Highland Expands Colorectal and Gastroenterology Initiatives

Larissa Temple, M.D.

Lawrence J. Saubermann, M.D.

Lisa M. Cannon, M.D.

Gabriela C. Poles, M.D., M.P.H.

Efforts are underway to renovate Highland’s former presurgical screening space in the northeast wing to become a new outpatient site for Highland’s Colorectal Surgery and Gastroenterology groups.  This space will be shared in a way that provides state-of-the-art multidisciplinary medical and surgical gastrointestinal (GI) care to take place.   “With the increased presence of both URMC GI and Colorectal Surgery at Highland, our care will be even more team based and patient centered,” said Larissa Temple, M.D., Chief of URMC Colon and Rectal Surgery.

Colorectal surgeons Lisa Cannon, M.D., Associate Professor and Associate Program Director for the URMC General Surgery Residency and Gabriela Poles, M.D., Assistant Professor and URMC Colorectal Fellowship Program Director, have moved the majority of their endoscopy and surgery practices to Highland.  In addition to Drs. Cannon and Poles, APP and outpatient ostomy clinics will be incorporated into the outpatient site.

“Highland has robust geriatric and oncology programs and treats many patients with inflammatory bowel disease and cancer.  With access to state-of-the-art operating rooms and minimally invasive platforms, we are excited to be increasing our surgical presence at Highland,” said Dr. Temple. “We hope to make more services available to more patients and this will also include inpatient consultation services. Drs. Poles and Cannon are delighted to be at Highland. They enjoy the environment and clinical experience. Patients have found it be a positive experience. We are excited about how happy everyone is about our presence there.” 

These efforts will be augmented by the entire URMC CRS team who will also be involved in providing inpatient and consultative services at Highland.  “Our presence at Highland is truly a divisional priority” said Dr. Temple.

In addition to the new shared outpatient clinics, the URMC Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endoscopy Division is also expanding their inpatient services at Highland.  Lawrence J. Saubermann, M.D., the Medical Director of Endoscopy and Professor of Medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, is leading the gastroenterology efforts.  “We are very excited to start a novel GI hospitalist program at Highland Hospital,” said Dr. Saubermann. “We are going to have two gastroenterologists primarily focused on inpatient care, which allows the community gastroenterologists to be able to focus their attention on the outpatient side.  The inpatient team will communicate closely with the patient’s outpatient providers to provide seamless GI care.”  

The two new GI hospitalists are Naoki Chiba, M.D., MSc, FRCPC, Professor of Clinical Medicine, and Amulya Penmetsa, M.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine, who are supported by two Advanced Practice Providers: Alecia M. Moodie, MS, AGACNP-BC, RN-BC and Leslie Graus, MPAS, PA-C.  “The GI hospitalists will also be engaged in teaching and training activities that support the Highland Hospital and URMC academic mission.  We are looking forward to seeing this new and exciting clinical program up and running very soon,” said Dr. Saubermann.

7/5/2023