Esther S Han, MD

Marco B. Zoccali is a minimally invasive surgeon with extensive expertise in the treatment of the broad range of colorectal diseases including IBD, colon and rectal cancers, and benign colorectal diseases. He received his medical degree at the Catholic University in Rome, Italy where he also completed his surgical training. He then came to the USA where he did a Minimally Invasive Gastrointestinal Surgery Fellowship at the University of Chicago followed by a surgical residency at Weill Cornell Medical Center. He then completed his Colon and Rectal Surgery Fellowship at the University of Chicago. Although committed to managing the entire spectrum of pathologies that can affect the lower intestinal tract, his personal interest lies mostly in minimally invasive approaches to colorectal conditions – including the robotic platform – and the management of inflammatory bowel diseases. Beyond his clinical practice, Dr. Zoccali is also a prolific researcher. He has published more than 50 articles in major surgical journals including The Journal of The American College of Surgeons, The British Journal of Surgery and Inflammatory Bowel Disease, and has contributed to several book chapters.

Dr. Dionigi is a double board certified colon and rectal surgeon with a specific interest and expertise in colon and rectal cancer, polyposis syndromes, re-operative colorectal surgery, as well as robotic and minimally invasive procedures. Dr. Dionigi obtained her medical degree with highest honors from the University of Pavia, Italy. After a surgical internship at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York, she completed her general surgery residency at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Harvard Medical School in Boston. During this time, she also did a two-year translational research fellowship related to mesenchymal stem cells at Boston Children Hospital. She then completed a colon and rectal surgery fellowship at the Salvati Fellowship Program at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson in New Jersey, followed by two years of advanced training in complex reoperative colorectal surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio. Dr. Dionigi then joined the Division of Colorectal Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center as Assistant Professor of Surgery. Since her arrival at NYP/Columbia, she has created the Women in Surgery Association (WINGS) first of its kind at Columbia with the goal of promoting women in leadership, she has served as Associate Program Director of the General Surgery Residency Program, and she is the founder and co-Chair of the collaborative translational project on Early Onset Colon and Rectal Cancer within the Columbia Research Cancer Center. Her dedication to the education of surgery residents was recognized with the 2023 Teacher Award. She is the author of several publications, received national and international awards for her research, and has been an invited speaker to national and international meetings.

Dr. Chabot is a beloved and revered pancreatic cancer surgeon, and founder of the Pancreas Center at Columbia/NewYork-Presbyterian. Established in 2006, the Pancreas Center is one of the largest and most effective clinical cancer programs in the world, as well as a transformative research center where scientific discovery leads to trials of new pancreatic cancer therapies. Under Dr. Chabot’s leadership, the Pancreas Center has grown from an informal collaboration to a comprehensive faculty of clinical specialists and scientific and translational researchers. This team now includes three full-time medical oncologists and numerous specialists who support pancreatic patient needs, as well as 13 different full- and part-time laboratories dedicated to pancreas cancer research—more than at any other academic medical center. Dr. Chabot is the David V. Habif Professor of Surgery, chief of hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) surgery, and served as vice president of ColumbiaDoctors for many years. He is known for the close rapport he builds with his patients. A highly-regarded surgeon, he has performed more than 2,500 Whipple procedures—a complex operation to remove pancreatic tumors—and participated in many surgical advances that have steadily improved pancreatic cancer outcomes.Dr. Chabot arrived at Columbia/NewYork-Presbyterian in 1983 as an intern. From intern, resident, and fellow to professor, mentor, and director of the Pancreas Center, he has spent his entire career at Columbia/NewYork-Presbyterian, building an intimate understanding of the culture and practice of medicine and surgery. He sits on the scientific advisory board of LetsWin! Pancreatic Cancer and remains singularly committed to the goal of preventing, treating, and curing pancreatic cancer.