Advances and Controversies in Benign Colorectal Surgery: International Perspectives – Enduring

Please Note: This is the enduring version of the live course that took place in April 2025

Harvard Medical School (HMS) faculty and renowned national and international experts from the International Society of University Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ISUCRS) reviewed the latest advancements in surgical treatments for benign diseases of the colon and rectum. 

The event featured updates from world-class surgeons from around the globe, including Dr. Joseph Nunoo Mensah (UK), Dr. Lucia Oliveira (Brazil), Dr. Carlo Ratto (Italy), Dr. Ayca Gultekin (Turkey), Dr. Gonsalo Hagerman (Mexico), and many others. The lectures were enhanced with videos and interactive content, offering participants a comprehensive learning experience.

Target audience

This activity is intended for general surgeons, colorectal surgeons, gastroenterologists, urogynecologists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and students.

Learning objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

1. Describe advances in anal fistula, pilonidal cyst, hemorrhoids, and anal fissure management.
2. Identify the current controversies in the management of patients with diverticulitis.
3. Review the current treatment pathways and appreciate the nuanced surgical options available to patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
4. Describe the importance of having multidisciplinary team input to manage complex pelvic floor conditions.
5. Discuss international differences in management of benign colorectal diseases and the importance of international exchange of ideas in surgery.
6. Practice new technical skills by participating in hands on workshops on a range of procedures including robotic, laparoscopic, anorectal, and high resolution anoscopy.

Registration instructions

Additional information

Massachusetts General Hospital, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School in collaboration with the  International Society of University Colorectal Surgeons (ISUCRS) and Mass General Brigham

Faculty credentials

Course Directors

Liliana Bordeianou, MD
Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School;
Co-Director, MGH Pelvic Floor Disorders Center,
Co-Chair, Mass General Brigham Colorectal Surgery Collaborative,
Massachusetts General Hospital 

Christy Cauley, MD
Assistant Professor Harvard Medical School;
Colorectal Surgeon, Gastrointestinal Surgeon
Massachusetts General Hospital 

International Faculty

Joseph Nunoo Mensah, MD, FASCRS  
Colorectal Surgeon at Kings College Hospital and Cleveland Clinic London,UK; Head of the Department of Colorectal Surgery; Former President of the  International Society of University Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ISUCRS) from 2022-24.

Arun Rojanasakul, MD, FASCRS 
Emeritus Prof at the Banpakok International Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand: Honorary FASCRS (USA), PSCS (Phillipines), ACRSI (India) and SSCS (Singapore) Fellow; Past president of the Colorectal Surgery Committee of Thailand and the Coloproctology Association of Asia-Pacific;  Inventor of the LIFT (Ligation Intersphincteric Fistula Tract) Procedure

Lucia Oliveira, MD
Director of the Anorectal Physiology department, Cepemed, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Board Member of ALAPP (Latin American Pelvic Floor Society)

Carlo Ratto, MD, FASCRS 
Prof. Ratto is the Chief of the Unit of Proctology and Pelvic Floor Surgery at the Isola Tiberina Gemelli Hospital in Rome, Italy, and Hon FASCRS (USA)

Ayca Gultekin, MD
Professor of Surgery, Zonguldak Bulent Ecevit University School of Medicine, Turkey; Editor in Chief, Turkish Journal of Colorectal Disease; Assistant Secretary, UEMS (European Union of Medical Specialists) Section of Surgery-Coloproctology; Chair of Pelvic Floor Disorders Group, Turkish Society of Colon and Rectal Surgery

Gabriela Möslein, MD
Professor of Surgery and Dept. Head of the newly established Center for Hereditary Tumors at the Academic Hospital of the University of Düsseldorf Ev. BETHESDA in Duisburg, Germany;
Director of InSiGHT (International Society for Hereditary Gastrointestinal Tumors)
Former Secretary of ESCP (European Society for Coloproctology) from 2016 – 2020 and   ESCP Program Director(2020-2024)

Gonzalo Hagerman, MD , FASCRS
Professor, Universidad Panamericana, Mexico; Staff Surgeon, Department of Surgery, ABC Hospital, Mexico City; President Sandra Sucar Foundation; Past president Mexican Bord of Specialists in Diseases of Colon and Rectum

Dhatchai Charoesilavath, MD
Associate Professor of Surgery, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
Colorectal Surgeon, Chulalongkorn Hospital Bangkok, Thailand

USA Faculty

Julia Saraidaridis, MD, FACS, FASCRS
Staff colorectal surgeon in the Division of Colon & Rectal Surgery at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center , Assistant Professor of Surgery at Tufts University School of Medicine; National PI on the BLINQ Study and the ASCRS Anorectal QI Taskforce

