Dr. Karen Zaghiyan

Karen Zaghiyan, MD, FACS, FASCRS, is a board-certified colorectal surgeon practicing at her practice in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Zaghiyan’s interests lie in providing minimally invasive treatments for conditions of the colon, rectum, and anus through the use of robotic, laparoscopic, transanal and natural orifice techniques. Her special interests in colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have driven her success as one of the early adopters and innovators of transanal total mesorectal excision (taTME) and transanal ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (taIPAA) for patients with rectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease. Dr. Zaghiyan is the Director of the Colorectal Cancer Program at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. She is also the Associate Professor of Surgery and Associate Program Director for the Colorectal Residency Program at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. Dr. Zaghiyan graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles. She then completed medical school at the University of California, San Diego before pursuing her general surgery residency and colon and rectal surgery fellowship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. During this time, she traveled to Singapore for additional training from international leaders in her field prior to return to Los Angeles to start her practice. Dr. Zaghiyan is an innovator and expert in her field who is regularly invited to speak and teach at top national and international conferences. She is the principal investigator of numerous local, national and international research projects with the goal to improve the care of patients with colorectal conditions. Her research focuses on practical issues in colorectal surgery such as the use of local nerve blocks to minimize surgical pain and improve recovery, early diet advancement, optimal steroid dose after IBD surgery, and quality of life after J-pouch surgery, to name a few. Dr. Zaghiyan remains dedicated to making advancements in her field, which directly impacts the well-being of her patients. With her clinical and research expertise along with her commitment to providing the highest-quality care, Dr. Zaghiyan delivers the most cutting-edge treatments for men and women with colon and rectal diseases.