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Madhulika Varma, M.D.

  • Professor of Surgery
  • Division of Surgical Oncology
  • Chief, Section of Colorectal Surgery 
  • Maurice Galante, MD Distinguished Professor in Surgical Oncology
  • Director, UCSF Center for Pelvic Physiology

Contact Information

(415) 885-3606 Patients & Clinic
[email protected]
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  • 1983-87 Brown University, Providence, RI - A.B., Human Biology
  • 1987-91 Brown University, Providence, RI - M.D.
  • 1991-97 University of California, San Francisco - Resident, Surgery
  • 1997-98 University of California, San Francisco - Chief Resident, Surgery
  • 1994-96 University of California, San Francisco - Research Fellowship, Department of Stomatology, PI
  • 1999-00 University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN - Fellow, Colon and Rectal Surgery
  • 2000-01 University of California, San Francisco - Fellow, Advanced Training in Clinical Research: Biostatistics & Epidemiology
  • American Board of Surgery, 1999; Recertification, 2007
  • American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery, 2001
  • Director, UCSF Center for Pelvic Physiology
  • Program Director, UCSF Center for Colorectal Surgery

Dr. Madhulika Varma is Professor and Chief of the Section of Colorectal Surgery, Division of General Surgery at UCSF. She specializes in laparoscopic colorectal surgery, using minimally invasive techniques to treat diseases of the colon, rectum and anus. Her areas of expertise also include inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease and pelvic floor disorders.

 Dr. Varma is also 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. Highly respected by her peers, Dr. Varma was named to the list of U.S. News "America's Top Doctors," a distinction reserved for the top 1% of physicians in the nation for a given specialty.

  • A Randomized, Subject and Evaluator Blinded, Sham Controlled, Multicenter Study to Evaluate Efficacy and Safety of NASHA/Dx for the Treatment of Fecal Incontinence
  • The Comprehensive Validation of the CSI (Constipation Severity Instrument) and CRQOL (Constipation-Related Quality of Life) and the Comprehensive Validation of the RCM (Rome III Constipation Module)
  • A Phase II Trial of Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation and Local Excision for uT2uN0 Rectal Cancer
  • Timing of Rectal Cancer Response to Chemoradiation
  • The Effect of Rectal Resection on Bowel, Bladder, and Sexual Functioning in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease
  • A Randomized Control Trial to Examine the Efficacy of Anorectal Biofeedback
  • Prevalence of Sexual Dysfunction in Ulcerative Colitis Patients
  • Outcomes of Patients Presenting to the UCSF Center for Pelvic Physiology with Pelvic Floor Disorders
Data provided by UCSF Profiles, powered by CTSI
MOST RECENT PUBLICATIONS FROM A TOTAL OF 114
Data provided by UCSF Profiles, powered by CTSI
  1. Verheij FS, Omer DM, Williams H, Lin ST, Qin LX, Buckley JT, Thompson HM, Yuval JB, Kim JK, Dunne RF, Marcet J, Cataldo P, Polite B, Herzig DO, Liska D, Oommen S, Friel CM, Ternent C, Coveler AL, Hunt S, Gregory A, Varma MG, Bello BL, Carmichael JC, Krauss J, Gleisner A, Guillem JG, Temple L, Goodman KA, Segal NH, Cercek A, Yaeger R, Nash GM, Widmar M, Wei IH, Pappou EP, Weiser MR, Paty PB, Smith JJ, Wu AJ, Gollub MJ, Saltz LB, Garcia-Aguilar J. Long-Term Results of Organ Preservation in Patients With Rectal Adenocarcinoma Treated With Total Neoadjuvant Therapy: The Randomized Phase II OPRA Trial. J Clin Oncol. 2023 Oct 26; JCO2301208. View in PubMed
  2. Chan H, Savoie MB, Munir A, Moslehi J, Anwar M, Laffan A, Rowen T, Salmon R, Varma M, Van Loon K. Multi-Disciplinary Management in Rectal Cancer Survivorship: A Clinical Practice Review. J Gastrointest Cancer. 2023 Jan 09. View in PubMed
  3. Greenberg AL, Tolstykh IV, Van Loon K, Laffan A, Stanfield D, Steiding P, Kenfield SA, Chan JM, Atreya CE, Piawah S, Kidder W, Venook AP, Van Blarigan EL, Varma MG. Association between adherence to the American Cancer Society Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines and stool frequency among colon cancer survivors: a cohort study. J Cancer Surviv. 2023 06; 17(3):836-847. View in PubMed
  4. Watanaskul S, Schwab ME, Chern H, Varma M, Sarin A. Robotic transanal excision of rectal lesions: expert perspective and literature review. J Robot Surg. 2023 Apr; 17(2):619-627. View in PubMed
  5. Watanaskul S, Schwab ME, Colley A, Chern H, Varma MG, Hoffman WY, Sarin A. Robotic repair of perineal hernias: a video vignette and review of the literature. Surg Endosc. 2023 03; 37(3):2290-2294. View in PubMed
  6. View All Publications
  • Lata Mohan

    [...]
    Story Categories: Colon Cancer
  • Herbert E. Barker Jr.

    "Exceptional" Care at UCSF Center for Colorectal Surgery for Rectal Cancer Survivor

    I too am a rectal cancer survivor. My relationships with the hospital at UCSF and with Dr. Varma’s team was like yours: exceptional. I am now nearly four years out from “D Day” (April 17, 2009) and thus far, no recurrence. We are truly fortunate and blessed to have been exposed to this disease when we were. There is now so much that can be done with the number of treatments available. Hope you are now and remain ok. I continue to support the UCSF Center for Colorectal Surgery as I participate in the research project. And, I too got back to a gym routine and feel great. Good luck! -Herbert[...]
    Story Categories: Rectal Cancer
  • Tom Bassett

    Hitting Cancer "Hard and Heavy"

    I found out I had colorectal cancer at 47. As an otherwise active and healthy person, when I saw traces of blood where they shouldn’t be, I chalked it up to my bike riding. Yet because of a family history of colon cancer and a father-in-law in the medical field, I thought I would preemptively get a colonoscopy, which turned out to be a wise decision.  Results for patients who discover colorectal cancer early are generally good, and the majority of patients with early stage disease are cured. However, despite my luck at finding the cancer early on, it was staged as III. I would require[...]
    Story Categories: Colon Cancer
  • Courtney Annotti

    Life After Ulcerative Colitis Surgery Feels Amazing

    Colorectal Photo Courntey Annotti
    My name is Courtney Annotti. I’m 22 years old and was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC) eight years ago. UC is a chronic condition that causes long-lasting inflammation in the large intestine. For years I experienced pain that would come and go, and the anxiety of always having to know where a bathroom was. I tried several medications to control my symptoms, but to no avail. Concerned that my condition was worsening day by day, my gastroenterologist referred me to UCSF to meet with Dr. Madhulika Varma, Chief of Colorectal Surgery at UCSF.  When I met with Dr. Varma, I immediately felt[...]
    Story Categories: ColectomyOstomy Surgery: Ileostomy & ColostomyUlcerative Colitis

 

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