Mark K. Soliman, MD, MBA
Chief of Colorectal Surgery and Program Medical Director, AdventHealth Digestive Health Institute; Chair of Colorectal Surgery, AdventHealth Medical Group

Will Perry, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Surgery at Mayo Clinic
Colon and rectal surgeon at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Honorary Fellow at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust

Margarita Murphy, MD
Associate Professor, Florida State University;
Colon and Rectal Surgeon at the Orlando Health Colon and Rectal Institute
Affiliated Assistant Professor, Medical University of South Carolina  Medical School

Lilias Maquire, MD
Assistant Professor of Surgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Colorectal Surgeon, Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Memorial VA Medical Center
Director of Colorectal Research, University of Pennsylvania

Maggie Westfal, MD
Assistant Professor, Medical University of South Carolina
4th Year Medical Student Clerkship Director; Division of Colorectal Surgery Medical University of South Carolina

Stephen Goldstone, MD
Assistant Clinical Professor in Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York
Principal Investigator of the ANCHOR Study Group

Jennifer Davids, MD
Section Chief of Colorectal Surgery, Boston Medical Center

Naomi Sell Goldsmith, MD
Colon and Rectal Surgeon at Winchester Hospital, MA

Lillian Chen, MD
Assistant Professor of Surgery, Tufts Medical School
Colon and rectal surgeon at  Tufts Medical Center

Angela Khunen, MD
Assistant Professor of Surgery Tufts University School Of Medicine
Colorectal Surgery Fellowship Program Director, Lahey Clinic, MA

David Kleiman, MD
Staff Surgeon, Lahey Hospital and Medical Center
Assistant Professor of Surgery, Tufts University School of Medicine

Thomas Peponis, MD
Assistant Professor of Surgery, Department of Surgery/Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, UMass Chan Medical School

Jason Hall, MD, MPH
Chairman and Surgeon-in-Chief, Department of Surgery, Tufts Medical Center
Professor and Benjamin Andrews Chair of Surgery, Tufts University School of Medicine
Interim Director, Tufts Medical Center Cancer Center

Olga Beresneva, MD
Assistant Professor of Surgery, Boston University, Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine;
Colorectal surgeon at Boston Medical Center

Stanley Goldberg, MD
M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

Mass General Brigham and Harvard Faculty

Kyle Staller, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Director, Gastrointestinal Motility Laboratory at  Massachusetts General Hospital
Member,  Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital

Dana Fugelso, MD
Instructor in Surgery, Harvard Medical School
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Joel Goldberg, MD 
Assistant Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School
Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Rob Goldstone, MD
Assistant Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School
Massachusetts General Hospital

Grace Lee, MD
Assistant Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School
Colorectal Surgeon, Massachusetts General Hospital and Salem Hospital

Rich Hodin, MD
Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School
Division Chief, Division of Gastrointestinal and Oncologic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital

Ron Bleday, MD
Associate Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School
Chief, Section Colon and Rectal Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Vice Chair in Surgery for Quality and Safety
Co-Chair, Mass General Brigham Colorectal Surgery Collaborative

Rocco Ricciardi, MD
Associate Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School
Chief, Section Colon and Rectal Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital

Todd Francone, MD
Associate Professor of Surgery, Tufts Medical School
Division Chief, Colon and Rectal Surgery, Newton Wellesley Hospital

Lieba Savitt, NP-C; WHNP-BC, MSN, MBA
APP Clinical Manager
Division of Gastrointestinal and Oncologic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital

Beth O’Dea, NP
Nurse Practitioner, Division of Gastrointestinal and Oncologic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital

Hiroko Kunitake, MD
Associate Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School
Colorectal Surgery Fellowship Director, Massachusetts General Hospital
Chair, Perioperative Senior Health Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital

Jonathan Glickman, MD 
Associate Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School

Holly Bonnette, ANP-BC 
Nurse Practitioner, Division of Gastrointestinal and Oncologic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital; Lead APP, Colorectal Surgery Center and Center for Pelvic Floor Disorders

Daniel Worrall, ANP-BC
Nurse Practitioner, Division of Gastrointestinal and Oncologic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital

Ryan Fong, PA-C
OR Robotics, Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Nelya Melnitchouk, MD, MSc
Program Director, Colorectal Surgery Fellowship
Director in Peritoneal Surface Malignancy
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Assistant Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School

Accreditation

In support of improving patient care, Mass General Brigham is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Credit Designation Statement

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^TM
Mass General Brigham designates this enduring material for a maximum of 14.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Maintenance of Certification (MOC)

American Board of Surgery (ABS) MOC Recognition Statement

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME requirement of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABS credit.

