Fergal J Fleming Editor

John RT Monson MD, FRCS, FASCRS is a colorectal surgeon who trained in Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Since 2024, he has served as a Professor of Surgery and Director of Intestinal Failure at Northwell Health, New York. He served as the Chair of Colorectal Surgery and Digestive Health and Surgery Institute at Advent Health from 2016 until 2024. His areas of expertise include the use of minimally invasive technologies in colorectal cancer treatment, including Transanal Endoscopic Microsurgery (TEMS) laparoscopy and robotic surgery. Dr. Monson is credited with leading the development of laparoscopic colorectal surgery in the United Kingdom. He is a former Chair of the U.K.'s National Training Program. His research encompasses a broad range of cancer-related areas including the development of national standards and qualitative assessments of decision-making in cancer care. .An internationally recognized lecturer and award-winning author of more than 400 peer-reviewed papers and more than 100 book chapters, he is currently coeditor of Diseases of Colon and Rectum.

He is a former vice president of the British Association of Surgical Oncology, has served on the Executive Council of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and served in many roles including on their Executive Council and as Chairman of the Research Committee. He was a founding member and vice president of the OSTRiCh Consortium on Rectal Cancer Care which ultimately became the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC). He is currently a member of the NAPRC Executive Committee. He is a Fellow of all four Royal Colleges of Surgeons – Ireland, England, Edinburgh and Glasgow – and an Honorary Fellow of three of the four.

Lawrence Lee MD PhD joined McGill University division of General Surgery as a colon and rectal surgeon in 2017. His main speciality clinical interests relate to the treatment of colorectal neoplasia and inflammatory bowel disease. In particular, Dr. Lee specializes in advanced minimally invasive and endoluminal approaches to the treatment of colorectal disease using flexible endoscopy, transanal endoscopic surgery, and Transanal Total Mesorectal Excision (TA-TME). His research interests include health technology assessment and comparative effectiveness research for surgical technologies and innovations, with emphasis on the practice of colorectal surgery. Other areas of research include perioperative assessment, and functional and patient-reported outcomes after major abdominal surgery. Dr. Lee completed his General Surgery residency at McGill during which time he completed an MSc in Epidemiology and a PhD in Healthcare Economics. He then completed a Colon and Rectal Surgery Fellowship at Florida Hospital in Orlando, Florida. He is the recipient of the SAGES Researcher-in-Training award, among other national and international prizes and scholarships for his research and clinical work.

Dr. Lee is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada and a diplomate of the American Board of Surgery, and holds a specialist certificate from the Collège des Médecins du Québec.

Fergal J. Fleming, MB BCh BAO, MD, FRCS is assistant professor of surgery and oncology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. He has been a Fellow in the URMC Division of Colorectal Surgery since 2009.

Dr. Fleming was awarded his medical degree from the University College of Dublin, Ireland in 1998. He is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Dr. Fleming's surgical residency included extensive training in general, vascular and hepatobiliary surgery, as well as dedicated training in colorectal surgery. He was successfully awarded the Intercollegiate Specialist Examination (UK and Ireland) in general surgery with a sub-specialty interest in colorectal surgery in 2009. In addition to being licensed to practice medicine in the state of New York, Dr. Fleming is on the Specialist Register of the Irish Medical Council in recognition of his specialist training in the field of surgery.

Throughout his clinical training, Dr. Fleming's academic career flourished with numerous peer-reviewed publications in international journals, as well as distinguished prizes and awards, including a Surgical Research Fellowship in 2002 and the Irish Journal of Medical Science Doctor Award, Surgical Section in 2004. He was also awarded a diploma in Cancer Chemoprevention from the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland in 2007.