Dr. Madhulika Varma, Chief of Colorectal Surgery, specializes in the surgical treatment of diseases of the colon, rectum, and anus. Her areas of expertise include colon and rectal cancer, inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and pelvic floor disorders. She is also a specialist in advanced laparoscopic and robotic colorectal surgery, using minimally invasive techniques to treat many of these diseases. Dr. Varma is the director of the UCSF Center for Pelvic Physiology, which evaluates patients with fecal incontinence, constipation, pelvic floor prolapse, rectal cancer, and anal fistulas. She is a member of the clinical team of the UCSF Women’s Continence Center and the UCSF Center for Colitis and Crohn’s Disease. Dr. Varma earned her medical degree at Brown University School of Medicine in Providence, R.I. She completed her residency in general surgery at UCSF and spent a year at the University of Minnesota to obtain specialized training in colon and rectal surgery. She returned to the faculty at UCSF in 2000, where she completed a fellowship in Clinical Outcomes Research and Epidemiology. Her research interests include the assessment of clinical outcomes and quality of life for patients with colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel diseases, and defecation disorders.