Program

Day 1 – Morning Session 1: International Anorectal Masterclass – Spotlight on Anal Fistula

• What is the ISUCRS and Why Are We Here | Joseph Nunoo-Mensah, MD (Great Britain)
• What Did I Lean on my 4000th Fistula Surgery: Simplified Anogenital Anatomy and Comprehensive Anal Fistula Patterns | Arun Rojanasakul, MD (Thailand)
  • Commentary: Lillias Maguire, MD (USA)
• Successful Anal Fistula Surgery Benefits from Preoperative Imaging: A Case for Endoanal Ultrasound | Lucia Oliveira, MD (Brazil)
• Fistulotomy With and Without Immediate Primary Repair | Carlo Ratto, MD (Italy)
• Why We Should Stop Using Setons | Dhatchai Charoensilavath, MD (Thailand)
• Role and Place of VAAFT, FiLAC, Fistura, OTSSC Clip and Fixcision in your Anal Fistula Surgery Arsenal: Serious Procedures or Just Hype? | Joseph Nunoo-Mensah, MD (Great Britain)
• Horseshoe Fistula: Now What? | Ayca Gultekin, MD (Turkey)
• Paul Shellito, MD Lectureship Series: Advanced Anal Fistula Surgery: Partition and Intervention
  • Introduction by: Hiroko Kunitake, MD
  • Speaker: Arun Rojanasakul, MD (Thailand)
  • Commentary: Stanley Goldberg, MD

Day 1 – Morning Session 2: International Pelvic Floor Masterclass: Spotlight on Rectal Prolapse

• Surgery in Patients with Visible External Rectal Prolapse and High-Grade Internal Rectal Intussusception: The European View | Carlo Ratto, MD (Italy)
• Surgery in Patients with Visible External Rectal Prolapse and High-Grade Internal Rectal Intussusception: The UK View | Joseph Nunoo-Mensah, MD (Great Britain)
• Surgery in Patients with Visible External Rectal Prolapse and High-Grade Internal Rectal Intussusception: The USA View | Liliana Bordeianou, MD (USA)
• Recurrent Rectal Prolapse: What Now? | Will Perry, MD (USA)
• Panel Discussion
  • Moderator: Liliana Bordeianou, MD
  • Panelists: Carlo Ratto, MD (Italy); Liliana Bordeianou, MD (USA); Joseph Nunoo-Mensah, MD (Great Britain); Will Perry, MD (USA); Lieba Savitt, NP;  Olga Beresneva, MD; Gonzalo Dhatchai Charoensilavath, MD (Thailand); Gonzalo Hagerman, MD; Margarita Murphy, MD; David Kleiman, MD; Lucia Oliveira, MD; Ayca Gultekin, MD; Rob Goldstone, MD

Day 1 – Morning Session 3: International Anorectal Masterclass: Spotlight on Hemorrhoids, Anal Fissures and Pilonidal Disease 

• Anal Fissure: BLINQ, Please | Julia Saraidaridis, MD (USA)
• Hemorrhoids: Anything New To Offer Since WWII | Gonzalo Hagerman, MD (Mexico)
• Complex Pilonidal Diseases: My Favorite Flaps, How I Do Them, and Why | Margarita Murphy, MD (USA)
• Panel Discussion
  • Moderator: Grace Lee, MD
  • Panelists: Julia Saraidaridis, MD (USA); Gonzalo Hagerman, MD (Mexico); Naomi Goldsmith, MD; Joseph Nunoo-Mensah, MD; Will Perry, MD; Gabriela Möslein, MD; Liliana Bordeianou, MD; Rocco Ricciardi, MD; Lillias Maguire, MD; Thomas Peponis, MD; Carlo Ratto, MD; Holly Bonnette, MD

Day 1 – Afternoon Session 1: The Evolution of Diverticulitis Treatment

• Why Did I Get Diverticulitis and Can I Prevent it From Coming Back? | Julia Saraidaridis, MD (USA)
• Should We Stop Giving Antibiotics to Admitted Patients with Diverticulitis: Lessons from the STAND, AVOD and DIABOLO Trials | Thomas Peponis, MD (USA)
• Setting the Debate Scene: Patient Focused Decision Making in Diverticulitis. How to Decide Who Benefits from an Elective Sigmoid Colectomy? | Jason Hall, MD (USA)
• Arguments for Prompt Surgery: “Enough Already! Just Take The Colon O-U-T OUT!” | Joseph Nunoo- Mensah, MD (Great Britain)
• Arguments for Medical Therapy: “There are Many Effective Strategies to Prevent Recurrent Diverticulitis: First, Do No Harm” | Lillias Maguire, MD (USA)

