetics of colorectal tumors. He is the author of two medical textbooks and has been Co-Editor of Diseases of the Colon & Rectum since 2000.

He received his degree from Auckland University School of Medicine in New Zealand, where he also completed several postgraduate research fellowships. In addition, Dr. Church completed a special fellowship in the Department of Colorectal Surgery at Cleveland Clinic.

• Victor W. Fazio Endowed Chair in Colorectal Surgery
• Fellow of American Surgical Association
• Lifetime Achievement Award, Collaborative Group of the Americas for Inherited Colorectal Cancer
• Past Chairman, Leeds Castle Polyposis Group, International Collaborative Group for Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colorectal Cancer and InSiGHT. Current InSiGHT Council Member.
• Co-Editor, Diseases of the Colon & Rectum, 2000-2008

Anorectal Disease, anorectal physiology and disorders, benign anorectal disease, cancer and polyps of the colon and rectum, cancer of the colon, carcinoma of the colon, carcinoma of the rectum, carcinoma of the small bowel and large bowel, chemoprevention of colorectal neoplasia, colon & anus, colon and rectal cancer, colon and rectal surgery, Colon Cancer, colonic neoplasia, Colonoscopy, Colorectal Cancer, colorectal cancer research, colorectal cancer screening strategies, colorectal surgery, Constipation, continent ileostomy procedure, Crohn's Disease, diverticiulitis pelvic pouch procedures for mucosal ulcerative colitis and familial adenomatous polyposis sphincter-saving operations, diverticular disease, diverticulitis, familial inherited colorectal cancer, fecal incontinence, hereditary polyposis and nonpolyposis colorectal cancer, incontinence, intestinal fistulae, intestinal stomas, inflammatory bowel disease, pelvic floor surgery, pelvic pouch procedures for ulcerative colitis and familial polyposis, rectal cancer, Rectal Prolapse, rectum, rectal-sparing operations for carcinoma of the rectum, reoperative abdominal and pelvic surgery, reoperative surgery, Sphincter-preservation Surgery, sphincter-saving operations, sphincter-sparing procedures, stoma surgery, surgery for carcinoma of the colon and rectum reoperative abdominopelvic surgery, surgery for Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis, surgical nutrition, surgical treatment for mucosal ulcerative colitis.

• Victor W. Fazio Endowed Chair in Colorectal Surgery
• Top Doctors in America, 1999-2008
• Top Surgeons in America, 2007
• Fellow, American Surgical Association
• Honorary Fellow, Royal College of Surgeons (Glasgow)
• Lifetime Achievement Award, Collaborative Group of the Americas, 2004, for Inherited Colorectal Cancer
• Distinguished Alumnus Award, University of Auckland, 2008

• American Society of Colorectal Surgery
• American College of Surgeons
• Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
• American College of Gastroenterology
• American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

Cleveland Clinic physicians and scientists may collaborate with the pharmaceutical or medical device industries to help develop medical breakthroughs or provide medical education about recent trends. The collaborations are reviewed as part of the Cleveland Clinic’s procedures. The Cleveland Clinic publicly discloses payments to its physicians and scientists for speaking and consulting of $5,000 or more per year, and any equity, royalties, and fiduciary relationships in companies with which they collaborate. In publicly disclosing this information, the Cleveland Clinic tries to provide information as accurately as possible about its doctors’ connections with industry and those of their immediate family members. As of 9/11/2008, Dr. Church has reported the financial relationships with the companies listed below. Patients should feel free to contact their doctor about any of the relationships and how the relationships are overseen by the Cleveland Clinic. To learn more about the Cleveland Clinic’s policies on collaborations with industry and innovation management, go to our Integrity in Innovation page.

Consulting.  Dr. Church receives fees of $5,000 or more per year as a paid consultant or speaker for the following companies:

• Salix Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Royalty Payments.  Dr. Church has the right to receive royalty payments for inventions or discoveries related to the companies shown below:

• Connecticut
• Lahey
• Louisville
• Nebraska
• Rush Med
• UPMC
• Vandenuilt
• Wolters Kluwer Health Inc.

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