Colon & Rectal Surgery Research Program

The Colon and Rectal Surgery Research Program within the Department of Surgery and Perioperative Care at Dell Medical School serves the primary goal of optimizing care for colon and rectal cancer while minimizing morbidity and maximizing quality of life. Research within the program focuses on quantitative and qualitative approaches to patient-reported outcomes, shared decision-making and patient education.

Faculty members within the program explore the application of emerging technologies such as machine learning, large language models and computer vision to advance colon and rectal care through partnerships with the Department of Oncology and Cockrell School of Engineering. The program also collaborates with the Moody College of Communication.

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Program Co-Lead

Joga Ivatury, M.D., MHA

Program Co-Lead

Claire Sokas, M.D., MPH

The Colon and Rectal Surgery Research Program has a special interest in enhancing public understanding of colon and rectal disease and supporting patients in making decisions that align with their preferences and goals. The program performs collaborative research to generate discoveries that are directly applicable to patients across the continuum of care.

The Colon and Rectal Surgery Research Program has pioneered “Speaking Stoma,” a health communication guide designed for people with ostomies, through collaboration with the Moody College of Communication, United Ostomy Associations of America and ostomates themselves.

The program also collaborates with Rolf Benirschke and the Embracing Ostomy Life program to advance postoperative ostomy care for patients immediately following surgery.

The Colon and Rectal Surgery Research Program focuses on improving care for people facing colon, rectal and anal cancer. Through a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, the program aims to understand how people perceive various treatment options and effectively identify patients’ preferences and values.

Additionally, the program conducts research at the David Powell Health Center to better understand how high-risk patients perceive their risk of developing anal cancer.

The Colon and Rectal Surgery Research Program collaborates with researchers in the Department of Oncology and the Cockrell School of Engineering. Together, the program harnesses machine learning and computer vision to enhance the quality and interpretation of bioimaging for colon and rectal cancer prevention and treatment.

Additionally, the program conducts research to evaluate the utility of large language models in developing patient education materials.