Day 1 – Afternoon Session 2

• Robotic Sigmoid Resection for Complicated Diverticulitis:  Key Technical Points To Master As You Progress On Your Learning Curve | Mark Soliman, MD (USA)
• How Long Can One Sit on a Stable Patient with Perforated Diverticulitis – and Does it Make Sense to Do It? | Thomas Peponis (USA)
• Goodbye, Hartman or Not Quite Yet?  | Gabriela Möslein, MD (Germany)

Day 2 – Morning Session 1: Current Surgical Challenges in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Management

• Primer on IBD Meds for the Surgeon: What to Hold and What to Keep Preop and Postop | David Kleiman, MD (USA)
• Surgical Bailouts for a Technically Challenging IPAA:  Know Your Options | Jennifer Davids, MD (USA)
• Ernest Codman Lectureship Series: Is Continent Ileostomy In or Out of Fashion Again?
  • Introduction by: Christy Cauley, MD
  • Speaker: Gabriela Möslein, MD (Germany)
• Segmental or Total Colectomy in UC patients with Dysplasia: Do We Have Any Data for a Rational Decision | Richard Hodin, MD (USA)   
• Ileocecal Resection with Various Anastomotic Techniques | Maggie Westfal, MD (USA)
• Does Diversion Have a Place in A Patient with Ileocecal Crohn’s? | Will Perry, MD
• Approaching the Patient with Fistulizing Crohn’s Disease | Joel Goldberg, MD (USA)

Day 2 – Morning Session 2: Complications, Misadventures & Missed Opportunities

• Parastomal Hernia | Rob Goldstone, MD (USA)
• My Colonic Conduit is Dead/Does Not Reach? | Marc Soliman, MD (USA)
• Lower GI Bleeding | Joseph Nunoo-Mensah, MD (Great Britain)
• Stapler Does Not Fit or Pass Through a Kink | Olga Beresneva, MD (USA)
• Anastomotic Leak | Rocco Ricciardi, MD (USA)
• Challenging Stoma | Lucia Oliveira, MD (Brazil)
• Postoperative Ileus | Grace Lee, MD (USA)
• Is Surgery for Slow Transit Constipation Still A Thing? | Kyle Staller, MD (USA)
• Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injury | Carlo Ratto, MD (Italy)
• On Rectovaginal Fistula and Other Surgical Principles Re-Learned During My Missions in Africa | Gonzalo Hagerman, MD (Mexico)
• Is There New Hope for Fecal Incontinence Patients? | Margarita Murphy, MD (USA)
• Panel Discussion
  • Moderator: Todd Francone, MD
  • Panelists: Rob Goldstone, MD; Marc Soliman, MD (USA); Joseph Nunoo-Mensah, MD (Great Britain); Olga Beresneva, MD (USA); Rocco Ricciardi, MD (USA); Lucia Oliveira, MD (Brazil); Lilian Chen, MD (Germany); Grace Lee, MD (USA); Kyle Staller, MD (USA); Carlo Ratto, MD (Italy); Gonzalo Hagerman, MD (Mexico); Margarita Murphy, MD (USA); Ronald Bleday, MD; Liliana Bordeianou, MD; Christy Cauley, MD; Todd Francone, MD; Joel Goldberg, MD; Grace Lee, MD; Rocco Ricciardi, MD

Day 2 – Afternoon Session: No More Data – Show Us What To Do

Moderator: Rocco Ricciardi, MD

• Anal Fistula: My Favorite Approach | Carlo Ratto, MD (Italy)
• Anal Fistula: My Favorite Approach | Dhatchai Charoensilavath, MD (Thailand)
• Anal Fistula: My Favorite Approach | Joseph Nunoo-Mensah, MD (Great Britain)
• Anal Fistula: My Favorite Approach | Lucia Oliveira, MD (Brazil)
• Pilonidal Cyst: Treatment Depends on Its Grade | Will Perry, MD (USA)     
• Pilonidal Cyst: My Favorite Approach | Ayca Gultekin, MD (Turkey)
• Useful Intra- Op Tricks: Using ICG to Your Patient’s Advantage | Olga Beresneva, MD (USA)
• Rectal Prolapse: My Favorite Approach | Liliana Bordeianou, MD (USA)
• Intraoperative Emergency: Stay Calm | Todd Francone, MD (USA)
• Intraoperative Emergency: Stay Calm | Marc Soliman, MD (USA)