Patricia Sylla, MD

Patricia Sylla, MD, FACS, FASCRS is the System Chief of Colon and Rectal Surgery for the Mount Sinai Health System. In this role, Dr. Sylla coordinates the colon and rectal surgery program across all eight hospitals within the Mount Sinai Health System.

Dr. Sylla is a leader in the development of minimally invasive approaches to the surgical treatment of colon and rectal cancer. Dr. Sylla was recruited to Mount Sinai in 2015 from Massachusetts General Hospital, where she developed a research and clinical program using Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES). NOTES provides an innovative approach to transanal surgery, which may allow for faster recovery and fewer complications. In 2009, Dr. Sylla performed the first-ever rectal cancer resection on a human using a NOTES transanal approach. She has helped implement transanal total mesorectal excision (taTME) worldwide and has trained hundreds of surgeons in this important technique. A Phase II multicenter trial for taTME was initiated by Dr. Sylla and has been extended to a pilot multicenter trial comparing robotic and transanal TME for very low rectal tumors.

Dr. Sylla has garnered recognition for her dedication to teaching and mentoring medical students, residents and fellows. She has served as Associate Director of the Colorectal Surgery Fellowship Program since 2015.

Dr. Sylla holds key leadership positions in several national societies, most notably as president of SAGES, the leading society for minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery. Additionally, as a member of the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC) accreditation committee, she is helping to cement Mount Sinai’s status as a national leader in the field of Colon and Rectal Surgery.

Dr. Sylla received a Bachelor of Science degree Cum Laude in Biology from Georgetown University and a Doctor of Medicine degree from Weill Cornell Medical College. She completed residency training in Surgery at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center and fellowship training in Colon & Rectal Surgery at The Mount Sinai Hospital. She also completed a second fellowship in Minimally Invasive Surgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital.