Colorectal Surgery Residency

Overview

We appreciate your interest in the Colorectal Surgery Residency training program at Cleveland Clinic in Florida. Cleveland Clinic’s Department of Colorectal Surgery in Florida is a very busy, clinical and research-oriented department that treats patients with a broad spectrum of colorectal pathology. Our department offers a one-year, comprehensive, ACGME-accredited colorectal residency. The program participates in the National Residency Matching Program, and five positions are offered each year. In addition, there are opportunities for individuals to work as research residents in our department, with appointments on a staggered basis for six months to one year.

Patient and Surgical Volume

More than 5,000 patients are seen annually in the clinic, and over 2,000 operations are performed by the seven full-time, board-certified colorectal surgeons, Drs. Eric Weiss, Dana Sands, David Maron, Giovanna DaSilva, Marylise Boutros, Ebram Salama, and Maher Al Khaldi. Other staff includes nurse clinicians who facilitate patient care and support day-to-day patient management, including assistance in the office and operating room. Their invaluable assistance allows residents more time for interaction in the operating room, endoscopy suite, office, and physiology lab. There are also three dedicated colorectal clinic nurses, multiple enterostomal therapists, one biofeedback therapist, and two research nurses.

Approximately 80-100 patients are seen in the office each week and evaluated for a wide range of colorectal complaints. Procedures performed in the clinic include rubber band ligation of internal hemorrhoids, excision of thrombosed external hemorrhoids, superficial fistulotomies, incision and drainage of abscesses, drainage of pilonidal abscesses, rectal and perianal biopsies, and fulguration of lesions.

On average, the department performs 60-75 colonoscopies per week, the majority of which are therapeutic, including advanced procedures such as endoscopic mucosal resections, dilations, and stent placements.  In addition, multiple flexible sigmoidoscopies are performed in the clinic each week.

The department has a full anal physiology lab with endoscopic ultrasound, anal manometry, defecography, and pelvic floor biofeedback therapy.  Residents are involved in reviewing all studies, and may also participate in testing procedures.

Approximately 25-30 abdominal and anorectal surgeries are performed each week at the hospital or outpatient surgical center. The majority of abdominal cases are performed using a minimally invasive approach (laparoscopic and robotic); however, open and reoperative cases are also common.

Our residency program provides extensive research opportunities, backed by a solid infrastructure that features a project scientist, research associates, biostatistical support, and dedicated research coordinators. Faculty members are highly committed to mentorship. Residents acquire practical experience with large national datasets such as NCDB, SEER, COSMOS, and NIS, develop skills in systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and engage actively in prospective clinical trials. There are also opportunities to author book chapters and secure grant funding for research.

Why Choose Cleveland Clinic in Florida

In 1991, the department became interested in the potential applications of laparoscopy in colorectal surgery. As a result, we now have one of the world’s largest series of laparoscopic colorectal procedures, and all residents receive intensive laparoscopic training. More than half of the faculty also perform robotic colorectal surgery, ensuring our graduates are proficient in all surgical techniques.

The department treats a large number of patients with rectal cancer, and Cleveland Clinic in Florida is an accredited site in the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer. Residents present at a weekly multidisciplinary tumor board, where each patient is reviewed in detail with staff from radiation and medical oncology, radiology, pathology, and genetics. In addition, the department performs many transanal total mesorectal excisions (TaTME), and Dr. Dana Sands has the highest single-surgeon TaTME volume worldwide.

Cleveland Clinic in Florida has a very busy gastroenterology department that treats many patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Accordingly, the department of colorectal surgery performs numerous procedures for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. While many training programs have seen a decrease in the volume of ileal pouch procedures, our residents continue to have a robust experience with ileal pouches.

Graduates of the program are typically split between academic and community practice.  Some of our graduates have become some of the highest-volume robotic colorectal surgeons in the country.  In addition, we have numerous alumni who have become division and department chairs at academic centers around the world.

Curriculum

The schedule consists of one-month rotations, during which each resident works alongside one or two faculty members. The rotations repeat in the second half of the year, so residents work with each faculty member for at least two one-month rotations.

Educational conferences

The Colorectal Surgery training program provides a robust, academic environment.

• Core Curriculum Conference – This is a one-hour lecture on Monday mornings given by an expert in colorectal surgery as well as related specialties (GI, Urogynecology, Oncology, Urology, Reconstructive Surgery).
• Rectal Cancer MDT – Weekly Multi-Disciplinary Tumor Board meeting where residents present rectal cancer cases for discussion by Colorectal Surgery, Medical Oncology, Radiation Oncology, Radiology, Pathology, and Genetics.
• Journal Club – All clinical residents will present an article in colorectal surgery of their choosing for discussion with the faculty each month.
• Mortality & Morbidity – Monthly discussion of surgical complications on the Colorectal Surgery Service.
• Research Forum – Discussion of potential and ongoing research projects, as well as the opportunity to rehearse presentations for upcoming meetings.
• CARSEP – An interactive conference where practice questions are covered by faculty in preparation for the CARSITE In Training Examination.
• IBD Conference – Monthly multidisciplinary conference hosted by the Gastroenterology Fellowship program, where complex IBD cases are presented.
• Academic Advancement Series – Monthly conference for all CCF trainees that covers topics pertinent to residency training.
• General Surgical M&M – Weekly M&M where colorectal surgery cases may be presented.
• Grand Rounds – Each resident is expected to present a Grand Rounds to the department.

Application Process

The Colon & Rectal Surgery Training Program participates in the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) for all positions. You must complete all components of the ERAS Application for your application to be considered complete and reviewed by the Selection Committee. The Selection Committee will review all applications received and grant interviews based on applicants’ overall qualifications.

Benefits

Benefits information including salaries, insurance information and more, can be found by visiting the Graduate Medical Education Benefits page.

Our Team

Program Director

• David Maron, MD

Associate Program Director

• Dana Sands, MD

Teaching Staff

• Dana Sands, MD
• Juan Nogueras, MD
• Ebram Salama, MD
• Giovanna da Silva, MD
• Eric Weiss, MD

Current Residents

Class of 2026

Katherine “Katie” Carsky, MD

Majed El Hechi, MD

Sara Siskind, MD

David Swift, MD

Contact Us

Allison Perez
Senior GME Program Manager
Email: PEREZA21@ccf.org
Phone: 954.870.0106

Alumni

1990–1991

• John D. Cheape, MD

1991–1992

• Olaf B. Johansen, MD

1992–1993

• Sander R. Binderow, MD
• Stephanie L. Schmitt, MD

1993–1994

• Stephen M. Cohen, MD
• Eric G. Weiss, MD

1994–1995

• Mitchell A. Bernstein, MD
• Petachia Reissman, MD

1995–1996

• Laurence R. Sands, MD
• Marc E. Sher, MD

1996–1997

• Deborah A. DeMarta, MD
• Fabio M. Potenti, MD

1997–1998

• Jean-Francois Latulippe, MD
• Jay J. Singh, MD

1998–1999

• Bruce Belin, MD
• Jonathan E. Efron, MD

1999–2000

• Alon J. Pikarsky, MD
• Oded Zmora, MD
• Jules Garbus, MD

2000–2001

• Patrick H.D. Colquhoun, MD
• Brooke H. Gurland, MD
• Joshua A. Katz, MD

2001–2002

• Jorge Lagares-Garcia, MD
• Seth A. Rosen, MD
• Dana R. Sands, MD
• Khurrum Baig, MD

2002–2003

• Maher A. Abbas, MD
• John J. De Barros, MD
• Monica A. Hum, MD
• Brian T. Valerian, MD

2003–2004

• Susan M. Cera, MD
• James M. Doty, MD
• Cristina Sardinha, MD
• Wael A. El Solh, MD

