Chief, Division of Colorectal Surgery
Cedars Sinai Medical Center
Weill Cornell Medicine
LOS ANGELES, CA, United States
Dr. Alessio Pigazzi was appointed chief of colorectal surgery at Cedars Sinai Medical center effective August, 2025. In this role, Dr. Pigazzi leads a world-class team of colorectal surgeons that uses state-of-the-art technologies and innovative surgical techniques to provide patients with the very best in comprehensive colorectal care.
Dr. Pigazzi’s clinical expertise focuses on the treatment of complex colon, rectal, and anal conditions and cancers, including laparoscopic, robot-assisted and open-surgical techniques. He performed the world’s first robot-assisted tumor removal for rectal cancer in 2004, a procedure that has revolutionized the treatment of this condition. He is also leading clinical research programs combining surgery with immediate postoperative chemotherapy to improve cancer survival.
Dr. Pigazzi is among a small cadre of surgeons skilled in the use of cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), which involves heated chemotherapy applied directly within the abdominal cavity following the removal of cancerous tumors. He is also skilled in robot-assisted surgery for pelvic injuries caused by medical complications, specifically abnormal connections between body parts, or fistulas.
His research is focused on minimally invasive techniques to improve recovery after cancer surgery, postoperative chemotherapy, and the relationship between diet and colorectal cancer development.
Dr. Pigazzi is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons; a member of the Society of Surgical Oncology; and a founding member of the Clinical Robotic Surgery Association.
He earned his joint medical degree and doctorate at Boston University School of Medicine and completed his internship and residency in general surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. He completed a fellowship in minimally invasive surgery at Hackensack Medical Center in Hackensack, N.J., and a fellowship in colorectal surgery at UCI Medical Center.
New Innovations for the Prevention of Anastomotic Leaks
Sunday, May 10, 2026
1:00 PM - 1:07 PM ET