Robin Mendelsohn, MD

I chose gastroenterology because it is a wonderful combination of clinical patient care, endoscopic procedures, and research. I love caring for people with a wide variety of diseases and enjoy being part of the entire spectrum of cancer-related care, from screening to end-of-life care.

I have expertise in performing a variety of gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures, including colonoscopy and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. I am also skilled at performing advanced endoscopic techniques, such as complex polypectomies and direct percutaneous endoscopic jejunostomies (placing a feeding tube directly in the small intestine). Cancer can sometimes create obstacles to daily activities, such as eating, and many of the procedures I perform help patients feel better by taking care of these quality of life needs for them.

In recent years, we have been able to reduce colon cancer rates because more people are getting screened appropriately. Though this is important progress, we have begun to see an increase in the number of younger people being diagnosed with this disease. My research aims to find out why this number is rising. I am also investigating how best to care for younger people with colon cancer to ensure we are addressing their specific long-term concerns and goals, such as fertility.