2004–2005

• Mari Anne Madsen, MD
• David Maron, MD
• John Migaly, MD
• Bridget Sanders, MD
• Matthew Vrees, MD

2005–2006

• Farshad Abir, MD
• Jill Genua, MD
• Benjamin Person, MD
• Nathan Schneidereit, MD
• Henry Talus, MD

2006–2007

• Marat Khaikin, MD
• Amit Khanna, MD
• Anne Lin, MD, MSHS
• Dipen Maun, MD
• Christina J. Seo, MD

2007–2008

• Avraham Belizon, MD
• Jared C. Frattini, MD
• Ron Landmann, MD
• Elisabeth McLemore, MD
• Bashar Safar, MD

2008–2009

• Paula Denoya, MD, FACS, FASCRS
• Joseph Mareno, MD
• Nagesh Ravipati, MD
• Elie Schochet, MD
• Andrew J. Vorenberg, MD

2009–2010

• Cybil R. Corning, MD
• Yair Edden, MD
• Thiru V. Lakshman, MD
• Kimberly A. Matzie, MD
• Giovanna da Silva, MD

2010–2011

• Marylise Boutros, MD
• Dana Hayden, MD
• Assar Rather, MD
• Richard Schaller, MD
• Virginia Shaffer, MD

2011–2012

• Rafal Barczak, MD
• Dan Enger-Ruiz, MD
• Yosef Nasseri, MD
• Marc C. Osborne, MD
• E. Dawn Wietfeldt, MD

2012–2013

• Melissa Alvarez-Downing, MD
• Hayder Al-Azzawi, MD
• Lisa Haubert, MD
• Julie Ann Van Koughnett, MD
• Rahul Narang, MD

2013–2014

• Benjamin Abbadessa, MD
• Farrell Adkins, MD
• Henry Govekar, MD
• Negar Salehomoum, MD
• Noam Shussman, MD

2014–2015

• Ahmed Chadi, MD
• Haane Massarotti, MD
• Claire Peeples, MD
• Nicole M. Saur, MD
• David Vivas, MD

2015–2016

• Nadav Haim, MD
• Andrea Petrucci, MD
• Karen Sherman, MD
• Radhika K. Smith, MD
• Joshua Wolf, MD

2016–2017

• Alodia Gabre-Kidan, MD
• Luanne Force, MD
• David Hiller, MD
• David Lisle, MD
• Aaron Rickles, MD

2017–2018

• Vanessa Hui, MD
• Victoria Lao, MD
• Daniel Lavy, MD
• Anne-Marie Sirany, MD
• Christopher White, MD

2018–2019

• Eliott Arsoniadis, MD
• Paul Kolarsick, MD
• Stephen Sharp, MD
• Paul Strombom, MD
• Marianna Zeichen

2019–2020

• Amandeep Ghuman, MD
• Sandra Kavalukas, MD
• Cyrus Jahansouz, MD
• Thaer Obaid, MD
• Matthew Skancke, MD

2020–2021

• Emanuela Alvarenga, MD
• Charles Randall Cooper, MD
• Kristen Rumer, MD;
• Stewart Whitney, MD
• Yasmin Zerhouni, MD

2021–2022

• Anthony D'Andrea, MD
• Jared Emolo, MD
• Andrew Morgan, MD
• David Zhang, MD
• Peige Zhou, MD

2022-2023

• Kenisha Atwell, MD
• Meridith Ginesi, MD
• Devon Livingston-Rosanoff, MD
• Ebram Salama, MD
• Jane Yang, MD

2023-2024

• Felice De Stefano Hernandez, MD
• David Meyer, MD
• Marcus Oosenbrug, MD
• Ashley Shustak, MD

2024-2025

• Maher Al Khaldi, MD
• Zubair Bayat, MD
• Timothy Holleran, MD
• Shayan Khalafi, MD